Government publishes energy security strategy, responds to Skidmore review
Thu 30 March 2023
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The Government has published a new energy security strategy alongside responses to the recommendations made in Chris Skidmore MP's Net Zero Review. Initially dubbed 'Green Day', the new strategy prioritises carbon capture, usage and storage as well as a renewed drive to deliver nuclear projects and support nuclear capacity through a new organisation, Great British Nuclear.
Included in the strategy is the publication of a final consultation on the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate (see Zemo news story).
The strategy also announces the backing of the first group of new green hydrogen production projects under the £240 million Net Zero Hydrogen Fund.
The strategy maintains the UK's commitment to phase out the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2030 and all non-zero emission (tailpipe) cars by 2035. The UK Government does not plan to follow the EU's decision and enable the purchase of ICE vehicles using e-fuels (CO2-neutral fuels) after 2035. A Department for Transport (DfT) spokesperson told Fleet News: “E-fuels are not proven technology, have expensive and complex supply chains, and emit much of the same pollutants as petrol and diesel.
“They might have a role for specialist vehicles, but we are not looking at them as a solution for normal cars and vans.”
Alongside the plan Government said it was launching the £381m LEVI fund together with an additional £15m for the On-Street Residential Charging Scheme (ORCS), which together are intended to support the installation of tens of thousands of new chargers across the UK.
In last year’s electric vehicle infrastructure strategy, DfT said it would invest at least a further £500m from 2022 to 2025 to support local authorities to plan and deliver local public charging infrastructure, including the £450m LEVI Fund, and the £50m ORCS scheme.
This was in addition to £10m in 2022-23 for local authorities to run LEVI pilots. The DfT added that the LEVI fund always included up to £50m ‘capability’ funding.
In the foreword to it's response to the Net Zero Review, which was informed by 52 stakeholder workshops (including one convened by Zemo Partnership) the Government says: "We agree with the Review’s conclusion that net zero is the growth opportunity of the 21st century and could offer major economic opportunities to the UK – but that decisive action is needed to seize these. Other countries such as the USA with the Inflation Reduction Act are moving quickly, and we must do the same. We are focused on unlocking the ambition of places and communities to deliver net zero by 2050."
The Government paper provides responses to 129 recommendations made by the Skidmore review, including six relating to transport.
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