The Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) faces two legal challenges one from Friends of the Earth which has set a deadline of tomorrow (November 11) for a response.

And the potential of a Solarcentury led judicial review into cuts to the subsidy.

The group is seeking an interim injunction to stop DECC using the December 12 as the cut-off date for current FITs they claim such an early date is ‘illegal, irrational and unreasonable’.

DECC confirmed to edie, this afternoon (November 10), that it will defend the any attempt at a judicial review of the cuts proposed by climate change minister, Greg Barker, last month.

Solarcentury chairman, Jeremy Leggett, said: “We expected a proper and fair consultation on the review of FITs.

“Instead we get a ready-made decision which seriously harms the solar industry and everyone in it and gives us less than six weeks to save the businesses we have built up over multiple years.

“It is profoundly depressing the ‘greenest Government eve’r has after just 18 months launched such an assault against a growing industry employing 25,000 people.

A DECC spokeswoman said: “We’re consulting on proposed new tariffs for a reason – to protect consumers from footing the bill for excessive subsidies.

“This is a live consultation and it will be open for people to comment until December 23.

“We can confirm that an application has been made for judicial review of certain aspects of the current consultation, which we shall be defending.”

Luke Walsh

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