This is gaslighting, when Rishi Sunak tells us we need more gas burning power stations to make us energy independent.
Half of our gas is imported already, the North Sea is in terminal decline and this announcement today will set us on a path of increasing energy dependence and higher energy bills.
The next energy crisis will then hurt us more than the last one.
Mostly I think this is a stunt, with an election possibly weeks away, nobody is getting out of bed to start the long planning process for building new power stations burning gas just because of this announcement from Sunak.
The government has said that they are committed to building new gas stations as there is a “genuine prospect of blackouts,” Ministers have warned.
The Prime Minister Rish Sunak said that the country has to meet their goals by almost four fifths by 2035 for the 2050 goal.
The Prime Minister said, “Our record on net zero speaks for itself – the latest stats show that we’re already halfway there, with greenhouse gas emissions 50% lower than in 1990.
“But we need to reach our 2035 goals in a sustainable way that doesn’t leave people without energy on a cloudy, windless day.
“I will not gamble with our energy security. I will make the tough decisions so that no matter what scenario we face, we can always power Britain from Britain.”
Coutinho is expected to say, “There are no two ways about it. Without gas backing up renewables, we face the genuine prospect of blackouts.
“Other countries in recent years have been so threatened by supply constraints that they have been forced back to coal.
“There are no easy solutions in energy, only trade-offs. If countries are forced to choose between clean energy and keeping citizens safe and warm, believe me they’ll choose to keep the lights on.
“We will not let ourselves be put in that position. And so, as we continue to move towards clean energy, we must be realistic.”
Jess Ralston, energy analyst at ECIU, said: “The North Sea will continue its inevitable decline with or without new licences leaving us ever more dependent on foreign gas unless we lower demand.
“The UK is going backwards on energy security because of the Government fumbling its latest auction for British offshore wind farms, failing on its home insulation schemes and dithering on heat pumps.
“Without carbon capture technology, these gas plants may only have a decade or two before they are decommissioned, and who’s going to pay for that?”
Doug Parr, policy director at Greenpeace UK, said: “The Government’s cunning plan to boost energy security and meet our climate goals is to make Britain more dependent on the very fossil fuel that sent our bills rocketing and the planet’s temperature soaring.
“The only route to a low-cost, secure and clean energy system is through attracting massive private investment to develop renewables and upgrade our aging grid, but this government has failed on both fronts.”
