Extracts from NATTA's journal
Renew, issue 150 July-Aug 2004

14. SEPN charts progress 

The Sustainable Energy Policy Network- the group of government departments and organisations responsible for achieving the commitments of the White Paper on Energy- has produced its first annual report on progress- ‘Creating a Low Carbon Economy’. It notes that the UK’s first major offshore wind farm at North Hoyle off the North Wales coast started generating electricity in November; and that 1.6 gigawatts of renewables projects have received consents and 2 more gigawatts were in the pipeline. It also notes the agreement between the UK and Norway last Oct. for the construction of a new pipeline capable of delivering 20% of UK annual gas demand. And it says that research has confirmed the UK has the most competitive gas and electricity markets of the EU  and G7 nations.

New Efficiency drive

Meanwhile, DEFRA has announced plans for a step-change in energy efficiency to save more than £3bn a year on energy costs and reduce emissions by an extra 12 million tonnes over the next six years. Key measures  include a new aim to save 4.2m tonnes of carbon from households by 2010; and doubling the level of Energy Efficiency Commitment activity from 2005 to 2011, subject to a review in 2007. This is expected to lead to investment of more than £2bn, saving customers £4bn from their bills to 2020.

However the Government has acknowledged that it will fail to achieve its manifesto commitment of 10 GWe Combined heat and Power target by 2010.

The CHP Association  says that the government should ensure that the  new EU Emissions Trading Scheme actively promoted CHP. However progress on this scheme is looking a little shaky- only five countries met the deadline for submitting their draft National Allocation Plans for Carbon cuts, and although the UK has produced its draft (see Renew 148), it has been strongly challenged by the major energy intensive industries.

… but SDC wants radical change

The Sustainable Development Commission hammered the Government hard in its recent report looking at progress on the UK’s environmental targets- under the title “Shows promise; But Must Try Harder”. The Commission is funded by the government but independent of it,  and is chaired by Jonathon Porritt.  It claimed that although some of the targets were being met, the programme as a whole was not radical enough: ‘we think that the situation of the world is too grave for modest incrementalism to be sufficient’.  Air and road transport were particular problem areas, with emissions continuing to grow.