Loading...
{megaLeaderboard}
{normalLeaderboard}
News Article

UK Government pay massive damages re FiT fisasco

News

A freedom of information request response from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has confirmed that the UK Government made nearly £60 million in payments to solar energy companies in a claim led by legal firm Asserson. The claim, listed by The Lawyer magazine as one of the "Top 20 Claims" for trial in 2018, was unprecedented and followed seven years of legal wrangling. The pay-out is the largest ever sum recovered by a Human Rights Act claim in the UK

The litigation was brought against the BEIS proposal to bring forward the date of cuts to "˜feed-in tariff' (FIT) subsidies to small-scale solar energy generation from the government's publicised cut-off date of 1 April 2012 to 12 December 2011, a date before the end of the consultation on the proposal itself, and before the law making the change would be approved by Parliament. The proposal had disastrous consequences for the UK solar industry, with many companies becoming insolvent and others losing millions of pounds.

Asserson had not previously commented on the amount of money paid to the claimants, because the Government had insisted that the settlement terms be kept confidential. However, in light of the Government's freedom of information response, the settlement sum is now public knowledge.

Trevor Asserson, senior partner at Asserson who ran the case, commented: "This claim was triggered by an unlawful government decision to cut subsidies to the solar energy industry earlier than the government's own published timetable. The outcome was a victory for the business sector and for human rights. This is by a significant margin the largest sum ever recovered on the basis of a Human Rights Act claim in the UK.

The precedent set by this case gives businesses real protection in the event that government unlawfully interferes with their activities."

According to The Times this morning a trial on the facts of the case and losses was scheduled for January but the government instead settled out of court. The government has not admitted liability or wrongdoing.
Forster Group completes landmark solar installation for Fife Creamery
UK’s Largest Operating Solar Farm Secures 20-Year Sleeved PPA
20% more powerful tandem solar panels enter commercial use for the first time
Vattenfall awarded Contracts for Difference for around 100 MW of new wind and solar
BayWa r.e. welcomes positive planning decision for Tipperary solar farm
Sunmaxx PVT and Oxford PV produce the world’s most efficient and 100% European made solar PVT module
104,000 panel solar farm set to power The University of Manchester
New study by Low Carbon and Lancaster University to pioneer state-of-the-art technologies to measure biodiversity on solar farms
SIG Building Solutions Supplies Bespoke Solar Canopy Support Structures To Support 122 Kwp PV System
NextPower V ESG Makes CfD Acquisition
LONGi Sets New World-Record for Silicon Solar Cell Efficiency
Octopus Energy backs tech disruptor to turbocharge floating offshore wind farms globally
NextPower V ESG Reaches $745 Million To Date
Trina Solar announces 27% year-on-year increase in revenues in 2023 annual report
Fluke Announces New Solmetric PVA-1500HE2 PV Analyzer
Harmony Energy receives £10m credit facility from Triodos Bank UK
Varco Energy acquires Sambar Power battery storage project in Cornwall
Fluke celebrates 25th anniversary with CalPlus GmbH
AEROCOMPACT launches user-friendly roof hook for tiled roofs
Sunrock expands executive board
CSI secures mezzanine financing for solar portfolio in Italy
Emeren Group and Glennmont to Develop 155 MW of Battery Storage Projects in Italy
BayWa r.e. starts construction of 188 MW wind and solar flagship project, including its largest onshore wind farm in Europe
Sharp Unveils 435Wp Solar Panel
bp awards Lightweight Solar Specialists Solivus with contract to supply and install PV Solar Systems
Midsummer in collaboration with one of the world's largest roofing material manufacturers
Two new high-voltage Insulation Resistance Testers from Fluke deliver accuracy and speed in solar PV applications
Sonnedix initiates operational activity in Portugal with acquisition of 49MW portfolio
BeBa Energy completes major solar array for Thanet Earth
Europe's first solar car park with carbon-friendly construction to open for public use
Solar with style: Trina Solar unveils new full black module, Vertex S+, to advance sustainable aesthetics for rooftops
REC Group launches its 5th Alpha HJT solar panel innovation in five years: REC Alpha Pure 2
×
Search the news archive

To close this popup you can press escape or click the close icon.
Logo
×
Logo
×
Register - Step 1

You may choose to subscribe to the Smart Solar Magazine, the Smart Solar Newsletter, or both. You may also request additional information if required, before submitting your application.


Please subscribe me to:

 

You chose the industry type of "Other"

Please enter the industry that you work in:
Please enter the industry that you work in: