Stark pushes for network upgrades to be in first wave of economic fightback
Published 21 May 2020
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Upgrading the electricity network could be an early win in a wider package to stimulate the economy as the current lockdown eases, Chris Stark has said.
Speaking on a webinar about economic recovery organised by Energy UK this week, the Committee on Climate Change chief executive said that the kind of traditional pump priming investment typically deployed following a recession will be “hampered” by continued social distancing measures.
But he said that unlike some infrastructure projects, planning on network upgrades could start now, which could enable work to start in the coming months.
In a letter outlining how low carbon investment could help to deliver economic recovery, the CCC recently urged prime minister Boris Johnson to “significantly” strengthen the UK’s energy system networks in order accommodate the electrification of heat and transport.
Stark also said that while a home energy efficiency measures would be difficult to implement while social distancing rules are in place, local planning of a programme could get under way.
“It can be got going quickly even in a world of social distancing. We would like plan for the next stage because in a few months’ time we can start to get into houses.”
If the planning for a national energy efficiency programme is carried out now, scaling up employment should be possible in 2021, he added.
Stark also said the government needs to address the unequal tax treatment of gas and electricity this year.
“It’s a difficult political discussion but we need to have it. We need to have a strong incentive to use electricity for heat, even small changes in taxes could drive big changes in public sentiment. We need to look at that this year.”
Janine Freeman, strategy director at PwC, told the webinar that clean energy infrastructure could create “hundreds of thousands of new jobs”.
She said that projects in the pipeline include a “couple of big, shovel ready tidal projects” while a “huge amount of pent up interest” exists in energy storage.
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