Tag Archives: energy

Michael Moore

Michael Moore MP’s Westminster Notes

By Michael Moore | Wed 16th May 2012 - 10:25 am

Every week Liberal Democrat Secretary of State for Scotland writes a column for local newspapers in his Borders constituency. Here is this week’s edition.

Queen’s Speech

Last week, we saw the State Opening of Parliament by the Queen. Her Majesty set out the legislation planned for the second session of Parliament following the formation of the Coalition. The legislation outlined in the speech supports our efforts to reduce the deficit, rebalance the economy and put the country on the path to sustainable growth. It also sets out our commitment to provide families, businesses and communities across the country with the support they …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged , , , , and | Leave a comment
NewsHound

Big Switch – ‘A victory for people power over the big gas and electricity companies”

By NewsHound | Mon 14th May 2012 - 11:23 am

The Independent reports:

Co-operative Energy emerged yesterday as winner of the much-heralded Big Switch campaign launched by Which? and 38 Degrees.

The collective bargaining scheme aimed to find cheaper energy deals for more than 280,000 people who signed up. But the Co-op – which won the auction by offering the lowest tariff – will offer its deals to 30,000 people on a first come, first served basis.

Continue reading »
Posted in News | 12 Comments
Andy Atkins

The Independent View: Energy Bill – time for Lib Dems to show their true colours

By Andy Atkins | Fri 11th May 2012 - 3:32 pm

Our electricity system is broken – soaring fuel bills, an over-reliance on overseas fossil fuels and an urgent need to tackle climate change highlight the severe energy crisis the nation faces.

So the inclusion of an Energy Bill in this week’s Queen’s speech to overhaul the UK’s failing electricity market was long overdue.

The Bill is a once in a generation opportunity to secure our long-term opportunity to make our power system cleaner, more affordable and less reliant on increasingly imported fossil fuels.

Such a move would be popular, too. A recent YouGov poll Friends of the Earth published to mark the …

Continue reading »
Posted in News and The Independent View | Also tagged and | 11 Comments
Ben Wood

Opinion: Re-stating our environmental credentials in a language that makes economic sense

By Ben Wood | Fri 23rd March 2012 - 6:37 pm

Last weekend wasn’t a good one for the environmental agenda.

First came a DECC press release containing proposals that will give rise to a new ‘dash for gas’ in the UK. The announcement means that new gas power stations will not need to be more efficient or less polluting.  It is part of the Treasury’s anti-green agenda which holds the misguided view that green policies are anti-growth and increase costs for businesses and households. This is despite the fact that recent hikes in power bills have been largely due to large increases in wholesale gas prices.

(Incidentally, the release was embargoed until …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged , and | 7 Comments
Mark Valladares

European Parliament’s 2050 low-carbon roadmap backs an interconnected European supergrid

By Mark Valladares | Thu 15th March 2012 - 6:14 pm

The European Parliament will today debate and vote on its report on the Commission’s Roadmap for moving to a competitive low carbon economy by 2050. The report establishes a policy framework for the EU to achieve a 80-95% reduction in its CO2 emissions by 2050, and it is expected that MEPs will endorse it by a large majority.

Sir Graham Watson MEP, who is the Chairman of a global network of MPs and MEPs from all mainstream political parties campaigning to increase government investment in renewable energy and electricity supergrids called the Climate Parliament, as well as a Liberal Democrat MEP …

Continue reading »
Posted in Europe / International and News | Also tagged , , and | 2 Comments
Reg Platt

Opinion: Flaws in Policy Exchange’s report

By Reg Platt | Mon 23rd January 2012 - 11:54 am

Another day, another headline on the cost of green policies. This time thanks to a new report from Policy Exchange as part of their ‘Greener, Cheaper’ workstream. With customers feeling the pinch from high energy bills, Chris Huhne continues to have his work cut out to defend green policy spending. Problems with Policy Exchange’s analysis, including their uncritical support of gas and aversion to the promotion of growth by Government, must be brought to the fore.

