Business group's report says present British government policy will not lead to lower carbon emissions for the country
– By Thomas Cheplick –
Britain needs to build more nuclear reactors and cleaner coal plants while putting less emphasis on wind power if it wants a secure low-carbon future, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said on Monday.
CBI is widely considered to be the top British business lobby group.
The group believes 10 Downing Street is making it about impossible for Britain to have a meaningful chance to reduce its carbon emissions and also keep energy costs low.
CBI's deputy-director general John Cridland said: "Large chunks of our energy infrastructure urgently need replacing. While we have generous subsidies for wind power, we urgently need the national planning statements needed to build new nuclear plants. If we carry on like this we will end up putting too many of our energy eggs in one basket."
CBI believes if Britain does not refocus its national energy policy on building and modernizing its fleet of nuclear power stations that power generation in Britain will continue to be reliant for the foreseeable future on CO2-emitting gas-fired plants. The group believes if London follows its report's advice, 83 percent of the country's energy could come from low-carbon plants by 2030.
The Chairman of Britain's National Grid company, Chief Executive Steve Holliday, believes the CBI's report is an independent analysis highlighting flaws in the British government's present energy strategy.
"It challenges some of the orthodox thinking around renewable targets," Holliday said. "I see it as 'gas for nuclear' in this scenario."
The CBI report is joined by a report published by the London consultancy group, Poyry, earlier this month that said the British government needs to lessen its emphasis on windpower to reduce the country's carbon emissions footprint.