The Tony Blair Institute has slammed the government’s 2030 clean power target as unrealistic, expensive and out of touch with reality.
In a hard-hitting report, it says the goal to fully decarbonise Britain’s electricity system by 2030 “was right for its time” but now risks driving up costs and wrecking energy security.
The Institute warns that the UK is already running “one of the most expensive power systems in the developed world” and that sticking rigidly to the current plan could lock households into higher bills for years.
It points out that our energy prices are around 80% higher than the international median and that forcing through rapid renewables expansion without reforming how the market works will do little to fix that.
The report argues that new wind and solar farms cannot by themselves deliver lower bills because gas still sets the price of power almost all the time.
According to the Institute, the focus should shift from chasing a headline date to delivering “cheap and clean” energy.
It says the government must “reset” its strategy by prioritising affordability, investment certainty and proper planning reform.
That means working with the new National Energy System Operator to track progress every year and slow down if the costs start to spiral.
The report also takes aim at Britain’s broken planning and grid systems, calling them “key barriers to low-cost decarbonisation”.
It says Britain needs a smarter mix of renewables, flexible generation and nuclear power to balance supply and cut reliance on gas — not a politically driven race to 2030.
The Institute proposes a new mission: “Cheaper Power 2030, Net Zero 2050”.
The idea is simple — clean energy must also be affordable, or public support for the entire net zero project will collapse.
Its message to ministers is blunt. Without a reset, Britain faces rising bills, failing infrastructure and a backlash against climate policy.
Ambition alone won’t keep the lights on or win voters over.
The 2030 clean power dream is fading fast.
What the country needs now says the report isn’t another slogan but a credible plan that cuts carbon and costs at the same time.
The clock’s ticking — and the gap between vision and delivery is growing wider by the day.
Labour’s 2030 clean power target unrealistic and too costly appeared first on Energy Live News.