So alleges the Vitality and Local weather Intelligence Unit (ECIU), which has set out new analysis highlighting coverage gaps and venture supply delays round points equivalent to residence vitality effectivity, warmth pumps and decreasing electrical energy prices.
The UK Authorities first set out an Energy Security Strategy in April 2022 under Boris Johnson. This preliminary model, which sought to bolster supply plans for a number of of Johnson’s headline 2030 vitality transition commitments, was subsequently tweaked and fleshed out 11 months later beneath Rishi Sunak – shortly after his creation of the Division for Vitality Safety and Web-Zero (DESNZ).
In 4 of the ten key areas lined by the up to date Technique, known as ‘Powering Up Britain’, the ECIU claims that coverage progress has been nowhere close to the extent of the goal.
On residence vitality effectivity, DESNZ had aimed for 450,000 houses to obtain help for retrofittng by the ECO4 programme by 2026. Solely 115,000 have been retrofitted to date. If this tempo of progress continues, solely half of the goal will probably be met.
Furthermore, Sunak has scrapped forthcoming energy efficiency standards for private rented homes and set no new requirements for owner-occupied houses nor social houses.
The Authorities has additionally been gradual to rebalance electrical energy and gasoline levies to make electrical energy extra inexpensive. This work is in progress however has been within the pipeline now for greater than two years, with teams together with the ECIU cautious of additional delays on account of indications in paperwork from Ofgem and DESNZ.
Moreover, the ECIU has rapped the Authorities for its plans to speed up the supply of nuclear and offshore wind tasks. These are the Conservative Social gathering’s most well-liked low-carbon vitality era choices.
The Technique promised to cut back offshore wind planning consent instances to a 12 months however this has not occurred. And, whereas Ministers have now intervened to assist builders by heightened provide chain prices, this situation prevented any offshore wind bids from being delivered in the last annual clean energy auction round.
On nuclear, the UK Authorities has thrown its weight behind Sizewell C with greater than £1bn of funding, and has set out a long-term imaginative and prescient of supporting each giant tasks and small reactors (SMRs). However the ECIU ranks progress as poor on account of an absence of ultimate funding selections on giant crops and gaps in planning for commercializing SMRs. These similar considerations have been recently raised by the Environmental Audit Committee, a cross-party group of MPs.
An additional three of the ten coverage subject goals included within the Technique are ranked by the ECIU as having solely been ‘partly’ delivered: decarbonising warmth, rushing the grid connection and transmission course of, and scaling renewables apart from offshore wind.
edie reached out to DESNZ for a remark. A spokesperson mentioned they “do not accept” claims that Britain is much less energy-secure than it was two years in the past.
They maintained that the UK has “one of the most secure and diverse energy systems in the world” and pointed to billions of kilos of spending on renewables, nuclear and vitality effectivity this Parliamentary time period.
Some areas of progress
The ECIU evaluation does spotlight that ‘Powering Up Britain’ coverage pledges have been delivered, both in full or virtually in full, in some areas.
These embrace supporting a 2030 goal for the UK to host 10GW of low-carbon hydrogen manufacturing capability, of which no less than 5GW must be for renewable hydrogen. The Authorities has set out a low-carbon hydrogen commonplace and clear income help mechanisms by the hydrogen enterprise mannequin, beneath which contracts have already been awarded.
Whereas we might want to wait till 2026 for a last determination on 100% hydrogen in residence heating, Ministers have already set the direction of travel for hydrogen blending in the gas grid and the use of the fuel in industrial sectors.
Moreover, Sunak has adopted by along with his commitments to help North Sea oil and gasoline. The UK Authorities is progressing legislation that would mandate annual licencing rounds.
The ECIU, like many different inexperienced teams, has maintained that this transfer will do much less to boost vitality safety and lower vitality payments than the Authorities claims, on account of lengthy lead instances for these tasks and the truth that North Sea basins are in decline.
Furthermore, there was fierce debate round whether or not this strategy will undermine the UK’s personal legally binding local weather commitments and ship the flawed message on the worldwide stage. COP26 President Alok Sharma MP and Net-Zero Review Author Chris Skidmore each took a stand towards the laws on these grounds.
Sharma advised the Commons: “It does make our worldwide companions query the seriousness with which we take our worldwide commitments.
“I do not believe, and it pains me to say this, that this Bill will advance that (COP28) commitment to transition away from fossil fuels. I also do not believe that those climate-vulnerable nations will think this Bill is consistent with the pledge that we and every other nation present made in Dubai.”
The Invoice is now progressing by the Home of Lords. It’ll, if handed, stop any future Labour Authorities from simply following by on Kier Starmer’s pledge to finish new North Sea oil and gasoline licencing.
