Chris Huhne letter to the Guardian on an Emissions Performance Standard

17 August 2010

Dear Sir,
The idea that we are “watering down” our commitment is simply incorrect ("Dirtiest coal power plants win reprieve, 16 August"): this Government has committed to introducing an Emissions Performance Standard.
We are moving as quickly as possible and our consultation on a radical reform of the electricity market to deliver secure, affordable and low carbon energy, will be out within 6 months of election while a white paper will be published within a year.

The view that this might raise the possibility of new coal-fired power stations “slipping through the system” is ludicrous.

We consider planning applications thoroughly and will not allow any new coal power station to be built without being equipped with carbon capture and storage. While we will consult on the final details of an Emissions Performance Standard, I am clear that without CCS it would be impossible to meet such a standard.

However an Emissions Performance Standard on its own is not a magic bullet to decarbonise our economy. We have inherited an energy system that has suffered from a lack of clear direction and was not fit for purpose. That is why we will be implementing comprehensive electricity market reform to ensure that we can have a secure, low carbon, affordable electricity mix for decades to come.

Chris Huhne, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change

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Shetland is front runner to cash in on new Government rules allowing councils to sell electricity

Rules that will come into force next week will mean the Shetland Islands can start making cash from their green energy projects.

The laws, introduced by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) mean that from 18 August 2010 Local Authorities are no longer restricted from selling renewable electricity into the national or local network.
Shetland has much potential and is already developing several wind energy projects. The new legislation will mean more of projects like these become viable.
The renewable schemes could generate potential funds for energy efficiency and the new law, coupled with the Local Government in Scotland Act could allow the Council to tackle fuel poverty in rural areas.

Iris Hawkins, Chair of the Council’s Infrastructure Committee, said

“This change will potentially allow another funding source for renewable energy projects and could encourage Council or partnership projects that will see more of the revenue generated being retained by the Council for the further benefit of Shetland as a whole, including development of further energy efficiency initiatives.”
Secretary of State Chris Huhne said:
“For too long, Whitehall’s dogmatic reliance on ‘big’ energy has stood in the way of the vast potential role of local authorities in the UK’s green energy revolution.
“Forward thinking local authorities such as the Shetland Islands have been quietly getting on with it, but against the odds, their efforts frustrated by the law.
“I’ve taken the early step of overturning the ban on local authorities selling renewable electricity to the grid.
“I’ve today written to all council chief execs urging them to take advantage and lead a local energy revolution.
“This is a vital step to making community renewable projects commercially viable, to bring in long-term income to benefit local areas, and to secure local acceptance for low carbon energy projects.”
At present only 0.01% of electricity in England is generated by local authorities, despite the scope that exists to install projects on their land and buildings.
In one of the first actions of the coalition government, a ban on local authorities selling renewable electricity, dating back to 1976, will end on 18 August.  This will open up the full benefit of renewable energy incentives such as the feed in tariff.

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Letter to the Daily Telegraph, from Chris Huhne, responding the Annual Energy Statement

The Editor
Daily Telegraph

Sir,

Your front page report of the Government’s first annual energy statement rightly said that my department’s central estimate is that overall gas and electricity bills for households will rise by about 1 per cent – or £13 – in 2020, compared to what bills would otherwise be without our policies. This is made up of a big increase in the cost of energy combined with a big reduction in the use of energy due to our planned Green Deal for homes, smart meters and other energy saving measures. The cost of heating our homes is immensely wasteful because of poor insulation. For example, we use more energy to heat our homes than does Sweden, where winters are longer and colder.

However, your report does not make clear that this forecast is inevitably founded on a view of what is likely to happen to the costs of fossil fuels. It is based on an oil price in 2020 of $80 a barrel, which is barely higher than yesterday’s market price of $78 a barrel. If oil prices were instead to rise to $100 a barrel, as projected by the International Energy Agency, then the net effect would be that British households break even. If the oil price were to rise to $108 a barrel, as the United States administration forecasts, British households would save money on our bills. My department, indeed, calculates a high fossil fuel scenario of $150 a barrel in which average household bills would be 5 per cent lower due to our policies to encourage energy saving.

