Net Zero Minister Graham Stuart MP has been accused of being ‘on another planet’ after his 'complacency' has forced the Erebus off-shore wind project to be derailed for 12 months.

Graham Stuart, who is the MP for Beverley and Holderness, defended a renewables auction that failed to attract any bids for offshore wind development.

The UK Government's annual auction invites companies to bid to develop renewable energy projects and contracts which supply the UK grid. The contracts involve a minimum price for the electricity generated, however the price offered by the UK Government for wind energy did not reflect rising industry costs.

As a result, leading developers stayed away from this year’s annual auction on Friday, September 8.

Their lack of attendance forced the Erebus developers, Blue Gem Wind, to confirm that the project will now be delayed by one year due to a lack of funding through the UK Government’s auction process.

Western Telegraph:

Graham Stuart said he hoped the Government would attract more bids next year however Plaid Cymru MP for Arfon, Hywel Williams, has slammed the Minister’s ‘complacency’ and ‘lack of urgency.

“I saw in the newspapers yesterday that astronomers have discovered a water covered planet in a faraway galaxy,” he told the House of Commons.

“ I have to disappoint these excited scientists – the minister appears from his answers to have got there before them. On another planet.

“This setback to the Erebus project in southwest Wales is deeply disappointing.

"It was the first of its kind in Wales and it was supposed to pave the way to a developing industry.

"I hope the minister can reassure me that he's taking steps to make sure that in round six, projects like Erebus are enabled to compete successfully and to lead the way for this industry in Wales.”

Minister Graham Stuart responded: “Moving to annual rounds, you were going to get ebb and flows as we seek to get that balance right between getting the generation we require against the extremely ambitious deadlines we have and not paying too much for it. That's the balance we strike. We’ve got 3.7 GW and I imagine we'll do even better next time.”

Speaking after the session, Hywel Williams added: “The complacency and lack of urgency from the Minister today was astounding. We simply cannot afford to waste time by botching annual rounds and waiting for the next. The UK Government is not on track to meet its own target of 50 GW of offshore wind by 2050. The climate crisis cannot wait.”

The UK Government’s stance lies in sharp contrast to the Irish Government’s auction in May 2023, which adjusted prices to reflect current costs, leading to four offshore wind projects being confirmed.

“Compare last week’s shambolic auction with Ireland’s in May of this year,” added Hywel Williams.

“ The Irish Government ran their auction in May with a framework that recognised current supply chain costs and secured investment in four offshore wind farms. Wales is losing to Ireland due to the UK Government's poor planning.

“We have a first-class industry ready to go in Wales. We have the potential to be leading the way globally on floating offshore wind but Westminster is sabotaging our efforts.”