Bright Blue, the independent think tank for liberal conservatism, responds to the Government’s announcement that it is bringing forward the deadline for the phase-out of coal by a year to 2024.
Commenting, Patrick Hall, Researcher in Energy and Environment, said:
“Coal has a high CO2 emission intensity. It also accounts for over 57 deaths for every terawatt hour of energy generation, predominantly as a result of air pollution. Bright Blue has previously called for the phase-out of coal by 2023. However, as it contributes substantially to climate change and is harmful to human health, any measure to expedite its phase-out should be applauded.”
A call to bring forward the phase out of coal from 2025 was included in Bright Blue’s Keeping the Lights On report released in June 2016.
- The Government should proceed with its coal phase-out plans. There are significant carbon and air pollution benefits of phasing coal out sooner, rather than later.
- The phase-out of coal should be brought forward to at least 2023 so, while this new announcement is a step in the right direction, the Government should go even further.
- Bringing forward the phase-out will give investors greater certainty, particularly those planning new gas capacity. This can be achieved without threatening security of supply.
