DECC: Centre for Policy Studies’ Report Ignores Reality of Energy Market

The UK Government’s Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has released a rebuttal of the report by the Centre for Policy Studies, issued yesterday. 

The DECC stated the following:

“The report today by the Centre for Policy Studies ignores the reality of the energy market. It wrongly suggests that we can ditch renewables for gas, with no explanation of where we would source that from. It also appears to suggest that we should row back on the tremendous gains we have made in the fight on climate change. Given the dire consequences of global warming this is not an option.

“Energy supply is a core part of keeping Great Britain great. In order to keep our hospitals, homes and factories running we need a reliable cost-effective power supply, and that’s why the Government is committed to developing sustainable energy.

“The UK has some of the best wind, wave and tidal resources in Europe. By exploiting these renewable resources we can make a strong contribution to our future needs for secure and affordable low carbon energy.

“By creating the world’s first low carbon electricity market, we are going green at the lowest cost, and attracting tens of billions of pounds of infrastructure investment, creating huge numbers of green jobs right across Britain.

“Overall, our reforms mean that average annual household electricity bills will be around £41 lower over the period 2014 to 2030 than decarbonising without these changes. The bill impacts of these new contracts have already been accounted for and published.”

Image: Steph Gray/flickr (September 7, 2010)