Climate policy think tank Sandbag has joined energy firms in co-signing a letter to party leaders, recommending they commit to the Carbon Price Support after 2021 in their election manifestos.

The letter argues that the carbon price floor and support for investment in low carbon electricity generation “will be the primary means of driving further power sector decarbonisation in the next parliament”. SSE, Drax, VPI Immingham, InterGen, Calon Energy and Engie  co-signed the letter with Sandbag. They also called for the subsequent government to publish an emissions reduction plan soon after the general election “to ensure the UK can meet its legal carbon reduction targets for 2028-2032, under the Climate Change Act”.

Phil MacDonald, analyst at Sandbag, commented: “The UK’s climate policy has recently been very successful at reducing power sector emissions. Last year, nearly every UK coal power plant has seen its generation collapse, alongside a continual growth in offshore wind and solar, as well as falling demand for electricity. The next government must continue with this climate and air pollution success story, and use the carbon price floor to phase out coal entirely.”

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