UK power plans too costly, says energy-users group leader
11 Jun 2012
London – The UK is unlikely to attract the investment needed to replace much if its power generation capacity over the next few years, and will have to focus on energy-saving measures to keep the lights, an industry leader has warned.
‘The costs attached to current plans to replace much of the UK’s generation plant and power delivery systems are estimated at a somewhat prohibitive £110 billion,” said Andrew Buckley, director general of the Major Energy Users Council (MEUC).
“Funds on such a scale are unlikely to come forward in these troubled economic times, but reduced consumption would ease the problem.”
Instead, Buckley believes the government should promote greater energy-saving efforts among customers. This, he argues, would stimulate economic growth and help the UK regain international competitiveness.
“Demand-side measures require carrots as well as sticks and the CRC (Carbon Reduction Commitment) scheme, should it survive, must stimulate the take up of energy efficiency measures rather than just be seen as a tax,” said Buckley.
The MEUC is backing a DECC (Department of Energy and Climate Change) initiative, called Electricity Demand Reduction assessment, to establish how much energy could be saved. This, the industry group believes, could guide investments in energy-efficient plant and infrastructure and raise energy skills and awareness.
