Net Zero Watch welcomes Government recognition of need for gas

The campaign group said that it was the latest sign of a shift towards more pragmatic energy policies. It said the new plants were vital for energy security, but noted that the need for subsidies, announced at the same time, was a reflection of a broken energy system.

Net Zero Watch’s head of policy, Harry Wilkinson, speaking to TalkTV’s Julia Hartley-Brewer said:

‘People can debate this decision if they like, but this was the inevitable result of the fact that the lights will go out if we do not build this firm, reliable capacity…It’s the right decision, but it has come very late. We have to remember that Britain has some of the most expensive electricity prices in the world, particularly for businesses, and that’s done an enormous amount of damage.’

The decision is likely to be opposed by the Labour Party, whose shadow Secretary of State, Ed Miliband, remains committed to full decarbonisation of the grid by 2030. Most analysts view this target as infeasible.

Because the new stations will only be used occasionally, they will have to be heavily subsidised. The need for such support generation is well known, but today’s announcement is an important recognition that gas will remain indispensable.

Dr John Constable, Net Zero Watch’s energy director, said:

‘Net Zero dies, not with a bang, but a whimper. Subsidising new gas power stations to prop up unreliable and uncontrollable wind and solar means that the failing Net Zero target can limp along for another five or ten years at huge consumer cost and vast economic damage. Looking on the bright side, these power stations will eventually be used as part of the desperate return to fossil fuels that is inevitable as reality bites home and wind and solar are abandoned. But with a little courage all of this absurd cost could have been avoided. What a mess.’