Government denies Energy Bill delay

According to reports from the BBC yesterday, the Government was to put the Energy Bill on hold to make room for a House of Lords reform and to fine-tune the details of the legislation. But this is apparently not the case.

The release of the Energy Bill had been promised for May 2012 after the Electricity Market Reform White Paper was approved some ten months ago.

But BBC’s deputy political editor James Landale broke the news that the Government were to put the release of several bills on the backburner, including the Energy Bill and the Water Bill, all of which would subsequently be removed from the Queen’s Speech this month.

However, the Department of Energy and Climate Change hit back at the claims; a spokeswoman told BusinessGreen that the Government “fully [expects] the Energy Bill to be in the next session“, and that any reports of a removal of the issue from the Queen’s Speech were “categorically untrue”.

Reacting to the news that the Bill might be delayed, Juliet Davenport, founder and CEO of 100% renewable electricity provider Good Energy, says that it would give the Government a chance to tweak the legislation:

“If the rumours are true, then any resulting delay to the investment that our energy market so badly needs clearly isn’t in the best interests of energy consumers and businesses.

“The reality is that serious questions were already being asked about the complexity of the Government’s plans and whether they would attract the necessary investment.

“The Government has to get its reforms right, so that we can keep the lights on using the renewable resources we have here in the UK – British sun and British wind – and free our market from its dependence on imported fossil fuels which have been pushing prices up.”

Last year’s Electricity Market Reform paper was introduced to highlight “key measures to attract investment, reduce the impact on consumer bills, and create a secure mix of electricity sources”.

It was one of a number of chances for the so-called “greenest government ever” to live upto its initial bold environmental claims, and although we’re still waiting to be shown real leadership from the Coalition in this space, a strong response in the form of greater renewable energy advocacy would still be welcome.

In December last year, rising gas prices were blamed for consumer energy bill hikes, and not renewable technologies.

With renewables comes an opportunity for long-term stability, increased energy security and infinite sustainability; investing in clean power is a clear win–win scenario.

Further reading:

Renewables not to blame for UK energy bill price hike