Plans by the Conservatives to remove onshore wind turbines would result in thousands of job losses within Scotland, it has been claimed.

The move would also increase energy bills, Niall Stuart, Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables has said.

Earlier this week, it was reported that UK Prime Minister David Cameron is said to be considering subsidy cuts which would make current – and future – projects less viable, while more strict planning laws would also impact on further development within the sector.

In response to the reports, Mr Stuart has said: "Axing onshore wind would be bad news for the economy, the environment and employment across Scotland.

"In Scotland alone the industry supports almost 3,400 jobs, with many more dependent on the sector. More than £1bn was invested in 2013, with much more to come.

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"Almost half of the power generated in Scotland last year came from renewable sources, with onshore wind making up 65% of that.

"The technology is the cheapest large-scale source of renewable power, is already on track to be cheaper than new nuclear generation and is increasingly competitive with gas."

He continued: "Without onshore wind, the UK will either miss its 2020 climate change targets or have to find renewable power from somewhere else – which can only mean higher costs.

"Every unit of power generated by onshore wind means 99.92% less carbon is emitted than if the same unit had been generated by fossil fuels."

Stuart added that onshore wind is vital when it comes to the emerging areas of offshore wind and wave and tidal, explaining: "Onshore wind is driving investment in grid infrastructure upgrades across the country, which are key to the development of offshore wind in the north of Scotland and for wave and tidal projects on the islands.

"No onshore wind means no connections to the islands and no wave and tidal industry – it is that simple.

"These types of rumours undermine confidence in the industry and put future investments in all forms of renewable energy at risk."

(JP)