Conservative energy minister, Michael Fallon, confirmed rumours that the party will curtail the deployment of onshore wind by ceasing subsidies and changing the planning process if elected.

At the same time, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has released a shale gas supply chain report which claims that shale gas has “huge potential economic benefits to the UK”.

The report forecasts that as much as 64,000 jobs could be created across the shale gas value chain. However, the REA counters that the renewable sector had more than 100,000 jobs across the value chain back in 2012 when it last carried out detailed analysis of employment in the sector.