Energy crisis 'looming over Britain'
The lights could go out unless vital decisions on wind farm and nuclear power strategy are made quickly, says MP
Britain needs urgent action over decisions on wind farms and nuclear power stations to prevent the "lights going out", the chairman of the Commons energy and climate change select committee has said.
Tim Yeo, a Tory MP, said there could be no further delays to decision making if Britain was to attract investment and that the slow progress in introducing legislation had a negative effect on consumers. Speaking at the UK Energy Summit in London, he said the whole policy area had been neglected.
Mr Yeo, who was speaking a week after David Cameron called for more wind farms to boost industry, claimed that the different focuses within the Coalition had made the situation more difficult.
Energy policy, he argued, was "far more important" than other issues such as House of Lords reform.
When asked after the event why he thought legislation had not been passed sooner, he said: "I think it is low priority. I think it's also that the Department of Energy is a small player in Whitehall terms.
"The political pressures inside the Coalition have forced the Government to give much greater priority to other issues such as House of Lords reform, which in terms of meeting Britain's needs is neither here nor there. There are many more important things that need to happen.
"My fear is that if we don't see an investment happening very quickly we may reach the situation in four or five years time where there is a strain on our generating capacity."
He said that if a capacity crisis forced Britain to "rush" new constructions, it would "almost certainly cost more than if it were done in an orderly fashion".
Outside the conference, five climate change activists were arrested for breaching the peace. A sixth was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer, and protesters claimed that the police used disproportionate tactics to control them. More than 100 activists gathered outside the event, in a hotel near St Paul's Cathedral, and tried to gain entry.
Last week, Mr Cameron backed plans for 70 turbines off the North East coast, along with another onshore wind farm.
More than 100 Tory MPs have written to the Prime Minister to object to plans to build turbines throughout the country, while George Osborne, the Chancellor, has promised not to "burden" business with green policies.
From The Daily Telegraph