The main argument of Policy Exchange’s report is that there are additional costs to consumers from renewable policies beyond those directly on the …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged | 7 Comments
Lucy Care

Opinion: Two suggestions to shorten the dole queues

By Lucy Care | Wed 7th December 2011 - 3:26 pm

A couple of nights ago I was chatting to someone who had just lost her job.

Like so many other people she worked as a professional in the public sector. Her department was being reorganised and jobs redefined. Professional posts were being regraded downwards, and people were being invited to apply for posts below their qualification and experience.

Understandably, she felt angry; the jobs still needed doing, her skills would become out of date unless she got a new job fairly soon and their household income would suffer a severe cut. She was also angry that so many of the current round of job losses are hitting …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged | 21 Comments
The Voice

Pugh: we must we must be able to guarantee safety before we start fracking

By The Voice | Tue 8th November 2011 - 8:43 am

The Press Association reports:

If Britain is to benefit from a controversial drilling technique to extract gas from the ground “we must be able to guarantee safety at every stage”, a Liberal Democrat MP has said. Dr John Pugh (Southport) said without appropriate and effective monitoring of the process, public support would not be achieved.

Fracking, which involves hydraulic fracturing of shale rock using high pressure liquid, led to the tremors which hit Lancashire earlier this year. Environmental campaigners and local residents have called for an immediate halt to the exploration work, which could lead to vast untapped gas reserves. Energy firm

…

Continue reading »
Posted in Parliament | Also tagged and | 3 Comments
Lucy Care

Opinion: Feed-in tariffs and the Lib Dem fight to ensure the Coalition really is ‘the greenest government ever’

By Lucy Care | Mon 7th November 2011 - 11:40 am

Feed-in tariffs, a policy mechanism designed to accelerate investment in renewable energy technologies, have been used successfully in many countries to increase the amount of electricity being generated from renewable sources.

The UK has actually been fairly slow off the mark on this. Our aim to be ‘the greenest government ever’ included support for feed-in tariffs.

Indeed, in the Coalition Agreement the preamble to the section on Energy and Climate Change said: ‘We need to use a wide range of levers to cut carbon emissions, decarbonise the economy and support the creation of new green jobs and technologies.’ It went on to say ‘We will establish a full system of feed-in tariffs in electricity,’ and ‘We will encourage community-owned renewable energy schemes where local people benefit from the power produced.’

So what is happening to the system of feed-in tariffs? And how are the changes going to encourage community-owned renewable energy systems?

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged , and | 14 Comments
Andy Atkins

The Independent View: Final Demand – it’s time to end the power of the Big Six

By Andy Atkins | Mon 17th October 2011 - 1:50 pm

News last week that the Big Six energy firms are raking in bumper profits while the nation struggles with soaring fuel bills was just the latest electric shock to hit cash-strapped families.

Ofgem’s revelation that energy firm profit margins have risen to £125 per customer per year, from £15 in June, will crank up pressure on the Government to act – and rightly so.

But if Ministers really want to get to grips with soaring fuel bills we must also tackle the root cause – our nation’s reliance on increasingly expensive gas, coal and oil and the failure of the Big Six

…

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds and The Independent View | Also tagged and | 3 Comments
Stephen Tall

Huhne pledges to do ‘the right thing’ as he commits to nuclear power

By Stephen Tall | Sat 15th October 2011 - 1:30 pm

This week saw Lib Dem energy and climate change secretary Chris Huhne make a major speech to the Royal Society on the future of nuclear power, with the Coalition committed to a series of new reactors adjacent to existing sites.

The Coalition’s policy has long been trailed — a year ago, Chris put forward his views here on LibDemVoice.org, ‘Myth-busting: what the Coalition’s plans for nuclear energy really mean’. Here Chris acknowledged his shift from opposition to nuclear power to support conditional on no public subsidy — a shift which has majority support from Lib Dem members, at …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged and | 15 Comments
Mark Pack

Once again, Osborne is the obstacle to green action

By Mark Pack | Mon 10th October 2011 - 11:17 pm

Today’s Times reports how:

The Chancellor has infuriated No. 10 and Cabinet colleagues by refusing to endorse a key component in the policy to boost renewable energy.

In an extraordinary move last week George Osborne was rebuked by David Cameron’s aides for failing to come on board for a key green policy.

