UK PRIME Minister Rishi Sunak’s government pledged on Tuesday (Mar 12) to build new gas-fired power stations to boost energy security, drawing criticism over his climate policies ahead of a general election this year.

The Conservative government, which aims to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, announced that it would seek to construct the gas power plants to avert a threat of energy blackouts.

The UK has spearheaded low-carbon energies such as nuclear, solar and wind power in a strategy to combat sky-high domestic electricity and gas bills, which rocketed after key producer Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, cutting off gas supplies and sparking a cost-of-living crisis.

“The government has committed to support the building of new gas power stations to maintain a safe and reliable energy source for days when the weather forecast doesn’t power up renewables,” it said.

Sunak added that Britain needed to reach its net-zero target “in a sustainable way that doesn’t leave people without energy on a cloudy, windless day”.

The independent Climate Change Committee conceded last year that a “small amount” of gas-fired power in 2035 was “compatible with a decarbonised power system” to provide balance and ensure security of energy supplies.

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Sunak last year softened his administration’s net-zero goals, specifically by delaying a ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars by five years to 2035. The UK has also issued a swathe of new oil and gas exploration licences to lift energy supplies amid the war in Ukraine.

“This is the latest step in efforts to reach net zero in a sustainable, pragmatic way that rids the UK of the need to rely on foreign dictators like Putin,” the British government said on Tuesday. “The UK led the way on banning imports of Russian gas and is delivering new sources of home-grown energy: with new nuclear power plants, record investment in renewables, and new oil and gas licences in the North Sea.”

The announcements sparked anger from environmentalists, who argued that they are counter to the nation’s net-zero ambitions.

“The government’s cunning plan to boost energy security and meet our climate goals is to make Britain more dependent on the very fossil fuel that sent our bills rocketing and the planet’s temperature soaring,” said Greenpeace UK policy director Doug Parr.

“The only route to a low-cost, secure and clean energy system is through attracting massive private investment to develop renewables and upgrade our ageing grid, but this government has failed on both fronts.” AFP