● Government publishes its long-awaited Energy White
Paper with plans for jobs and consumer bills
● Commitment to EV funding, recognition of biomass and
successor ETS scheme welcomed
● REA’s CEO offers caution, saying that the EWP should be
seen as ‘another step on the journey rather than a be all and end
all publication’
The REA has responded to the Government’s publication of the
Energy White Paper, supporting a number of commitments, while
offering caution about the significant progress that still needs
to be made for the UK’s net zero ambitions.
The Government said that their long-awaited Energy White Paper
included plans to ‘clean up our energy system, support up to
220,000 British jobs, and keep bills affordable as we transition
to net zero by 2050.’
The REA welcomed the £1.3 billion investment to rollout charge
points for electric vehicles, in addition to the £1 billion
support for the electrification of cars. The recognition of
biomass as a ‘strategic sector’ and the extension of the
successor ETS scheme for the UK were also highlighted as
particularly positive proposals.
However, REA warned that ‘today’s announcement should be seen as
another step on the journey rather than a be all and end all
publication’, with more needing to be done on the hard-to-treat
heat and transport sectors.
Dr Nina Skorupska CBE, Chief Executive of the Association
for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA), said:
“We welcome the continued commitment to renewables and the
green transition in this morning’s announcement, especially the
recognition that energy efficiency must be prioritised alongside
new capacity. While there is little new on the renewables side,
the commitment to EV funding, and recognition of biomass a
‘strategic sector’ is welcome as is certainty on the successor
ETS scheme for the UK.”
“This White Paper, though, comes after the Climate Change
Committee’s Sixth Carbon budget recommendations for the need to
bend the Green House Emissions “curve” sooner rather than later
and the need to accelerate our low carbon transition.
“Ideally, we would have seen more on the Government’s plans
for decarbonising the hard-to-treat heat and transport sector, so
today’s announcement should be seen as another step on the
journey rather than a be all and end all publication.”
