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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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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DECC confirms Lords appointment, as Huhne meets with energy industry

The Department of Energy and Climate Change confirmed late yesterday that Conservative peer Lord Jonathan Marland has been appointed to the department's ministerial team.

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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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Cutting central government emissions by 10% in 12 months

‘Greenest Government ever’ – Prime Minister New Energy and Climate Change Ministers start work

Carbon emissions from central government will be cut by 10% in the next 12 months, Prime Minister David Cameron announced today. This is the most ambitious commitment on UK Government emissions ever made – and will provide strong and decisive leadership on green issues helping to deliver better value for money and make a contribution to reducing the record deficit.

Government department headquarters will also publish online in real time their energy use so that the public can hold ministers and civil servants to account for their carbon footprint.

A government steering group will be established to ensure the delivery of this emissions target. The steering group will be chaired by the Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne, and comprise representatives from key departments and the private sector.

The Prime Minister will write to all colleagues to reaffirm this shared commitment and invite them to bring forward their plans to help meet this common target.

Speaking to staff at the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the Prime Minister said:
“I don’t want to hear warm words about the environment. I want to see real action. I want this to be the greenest government ever.

“In fact, we’ve made a good start. Someone pointed out when you mix blue with yellow – you get green.
“So today, taking our lead from 10:10, I commit us to a ten percent reduction in carbon emissions across central government in the next twelve months. You’ll be driving this forward. But I have also made sure all Cabinet ministers are involved, developing plans to show how they will meet their share.

“And the public will be involved too - because we're going to publish the energy use of government headquarters in real-time, so people can hold us to account for our performance.
“And to those who say this is insignificant, remember this: the UK’s public sector has a bigger carbon footprint than the entire waste industry; if we do this, we’ll cut the Government’s energy bills by hundreds of millions of pounds.”

“I don’t want to hear warm words about the environment. I want to see real action. I want this to be the greenest government ever.”(Prime Minister David Cameron addressing DECC staff today )

The new Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Chris Huhne has now started work, joined by Charles Hendry and Greg Barker as Ministers of State.

Chris Huhne outlined his priorities in his new role:

“Climate change is the greatest threat to our common future. We have a very short period of time to tackle the problem before it becomes irreversible and out of control.

“A lot of progress has been made, but we must now go further, faster and turn targets into real change.
“This is a coalition to provide strong and stable government for this country. The benefits of the low carbon economy are agreed between both parties, this is a priority agenda common to both manifestos.
“Together we have the opportunity to make this the greenest government in our history. And to put energy security, for too long a second order issue, at the heart of the UK's national security strategy.
“I intend to make decisions put off for too long to fundamentally change how we supply and use energy in Britain. “To make it far easier for people to make their homes more energy efficient to reduce wasted energy and cut their bills. “To give the power industry the confidence it needs to invest in low carbon energy projects.
 “To create jobs and growth right across the low carbon economy. “And to use every influence we have internationally to get a global deal to tackle climate change.”

In 2008/09 central government, covering 8,000 buildings, was responsible for 1.45 million tonnes of carbon emissions, about 7% of public sector emissions. The annual energy spend was £195 million. The Government today committed to reduce central government carbon emissions by 10% in the next 12 months. The target is an aggregate reduction with individual departments’ contributions to be determined by the Office of Government Commerce. A working group chaired by DECC will be established to oversee implementation of this decision. The Government also committed that central government headquarters will publish their energy use in real time online. The Office of Government Commerce provides performance management support to departments in delivering their sustainable operations and procurement commitments. Information about government environmental performance.

Greening government case study:

DECC Energy use in DECC offices has been cut by nearly a third in the past year despite a large increase in staff numbers. The cut means 250 tonnes of carbon was saved between October 2009 and March 2010 compared with the same period in 2008-09, which should shave about £60,000 off energy bills. This comes despite a 60 per cent rise in the number of people using the building. DECC has improved the energy efficiency rating of its London headquarters’ building. The latest monthly rating is an E – a major improvement compared to the previous rating. This has been achieved by things like adjusting the software controlling the boilers to make them more efficient and a major overhaul of the air-conditioning system. In addition timers have been put on lights and the use of very low energy computer monitors. DECC will also soon install Real Time Displays in its London headquarters to help staff measure and reduce energy consumption.

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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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