Nuclear and RO banding announcements
Commenting on the Government's decision to give the green light to a new generation of nuclear power stations, Dr Jeremy Leggett Chairman said,
"today the UK Government has revealed its true colours. Sitting alongside its pro nuclear announcement, the Government has also released the detail of its reform of the Renewables Obligation (RO). Here was a golden opportunity for the Government to listen to the considered views of the renewables industry and deliver real incentives for solar power, as well as the "emerging" technologies of wave and tidal power. The UK will need all of these technologies to make a significant contribution if we are to get anywhere near our 2020 and 2050 targets. Instead, the Government has confirmed a level of RO support from 2009 which even it admits will not be enough to make a serious difference to investment in these technologies, and announced yet another consultation on renewable energy."
Dr Leggett added, "buried in the nuclear White Paper the Government describes how the UK would deliver its 2050 carbon emissions reduction target in the absence of any new nuclear build. It acknowledges that "even more effort" would be needed to improve energy efficiency across all sectors, that further investment in "alternative low carbon electricity generation technologies" would be required, and that further reductions in carbon emissions would be needed in other sectors of the economy such as transport. The real question today therefore is why on Earth isn't Government pursuing these genuinely sustainable alternatives now. It is hard to avoid the conclusion that nuclear has crowded out renewables."
