By Isle of Wight Observer
A Labour-led council on the Isle of Wight would seek to turn the Isle of Wight into an exporter of renewable energy it has been revealed – and there would be no place for oil drilling or fracking.
Labour’s Southampton City Council established a local energy company which reduces bills for local residents, while also providing all its energy from renewable sources. Labour on the Isle of Wight would establish a similar
company to reduce residents’ bills.
However, Labour on the Island would go further.
Island Labour’s Chair, Julian Critchley, said: “The island is blessed with excellent conditions to become a renewable energy powerhouse. We have one of the sunniest climates in the UK, we are surrounded by waters with large tidal ranges, and both onshore and offshore wind power is an as-yet untapped resource.
“A Labour-led council would set up a local energy company, as Southampton did. Initially, this would focus on reducing bills for residents. But in the longer term, we would be looking to reinvest returns from that company into renewable energy generation. The Island should be exporting clean energy to the rest of the UK, and Islanders can all benefit from that.
“The repeated attempts to drill for oil on the island are ridiculous. Not only do Islanders not want it, but the world can’t afford it. More to the point, with the renewable options we have which are currently untapped, it’s completely
unnecessary.”
