Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale MP David Mundell has welcomed a wide-ranging review of energy policies by the Scottish Conservatives.
The policy, revealed this week, calls for the number of planned onshore wind farms to be substantially reduced, and their subsidy cut by fifty per cent to limit household bills.
Another key recommendation in the party’s energy policy paper –‘Power With Responsibility’ - is for councils to be given the power to impose a one year moratorium on new wind turbine developments in Scotland.
“Scotland has some of the worst fuel poverty levels in Europe and it is clear robust solutions are needed to tackle the problem,” said Mr Mundell.
The party is also supportive of a range of measures, such as the exploration of shale gas, to help tackle spiralling energy prices for householders.
Mr Mundell also supports their call for homeowners in Scotland to be allowed to claim compensation if the value of their property has dropped because of wind turbine developments.
The Scottish Conservatives believe in a balanced energy mix, with less emphasis on the further development of onshore wind turbines and instead better support for alternative renewables, increasing unconventional gas exploration and new nuclear power stations to replace Chapelcross.
Mr Mundell also backs projects like the Steven's Croft plant near Lockerbie. It is the biggest wood-fired biomass plant in Scotland and generates enough electricity to power the equivalent of 70,000 homes every year.
The MP has joined calls for the Scottish Government to commission an independent study into the health impacts of wind turbines, and wants councils to enforce planning guidance that wind farm developments should be a distance of 2km from residential areas.
“The thousands of wind turbines being erected is a major concern for many communities. The number in operation, in construction or which have planning consent means that Scotland is already two thirds of the way towards meeting its electricity needs from renewable sources,” said Mr Mundell.
He added: “If all those in the planning stages yet to be given consent are approved, the total output could reach a staggering 134 per cent – which is 34 per cent more than the Scottish Government's stated target.
“The march of the wind farms under Alex Salmond and the SNP has to be brought to a halt. The figures are quite stark - the thousands of turbines in operation, being built or in the planning stage, mean that Scotland will easily overshoot its electricity target. This exposes the folly of covering large swathes of our cherished countryside with turbines, in many cases against the will of local communities and councils,” added Mr Mundell, whose rural constituency includes some of the UK’s largest windfarms.