U.K. to End Wind-Energy Subsidies in 2016, One Year Earlier Than Planned

The U.K. government June 18 announced plans to end state subsidies for onshore wind energy 12 months earlier than anticipated, a move that businesses, renewable energy lobby groups and environmentalists have criticized.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change said it would introduce legislation to end state support for wind farms under the Renewables Obligation—the main support mechanism for renewable electricity projects in the U.K.—by March 31, 2016, instead of the same date in 2017.

The government anticipated its plans to cut subsidies for onshore wind in its manifesto before the May elections, which it won with an outright majority. ...