Earlier this week announced Friends of the Earth (FoE) was taking legal action over proposed cuts to FITs level, which are due to come in on December 12 before the consultation finishes two weeks later on December 23.

At that time the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) confirmed it had received ‘two letters indicating an intention to start legal proceedings’.

Today (November 10) Solarcentury announced it was behind the second action, alongside other interested parties, although it has not set a deadline for the Government to respond unlike the FoE action.

The second legal action comes despite Solar Trade Association chairman, Howard Johns, doubting a legal action could work at edie’s Sustainable Leaders Forum last week.

Despite Mr Johns’ views a spokeswoman for Solarcentury said the company was ‘confident’ the action would succeed as DECC’s actions were ‘illegal, irrational and unreasonable’.

She added: “Many large contracts have been cancelled following the announcement, these included major projects for housing associations and local authorities which were planned to complete by March 31 2011, the original tariff change date, but which have no hope of completion by December 12.

“The housing associations have lost hundreds of thousands of pounds themselves preparing for these schemes.”

A DECC spokesperson 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. We can confirm that we have received two letters indicating an intention to start legal proceedings against the department on certain aspects of the current consultation and we will be responding to those letters in due course.”

Luke Walsh

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