• Government publishes its long-awaited Energy White Paper with plans for jobs and consumer bills
• Commitment to EV funding, recognition of biomass and successor ETS scheme welcomed
• REA’s CEO offers caution, saying that the EWP should be seen as ‘another step on the journey rather than a be all and end all publication’

The REA has responded to the Government’s publication of the Energy White Paper, supporting a number of commitments, while offering caution about the significant progress that still needs to be made in order to meet the UK’s net zero ambitions.

The Government says that their long-awaited Energy White Paper included plans to ‘clean up our energy system, support up to 220,000 British jobs, and keep bills affordable as we transition to net zero by 2050.’

The REA welcomed the £1.3 billion investment to rollout charge points for electric vehicles, in addition to the £1 billion support for the electrification of cars. The recognition of biomass as a ‘strategic sector’ and the extension of the successor ETS scheme for the UK were also highlighted as particularly positive proposals.

However, REA warned that ‘today’s announcement should be seen as another step on the journey rather than a be all and end all publication’, with more needing to be done on the hard-to-treat heat and transport sectors.

Dr Nina Skorupska CBE, Chief Executive of the Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA), said:

“We welcome the continued commitment to renewables and the green transition in this morning’s announcement, especially the recognition that energy efficiency must be prioritised alongside new capacity. While there is little new on the renewables side, the commitment to EV funding, and recognition of biomass a ‘strategic sector’ is welcome as is certainty on the successor ETS scheme for the UK.”

“This White Paper, though, comes after the Climate Change Committee’s Sixth Carbon budget recommendations for the need to bend the Green House Emissions “curve” sooner rather than later and the need to accelerate our low carbon transition.

“Ideally, we would have seen more on the Government’s plans for decarbonising the hard-to-treat heat and transport sector, so today’s announcement should be seen as another step on the journey rather than a be all and end all publication.”   

—ENDS—

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