Guardian withdraws cheap renewables claim

The Guardian has been forced to withdraw an advertorial, paid for by National Grid, that purported to debunk ‘myths’ about clean energy.

Energy writer David Turver, who had formulated a detailed rebuttal,[1] submitted complaints to both the Guardian and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

The Guardian’s response said that they did not think that there was any need to correct the article. However, the ASA appear to have taken more jaundiced view, and the article has now been removed from the Guardian website. As they told Mr Turver:

We have decided to resolve your complaint through the provision of advice to the advertiser. Therefore, we have explained the concerns raised to the advertiser and provided them with guidance on how to ensure that their advertising complies with the Codes both now and in future.

Mr Turver, who has written extensively on the relative costs of renewables and other forms of electricity generation,[2] said:

The Guardian piece was a mess of untruths and half-truths and attempted to paint the picture that renewables are cheap. Although the ASA seems to have avoided giving a ruling, the disappearance of the article suggests that they think any such claims are misleading.

Andrew Montford, Director of Net Zero Watch said,

David Turver is to be congratulated. Journalists are going to have to start telling the truth about the cost of renewables.

Notes for editors

[1] https://davidturver.substack.com/p/national-grid-propaganda

[2] https://davidturver.substack.com/p/debunking-cheap-renewables-myth