The Prime Minister backed the Energy Secretary’s plans to ensure the country goes “further and faster to deliver clean energy”.
But there was no mention of whether the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields in the North Sea would be approved. Instead, the bill restates the commitment to not issue new licences for exploration and keep the ban on fracking.
While the Labour manifesto commits the party to not issuing new North Sea oil and gas licences, this will be the first time that the pledge is written into law.
The move will infuriate those who have been arguing for Britain to use homegrown oil and gas rather than relying on expensive imports.
The UK’s exposure to global energy prices has meant it has been far more impacted than other countries through bills and inflation.
Despite this, Miliband has refused to make use of the North Sea supplies and instead focused on renewables.
The Energy Independence Bill also commits to “accelerate” the UK’s drive for energy security through wind and solar power and hydrogen.
It restates commitments to reform planning rules to make it easier to install renewable energy infrastructure.
Elsewhere, the bill restates the Budget commitments to move the cost of some green taxes off bills and on to general taxation.
This enables Labour to claim it’s reducing prices though in reality it is just moving the costs so bills look smaller.
Despite the move – and Labour’s pre-election pledge to reduce bills by £300 – energy bills are still £190 higher than when it came to power last year.
They are expected to rise far higher when the next price cap takes effect in July as they will factor in the costs of the Iran war....<<<Read More>>>....
