Ed Miliband claims plans to carpet the UK with pylons is ‘the suitable factor for the nation’ as Tories warn ‘rush’ to decarbonise the grid will ‘trigger extra hardship for folks’
Ed Miliband yesterday warned local communities not to get in the way of his green energy plans – which mean carpeting the UK with thousands more pylons, wind turbines and solar farms.
The Energy Secretary’s ‘clean energy revolution’ will convert the grid from fossil fuels to renewable power by 2030.
But it will require building more than 600 miles of electric pylons and high-voltage cables as well as hundreds of onshore wind turbines and solar farms.
Conservationists warned cutting greenhouse gas emissions should not come at the expense of nature – or the public’s right to object to harmful developments. But Mr Miliband will oversee a weakening of legal rights to block major developments in the courts.
Launching his plan yesterday, he said: ‘Some people won’t like this infrastructure being built. We think it’s the right thing to do for the country.’
He added the plans would protect the UK from events, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which cause gas prices to soar.
And Mr Miliband – who visited a turbine factory in Hull yesterday to launch the plan – made clear that the final decision on big projects would be in his hands, suggesting he was prepared to ride roughshod over local concerns.
Under new rules, onshore wind farms generating more than 100 megawatts would now be classed as ‘nationally significant infrastructure projects, which are decided by me, as the secretary of state’, he said.
Chris Stark head of Clean Power 2030, plant director Andy Sykes and Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband taking a picture during a visit to the Siemens Energy turbine factory in Hull
The Energy Secretary’s ‘clean energy revolution’ will convert the grid from fossil fuels to renewable power by 2030. File image
To win the public over, an advertising blitz will be launched in the new year emphasising ‘the importance of networks infrastructure in supporting net zero’.
Mr Miliband, who vowed there would be ‘no blackouts’ under the plan, also repeated a claim that they would knock up to £300 off the average annual energy bill. But Tory energy spokesman Claire Coutinho said the ‘rush’ to decarbonise the grid will push up electricity prices and ’cause more hardship for people’.
Included in the six-year 126-page Clean Power Action Plan are measures to build hundreds of new battery ‘parks’ – which resemble rows of shipping containers – to expand electricity storage. And households will be encouraged to use power at times of high supply, such as by using washing machines and dishwashers at night when there is less demand.
Existing gas power stations will be mothballed and used at times of low solar and wind power, but should not account for more than 5 per cent of generation in a year.
Decisions will be made next year on covering car parks with solar panel canopies and whether to fit all new homes with rooftop panels. Also to be decided is the system of ‘zonal pricing’ whereby electricity is costed according to supply and demand.
In practice this is likely to make electricity cheaper in areas with high wind power such as Scotland and dearer in southern England.
A spokesman for Conservation group CPRE said: ‘We welcome the Government’s ambition to decarbonise the grid by 2030 and build an energy system fit for the future.
‘However, people should have the right to input on issues that impact them. It’s critical the Government does everything in its power to ensure communities are engaged at the point when real choices are still on the table.’ Richard Benwell, chief executive of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said: ‘The UK needs a swift, sizeable boost in clean power, but we also need urgent action to restore wildlife.
‘Development must be done intelligently, minimising harm to nature’. He added there should also be investment in woodland, wetlands and wildlife habitats. It comes as Housing Secretary Angela Rayner is set to clear an area of Green Belt land bigger than Surrey to meet Labour’s target of building 1.5million homes by 2029. Ms Rayner wants to speed up planning applications, with some potentially avoiding scrutiny by local councillors.
