19 July 2024

Westminster view

Dear readers, donors and subscribers,

Having been largely overlooked during the election campaign, energy and climate politics have taken centre stage since Starmer’s government came to power - with a high profile debacle around North Sea oil and gas permits, a decision to cancel a planned coal mine in Cumbria, and a doubling down on the unrealistic pledge to achieve a ‘Net Zero power grid’ by 2030.

Already there are indications of how the debate could play out in the years ahead. Miliband cleverly called out one of Green Party’s new MPs for opposing new pylons in his constituency - highlighting the hypocrisy of opposing the infrastructure that is required because we’ve decided to build more diffuse sources of energy such as wind and solar (that the Green Party supports).

The episode draws attention to a significant parallel risk for Conservative MPs, which is that Miliband will likely attempt to conflate climate scepticism with a more general NIMBYist attitude, and vice versa. Those opposing the Government’s Net Zero policies will need to develop an ambitious alternative plan for energy to avoid succumbing to this characterisation.

Best wishes,

Harry

Harry Wilkinson is head of policy at Net Zero Watch. As always, please don’t reply to this email address, which is not monitored.

The headlines

UK

• Miliband green lights three huge solar farms

• King’s Speech

• Tories set out Net Zero stall

Around the world

• Renewables go out of fashion

• Silencing dissent

• Trump VP pick is a climate sceptic

Decarbonisation

• CCC on heat pumps

• Grid delays threaten growth

• Aberdeen threatened

• Leisure reading

• FES 2024

• Brewdog dumps greenery

Etcetera

• NZW Chairman on Miliband

• O’Sullivan on Net Zero

• XR founder jailed

UK

Miliband gives the green light to three huge solar farms

The Energy Secretary gave development consent orders to three huge solar farms. As pointed out by Nick Timothy, one of the MPs whose contituencies is to be affected, Mr Miliband seems to have managed to avoid considering the evidence presented to the planning authorities. Expect legal challenges to the decision.

King’s speech

As far as energy is concerned, there were no major surprises in the King’s speech, as the following extract shows.

My Government…is committed to a clean energy transition which will lower energy bills for consumers over time. A Bill will be introduced to set up Great British Energy, a publicly owned clean power company headquartered in Scotland, which will help accelerate investment in renewable energy such as offshore wind…Legislation will be brought forward to help the country achieve energy independence and unlock investment in energy infrastructure. A Bill will be introduced to support sustainable aviation fuel production…

Tories set out Net Zero stall

Conservative MPs started to set out their positions on Net Zero. Leadership candidate Tom Tugendhat is sticking with the “Decarbonisation but not at any price” stance opted for by Sunak.

Around the world

Renewables go out of fashion

France has rejected the EU’s renewables plan, and says it will stick with nuclear power, Italy instituted a ban on solar installations on agricultural land, and, facing soaring costs, Germany announced that it would reform subsidies for renewables (£)

Silencing dissent

French TV channel CNEWS was fined for airing climate sceptic views unchallenged.

Trump VP pick is climate sceptic

Donald Trump picked JD Vance, a confirmed sceptic of the (so called) climate crisis, to be his running mate.

Decarbonisation

CCC on heat pumps

The Climate Change Committee announced, unsurprisingly, that progress towards Net Zero is too slow, and recommended that renewables levies be removed from electricity bills to speed up heat pump adoption. Our analysis of the issue suggested that, depending how implemented, the policy would either be impossibly painful or ineffective.

Grid delays threaten growth

The energy transition is causing chaos in the wider economy. The head of Pinewood Studios said that delays in getting a grid connection are threatening their investment programme. Hooking up their expanded studio might be delayed until 2030, seven years after planning permission was granted. Housing developments face similar issues.

Aberdeen threatened

Labour’s plans to tax the North Sea could cost £4 billion in lost tax receipts every year, and cost tens of thousands of jobs, according to the Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce.

Leisure reading

With the Grangemouth oil refinery on the brink of closure, the Scottish and UK governments announced a £1.6 million pound report into the future of the site. Those who lose their jobs will no doubt be glad of having something good to read.

Future Energy Scenarios 2024

National Grid ESO launched the 2024 edition of its Future Energy Scenarios, which map out how the energy system might develop in future. Observers noted that they see large amounts of gas being used in 2050. Others noted that the whole exercise is uncosted, and thus of limited use.

Brewdog dumps greenery

Brewdog, a notoriously ‘right-on’ brewery, announced that is will abandon its pledge to be 'carbon negative', saying it was too expensive.

Etcetera

NZW chairman on Miliband

Net Zero Watch’s chairman Neil Record was in the Telegraph (£), and proposed a new policy of decarbonising at the same rate as the rest of the world.

O’Sullivan on Net Zero

Veteran political commentator John O’Sullivan described Net Zero as ‘an offering to impoverish people’.

I fought the law…

…and the law won. Extinction Rebellion founder Roger Hallam was jailed for five years.

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