Wind spend

Stuart Winter’s empty claims regarding wind industry jobs (Friends of The Scotsman, 3 July) have been exposed by wide-ranging media revelations 
citing the true situation: that every job in Britain’s wind farm industry is effectively subsidised to the tune of £100,000 per annum, and that Scotland’s 203 onshore wind farms employ just 2,235 people working directly on them.

The annual subsidy of £344 million bestows a staggering £154,000 per job.

That he still uses the tired and discredited myth of wind power providing “free” energy is spectacularly misleading.

The annual cost of the renewables target is more than £9bn on top of the £16bn-plus spent thus far on investment in onshore and offshore electricity networks since 2010, which will continue to rise.

So claims that it would be “short-sighted, ill-considered and reckless not to continue supporting this industry” become groundless.

C Metcalfe

Taynuilt

Argyll