In order to guarantee the energy security of the nation, the UK must construct new gas-fired power plants, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated on Tuesday.
The current plants, many of which are outdated and shortly to be retired, would be replaced by the new stations.
However, the government claims that there are no intentions to limit carbon capture due to climate change. Critics claim that this could jeopardize a legally enforceable pledge to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. Mr. Sunak claimed that in order to have a dependable and reasonably priced backup for times when renewable energy sources like solar and wind power failed, new gas power plants were required.
“It is the insurance policy Britain needs to protect our energy security, while we deliver our net zero transition,” the prime minister wrote.
The location and timing of the construction of the additional power plants were not disclosed by the government. Energy Security Secretary Claire Coutinho will discuss the decision in a lecture at Chatham House in London. The move is a component of a comprehensive examination of the UK energy market’s operation.
However, it “flies in the face” of the government’s pledge to achieve zero-carbon electricity by 2035, according to the Green Alliance think tank.
The UK will become increasingly dependent on imported gas as a result of declining North Sea supply, according to the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit.Labour accepted that replacing old gas-fired stations was necessary, but accused the Tories of leaving the UK with another decade of high energy bills.
Shadow energy secretary Ed Miliband said: “The reason the Tories cannot deliver the lower bills and energy security we need is that they are specialists in failure when it comes to our clean energy future.”
“Persisting with the ludicrous ban on onshore wind, bungling the offshore wind auctions, and failing on energy efficiency,” he charged the Conservatives.
Wera Hobhouse, a liberal Democrat and spokeswoman on energy and climate change, called the announcement “another step backwards on the critical road to net zero”.
“We need to wean ourselves off this reliance on expensive fossil fuels by investing in cheap, clean renewable power and insulating every home,” she said.
