Labour plan for decarbonising energy network could lead to rationing

Households face having to ration electricity under Labour’s fast-track plans for decarbonising the energy network by 2030.

The warning comes in official advice which says the Government’s net-zero blueprint means firms and households will have to be more ‘flexible’ about when they use electricity.

It raises the prospect of households having to unplug electric cars or stop using other domestic appliances when energy generation from renewables is running low, such as when the wind stops blowing.

The report, by the National Energy System Operator (NESO), says there will need to be ‘significant growth’ in schemes which allow people to lower their energy use at peak times.

This will be ‘fundamental in delivering a decarbonised electricity system and ensuring clean and affordable energy for all’, it states, adding: ‘Flexibility from both demand and supply will be vital to managing the system.’

It also lays bare the extent to which rural areas and beauty spots are under threat from new infrastructure required.

Around 4,500km of undersea cables will have to be installed along with 1,000km of new power lines, including pylons - doubling the total amount built in the past ten years.

The report calls for a ‘radical reduction’ in planning application waiting times to deliver projects in time to hit the 2030 target, sparking fresh fears about how Labour’s plans could see the countryside blighted by wind farms and pylons.

About £40billion of investment will be needed annually by the end of the decade, the report states, which will be passed onto taxpayers in the form of higher bills.

Appliances that households might have to look at 'rationing'

1. Electric vehicles

2. Fridges

3. Electric heaters

4. Electric blankets

5. E-scooter charging

6. Kettles  

The target for removing fossil fuels from UK electricity production was brought forward by five years by the new Labour government. The Tories had promised to do it by 2035.

Tory peer Lord Frost said: ‘It’s always been clear that if we put in place a rickety energy system based on wind and solar that doesn’t deliver reliable power then there will have to be energy rationing.

‘It’s more evidence that [Energy Secretary’ Ed Miliband’s crazy pursuit of net-zero on an accelerated timetable is going to do real damage to the economy and to the living standards of everyone in this country.’

Tory MP Greg Smith added: ‘It is more clear than ever before that Labour are putting blind ideology ahead of practical reality.

‘And that ideology is going to cost people more money and ration their energy use to meet government targets that are coming far earlier than they need to.’

The NESO report, commissioned by Mr Miliband, suggests that energy rationing, which it repeatedly refers to as ‘demand side flexibility’, should partly be achieved via ‘smart’ appliances.

These are capable of ‘communicating’ with the energy network and automatically switch off at times of high demand.

The amount of ‘flexibility’ capacity will need to rise from 3GW currently to about 11-12GW, it forecasts.

The study, due to be published today, is the most concrete assessment yet of whether and how the government will be able to meet its manifesto pledge of a clean power system by 2030.

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Although it states that the target is achievable, it says this will be ‘challenging’ and could load costs onto consumers depending on ‘policy design and market dynamics’.

The Office for Budget Responsibility forecast last week that environmental levies on electricity bills would rise by more than a fifth by 2030.

This would help pay for policies including more offshore wind turbines and keeping gas-fired turbines on standby to step in when needed.

Some of Britain’s ageing nuclear power stations will need to be kept open longer than planned, the NESO report also concludes.

Labour has been more hardline with net-zero targets than the previous Tory government.

Whereas former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said they would be achieved in a ‘proportionate and pragmatic way’, Labour has accelerated the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars and the phasing out of oil and gas drilling in the North Sea.

It has also lifted the effective ban on onshore wind farms, sparking fears that thousands of turbines could blight the countryside.

Mr Miliband said: ‘NESO’s report shows we can achieve clean power by 2030, with cheaper electricity and a more secure energy system for Britain.

‘The government is determined to ensure the significant reforms to planning and grid we need so we can back the builders and support investors to make this once in a generation upgrade of Britain’s energy infrastructure happen.’