Announcement must deliver on Government promises, says energy expert
The forthcoming Queen’s Speech, to be delivered on May 10th, is rumoured to contain an Energy Bill. According to leading energy trade association, the not-for-profit Energy and Utilities Alliance (EUA), it needs to deliver on the many promises made by Ministers around the hydrogen economy.
Mike Foster, CEO of EUA, said:
“The Queen’s Speech on Tuesday is a unique opportunity to showcase an Energy Bill that delivers on the promises made by Ministers recently on delivering a hydrogen economy; creating secure energy supplies that do not rely on the blood-stained hands of President Putin, and positioning the UK as the world’s leading hydrogen economy.
“We need to hear details of the business model that will deliver UK domestic production of this zero-carbon wonder-fuel, and practical action to make sure every home that wants cheap, zero carbon gas for their boilers, cookers and fires gets it.
“We need to urgently shift away from fossil fuel gas to hydrogen, using the world-class gas networks already underground to supply our homes and businesses. Now is not the time to consider re-wiring Britain; ripping out boilers to be replaced with £10 grand a time heat pumps would be a folly when clean gas is just around the corner.
“From our recent research of 2000 UK consumers, the majority of Brits agree. Over three quarters (77.7%) of respondents saying they would support the UK generating and distributing alternative, low-carbon gas through the existing grid to replace the imports of natural gas from countries such as Qatar and Russia. An overwhelming 82% also believed the government should prioritise affordability in the development of renewable technologies for heating homes in the UK. There is a clear message that costly alternatives like heat pumps will not be favoured by households in this cost-of-living crisis.
“Meanwhile, let’s also hear what the Government plan to do to keep bills down this winter. Massive investment in economically-viable energy efficiency schemes would be an entirely sensible step while the Energy Bill progresses through Parliament, creating the hydrogen future the Prime Minister and others have spoken about.”
