Green Day turns into Groundhog Day – another govt failure on climate action
In reaction to the government’s ‘Energy Security Day’ announcements (formerly known as ‘Green Day’), Greenpeace UK’s head of climate, Mel Evans, said:
“Green Day has turned into Groundhog Day – yet another government failure on climate action. As climate chaos hits our shores and millions struggle to pay their bills, ministers have again spectacularly failed to rise to the challenge. This piecemeal, re-heated and confusing announcement is just not enough to meaningfully tackle climate change or to provide secure, affordable energy for households.
“Hundreds of thousands of homes will remain uninsulated by next winter. Cheap wind power is still effectively banned onshore in England. There’s no net zero mandate for the energy regulator. And our policy on electric vehicles remains – at best – stuck in second gear.
“Ministers talk about leading the world, but the UK is not even making it to the starting blocks of the green tech race. A good government would go all in on renewable, efficient energy to give millions of people warm homes, clean air, lower bills and a safe climate – but Powering Up Britain is a far cry from what this country needs.”
Comments on specific policies:
Electric vehicles – The government has announced £380m to boost charging infrastructure and a further consultation is expected on how many electric models car manufacturers must sell each year (Zero Emissions Vehicle mandate)
Greenpeace UK view: “The measures on charging are welcome but do not go far enough. Delaying introducing a robust ZEV mandate through yet another consultation is unacceptable. Without further action to secure battery plants to deliver green job opportunities and more money and enabling policies to deliver adequate charging infrastructure to meet demand, the government’s EV strategy would still be in need of a jump start.”
Renewables – The government has announced £160mn for floating offshore wind port infrastructure, and confirmed it will reduce planning obstacles to solar and offshore wind. The 5th (now annual) auction round for renewables contracts has opened with £205mn available although the strike price limits have not been changed from last year.
Greenpeace UK view: “The £160mn for floating offshore is welcome although as a technology where we could genuinely lead the world it seems a bit half-hearted compared to the £4bn an expert group assessed as necessary for that task. There is an ongoing failure to permit onshore wind in England that remains blocked by planning rules, and promises to streamline planning for offshore wind and solar were made in the British Energy Security Strategy nearly a year ago and have seen little change. Meanwhile there are doubts about whether the benchmarks and funding in the new renewables contract auction have been set at a level too low to attract investment given the supply chain inflation and high-interest rates.”
Nuclear Power – Rules on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) competition will come in the Autumn.
Greenpeace UK view: “Nuclear power has consistently failed to deliver on time or to budget. It’s an expensive distraction from genuine climate and energy security solutions, like renewable power and grid upgrades. SMRs don’t yet exist, are highly unlikely to solve our energy woes and won’t provide a solution to the waste hazards that come with nuclear.”
CCUS – Moving to the next stage of development for a number of CCS clusters. Clusters expected to go into negotiations over funding are East of England and around Morecambe Bay.
Greenpeace view: “Carbon capture is not zero carbon; is unlikely to see dramatic cost reductions or be scalable; and is often used for greenwashing by oil and gas companies so they can carry on polluting. It doesn’t do what it says on the tin and certainly should not be prioritised as part of a green industrial strategy.”
Heat pumps and insulation – A rebrand of ECO+ and widening of access to the grant scheme with the intention to insulate 300,000 homes and a £30m Heat Pump Investment Accelerator along with an extension – not announced on scope and timing – to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
Greenpeace UK view: “Our European neighbours are snapping up heat pumps like hot cakes, while UK households are being left out in the cold. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is failing and needs a much more rounded strategy to increase heat pump uptake including skills packages, independent consumer advice and support, advertising and promotion, as well as much more money. £30m for an “investment accelerator” just isn’t going to move the dial. £3.37bn extra is needed now as part of a market mechanism to accelerate the transition away from gas heating towards installation of heat pumps, alongside a requirement on boiler manufacturers to shift production to heat pumps on a timeframe in line with a commitment to ban all new gas boilers by 2033.”
Rebalancing gas and electricity bills – The Government will set out plans during 2023/24 to rebalance gas and electricity costs in household bills with the aim of making electricity bills cheaper and speeding up electrification for households and businesses.
Greenpeace UK view: “This could be a welcome and necessary step towards allowing households to truly benefit from clean heat and power. Yet despite the pressure on household bills there is no clarity on when the government will act. The government should have confirmed an immediate relief of policy costs on electricity bills, with further action to transfer the cost to gas bills at a later date.”
