Labour's green energy goal 'leaves little room for error', say experts

Labour's plan to switch to a clean power system by 2030 faces "significant challenges" to avoid delays and prevent vulnerable households paying higher bills, experts have warned.

- Jillian Ambrose

The UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) said there was "very little room for error" in meeting the plan to create a 95% low-carbon electricity grid by the end of the decade.

The government has promised the move to cleaner electricity will ultimately mean lower bills because exposure to volatile global gas prices will be reduced. But there has been no official cost comparison provided for its 2030 target compared with the last government's 2035 deadline.

In its annual report, UKERC said consumers expecting that higher use of cheap renewables "would translate into lower bills" would probably be disappointed that Britain's National Energy System Operator (Neso) had "not been clearer in its commentary on the direct cost impact of changing the generation mix".