Green Party warns of "woeful" lack of renewables investment

The Green Party has criticized the Government for a “woeful lack of investment” in renewable energy. Concerns have also been raised as to whether nuclear power will generate the energy capacity it needs in the next 10 years.

Councillor Andrew Cooper has called for additional funding to ensure the energy needs of the country are met from renewable sources. It has been highlighted that nuclear power station Hinkley Point C will not be completed in time to fill the UK’s energy gap when a number of coal-fired power stations close.

Cooper said: “As the construction of Hinkley Point C is further delayed, with costs mounting, it is becoming increasingly obvious that nuclear energy is a bad investment. We have long been told that nuclear is a necessary short-term solution in the transition to a zero-carbon economy, but it’s now clear that the Hinkley plant will not be completed in time to fill the gap in capacity before our current generation of coal-fuelled power stations close.” “Other European countries are already producing up to half of their energy from renewable sources, and the UK could be doing the same were it not for a woeful lack of investment by the government; instead, we are spending up to three times as other European countries on nuclear power.” “If we are to build a zero-carbon Britain, we must scrap inefficient projects like Hinkley Point C and invest in genuinely renewable energy sources.”