Labour has put forward a five-point energy plan that would double down on investment in energy efficiency and renewables, saying it is the fastest way to reduce reliance on energy imports.
Ed Miliband, shadow secretary of state for climate change and Net Zero, said the plan would see:
• A plan to insulate 19 million homes in a decade, to cut gas imports by 15% and cut bills by up to £400
• Doubling of onshore wind capacity to 30GW by 2030
• An increase in offshore wind capacity to at least 75GW by 2035
• A tripling in solar power by 2030, along with investment in tidal power and hydrogen
• “No delay” on nuclear power, confirming Sizewell C and backing small modular reactors
Writing in the Guardian, Miliband said the quickest way to “get us off Russian gas” was “By pressing ahead with building the 649 onshore wind and solar projects that already have planning permission in the UK. They could come on stream within two years and would fully replace Russian gas imports, but are being held back by the de-facto moratorium imposed by the government in 2015.” He also said it was time to take seriously the “Cinderella of this government’s energy policy”, saying that home insulation and energy efficiency was the best way of reducing demand for fossil fuels. He said that Upgrading the 19m cold, draughty British homes would cut energy bills by an average of £400 every year and our gas imports by 15%. But home insulation rates have plummeted over the past decade, and emissions from buildings are as high now as they were in 2015.