Ed Miliband’s power division HQ ‘is powered by fossil fuels’
As Energy Secretary Ed Miliband pushes for net-zero renewable energy, his government department headquarters has been found to be powered by fossil fuels.
Freedom of Information (FOI) requests revealed that several government departments and agencies, including the Miliband’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, have been favouring cheaper ‘brown’ power tariffs over ‘green’ energy.
Corin Dalby, the chief executive of Box Power, which compiled the FoI requests, told The Times: ‘The data demonstrates hypocrisy at the heart of the government’s energy policy.’
More than four-fifths of the electricity powering Whitehall is from a standard grid mix produced by a significant amount of fossil fuels known as ‘brown’ power.
One government agency sponsored by Miliband’s department said it had refused to go green because renewable tariffs offered poor value for money.
Mr Dalby added: ‘Imagine if the Department of Health said it won’t buy healthy food because crisps are more affordable.’
Meanwhile, nearly half of councils only use more expensive ‘green’ or ‘no carbon’ power, collectively paying an estimated £10 to £20million extra each year to standard deals.
Dodging the estimated two to four per cent additional cost of green energy, the Mining Remediation Authority, an agency of Miliband’s department, admitted it spent £8.5m on ‘brown’ power to ‘provide the best value for the taxpayer’.
Ed Miliband’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has been found to be power with fossil fuels while the Energy Secretary pushes for renewables
55 Whitehall, Miliband’s department’s headquarters is powered by ‘brown’ energy and is heated via a gas-fired boiler
Mr Dalby continued: ‘This whole mess implies either that green tariffs are overpriced, the government doesn’t believe its own messaging, or its green policy is more PR than practice.’
A Department for Energy spokesperson pointed to the 47 per cent reduction in direct emissions from public sector buildings between 1990 and 2024. They added: ‘This government has put clean energy at the heart of its agenda, attracting billions in clean energy investment that will help to protect the public sector, businesses and households from volatile fossil fuel markets.’
