Oliver Trapnell
Guest Reporter
The Conservative Party has hit out at Ed Miliband’s clean power action plan claiming the scheme will lead to higher bills.
Miliband’s plan aims to decarbonise the electricity grid by the end of the decade to protect households from future energy price spikes, boost growth and tackle the climate crisis.
The extensive plan released today sets out how Labour intends to lay the foundation for achieving its target of 95 per cent clean power across the UK by 2030.
Ministers plan to roll out wide-ranging measures to speed up planning decisions on clean energy projects, unblock the queue for connecting to the grid, boost renewable capacity, expand energy storage and increase flexibility in the system.
Under the measures, the wholesale price of electricity is forecast to fall by the end of the decade with the hopes this will translate to lower bills, and ensure households and businesses do not suffer the same impacts of the recent energy crisis driven by spiking gas prices.
The Government said the wider economic benefits will also be huge, with an estimated £40billion extra in mostly private investment in homegrown clean energy projects annually.
However, the vast amount of infrastructure that needs to be built over the next few years comes with difficult trade-offs, including some significant impacts on communities and nature.
As more pylons and wind turbines go up across the country, those living in areas nearby will be offered a range of direct benefits such as lower energy bills, which will be outlined in legislation next year.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: “A new era of clean electricity for our country offers a positive vision of Britain’s future with energy security, lower bills, good jobs and climate action.
“This can only happen with big, bold change and that is why the Government is embarking on the most ambitious reforms to our energy system in generations.
“The era of clean electricity is about harnessing the power of Britain’s natural resources so we can protect working people from the ravages of global energy markets.
“The clean power sprint is the national security, economic security, and social justice fight of our time – and this plan gives us the tools we need to win this fight for the British people.”
The Conservatives immediately attacked the plan with shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho warning that the plan will lead to higher bills.
“Ed Miliband spent the election promising to cut energy bills by £300 by 2030, then took the same amount away from pensioners in poverty. Now his promise to cut bills by £300 is nowhere to be seen,” she said.
“Instead, he now has black-and-white proof that his rush to decarbonise the electricity system by 2030 will push up electricity prices and cause more hardship for people across Britain, but he’s pushing on regardless.
“We need cheap, reliable energy – not even higher bills.”
Do you back Ed Miliband's Clean Power 2030 Action Plan? Vote now in the poll above and have your say in the comment section below.
Find Out More...