After it’s reveal at the end of last year, the Energy Bill has come in for no shortage of criticism from opponents who believe the coalition government’s roadmap to a sustainable future for Britain’s commercial energy interests is heading down the wrong path. A full four months after it’s reveal last December, a new barrage is aimed at the Bill from a breakout cross-industry gourd called Powerline.
Comprised of business owners and consumer groups, Powerline say the Energy Bill has the UK “sleepwalking into blackouts”, and branded it’s forecast ‘absurd’.
The outcry, however, is not without basis; Powerline’s main concern is that – in a time of almost unprecedented recession – the Energy Bill will enforce unwanted and unnecessary costs on both individuals and business energy users.
Powerline also say several facets in the Bill will lead to reduced competition in the UK energy market – something echoed by supplier ‘First Utility’ in yesterday’s papers.
Interestingly, amongst calls for a ‘dispassionate debate’ on green energy, Powerline say the energy Bill has an over-reliance on ‘costly’ renewables, which they see as being at the expense of cheaper coal and gas-powered sources of commercial energy.
The government seemed to side-step the issue of decarbonisation when presenting the Bill ( ) and has emphasised using both fossil fuels and nuclear as a ‘stop-gap’ to help prevent black-outs, energy shortages and pricing bottlenecks, so it will be exceptionally interesting to see how Downing Street react to Powerline’s claims when they officially present their concerns to the Royal Assent later this year.