LONDON, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- The British government said it was listening to business leaders and keeping support for small-scale renewable energy projects on the table.
The British Department of Energy and Climate Change had considered eliminating support plans like feed-in tariffs for proposed renewable energy projects that would generate less than 5 megawatts of power.
British Climate Change Minister Greg Barker announced that feedback from industry leaders prompted the government to review its position, however.
"Industry needs certainty, and keeping the current arrangements for small scale renewables as they are will help provide this assurance," he said in a statement.
Recent statistics released by the DECC indicate renewable energy in 2011 accounted for 3.8 percent of the country's total energy consumption compared with 3.2 percent in 2010.
British Hydropower Association Chief Executive Officer David Williams said Barker's announcement represented London's commitment to a green energy future.
"This will remove a layer of uncertainty which would have impaired the development of hydro projects in a range critical to the realization of achievable renewables targets," Williams said.
The government in July announced plans to cut by 10 percent a subsidy for wind energy.
