Renew On Line (UK) 32

Extracts from the July-August 2001 edition of Renew
These extracts only represent about 25% of it

After the Election- UK Roundup

UK Election Positions ( from the Groups section of Renew 132)

Perhaps as unsurprising as the outcome, sustainable energy policies did not figure much in the General Election, although most parties and many of the campaign groups did their best to put it on the agenda. It was after all one of Labours strongest cards- since they had allocated so much money to green energy projects of various sorts in the run up to the election (see News). The Liberal Democrats countered this as best they could, with Don Foster MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow DETR Secretary, commenting "Labour has had four years to give a real boost to renewable energy, and has done very little". By contrast the Liberals said that they wanted at least 10% of UK energy (not just electricity as in Labours plan) to come from renewables by 2010, increasing by 1% p.a. thereafter. Looking even further ahead, the Conservatives talked of obtaining 30% of UK electricity from renewables by 2030.

But the maximalist position was adopted by the Green party, whose manifesto claimed that "Greenhouse gas emissions must reduce by at least 80% from 1990 levels by 2050 to avert catastrophic climate change. The UK should reduce emissions by 20% from 1990 levels by 2005, and by 20% per decade after that, achieving net zero emissions by 2045". On renewables, it wanted ‘a target of supplying 25% of energy from renewable sources by 2010’. To meet it, ‘incentives should be provided to wind, solar, biomass, small-scale hydro and biogas generation schemes’.

It also issued an Energy manifesto which said it believed that ‘30 per cent CO2 reduction versus 1990 levels by 2015 is achievable without any net cost to the economy, and is achievable at relatively little cost by 2010’. We will be looking at it’s analysis in more detail in Renew 134.

There were some interesting regional twists. For example, the Labour and Scots Lib Dem manifestos both noted that, at 18% by 2010, the Renewables Obligation target for Scotland was higher than the 10% for England and Wales.

Meanwhile, stirring up debate in the background, the pressure groups waded in on specific issues. As part of an increasingly international consumer boycott campaign,

Greenpeace had a go at Esso (EXXON) over its opposition to Kyoto, sticking labels on some forecourt petrol pumps saying ‘out of service to protect the climate’.

FoE had a go at Labour asking for clarification on nuclear policy - was BNFL really thinking of building new MOX burning plants, and if so would the government let them? The Labour manifesto did talk of nuclear and coal contributing to source diversity, but, two days before the election,Tony Blair told the media ‘We have absolutely no plans to expand nuclear power, what we are actually doing is putting a lot of money now into renewable forms of energy.’ He added ‘What the Americans do obviously is up to them but we've got no plans to expand nuclear power here’ .

Of course, ‘not expanding’ it, is not the same as ‘allowing it to decline’ , so some observers detected a shift from the previous Labour position of ‘diminishing reliance’.

Coming Soon…

- The Climate Change Projects Office which will provide advice and support for businesses interested in carrying out projects under two ‘Kyoto mechanisms’, Joint Implementation and the Clean Development Mechanism. Although rules for these mechanisms have not yet been decided, the overall aim is to allow countries to meet part of their Kyoto targets through projects to reduce emissions in either a developed (JI) or developing country (CDM).

- The government has also unveiled draft proposals for an Emissions Trading Scheme - a measure that could cut carbon by at least two million tonnes a year by 2010. The scheme is due to start in April 2002. The government has pledged £43m in 2003-04, to be allocated through a bidding system, as a financial incentive for companies to join the scheme. However there have evidently been complaints about delays in setting the scheme up and uncertainties about the rules under which it would work.

- The DTI has yet to responded to the consultation on the Renewables Obligation, but it looks like they will reinstate waste incineration within the RO, since otherwise it would be hard to achieve the 5% by 2003 and 10% by 2010 renewables targets.

- Finally, the real sting in the tail, rumour has it that, with the election out of the way, and with Peter Hain now replaced by Brian Wilson as Energy Minister, the government is to review of energy policy and, in particular, the role of nuclear power- with diversity and security of supply in mind. According the Andrew Warren, writing in a special New Statesman supplement on Renewable Energy ( June 18^th), the Cabinet Office’s Performance and Innovation Unit will be closely involved. Wilson is well known to be pro- nuclear, so it will be interesting to see how the review proceeds.