In such an uncertain world, where the costs and risks of extracting oil and gas are rising as we have seen in the Gulf of Mexico, oil and gas prices could not only be high but also very volatile, putting immense strain on household finances. Moreover, declining North Sea oil and gas means that we are steadily becoming more dependent on imports. The only sound energy policy for our nation is one that moves as rapidly as possible to close the looming energy gap between demand and supply both by saving wasteful demand and by boosting secure supply.

Yours sincerely,
Chris Huhne
Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
3 Whitehall Place SW1A 2AW
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UK steps up calls for the EU to embrace tougher carbon target

Energy and climate change secretary Chris Huhne will today attend his first meeting of EU environment ministers where he is expected to reiterate the UK government's view that Europe should sign up to more ambitious emission reduction targets.

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Chris Huhne attends first EU climate meeting

Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne will attend his first meeting of EU Environment Ministers on Friday 11 June in Luxembourg.

On the agenda will be the European Commission’s recent paper on the moving beyond a 20% EU emissions reduction target, as well as a discussion on the state of play of the international climate negotiations.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, Energy and Climate Secretary Chris Huhne said:

“I’ll be using my first meeting of EU environment ministers to make clear the new UK Government’s support for ambitious European action on climate change, including a 30% cut in EU emissions. The Commission’s recent analysis provides a welcome starting point as we discuss how to implement a higher target.

“We believe a move to 30% is achievable, right for the climate and right for our economies as Europe focuses on a sustainable economic recovery. We can put Europe ahead of the game by taking new low carbon economic opportunities.

“Europe must take a lead in securing an international climate agreement though we can’t just click our fingers and hope the rest of the world will follow. We’ve got to make real emission cuts at home, and work constructively with all other nations in achieving that ambitious deal.”

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Huhne and Hendry visit Sellafield

“The West Cumbria Energy Coast has a critically important role to play in relation to our nuclear legacy and potentially for new build. That’s why I was so keen to get up to Sellafield to see the scale of the challenge and find out what we can learn from it for the future.”(Secretary of State, Chris Huhne)

Chris Huhne, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, continued to acquaint himself with the UK’s key energy infrastructure with a visit to Sellafield in Cumbria on Wednesday.

Joined by Charles Hendry, the Minister for Energy, and representatives from the workforce and the site’s management, he toured the facility and learnt more about the progress and challenges of nuclear decommissioning on the site.

Chris Huhne said: “The West Cumbria Energy Coast has a critically important role to play in relation to our nuclear legacy and potentially for new build. That’s why I was so keen to get up to Sellafield to see the scale of the challenge and find out what we can learn from it for the future.

“Touring the site I’ve felt a real sense of pride from everyone involved in this work – from the site security team to the engineers, right through to the senior management. And there’s a real sense of progress, professionalism and desire to get the job done.”

Charles Hendry added: “This is a most exciting time for the nuclear industry. When I visited the Energy Coast last year I said I wanted West Cumbria to be the foremost centre of nuclear expertise in the world, and what I’ve seen today reaffirms that view.

“The level of expertise and skills that the industry possesses here is world-class. And it means that West Cumbria is extremely well placed to benefit from the opportunities that new nuclear build might bring to the area in the years ahead.”

Bill Poulson, Managing Director of Sellafield Ltd., welcomed the Ministerial visit and their early engagement on the issue, saying: “Sellafield Ltd and Nuclear Management Partners were delighted to welcome the Secretary of State, the Minister and their party to Sellafield so soon after taking up their new roles.

“The visit gave us a good opportunity to outline our work programme, showcase our priority areas such as risk and high hazard reduction, and our commitment to safety.

