Government energy strategy “ten years too late” claims county council’s economy and environment leader

Coun Colin Davie, executive councillor for economy, environment, and strategic planning, said: “We welcome the publishing of the strategy, albeit ten years too late.

“We support the plans to grow offshore wind and for more solar generation on both domestic and commercial buildings. This is an area we have already progressed as a council with 57 of our buildings utilising solar energy.

“It’s also reassuring that the government has recognised that any further onshore wind developments absolutely need local community support. We must balance energy generation with the need to look after our Lincolnshire landscapes.”

This is at odds with a newly revised local plan for Central Lincolnshire which sees onshire wind as necessary to an extent to make the region more self-sufficient when it comes to power.

Today (Thursday), the Prime Minister unveiled his Energy Security Strategy, setting out how Britain will accelerate development of wind, new nuclear, solar and hydrogen power sources, while supporting the production of domestic oil and gas in the nearer term – which could see 95 per cent of electricity by 2030 being low carbon.

Coun Davie said: “The government should also be looking at a food security policy to reflect the value of our agricultural land and a need to keep food prices stable.

“Although long-term energy security is essential, our residents and businesses are already struggling with increased energy costs. We know in the short-term prices will be high and are likely to remain high into the medium term, affecting our most vulnerable residents the most. We would like to see more schemes that will help in the short-term such as insulation and energy efficiency measures for older housing in the county. This represents a significant missed opportunity.”

Coun Davie said the council recognised that they are limited to what they can do to provide energy security for residents in the county, but there are some areas where more work can be done.

This includes how we generate energy for our own use, and how we dispose of waste in a way that minimises energy use and maximises energy generation.

“We can also look at being better prepared for when industry opportunities are available to contribute to national as well as local energy security,” he said.

The county council is working on its own energy strategy to support aspirations in this area. “We are committed to a low carbon economy in Lincolnshire, but only at a price that is affordable to residents,” said Coun Davie.