Government announces consultation on its energy policy

Government announces consultation on its energy policy

	Published : Tue, 24 Jan 2006 16:15 By : Richard Owen Print this Story

LONDON: The government announced an urgent public consultation of its future energy policy Monday, including an assessment of the possible new generation nuclear power stations.

The greens were quick in their reaction and accused the government of using the process as a mask to a decision already secretly taken to build new nuclear power plants.

Trade minister Alan Johnson said the dwindling oil and gas supplies from the North Sea and the need to reduce carbon emissions required crucial decision on the nuclear power plants.

He told newspersons that one-third of the country's electricity generating capacity could go off-line over the next 10 years, "... so doing nothing is not an option".

Under the consultation, government officials will travel across the country over the next 12 weeks asking the public, industry and lobby groups on their preference. Subsequently, a panel of experts from related ministries, led by energy minister Malcolm Wicks, will prepare a report based on the findings, recommending the area where new investments are required to be made.

Johnson warned that by 2020, Britain would be importing as much 80 per cent of its gas.

Wicks said the review will examine demand as much as supply. He was critical of consumers who left appliances on 'standby' rather than switching them off altogether. This act alone wasted some 740 million pounds worth of energy, resulting in the creation of 4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, he said.

Worldwide Fund for Nature spokesperson Matthew Davis said the review appeared to be too hurried. He described it as a smokescreen for nuclear new built and said the government has chosen the statutory minimum period for consultation and that just does not give enough time for a thorough review.

Green Alliance, a lobby group, through its spokesperson Guy Thompson, said the terms of the review appeared too narrow, focusing on meeting expected demand rather than enhancing energy efficiency and curbing demand.

A study carried out in 2003 had said there was no need to replace the country's ageing nuclear power stations with new ones. While the nuclear plants supply 20 per cent of the country's electricity, renewables supply less than 4 per cent.

Prime minister Tony Blair, who commissioned the new study, is said to be preferring building new generation nuclear power plants, though chancellor Gordon Brown is critical of the investments required. The final decision will be taken by a cabinet committee chaired by Blair.