Our CEO Miranda Barker responds to the UK Energy Security Strategy:

It’s good news for new nuclear and Lancashire’s energy sector expertise, but an opportunity missed for onshore wind and energy efficiency drivers to create a real shift to Net Zero.

Finally, a commitment to new nuclear including SMRs –  but now it must be executed at pace AND use this opportunity to secure the future of our expertise in nuclear fuels innovation, manufacture in the UK and the associated jobs in Lancashire.

Nuclear is key to low carbon energy production and hydrogen generation for the future transition. I’m disappointed in the lukewarm approach to onshore wind – shying away from such a significant source of low carbon energy at this moment still demonstrates a lack of commitment to real energy transition.

It’s appalling to see a lack of mention of energy efficiency/support for energy use reduction plans for businesses, home owners, new builds and retrofitting across the UK – the first step in any energy security, energy supply or energy transition HAS to be reduce the amount we use and will need to use into the future.

Government seem to have missed this point entirely.

This would have been an excellent time for government to put into place policy measures to encourage an energy responsible strategy for the UK going forward – installing firm procurement policies throughout the public sector procurement and purchasing framework nationally and locally, demanding energy proactive plans to be in place for all suppliers.

Laying down firm planning baselines for energy efficiency measures in all new build domestic and industrial premises and for retrofitting of all relicenced premises.

And the introduction of a sound licencing procedure for Green Finance schemes could have enabled our householders and small businesses to take up energy saving technologies NOW – and reduce their spiralling energy costs.

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