EU plans call for the UK to increase its use of renewables in the energy mix from the current 5% to 15% by 2020. An independent British government commissioned report for BERR, the Department of Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, shows that these plans will cost between EURO 5 and 6 billion annually. On a per household basis, this could increase the average energy bill for every household in Britain by £160 a year — and that’s on top of increases driven by mainstream energy prices, says East Midlands MEP Roger Helmer.
Protesting against the proposals, Helmer argues that in any case many of the renewables initiatives are set to do more harm than good. There is increasing evidence that biofuels save little CO2, but they are driving up world food prices, and putting huge new pressure on rainforests and natural habitats, threatening species with extinction. Wind farms provide limited benefit, especially when placed in peaty heath-land environments. Many of Britain’s new wind-farm development proposals, especially in Scotland, are on soils of this type, where the disturbance of ancient peat deposits for foundations, roads and other infrastructure can release more CO2 than the turbines would save in their lifetimes.
Commenting on the developments, Helmer said “There is no point in agonising over fuel poverty, then agreeing plans which will hugely add to energy costs — especially when those plans will fail to deliver the CO2 reductions envisaged. This is a typical example of EU integration allowing bureaucrats to make mistakes on an heroic scale”.
PRESS RELEASE ENDS
Notes to editors
POYRY REPORT: Poyry is a well-reputed energy research and consultancy company, commissioned by the British government (BERR) to do the cost analysis, which despite their insistence on confidentiality has somehow emerged on the BERR website at http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file45238.pdf
ROGER HELMER MEP
www.rogerhelmer.com
“While the US Constitution is chiefly about the rights of the individual, the EU Constitution is chiefly about the power of the state.”
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD is a critical thinker with expertise in the scientific method.
I hope the Rudd Government is reading this, especially when our inflation rate has just crept up to 4.3%pa, and the RBA is pondering further rate rises.
They have already almost guaranteed major power shortages in five years. I find it hard to imagine anyone building new coal powered power stations when there is total uncertainty over the tax regime [carbon credits] to be applied.
Paul – “While the US Constitution is chiefly about the rights of the individual”
Yes the individual corporation, the individual lobbyist, the ……
“While the US Constitution is chiefly about the rights of the individual, the EU Constitution is chiefly about the power of the state.”
Sounds accurate to an EU hater like me!
The preamble to the US Constitution begins: “We the people..”
The preamble to the EU Constitution begins: “His Majesty the King of the Belgians..”
Need we say more?
I thought the UK had allready committed itself to a 20% renewable target by 2020, (which hardly anyone thinks will be achieved)
This Furehrbefehl from Brussels probably means nothing at all.
Let’s put it in context,
How much did (or does) the Iraq War cost per household?
Which context is this?
The “man without his God is like a fish without his bicycle” context?
I was in a minority by being against the Irag war at the outset. The alarm bells rang when I heard that a dodgy dossier which plagiarised an old PhD thesis was used as justification.
There is a parallel here with the global warming scare – dodgy dossier (IPCC reports) and the lie that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction that could be deployed in 45 minutes (climate alarmism).
How much is the Iraq war costing? I don’t know, but it ain’t on my gas or electric bill.
I looked at the BERR report after being sent Roger’s press release. He has used the statistics in the BERR incorrectly. I have requested that he corrects this on his web site.
He misleadingly says the £160 is on household annual energy bills. The EURO 5 and 6 billion annually statistic is infact for “electricity, transport and heat” across both industry and consumers for the UK.
Yes, you could divide this by the number of households in the UK to get an average of £160.
But only a small proportion of this would be for a household’s annual fuel bill. So Roger is completely wrong to state enery bills will increase by £160.
So, you’re wrong to assume your gas and electricity bills are going to rise by this amount!