Government's claims on energy 'should be taken with a pinch of salt'

Government claims that there is "no danger of power cuts in the next decade" should be taken ''with a pinch of salt'', according to campaigners.

Published: 5:28PM GMT 01 Nov 2009
The warning was issued by the expert group, Supporters of Nuclear Energy (SONE) which accused politicians of formulating policy in a vacuum of ignorance.
Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary, was quoted in SONE's monthly bulletin as saying: ''There is no danger of power cuts in the next decade. Power stations are closing but we already have ten gigawatts (10,000MW) of new power stations being built and another ten gigawatts that have planning consent.''

But Sir Bernard Ingham, who was Margaret Thatcher's press secretary, writing in the bulletin insisted: ''Mr Miliband is a bold man whose estimates are based on heroic assumptions about static demand, a massive (and probably) unattainable increase in renewables and energy efficiency.
''Our conclusion is that official energy forecasts are best taken with a pinch of salt. The odds remain on the lights going out, especially in view of the ludicrous concentration on wind, the lackadaisical approach to nuclear's development, and our minimal gas storage.'
"It is three months since we first drew attention to the contrast between the Government's confidence that power supplies in the next decade would be sufficient and the informed view that at best it is touch and go whether we shall run short.''
He said that SONE knew ''to our despair'' that not a single nuclear power station had yet been ordered let alone approved.
''We also know that four coal-fired power stations have been sanctioned. We can only conclude that these figures prove there has been a massive and underhand dash for gas that does nothing for energy security or minimising carbon emissions.''
He said that Mr Miliband appeared to be far more focused on climate change than energy generation. ''It will be left to a new government to take the decisions Labour has dodged.''
Now, SONE have written to the main party leaders making these points:
:: current energy policies lack credibility because they are driven more by environmental considerations than the urgent need for secure supplies at lowest cost while minimising carbon emissions
:: they take no account of value for money and exacerbate fuel poverty
:: we cannot afford in our straitened circumstances to waste our substance on uncompetitive and unreliable sources of energy or electricity or have any interruption in supplies
:: only nuclear ticks all the boxes in securing greater security of supply at lowest cost, limiting the use and import of fossil fuels, bringing economies in the use of land and grid connection and economic security to remoter areas of Britain, and securing Britain's place at the cutting edge of high technology
:: what we need is a sense of urgency.