Tuesday, September 24, 2024

Free energy on Sundays under Miliband’s green revolution, says EDF

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Mr Hue, who was recently appointed joint chairman of the Government’s Onshore Wind Task Force, said the company planned to “at least quadruple” this capacity by 2035.

EDF both generates power and supplies it directly to consumers with 5.2m domestic and business UK customers.

In common with most other suppliers its domestic business has been hit by rising debt with about 470,000 UK customers in the red, owing a total of £518m. The average debt per customer has also risen from £757 two years ago to £1,104 in June this year.

Michael Shanks, the junior energy minister, speaking at the same meeting, said the growth of renewables would alter people’s behaviour as they used smart meters to cut energy costs.

He said: “The amount of energy we use as a country is going to increase year on year, for example, linked to the growth of data centres… Energy suppliers are putting data on [household] energy use into the hands of consumers. It won’t change their overall lifestyle but they will do things differently.”

Mr Shanks was challenged during the meeting by anti-slavery campaigners who criticised Mr Miliband’s decision to approve two new solar farms despite warnings that panels were being supplied by Chinese companies allegedly exploiting slave labour.

Chloe Cranston of Anti-Slavery International said: “Two of the solar farms approved in July are at high risk of using Uighur slave labour … we cannot have a UK green transition built partly on slavery.”

Mr Shanks said he was aware of the problem and would be meeting with the solar industry to discuss “human rights issues” in the solar supply chain next week.

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