Ed Miliband rejects claim southerners would pay more for electricity under zonal pricing plan – UK politics live

Energy secretary says report energy pricing will become a postcode lottery is ‘copper-bottomed nonsense’Good morning. Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, has been doing an interview round this morning. The government wants to talk about a £300m investment in offshore wind. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero sums it up in its news release like this.Workers and businesses in the UK’s industrial heartlands will benefit from an initial £300m of funding through Great British Energy to invest in supply chains for domestic offshore wind. It is expected that the investment will directly and indirectly mobilise billions in additional private investment - helping de-risk clean energy projects and supporting thousands of jobs and revitalising the UK’s industrial heartlands.The public investment complements the £43bn of private investment pledged for clean energy projects since July.The energy secretary has been weighing up whether to push ahead with zonal pricing, which would split the country’s single national power market into different regions.Supporters say the change will cut household electricity bills overall by reducing the need for grid upgrades, while opponents counter that it will create a “postcode lottery” and deter investment in wind and solar farms.Copper-bottomed nonsense than the Daily Telegraph. No decision has been made on this issue.This is an incredibly complex question that we are looking at about how we reform our energy market.My test of any reform – I’m not going to get into the detail now – is will it cut bills and will it do it across the country in a fair way.I’m not in favour of a post code lottery on these on bills. Continue reading...

Ed Miliband rejects claim southerners would pay more for electricity under zonal pricing plan – UK politics live

Energy secretary says report energy pricing will become a postcode lottery is ‘copper-bottomed nonsense’

Good morning. Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, has been doing an interview round this morning. The government wants to talk about a £300m investment in offshore wind. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero sums it up in its news release like this.

Workers and businesses in the UK’s industrial heartlands will benefit from an initial £300m of funding through Great British Energy to invest in supply chains for domestic offshore wind. It is expected that the investment will directly and indirectly mobilise billions in additional private investment - helping de-risk clean energy projects and supporting thousands of jobs and revitalising the UK’s industrial heartlands.

The public investment complements the £43bn of private investment pledged for clean energy projects since July.

The energy secretary has been weighing up whether to push ahead with zonal pricing, which would split the country’s single national power market into different regions.

Supporters say the change will cut household electricity bills overall by reducing the need for grid upgrades, while opponents counter that it will create a “postcode lottery” and deter investment in wind and solar farms.

Copper-bottomed nonsense than the Daily Telegraph. No decision has been made on this issue.

This is an incredibly complex question that we are looking at about how we reform our energy market.

My test of any reform – I’m not going to get into the detail now – is will it cut bills and will it do it across the country in a fair way.

I’m not in favour of a post code lottery on these on bills. Continue reading...