By Ré Poko - News Editor
Amber Rudd, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, has recently admitted that current UK policies in place will not allow it to meet its EU target of sourcing 15% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.
"I recognise we don’t have the right policies,... but we have four to five years and I remain committed to making the target"
Whilst giving evidence to the commons energy and climate change committee, the Hastings and Rye MP challenged Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin to aid the country’s flailing efforts to meet the target.
She ruled out making up the shortfall by increasing the amount of renewable energy produced from sources such as wind farms. The Government has recently hit these sources of renewable energy with subsidy cuts, and 27,000 jobs in the solar industry are reportedly at risk as a direct result.
Rudd however refused to rule out buying green energy from other European countries. When questioned on the subject, Rudd declined to name which countries the UK would consider buying from, but replied that: “The desirable option is to deliver it ourselves”.
On Monday, a letter was leaked to online eco-friendly news website The Ecologist, in which it was alleged that without further action, the UK would fail to make the target, and were on course to have renewables at just 11.5% by 2020.
“It’s my aim we should meet the 2020 target. I recognise we don’t have the right policies, particularly in transport and heat, but we have four to five years and I remain committed to making the target… I am concerned about the work that is being done on transport and on heat to meet the additional targets, that is why I have been writing to ministers in other departments, particularly in transport,” She said on Tuesday.
It is thought that the European Court of Justice could impose fines upon the UK as penalty for not meeting the 2020 target and according to Ecologist contributor Oliver Tickell, Rudd could now have: “Demands for her resignation and a full blown Parliamentary investigation” to deal with.
She ruled out making up the shortfall by increasing the amount of renewable energy produced from sources such as wind farms. The Government has recently hit these sources of renewable energy with subsidy cuts, and 27,000 jobs in the solar industry are reportedly at risk as a direct result.
Rudd however refused to rule out buying green energy from other European countries. When questioned on the subject, Rudd declined to name which countries the UK would consider buying from, but replied that: “The desirable option is to deliver it ourselves”.
On Monday, a letter was leaked to online eco-friendly news website The Ecologist, in which it was alleged that without further action, the UK would fail to make the target, and were on course to have renewables at just 11.5% by 2020.
“It’s my aim we should meet the 2020 target. I recognise we don’t have the right policies, particularly in transport and heat, but we have four to five years and I remain committed to making the target… I am concerned about the work that is being done on transport and on heat to meet the additional targets, that is why I have been writing to ministers in other departments, particularly in transport,” She said on Tuesday.
It is thought that the European Court of Justice could impose fines upon the UK as penalty for not meeting the 2020 target and according to Ecologist contributor Oliver Tickell, Rudd could now have: “Demands for her resignation and a full blown Parliamentary investigation” to deal with.