The UK Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has said it is sceptical that the government’s plans for expanding solar, wind and nuclear power are credible.
In a new report, the committee said that the UK’s current operating capacity is a quarter of the goals set for nuclear, solar and offshore wind power, with expansion plans relying in part on technology still at an early stage.
The government estimates that up to £400bn of public and private investment in new generating capacity will be needed by 2037, but the PAC said it is unconvinced that the private sector has been given enough clarity to confidently invest.
The committee, which monitors public spending, is now calling on policymakers to provide annual progress updates to Parliament and pull together numerous decarbonisation plans into a “coherent strategy”.
It said the nation’s green power goals would be jeopardised by lack of an overarching government plan.
This should be pulled together by autumn 2023 at the latest, the report recommends.
The government’s delivery plan must also set out when and how the costs of decarbonising the power sector will be likely to have an impact on energy bills and taxpayers.
The costs to build, maintain and operate the power system are typically passed onto consumer bills, but the government has not yet assessed what the costs of the clean energy transition ultimately mean for the general public, the committee suggested.
It added plans to improve energy efficiency and change consumer behaviour, both key to meeting net zero, are not clear.