At a meeting on Monday the prime minister’s most senior official, Jeremy Heywood, gave a dressing down to an Osborne adviser over the Chancellor’s failure to rubber stamp the new price that power companies will pay for renewable energy such as solar, wave and wind power.

Osborne has form on this, for …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged , and | 4 Comments
The Voice

Liberal Democrats in Birmingham take up Chris Huhne’s energy challenge

By The Voice | Wed 5th October 2011 - 9:50 am

From the Birmingham Mail:

BIRMINGHAM City Council is hoping to slash gas and electric bills for householders and businesses by setting up its own energy supply business.

The local authority wants to use its clout as a wholesale energy buyer and solar power generator to offer gas and electric to the city’s 440,000 homes and 50,000 businesses at a cheaper rate…

The council wants to capitalise on a freeing up of the energy market announced by energy secretary Chris Huhne at last week’s Liberal Democrat Conference in Birmingham…

The city council’s deputy leader Paul Tilsley is taking up the initiative with a scheme to

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged , and | Leave a comment
Stephen Tall

LDVideo at Conference | A Chris Huhne double-bill

By Stephen Tall | Wed 21st September 2011 - 7:55 am

At Birmingham and so missing out on how the Lib Dem conference is being reported? Not at Birmingham and so missing out on seeing Lib Dem MPs and government ministers up close and personal? We hope these videos will help re-connect you…

It was Lib Dem energy secretary Chris Huhne’s day in the limelight yesterday, with his speech to the party’s Birmingham conference generating acres of coverage. Here’s how the BBC reported it.

Chris Huhne on fuel poverty and energy prices


(Available on the BBC website here.)

Huhne inspects energy efficient house

Continue reading »
Posted in YouTube | Also tagged | Leave a comment
Simon Oliver

Opinion: How the market will decide our energy future

By Simon Oliver | Fri 12th August 2011 - 9:49 am

Recently articles from both the TUC and CBI have bemoaned the burden of increasing energy costs on energy intensive businesses. Both organisations make the rather obvious error in thinking that a carbon price will inevitably drive the cost of energy upwards. In fact, the opposite is true. The stronger the price signal, the faster the market works to balance supply with demand.

The supply of fossil fuels is finite. Conventional oil has already peaked its supply (as admitted by the chief economist of the IEA) and tar sands and fracking are far too damaging to the environment to continue as …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged , and | 25 Comments
Stephen Tall

Lib Dem MPs set to rebel over ‘back-door’ nuclear power subsidy

By Stephen Tall | Sat 2nd July 2011 - 4:15 pm

‘Liberal Democrats have long opposed any new nuclear construction. Conservatives, by contrast, are committed to allowing the replacement of existing nuclear power stations provided that they are subject to the normal planning process for major projects (under a new National Planning Statement), and also provided that they receive no public subsidy.’

So declares the Coalition Agreement. However, as the Guardian reports, the finance bill due to be debated this coming week introduces a form of subsidy, and it’s attracted opposition among the party:

A large group of Lib Dems are concerned about clause 78 of the bill, which MPs will consider

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged , , , , , , and | 26 Comments
NewsHound

LibLink: Chris Huhne – The biggest energy market shake-up in 25 years

By NewsHound | Thu 16th December 2010 - 3:25 pm

Over at the Telegraph, Lib Dem secretary of state for energy and climate change Chris Huhne argues that the UK needs to unlock private investment in its energy market on an unprecedented scale, and ensure the low-carbon revolution at the lowest cost to consumers. Here’s an excerpt:

… on Thursday the Coalition begins a consultation on a reform that would reshape this market more fundamentally than at any time since the 1980s, when the Lawson reforms were the pioneer of Europe’s deregulation. Since then, we have acquired an overlay of instruments – notably the renewables obligation – that has provided a

…

Continue reading »
Posted in LibLink | Also tagged | 9 Comments
The Voice

Chris Huhne announces ‘The Green Deal: Putting our ideas into practice’

By The Voice | Fri 5th November 2010 - 7:35 pm

Chris Huhne, Lib Dem secretary of state for energy and climate change, earlier this week emailed party members with the following message, illustrating how the party is putting green policies at the heart of the Coaltion:

Today I am announcing details of the Green Deal, a new and radical way of making energy efficiency improvements available to all, whether people own or rent their properties. Through the Green Deal everyone will have a chance to save energy, cut their bills and tackle climate change, just as we promised in our manifesto.

