News from Southampton Labour

Whitehead congratulates Government on European supergrid

Dr Alan Whitehead, Labour MP for Southampton Test, congratulated the Government on signing an agreement with 8 other European countries to develop an integrated offshore wind farm network last week.

The agreement, which is called the “The North Seas Countries’ Offshore Grid Initiative” refers to a network of northern European offshore windfarms connected by undersea cables and is a project Dr Whitehead has been campaigning on for some time. According to the Department for Energy and Climate Change a strategic work plan is due to be released in early 2010.

Speaking from Westminster Dr Whitehead, who is a member of the House of Commons Energy and Climate Change Select Committee commented:

“I am delighted at the government’s decision to commit to this project – the coast of northern Europe is ideally suited to producing a supply of continuous, clean energy from wind due to its corresponding areas of high and low pressure. One of the main criticisms levelled at wind energy is it’s unreliability, but on the coast of Northern Europe the wind is quite literally always blowing somewhere. Connecting up a series of farms around the coastline will optimise offshore wind electricity production and ensure a constant supply of cheap green energy to much of Europe.”

He added:

“Investing in this technology will also help to alleviate the recession by creating jobs in the UK, such as the expanding Vestas plant on the Isle of Wight near Southampton which is set to create over 200 new jobs from 2011 in the production of wind turbines. The creation of this grid represents a huge step in transforming the UK’s energy economy. The Government has made a clear choice to put green energy at the heart rather than the margins of the UK’s energy mix and I congratulate them on this decision.”

Other news from Southampton Labour

• We must keep investing to help everyone back into work – Labour MPs - 10 March 2010
• Alan Whitehead MP calls for support for hardworking carers - 8 March 2010
• Whitehead pledges to continue the fight against fuel poverty - 8 March 2010