Home > Press releases > Ofgem calls for energy system reform
3 February 2010
Commenting on today's call by energy regulator Ofgem for radical plans to safeguard Britain's power supplies and tackle climate change, Friends of the Earth's Executive Director Andy Atkins, said:
"Ofgem has rightly recognised that the free-market energy system is failing the UK.
"Power firms make vast profits, consumers get ripped off, millions live in fuel poverty, and the UK has failed to make a significant shift to a low-carbon energy future - despite this country's huge renewable energy potential.
"We need better regulation to protect consumers and the planet by ensuring that billions of pounds are invested in slashing energy waste, boosting the green power sector and safeguarding security of supply.
"A commitment to radically reform the energy system must be a significant element of all the political party manifestos."
NOTES
1. Ofgem said there was "reasonable doubt" over the security and sustainability of Britain's energy supplies because of the financial crisis, environmental targets, dependency on imported gas and the closure of ageing power stations. It put forward a number of measures to raise the estimated £200 billion Britain may need to invest by 2020 to ensure power supplies, and proposed the creation of a central energy buyer that would set the amount and type of new power generation needed.
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