Friday 30 Nov 2012 @ 13:10
WiredGov Newswire (news from other organisations)
WiredGov Newswire (news from other organisations)
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WWF - Time to get serious about renewables & efficiency
Commenting on the publication of the Energy Bill yesterday, WWF-UK stressed that it was now high time for the Government to push full steam ahead on deploying renewable energy and energy efficiency infrastructure at scale. WWF-UK called for an end to months of Government infighting on the future of the renewables industry, which was unnecessarily increasing risk for investors and cost for consumers.
Nick Molho, Head of Energy Policy at WWF-UK said: “Today’s Energy Bill is a unique opportunity for the Government to finally speak with one voice in support of the renewables sector. David Cameron must now put an end to months of Government infighting which have badly damaged investment confidence in one of the UK’s few sectors of economic growth.
“The ultimate test for the Bill will be through strong amendments on energy efficiency and a decarbonisation target that hold the Government to their commitments. Consistent political messages are now more important than ever in boosting investor confidence.”
WWF-UK welcomed the launch of the consultation on energy efficiency but warned that this consultation had to deliver concrete results in the months to come if the UK was serious about moving towards a low-carbon economy at lowest cost to consumers.
Nick Molho said: “Energy efficiency is a no-brainer for the environment, the economy and consumers and could reduce our power sector costs by more than £10bn a year by 2030 1. We have to go beyond saying warm words about energy efficiency and finally make of it a core element of our energy policy. The economic benefits at stake – and the risks if we don’t take them for people’s bills – are simply too big to ignore.”
Looking forward to the Gas Generation Strategy expected new week, WWF-UK pointed out that only limited amounts of investment were needed in new gas generation out to 2030 and urged the Government not to go down the route of another dash for gas, which would have detrimental environmental and economic impacts for the UK. 2
Nick Molho said: “A large part of our gas already comes from abroad, and Government and International Energy Agency’s forecasts warn that UK gas prices and dependence on imports will rise, so it makes no strategic sense to increase our reliance on this fossil fuel. The time has come to deploy renewable energy on a big scale in the UK and move away from our excessive reliance on gas for the sake of people’s bills, our economy and the environment.” 3
Notes to editors
1. A recent report from WWF UK and Green Alliance issued on 17 October 2012, Creating A Market for Electricity Savings, found that a greater focus on efficiency in the electricity sector could reduce overall cost for UK consumers by £10bn or more a year by 2030: http://www.wwf.org.uk/what_we_do/press_centre/?unewsid=6259
2. The Committee on Climate Change recently clarified that “the role for unabated gas fired power generation should be limited to balancing the system in 2030, by which time the share of unabated gas generation in the total should be no more than 10%, compared to 40% today. A second dash for gas, resulting in a higher share of unabated gas in 2030, would neither be economically sensible nor compatible with our legislated carbon budgets.” : CCC, Statement by David Kennedy on Unabated Gas Fired Generation, 24 May 2012: http://www.theccc.org.uk/news
3. Committee on Climate Change (13 September 2012): The need for a carbon intensity target in the power sector: http://hmccc.s3.amazonaws.com/EMR%20letter%20-%20September%2012.pdf. International Energy Agency, Golden Rules for a Golden Age of Gas report (May 2012): http://www.worldenergyoutlook.org/media/weowebsite/2012/goldenrules/WEO2012_GoldenRulesReport.pdf
For more information:
George Smeeton, Senior Press Officer WWF-UK
Tel: 01483 412 388, Mob: 07917 052 948, email: GSmeeton@wwf.org.uk
“The ultimate test for the Bill will be through strong amendments on energy efficiency and a decarbonisation target that hold the Government to their commitments. Consistent political messages are now more important than ever in boosting investor confidence.”
WWF-UK welcomed the launch of the consultation on energy efficiency but warned that this consultation had to deliver concrete results in the months to come if the UK was serious about moving towards a low-carbon economy at lowest cost to consumers.
Nick Molho said: “Energy efficiency is a no-brainer for the environment, the economy and consumers and could reduce our power sector costs by more than £10bn a year by 2030 1. We have to go beyond saying warm words about energy efficiency and finally make of it a core element of our energy policy. The economic benefits at stake – and the risks if we don’t take them for people’s bills – are simply too big to ignore.”
Looking forward to the Gas Generation Strategy expected new week, WWF-UK pointed out that only limited amounts of investment were needed in new gas generation out to 2030 and urged the Government not to go down the route of another dash for gas, which would have detrimental environmental and economic impacts for the UK. 2
Nick Molho said: “A large part of our gas already comes from abroad, and Government and International Energy Agency’s forecasts warn that UK gas prices and dependence on imports will rise, so it makes no strategic sense to increase our reliance on this fossil fuel. The time has come to deploy renewable energy on a big scale in the UK and move away from our excessive reliance on gas for the sake of people’s bills, our economy and the environment.” 3
Notes to editors
1. A recent report from WWF UK and Green Alliance issued on 17 October 2012, Creating A Market for Electricity Savings, found that a greater focus on efficiency in the electricity sector could reduce overall cost for UK consumers by £10bn or more a year by 2030: http://www.wwf.org.uk/what_we_do/press_centre/?unewsid=6259
2. The Committee on Climate Change recently clarified that “the role for unabated gas fired power generation should be limited to balancing the system in 2030, by which time the share of unabated gas generation in the total should be no more than 10%, compared to 40% today. A second dash for gas, resulting in a higher share of unabated gas in 2030, would neither be economically sensible nor compatible with our legislated carbon budgets.” : CCC, Statement by David Kennedy on Unabated Gas Fired Generation, 24 May 2012: http://www.theccc.org.uk/news
3. Committee on Climate Change (13 September 2012): The need for a carbon intensity target in the power sector: http://hmccc.s3.amazonaws.com/EMR%20letter%20-%20September%2012.pdf. International Energy Agency, Golden Rules for a Golden Age of Gas report (May 2012): http://www.worldenergyoutlook.org/media/weowebsite/2012/goldenrules/WEO2012_GoldenRulesReport.pdf
For more information:
George Smeeton, Senior Press Officer WWF-UK
Tel: 01483 412 388, Mob: 07917 052 948, email: GSmeeton@wwf.org.uk
