A government push for a new generation of onshore wind farms could make Britain even more reliant on gas, campaigners have claimed.

A report by Net Zero Watch, which scrutinises climate policies, stated that turbines deliver “only an illusion” of energy security because they require more reliable sources of power to act as a back-up for when there is insufficient wind to generate electricity.

“In reality, the grid is entirely reliant for its security on the only thermodynamically superior fuel remaining, namely natural gas,” the paper said.

It came after Kwasi Kwarteng, the Business and Energy Secretary, said that Britain needed a major “acceleration” in onshore turbines to guarantee energy supplies and reduce spiralling household bills. The Government has committed to reducing carbon emissions to net zero by 2050.

In an interview last week, Mr Kwarteng said that public opposition that led to the spread of onshore wind farms being slowed by David Cameron in 2015 had “changed”, and suggested that planning rules could now be relaxed.

Dr John Constable, Net Zero Watch’s director of energy and a co-author of the paper, said:
“In boosting onshore wind, Mr Kwarteng is either desperate and mistaken or indulging in cynical gesture politics to cover up what he knows he absolutely must do: namely expand domestic natural gas supply and build new high-efficiency combined cycle gas turbines.

“Foolish government enthusiasm for low-quality generation, such as wind, is one of the main reasons we have an energy crisis. More wind won’t help and, in fact, will make the gas dependency issue much worse.”

The Net Zero Watch paper insisted that “in the short term, there is no alternative to gas, and rather than pretending otherwise... the Government should be candid with the public and focus relentlessly on replacing the older combined cycle gas turbines with new models that are more thermally efficient (and thus cheaper and cleaner) and on increasing UK production of natural gas onshore and offshore”.

Last week, The Telegraph disclosed that Boris Johnson was privately frustrated with Rishi Sunak over the Chancellor’s apparent resistance to the Prime Minister’s push for a dramatic increase in the number of nuclear power plants in Britain.

The Net Zero Watch paper stated that nuclear energy can provide greater stability but “is relevant only in the medium to longer term” because of the length of time required to construct nuclear plants.

A government spokesman said:
“Gas is expensive and renewables are cheap. By boosting cheap renewables and nuclear power, we will reduce our dependence on expensive fossil fuels and bring down costs for consumers.

“Our upcoming energy security strategy will supercharge our renewable energy and nuclear capacity, as well as supporting our North Sea oil and gas industry.”

KeyFacts Energy Industry Directory: Net Zero Watch