Our generating capacity and National Grid infrastructure are nowhere near ready for a full transition away from fossil fuels, and the political price of forcing lower living standards on voters will be very steep indeed.
I believe firmly that it is in our environmental, economic, moral, and – yes – political interests as Conservatives to make sure we lead on this issue rather than talk it down. We shouldn’t be coy about putting forward this positive vision.
Shifting heating and transport to electric devices only disguises emissions unless they are powered by a clean grid – and even if not, the extra demand on the system will require vast amounts of new cables and pylons.
It’s time the Government saw the wood for the trees and stopped fritting away taxpayers’ hard-earned cash when so many key questions around this energy source remain unanswered.
The Government needs to be investing both in the next generation of nuclear power stations and developing the storage technologies needed to make renewables reliable.
Being a global hub for data centres is brings huge benefits to Ireland – but demand for power is growing much faster than the supply of clean energy.
None of Vince’s presuppositions about the project – that the technology, the economy, and the public are on side – stand up to scrutiny.
Review Net Zero interventions, cut immigration; freeze Civil Service recruitment, reduce railway subsidies – and tell the Bank of England to stop selling bonds at a loss.
It is absurd to set a strictly political timetable for the wholesale transfer of an industrial economy to unproven technologies.
We might get the most optimal outcomes from the Independent Net Zero Review by extracting the best of it and focusing our efforts. Let’s prioritise those priorities.
It not only presents a growing opportunity to help provide more secure and clean electricity, heating and fuels but also offers a major source of new industrial growth.
Short-sighted overregulation and creative accounting to offshore our CO2 emissions are no way to build a prosperous, sustainable future.
It would create a big guaranteed market for an important British industry and accelerate our drive toward Net Zero, at no cost to the taxpayer.
The UK must reduce its dependence on gas by promoting nuclear energy and renewables, Tory leadership candidate says.
Last week was a critical turning point in the debate on Net Zero. Both the main political parties now need to be honest with voters and declare that the entire project and in particular electricity decarbonisation need an urgent re-think.