Groups urge Government to commit to EU energy targets following Cabinet reshuffle

Groups urge Government to commit to EU energy targets following Cabinet reshuffle

Renewable energy groups and green politicians are urging the Government’s newly-formed Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) that it must stick to European Union (EU) energy targets in the wake of Brexit.

30 organisations including Greenpeace, the Solar Trade Association (STA) and Friends of the Earth (FoE) have joined forces to call upon the Government to commit to a target of reducing UK final energy consumption to 129.2 million tonnes of oil or less in time for 2020, alongside further targets outlined under the Renewable Energy Directive, the Energy Efficiency Directive and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.

The news comes shortly after a number of MPs condemned the downfall of the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) in favour of the new BEIS as a ‘downgrading’ of the importance of UK energy policy, following Prime Minister Theresa May’s recent Cabinet reshuffle.

A joint statement penned by the paired organisations read: “We agree that both the UK and the EU have been world leaders in addressing the enormous challenge posed by climate change.

“UK leadership has stemmed from the combination of EU and UK laws, regulations and policies.

“Together these have given businesses, investors and consumers the confidence to begin putting the UK economy and infrastructure on the path towards a low carbon future.

“Following the Referendum, it is now critical that Government restores this already-eroded confidence by giving an assurance that, until the terms of leaving the EU are in place, all relevant EU directives and targets are still in place and the UK Government is legally obliged to continue to meet them.”