Defence chiefs were accused today of prolonging Britain’s reliance on fossil fuels as it emerged they have sought to block dozens of new wind farms.
The Ministry of Defence has submitted planning objections to 44 of the schemes over concerns they interfere with radars and obscure the vision of low-flying aircraft.
The number of developments opposed by the MoD has risen sharply over the last year, to 23 across 2007.
The scale of the MoD’s opposition comes amid increasing concern about the planning obstacles to green energy schemes, voiced by figures including Business Secretary John Hutton.
The British Wind Energy Association has warned that wind farms, crucial to the UK in hitting its renewable energy targets, are being held up by the planning process.
The MoD insists that all of its objections are “absolutely essential“.
But Greenpeace accused defence chiefs of holding back progress.
Senior climate campaigner Robin Oakley said: “Last week Gordon Brown made it clear that climate change presents a defining threat to our national security, so why is the MoD presenting one of the biggest challenges to ending our dependence on fossil fuels?”