Initially, over the next two years, we will almost double

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged , and | 2 Comments
Ian Manders

Decision time on energy for the Coalition

By Ian Manders | Tue 7th September 2010 - 3:57 pm

Energy is precious – surely? The UK faces a decline in gas and oil output from the North Sea and for the first time in decades is importing the bulk of its fossil fuels. Despite long-term subsidy, renewable energy only satisfies a tiny part of the energy demands of the UK.

So, you would think we would be using our precious energy stocks efficiently, would you not? Everyone knows that our buildings are draughty and expensive to heat – but did you know how inefficient our electricity supply system is? Do you know how much energy is thrown away before it …

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | 10 Comments
Stephen Tall

LDV survey: 68% of Lib Dem members back nuclear as party of UK’s energy mix

By Stephen Tall | Sat 28th August 2010 - 8:45 am

Lib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum to discover what Lib Dem members think of a variety of key issues, and what you make of the Lib Dems’ and Government’s performance to date. Almost 600 party members have responded, and we’ll be publishing the full results of our survey in the next few days.

First up we asked about Chris Huhne’s announcement that he is now backing nuclear power in order to ensure the stability of Britain’s energy supplies.

Do you believe Chris Huhne is right to say that nuclear power, alongside oil and gas and renewable sources, …

Continue reading »
Posted in LDV Members poll | Also tagged and | 16 Comments
Stephen Tall

NEW POLL: Should nuclear power be part of the UK’s energy mix?

By Stephen Tall | Mon 9th August 2010 - 2:25 pm

Climate change and energy secretary Chris Huhne was on Radio 4 this morning with what will have been, for many Lib Dems, a surprise announcement: that the Lib Dem / Conservative coalition government is fully behind the opening of a new nuclear power station in eight years’ time.

Arguing in favour of in favour of a mix of more nuclear, oil and gas and renewable energy, Chris declared, “I have no intention of the lights going out on my watch.”

This is something of a change in direction for Liberal Democrat party policy. For example, in the 2010 manifesto the …

Continue reading »
Posted in News and Voice polls | Also tagged and | 70 Comments
The Voice

“Private sector will build nuclear plants,” says Huhne

By The Voice | Mon 2nd August 2010 - 10:30 am

The BBC reports:

New nuclear plants will be built in the UK as part of the move towards a green economy, Energy Secretary Chris Huhne has said.

Mr Huhne told the BBC that breaking the dependence on traditional fossil fuels was vital. The minister said the market would decide which types of low-carbon energy would be used, but he believes nuclear investors are waiting to come forward.

He ruled out specific government subsidies for the new power stations.

Chris was speaking on the BBC1’s Andrew Marr programme, Sunday AM, and confirmed:

My position and my party’s position was always one

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged , and | 19 Comments
NewsHound

LibLink: Chris Huhne and Vince Cable – The green economy is still viable

By NewsHound | Mon 5th July 2010 - 9:45 am

Over at The Independent today, Lib Dem cabinet ministers Vince Cable and Chris Huhne argue that the Coalition Government’s plans to set up a Green Investment Bank, announced in the Budget, are of huge significance for establishing a successful green economy in this country. Here’s an excerpt:

… there is much to be decided about how this might work. Bob Wigley’s comprehensive review of the issue, published last week, sets out one possible model – a commercially independent bank given clear overarching goals for green investment in new technologies and infrastructure. Innovative green financial products could give an opportunity for individuals,

…

Continue reading »
Posted in LibLink | Also tagged , , , and | Leave a comment
NewsHound

LibLink: Simon Hughes: “Like the banks, new nuclear is too big to fail”

By NewsHound | Mon 22nd March 2010 - 5:25 pm

At Comment is Free today, Simon Hughes (Liberal Democrat shadow secretary of state for energy and climate change) challenges the Tories over their “incoherent” new energy policy and calls for greater investment in renewable energy:

Nuclear power has always required huge amounts of public money and David Cameron’s signal that the Tories are ready to turn on the taps of taxpayer support risks billions which we simply can’t afford. Both Labour and the Tories claim that they will not provide any public subsidy, but both know that this cannot be true when the nuclear industry that has never been

…

Continue reading »
Posted in LibLink | Also tagged and | 5 Comments

Will you support the Reheat Britain campaign?

