The Renewable Energy Association (REA) has responded to the proposals announced by UK opposition leader Ed Miliband at the Labour Party Conference concerning his plans to radically reform the UK energy market.
“We welcome Ed Miliband’s commitment to decarbonising the energy mix by 2030 and his understanding that our sector is a huge opportunity for green jobs and sustainable growth” said the REA’s Chief Executive, Dr Nina Skorupska. “We also welcome his focus on consumer affordability, as volatile gas prices have been pushing bills up and up for several years now. The big question is: How can Labour square a major reform of the consumer energy market and a freeze on energy bills with the urgent need for investment in new low carbon generation?”
Dr Skorupska added that investment in renewables in the UK is already on hold while the government works through the details of the Electricity Market Reform (EMR) and so a freeze on bills must not be allowed to lead to another freeze in renewables investment.
“If we are to keep the lights on, boost our domestic energy supply, mitigate the risks of dangerous climate change, create green jobs in new industries and meet binding renewable energy targets, then we need to be accelerating the rate of growth in renewable energy and we cannot afford another investment hiatus” she said.
Support for renewable electricity currently accounts for £27 (2 percent) out of the average dual fuel household bill of £1,346 according to figures supplied by the energy regulator Ofgem. At present the UK renewables sector supports 110,000 jobs across the value chain with the potential for 400,000 in 2020 as the industry expands to meet the UK’s 2020 target of 15 percent renewable energy.
Further information:
Renewable Energy Association (REA)
Renewable Energy: Made in Britain, April 2012 executive summary
