Thursday 14 February 2019

UK ‘must invest in clean domestic energy rather than imports’

The UK must invest in clean domestic energy rather than importing power from overseas.

That's the verdict from GMB Union, which says money raised from household energy bills should instead be spent on reliable, cost-effective sources in Britain.

It says the government's current investment into interconnectors, which are used to import electricity from abroad when demand is high, is not a good idea, as these imports may not always be available in an unpredictable future.

For instance, Germany, from which the UK buys a significant amount of power, has decided to close down its coal-powered stations and instead rely on its interconnector links with other nations.

GMB Union suggests such a move poses a significant risk to energy security.

Justin Bowden, GMB National Secretary, said: "UK investment in interconnectors needs an urgent review. It makes absolutely no sense for the country to rely on other countries to keep our lights on, when they are doing the same thing."

A BEIS spokesperson said: "Our priority is ensuring the UK’s energy mix is both diverse and from low carbon sources, including investing in interconnectors and our own booming renewables sector.

"Through our modern Industrial Strategy we are making clean growth a priority by investing over £2.5 billion to support low carbon innovation in the UK by 2021."