Accelerated timeline for a carbon neutral grid would weigh more heavily on bill payers.
Britain’s electricity networks will not hit net zero until 2035, National Grid has said, undermining a key pledge by Labour to hit that target by 2030.
National Grid Electricity System Operator (ESO) on Monday set out plans for a massive £58bn expansion of the UK’s high-voltage transmission network, including thousands of new electricity pylons, substations and other infrastructure spread across the countryside. The Telegraph has the story.
The project is designed to make the UK’s power networks carbon neutral. However, ESO said this goal would not be reached until 2035 under current plans.
This fits with government targets but not with Labour’s, placing ESO in the front line of a key pre-election battle over energy policy.
The deadline prompted a backlash from Ed Miliband, the shadow energy secretary, who said a Labour government would make ESO accelerate its programme to hit the 2030 target. A spokesman said: “We said 2030 for decarbonising the grid and we meant it.”
Mr Miliband is expected to repeat the pledge in a speech to the Green Alliance environmental pressure group on Tuesday morning.
Targeting Conservative voters worried about the Government’s climate and energy policies, he will set out Labour plans to “end 14 years of high energy bills and energy insecurity under the Conservatives with a national mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower”.
Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho accused Mr Miliband of “sniping from the sidelines” while having no plan to pay for its “unfunded spending sprees”.
She added: “Ed Miliband still cannot say how Labour will pay for its 2030 decarbonisation pledge… this mad 2030 promise is not based on what industry or consumers want. It would see costs explode, higher taxes on working people and take us back to square one on the economy.”
Asked if Labour’s 2030 target was feasible, a National Grid ESO spokesman suggested it “could be possible” to decarbonise the grid by 96-98pc by the end of the decade.
However, analysts warn that decarbonising the grid by 2035, let alone 2030, remains a huge and expensive challenge.
Tom Faulkner, head of infrastructure and networks at Cornwall Insight, said: “The 2035 forecasts for wind and solar capacity outlined in the [ESO] report are notably ambitious.
“Achieving these targets will demand substantial investment, not only in grid infrastructure but also in the renewable generation assets themselves. It’s imperative to recognise the challenges ahead.”
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