Government ministers have been told that Britain has no hope of meeting its commitment to renewable energy and should consider ways of wriggling out of it, it was claimed last night.

A ministerial briefing paper said that Britain had achieved little in utilising renewable sources of energy and was unlikely to meet the European Union target of achieving 20 per cent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.

The Guardian reported last night that the leaked briefing said that getting to 9 per cent from the current level of 2 per cent would be challenging and that a figure of about 5 per cent was more realistic.

The Government was accused last night of preparing a cover-up after the briefing paper, put together by officials within the former Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), suggested that “statistical interpretations” of the target be used so that Britain could sidestep its commitment.

Officials suggested that because it was falling behind, Britain should lobby for a different interpretation of the original target agreement.

The internal briefing paper for ministers was produced in the early summer by former DTI officials, now the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR). A DBERR spokeswoman said last night that the Government was “committed to renewables”.

“The EU target relates to total energy which also includes heat and transport fuel, and it is ambitious,” she said. “The Commission has yet to propose how it should be met by member states, but it is important that the European Union works towards its primary commitment to cut carbon emissions by 20 per cent by 2020.”

The briefing paper estimated that getting to 9 per cent by 2020 could cost the economy £4 billion a year, arguing that renewable energy was a more expensive way of reducing carbon emissions than the European Emissions Trading Scheme. That argument is rejected by environmentalists.

The briefing paper suggested that Britain could alter its obligations by reducing the emphasis on renewable energy and including, for example, more nuclear power in its targets.

Andrew Simms, the director of the New Economics Foundation, said that the briefing paper read like a “wriggle and squirm” paper.

“It combines almost comic desperation from civil servants suddenly realising that they actually have to do something to promote renewable energy, with a breathtaking cynicism as they explore every conceivable get-out clause to escape the UK’s international commitments.”

Alan Duncan, the Shadow Secretary of State, said: “This is a staggering revelation and shows the Government has known all along it won’t meet its targets.”

Initial plan

The 2007 energy White Paper aimed to:

— Reduce carbon emissions in Britain by up to 33 million tonnes by 2020, a 26 per cent reduction in total

— Cut electricity consumption by 15 per cent

— Improve energy efficiency by 10 per cent

— Ensure that, by 2016, all new homes were zero-carbon buildings, with a net energy consumption of zero over a year

Source: Times archive

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