“It also allowed us to demonstrate the progress we’ve made on site since NMP’s arrival in November 2008.”
Tony Fountain, Chief Executive of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, added: “We are delighted to have welcomed both the Secretary of State and Energy Minister to our most significant site so early into their term of office. Sellafield represents our most complex decommissioning and clean-up challenge and we were pleased to be able to show them the progress that is being made.”

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Chris Huhne welcomes confirmation of Energy Bill in Queen's Speech

Chris Huhne welcomes confirmation of Energy Bill in Queen's Speech

"The Queen's Speech and last week's programme of Government make clear that energy security and taking real action to tackle climate change aren't add on extras for this new Government, but are vital to our national interest."(Secretary of State, Chris Huhne)

Legislation will be introduced to improve energy efficiency in British homes and businesses, to promote low carbon energy production, and to secure the UK’s energy supplies, it was announced today as part of the Queen’s Speech.

The Energy Bill is to provide a step change in the provision of energy efficiency measures to homes and businesses, and to put in place a framework to deliver a future with secure, low carbon energy supplies and fair competition in the energy markets.

The Queen’s Speech said that the Government would also seek effective global collaboration to combat climate change, including at the climate change conference in Mexico later this year.

Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Chris Huhne said:

“The Queen's Speech and last week's programme of Government make clear that energy security and taking real action to tackle climate change aren't add on extras for this new Government, but are vital to our national interest."
"The Energy Bill is designed to help consumers put a stop to wasting energy in their homes through a green deal while making sure our energy system is fit for the 21st century."

Energy Bill 2010

This Bill would deliver a national programme of energy efficiency measures to homes and businesses.
It may also introduce powers to regulate the emissions from coal-fired power stations, reform energy markets to deliver security of supply and ensure fair competition, and put in place a framework to guide the development of a smart grid that will revolutionise the management of supply and demand for electricity.

The main elements of the Bill are:

Implementation of a “Green deal” to deliver energy efficiency to homes and business – delivering a framework including potential incentives to energy suppliers and households that will transform the provision of energy efficiency in the UK by enabling a ‘pay as you save’ approach.

The Bill may also contain measures to:

Regulate the carbon emissions from coal-fired power stations reform energy markets to deliver security of supply and ensure fair competition put in place a framework to guide the development of a smart grid that will revolutionise the management of supply and demand for electricity require energy companies to provide more information on energy bills in order to empower consumers and to ensure fair access to energy supplies ensure that North Sea infrastructure is available to all companies to ease the exploitation of smaller and more difficult oil and gas fields create a Green Investment Bank to support investment in low carbon projects to transform the economy.

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Government confirms DECC ministerial briefs

Ministerial portfolios at the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) were finally announced last night, confirming that Lib Dem secretary of state Chris Huhne will have full control over the influential department's strategy and budgets.

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Huhne Backs Aberdeen's Energy Industries

“My in tray is heavy with two massive responsibilities - cutting dangerous carbon emissions and ensuring secure and reliable energy supplies. This city has a crucial role to play in both of these and our ambition to create a low carbon economy” Aberdeen today received a vote of confidence from new UK Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne.

Visiting only a week after taking up office, Mr Huhne toured stands at the All Energy renewables exhibition, visited oil firm Apache and met industry leaders at Oil and Gas UK.

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Huhne Backs Aberdeen's Energy Industries

Aberdeen today received a vote of confidence from new UK Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne.

Visiting only a week after taking up office, Mr Huhne toured stands at the All Energy renewables exhibition, visited oil firm Apache and met industry leaders at Oil and Gas UK.

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Cameron fleshes out DECC team

The ministerial team at the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) was fleshed out with the appointment of Conservative MPs Charles Hendry and Greg Barker as ministers of state to work alongside the Liberal Democrat energy and climate change secretary Chris Huhne.

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Chris Huhne confirmed as Energy and Climate Change Secretary

Liberal Democrat MP Chris Huhne was confirmed as the new energy and climate change secretary late yesterday, and will today take up the reins at the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).

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