CIVIL ENGINEERS RESPOND TO CONSERVATIVES ENERGY POLICY
19 March: The Institution of Civil Engineers has welcomed the Conservative’s energy policy as a step towards securing a low carbon energy network.
Director general of the Institution of Civil Engineers Tom Foulkes said:
"The Conservatives Energy strategy paves the way for the creation of a resilient, low carbon energy network to ensure security of supply in future.
“A history of under-investment and outdated policy has left our energy network extremely vulnerable, deficient and reliant on unpredictable international markets. To meet future demand - which continues to increase - and at the same time reduce emissions significantly will require drastic reform of the energy sector with a focus on developing affordable indigenous low carbon sources such as offshore wind, marine and nuclear energy.
“However, the fluctuating price of carbon has to-date discouraged private investment in low carbon alternatives and severely hindered progress towards a low carbon economy. A fixed floor for carbon pricing will build market confidence, encourage investment and hopefully kickstart the industrial transformation we so desperately need.
”It is also very promising to see a plan for the acceleration of CCS technology. We cannot realistically hope to meet future demand without some continued reliance on fossil fuel power generation and CCS can take the environmental impact out of the equation. It should absolutely be a priority in any energy policy framework.”
He did however stress the importance of a secure and affordable funding mechanism to support the policy however.
“Clearly, transforming the energy sector in this way will require massive investment in new and upgraded infrastructure. A Green Investment Bank will go along way towards funding the development of new technologies but there remains a need for a secure method of funding for the long-term investment in energy infrastructure.
"ICE has been calling for the creation of a National Infrastructure Investment Bank or similar funding unit, as a way of attracting the large volumes of private capital needed to deliver projects like this that will play a critical role in meeting low carbon aims. Such a funding unit has attracted support from across the political spectrum as it would ensure essential infrastructure continues to be built, without putting undue strain on the public purse."
For more information:
Emily Beadon,
ICE Media Relations,
t: 020 7665 2261,
e: emily.beadon@ice.org.uk
Notes to editors:
The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) was founded in 1818 to ensure professionalism in civil engineering. It represents 80,000 qualified and student civil engineers in the UK and across the globe. The ICE has long worked with the government of the day to help it to achieve its objectives, and has worked with industry to ensure that construction and civil engineering remain major contributors to the UK economy and UK exports.