Investing in renewable energy 'absolutely right' says minister amid claims wind farms 'to blame' for rising energy bills

Yesterday, Ofgem claimed the cost of switching off wind farms has pushed up household energy bills by as much as £15 a year - despite Energy Secretary Ed Miliband's promise to bring down bills by £300.

The regulator said the energy price cap will increase more than expected from £1,720 per year to £1,755 in October.

It said the 2% rise was driven by the amount of money being spent on switching off wind farms in remote areas when the network is too congested to transport the power to where it is needed.

Stephen Morgan MP, Minister for Early Education, batted down complaints of the cost and told Nick Ferrari that the continued use of renewable energy is part of the "long term solution".

He said: "It's the long term solution to invest in clean energy.

"It's part of our mission that we want to deliver for our country, to grow the economy and invest in renewable energy for the long term. 

"The other choice is to kind of keep on the roller coaster of fossil fuels.

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The Conservatives have claimed Miliband was “not interested” in cutting energy bills and that his net zero agenda was punishing households.

So far in 2025, the UK has already spent an estimated £815m on switching off wind farms and firing up alternative sources of power – typically gas plants – according to the Wasted Wind tracker website. 

That is up by more than a quarter compared to the same period just a year earlier.

According to the National Energy System Operator, the bill is expected to rise to almost £4bn by 2030.