Comment on Conservative zero carbon electricity pledge

Commenting on the news that the Government will introduce a new target to decarbonise our electricity system by 2035, Simon Cran-McGreehin, Head of Analysis at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) said: “The Government’s pledge to decarbonise the power sector by 2035 is a key step towards net zero, and a major vote of confidence in the industry’s ability to continue slashing emissions. With the US making this same commitment just a few weeks ago, the international move to low-carbon power is gaining momentum ahead of COP later this month.

“The next step will be for Government to set out more detail on how it will achieve this milestone, including market mechanisms to encourage the requisite expansion of offshore wind, energy storage and low-carbon back-up generation. But this transition is not just about big capital projects – the Government and consumers would gain from support to reduce household energy usage through efficiency measures and to make best use of power through demand-side response.”