By David Cox | Mon 19th October 2009 - 1:30 pm

Liberal Democrat MP Richard Younger-Ross has tabled an Early Day Motion (EDM) to support the Reheat Britain campaign for a boiler scrappage scheme. An unlikely coalition of plumbers and builders’ merchants have teamed up with environmentalists to form the Reheat Britain campaign – just about the most brilliant piece of joined up thinking this side of the last Liberal government.

The campaign was started by Mick Williams, who runs a chain of plumbers’ merchants in the South of England. Inspired by the government’s car scrappage scheme, Mick saw that the building and plumbing industries also needed help from a similar …

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged , and | 16 Comments
The Voice

CommentIsLinked@LDV: Vince Cable – Oil – the next shock waiting in the pipeline

By The Voice | Mon 8th June 2009 - 12:58 pm

Over at the Daily Mail, Lib Dem deputy leader Vince Cable examines how to cope with another surge in oil prices, during a time of recession and rising unemployment. Here’s his conclusion:

It is more obvious than ever that the future lies with fuel-efficient and low-carbon cars. Those who are able to switch now will save a lot of money. The Government should therefore be more intelligent when it comes to helping the car industry.

Labour’s scrappage scheme for old bangers is largely a waste of taxpayers’ money. It would be more useful to concentrate on swaps for the new generation of

…

Continue reading »
Posted in LibLink | Also tagged and | Leave a comment
Stephen Tall

NEW POLL: what’s your view on nuclear power?

By Stephen Tall | Thu 16th April 2009 - 6:59 pm

Yesterday the Government released a list of 11 sites in England and Wales where new nuclear power stations could be built, with the aim of having the first reactors operational within a decade.

The Lib Dems’ shadow energy and climate change secretary Simon Hughes was unequivocal in stating his anti-nuclear position on behalf of the party, branding this new generation of nuclear power stations a “colossal mistake”:

They are hugely expensive, dangerous and will take too long to build. There is a real danger that the Government is becoming too close to and the big energy companies.

…

Continue reading »
Posted in Voice polls | Also tagged , , , and | 27 Comments
The Voice

And the moral of the story is…? Energy efficiency begins at home

By The Voice | Sun 15th February 2009 - 9:26 pm

From Friday’s Guardian, Lib Dems unveil plan for energy-efficient households:

Every UK home will be made energy-efficient within 10 years in a compulsory revamp of British housing stock equivalent to the “digital switchover”, the Liberal Democrats will promise today. … The party’s ambitious pledge increases pressure on the government, which will today announce its own plans to offer voluntary eco-makovers to one in four British homes. … It is estimated that carbon emissions from British homes account for a quarter of the country’s total. Under EU agreements, the government has 42 years to cut emissions by 80%. …

Announcing his party’s

…

Continue reading »
Posted in News | Also tagged , and | 4 Comments
Advert

Recent Comments

  • Roland
    @Peter Martin - I was responding to the curved ? ball Jeff throw out about Motability: If they can't charge VAT then its okay to reclaim the VAT rather than sim...
  • Peter Martin
    @ Simon, "Low earners on the IOM pay tax at 21% compared to – I think – 20% in the UK" I don't know where you get your IOM figure from. It is easy eno...
  • Chris Cory
    I thought the draft strategy motion was a definite step in the right direction, especially the recognition of the need to engage rather more with the general me...
  • Peter Martin
    @ Paul, Your point about "Viking and Norse-Gael Roots" would apply to the Orkney and Western Islands. The population of the Northern Parts of Britain , inclu...
  • Simon Costain
    William le Scrope, King of Man, was murdered by Henry IV in 1399 whilst Scrope was on a private visit to Bristol. Thus the island became a crown possession in a...