Green revolution plan launched

LONDON (Reuters) - The government said on Thursday it plans a 10-fold increase in renewable energy use over the next 12 years, including building 7,000 new wind turbines, through a 100 billion pound investment programme backed by an increase in support for green power, renewable heat and microgeneration.

The government's proposals for meeting its 2020 target of getting 15 percent of all energy from renewable sources expects the power sector to get about one third of its electricity from renewable sources, mainly wind.

"We are opening a new chapter in Britain's history," industry minister John Hutton said in a statement on Thursday.

"The vast expansion of renewable energy marks an important moment in this journey and, alongside our plans for new nuclear and clean coal, will play a crucial role in tackling climate change and reducing our dependency on oil and gas."

Central to the government's consultation on how to meet its renewable energy targets and cut carbon emissions is the call for 4,000 more wind turbines to be built onshore and 3,000 more to be erected at sea.

Britain currently gets less than 5 percent of its electricity from renewables and is expected to be required by the European Commission to get 15 percent of all its energy from environmentally friendly sources by 2020.

(Reporting by Daniel Fineren)