A consortium of wind farm developers and investors has brought in Tetra Strategy to handle political comms.

The agency – launched last year by ex-Good Relations Political MD James O’Keefe – is advising the group as it looks to ‘unblock’ Ministry of Defence (MoD) objections to? proposed wind farms.

The MoD is objecting to wind farms because they reportedly interfere with radar systems. The Times reported on the issue on 4 February in an article headlined ‘Wind farms “a threat to national security”’, following it up the next day with an article headlined ‘Nato investigates defence threat from wind farms’.

Tetra held a briefing in the House of Commons in late-February aimed at informing backbench MPs that such objections are likely to prevent the government from hitting its renewable-energy targets. The issue has been raised in prime minister’s questions by Labour MP for Ipswich Chris Mole.

The Cornwall Light & Power Company, Vestas and HgCapital are members of what is currently a four-strong consortium that Tetra is advising.

The British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) – which is considering hiring a PA firm (PAN, Jan) – met Tetra last week to discuss the campaign. Tetra’s work seems likely to make the agency a frontrunner to secure any brief awarded by the BWEA.

Separately, Tetra has also recently been appointed by Innocent Drinks to lobby the government to stop charging VAT on smoothies and fruit juices.