• 3 minutes e-car sales collapse
  • 6 minutes America Is Exceptional in Its Political Divide
  • 11 minutes Perovskites, a ‘dirt cheap’ alternative to silicon, just got a lot more efficient
  • 5 hours GREEN NEW DEAL = BLIZZARD OF LIES
  • 7 days If hydrogen is the answer, you're asking the wrong question
  • 1 day How Far Have We Really Gotten With Alternative Energy
  • 11 days Biden's $2 trillion Plan for Insfrastructure and Jobs
EU and Turkmenistan Eye New Energy Partnerships

EU and Turkmenistan Eye New Energy Partnerships

Turkmenistan's Foreign Minister announces an…

Gold Recycling Goes Green with Biodiesel Innovation

Gold Recycling Goes Green with Biodiesel Innovation

Chalmers University researchers introduce an…

Cameron to Cut Green Taxes in Battle over Rising Energy Prices

Rising energy prices has become a hot topic in the UK recently, and as the general elections approach in 2015, Labour has managed to steal a lead thanks to Ed Miliband’s promise a couple of weeks ago that if victorious in the elections he will freeze energy prices for 20 months.

Prime Minister David Cameron has now tried to win back the initiative by stating the he will work to increase competition in the energy sector, and look at cutting green taxes that have been partly blamed for the increasing prices. He says that he is not afraid of influencing the energy market to benefit the British people, but that Labour’s plan to freeze prices is unworkable.

Related article: The Declining State of the UK Energy Sector

The Liberal Democrats, Cameron’s coalition partners, have claimed that this announcement has been “made up on the hoof ... by a party getting cold feet on the environment.”

Cameron stated that “we need to roll back some of the green regulations and charges. We'll be having a proper competition test carried out over the next year to get to the bottom of whether this market can be more competitive.”

Even though the British economy is improving, inflation and prices have risen across the board faster than wages, and this has created troubles for many of the country’s poorer families. Labour has accused Cameron’s government of being out of touch.

The plan to reduce green taxes has worried some environmental and renewable energy groups, who fear that the government is backtracking on its initial plans to encourage alternative energy development. A spokesman for the Lib Dems assured that “the Conservatives have put no properly worked-up policies in front of us. We will not allow the Conservatives to undermine our commitment to the environment, hurt the fuel poor, or destroy our renewable energy industry.”

Related article: Rising Energy Prices Force UK to Turn to Renewable Energy

ADVERTISEMENT

So far, SSE has increased its prices by 8.2%, Centrica increased its prices by 9.2%, and on Monday RWE npower announced that its prices would jump 10.4%. The energy companies put some of the blame for the price hikes on the government’s environmental and social programs, which Reuters claims contribute nearly 10% to domestic energy bills (which now average more than £1,200 ($1,900) a year.)

Paul Massara, the Chief Executive Officer of RWE npower, said that Cameron’s plan marks an “important step in cutting real energy costs.”

By. Joao Peixe of Oilprice.com



Join the discussion | Back to homepage



Leave a comment
  • Rick on October 24 2013 said:
    I have not yet understood why the fuel users should help pay for the desired property improvements of the poor who admittedly need them. Some those fuel users will themselves be "fuel poor". Much better in my opinion to have local authorities seek out poorly insulated properties by means of local circulars, then decide on the most needy and pay for the improvements from an allocated fund provided by central government. Especially when one considers that added loft insulation can be easily carried out by DIY experts - I have certainly done mine in recent years and with the best materials rather than that old style woolly stuff.

Leave a comment

EXXON Mobil -0.35
Open57.81 Trading Vol.6.96M Previous Vol.241.7B
BUY 57.15
Sell 57.00
Oilprice - The No. 1 Source for Oil & Energy News