Monday 24 September 2012

Lib Dems vote for 2030 decarbonising target

The Liberal Democrats today voted in favour of decarbonising the UK power sector within two decades.

At the Autumn Conference in Brighton, delegates approved an emissions target of 50-100 grams of carbon dioxide per kilowatt hour (KWh) for any fossil fuel plant built after 2030.

This puts added pressure on the UK Government as it failed to include the plans in the draft Energy Bill earlier this year. The vote goes against Chancellor George Osborne’s call earlier this year for more investment in gas for the UK’s energy future.

Environmental group Friends of the Earth welcomed the plans for decarbonisation and said it should be the main feature of the economy.

Andy Atkins, the group’s Executive Director said: "Developing the UK's rich renewable energy potential should be the centrepiece of a thriving modern economy, weaning the nation off dirty and increasingly expensive fossil fuels and creating thousands of jobs.

"The key test for the Liberal Democrats is whether they will stand up to the anti-green Chancellor in both the Cabinet and Parliament and insist on a legally-binding target in the Energy Bill to decarbonise the power sector by 2030."