Policy News

Thursday 13 November 2008

Mr Miliband described the Conservatives' opposition to non-CCS coal as "dogmatic"

Energy and Climate Secretary Ed Miliband has defended the government's commitment to meeting its carbon emissions targets, as he came under fire in Parliament today.

As Energy and Climate Change questions in the House of Commons got under way, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate change Mr Miliband was challenged on the Severn Barrage and carbon capture and storage (CCS).

Mr Miliband was asked by opposition members to explain how the government's refusal to rule out building new coal power stations without CCS - or "dirty coal" as the Tories refer to it - was conducive to meeting government carbon emissions targets.

But Mr Miliband said that the government's "top priority" was to prevent a major blackout of energy supply and called the Tories' opposition to new coal "dogmatic".

"Balanced view"

"The Tories' view on new coal is that whatever the demand, whatever the security of energy supply, there will be no more coal. I take a more balanced view."

The Conservatives have opposed new coal power stations that are not CCS-ready, but Mr Miliband said that the government "would not set itself against new coal", regardless of the industry's ability to embrace CCS.

And, the government was challenged by its own MPs as well, as a Labour backbencher said that the government's ambitious targets - and the perceived necessity of a Severn Barrage - "makes a nonsense" of the feasibility studies that are currently taking place in the Severn region.

But the Secretary of State said that the Severn Barrage was "just one of a number of options" in the government's carbon reduction strategy.

Mr Miliband said: "This is why we are looking at banding the Renewables Obligation Certificates, and why I have brought in feed-in tariffs, and it is also why we have put forward a Planning Bill, to make it easier for renewables projects."

At present, consultancy firms are carrying out a two-year feasibility study in the Severn Estuary to establish whether it is possible to harness the tidal power there. Options so far include a tidal barrage, and tidal lagoons.

Europe

Last month the European Parliament voted to make CCS compulsory on all new coal power stations built from 2015, and activists are now planning to "fast-track" the proposals through the European system to make it law more quickly (see this New Energy Focus story).

The UK government has endorsed a CCS demonstration project, and in July produced a shortlist of potential contenders which included the controversial proposed Kingsnorth coal plant (see this New Energy Focus story).

The Government also agreed last month to increase its carbon emission reduction targets to from 60% in 2050, to 80% in the same year, on the recommendation of the Climate Change Committee, led by Lord Turner.

In addition, it agreed to include aviation and shipping emissions in the Climate Change Bill, despite initial reluctance to do so.