Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether his Department plans to issue an invitation to tender for the research required for its review of wind turbine noise; and what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that that review will be independent.

DECC intends to appoint acoustics experts to review the evidence on wind turbine amplitude modulation (AM), with a view to providing advice on how appropriate AM thresholds might be set in planning conditions. DECC officials are preparing an Invitation to Tender currently and expect to issue it in the New Year and to appoint a contractor as soon as we are able following the conclusion of the tendering exercise. Copies of the correspondence between my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State and the President of the IOA are available on DECC’s website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/increasing-the-use-of-low-carbon-technologies/supporting-pages/onshore-wind.