Industry urges policy detail as Shadow Energy Secretary reinforces Labour’s support for green gas

Last month ADBA welcomed a Labour Party policy document, which reiterated the Party’s aspiration to make Great Britain a world leader in low carbon technology and green jobs. Key green objectives outlined in the policy document include:

• Creating a million new high technology, green jobs by 2025.
• Setting a legal target for decarbonising electricity by 2030.
• Strengthening the Green Investment Bank with borrowing powers.

Shadow Energy Secretary, Rt Hon Caroline Flint MP, again reinforced Labour’s commitment to green gas as a way to decarbonise UK heat demand in the coming decades. Ms Flint acknowledged during the Guardian’s Big Energy Debate yesterday that green gas could provide 20 per cent of total UK heat demand and 40 per cent of domestic demand. Of course as an industry, we could contribute 10 per cent towards meeting domestic gas demand and as the industry trade body we continue to emphasise this in our dialogue with Ms Flint and her colleagues. 

Whilst we warmly welcome Ms Flint’s vocal support for biomethane, including recognition for its role in significantly reducing carbon emissions without the need to build expensive new network infrastructure or replace appliances in peoples’ homes, we remain concerned that there is little policy detail to support this pledge.

We remain extremely disappointed, however, by Labour’s apparent decision to drop its commitment to ban food waste from landfill. Wasting food & drink costs each UK household over £500 every year, and using AD can offer local authorities and businesses real savings in landfill tax and gate fees. If inedible food waste was recycled through AD, the industry’s capacity could increase sixfold – so this is vital to delivering the green gas potential sought by Labour.

ADBA continues to lobby all mainstream parties for core policy pledges which will support the industry to continue to grow. We are urging members to engage their local MP and to encourage them to sign up to our pledge card – the details of which can be found here.