Environmentalists accuse the government of “incoherence” or “missed opportunities” with its Energy Security Strategy. They say it contradicts climate targets, overlooks cheaper, more greener, faster alternatives.
Scientists, campaigners, policy experts, and scientists all agree that energy efficiency is the missing piece of the plans. Many point out the fact that energy is the most cost-effective and greenest form of energy.
Tessa Khan from campaign group Uplift described the plans in a “betrayal for the millions of families across Britain… being pushed towards the brink by the cost of life crisis.”
Although the Climate Change Committee was criticized by government advisors, they also acknowledged that it was difficult to implement policy quickly.
Britain’s homes are some of the most poorly insulated in Europe. It is worth improving their insulation to both heat homes and lower your bills.
The government claims its bold strategy will reduce bills over the long-term, and energy secretary Kwasi Kwarteng today Sky NewsThe strategy was “more a medium-term three to four, or five-year answer”.
Boris Johnson vows to ‘do even more’ to address the cost of living crisis while defending his energy strategy
Chancellor Rishi Sunak had reportedlyIn an effort to keep his spending agreements in place, he blocked the extension of energy efficiency programs.
The strategy’s main focus on increasing nuclear power, which is slow but one of the most expensive forms, raised eyebrows.
Juliet Phillips, a thinktank E3G, said that by prioritizing technologies that will deliver for many years, the government “both failed in the moment and failed to understand the mood of the country.”
The strategy was launched shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine. However, it is not expected that the UK will be freed from the 4% of Russian gas it receives for at least one year.
According to Ed Matthew, a representative of E3G green think tank, the plan that was unveiled today “isn’t an energy security policy… it’s a national threat and the person who is most content with it will be Vladimir Putin.”
The government claims that the plans will reduce Britain’s exposure to volatile international markets and increase Britain’s self-reliance. It had already planned to hand 28m households up to £350 in a bill rebate package, and offer some homes £150 back from council tax.
North Sea oil & gas
North Sea oil and natural gas production is expected to rise. This is due to increased energy security and a lower carbon footprint than imports.
David Duguid, Conservative Environment Network member and MP for Banff & Buchan, stated that the energy crisis “underlines why it is important to continue to support investment into our North Sea oil & gas sector to reduce our dependence on imports”.
But it would take several years for the fuels from these new sites to come on stream and be sold on global markets to the highest bidding, Dr Simon Cran-McGreehin of energy think tank ECIU said to Sky News.
The strategy was revealed after the United Nations declared it “morally insane” to invest money in new fossil fuel infrastructure. This came just days after its landmark report, which warned that oil and natural gas projects could become stranded assets by 2050.
Professor Michael Grubb UCL says that the problem is that the “incoherent strategy doesn’t know what problem he is trying to solve and fails to solve any.”
‘Cowardly failure’
In the meantime, it has been widely embraced that there are higher targets for offshore wind and sun power generation in an effort to get 95% of electricity from domestic low carbon sources by 2030.
Existing renewable energy sources have partially protected consumers from rising gas prices.
The goal to double low carbon hydrogen was also widely hailed as positive.
“The UK will need to decarbonize sectors that are hard to electrify, including heavy transport and heating,” said Prof Peter Childs of the Energy Futures Lab Imperial College London.
He was happy to take the step “given that green hydrogen can be produced using solar, wind, and tidal energy, all of which are abundant in the UK”.
However, the government withheld support for onshore wind, which can be much more affordable and faster than offshore. It has received better public support. The government only committed to consult on “developing partnerships…with limited numbers of supportive communities” who wish to host wind farm in return for lower bills.
Prof Grubb stated that the Strategy’s most “astonishing and cowardly” failure was onshore wind.
Fracking
Some campaigners have reacted furiously to the “impartial” review of Fracking for Shale Gas. They point out the small amount of gas stored in British soils, the risk from tremors, as well as the fact that it would be sold on international market.
The expression “Lancashire, not Texas” refers to the UK’s limited supply of sites and the fact that sites would be very near to towns. This makes the process unpopular with members of the public.
The review may have been done to appease a small but vocal group of 18 MPs from right-leaning Conservative parties, who have been urging government to reconsider the current moratorium against fracking.
Dr Simon Cran-McGreehin said that the review “looks a bit like looking in the long grass.”
It doesn’t make economic sense and it’s incredibly unpopular with the people… it wouldn’t work in the UK the same way it did in the US. I don’t see the logic of those who support fracking.
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