UK slips down sustainable energy table

9th December 2011


Energ

Related Topics

Related tags

  • Renewable ,
  • Conventional ,
  • Generation

Author

IEMA

The UK has fallen seven places in the World Energy Council's (WEC) third annual Energy Sustainability Index, which ranks countries in terms of the security, affordability and environmental sustainability of their energy supply.

In the overall rankings for 2011, the UK fell to 14th position from 8th last year, overtaken by countries including Colombia, Spain and Italy, while Switzerland, Sweden and France remained unmoved in the top three rankings.

Joan MacNaughton, executive chair of the WEC’s policy assessment group, said uncertainty over UK government policy was in part to blame for the fall, citing in particular the plans for electricity market reform (EMR).

“The headline of EMR proposals is known, but the detail of how they’re going to work is not known,” she said. “Detail needs to be filled in and the credibility of the execution of the policies needs to be built to encourage people to invest.”
In its report outlining this year’s rankings, the WEC argues that to ensure a sustainable energy supply, governments must think long term and base policies on realistic costs, including placing a value on CO2, to attract the investment needed.

Policymakers must also understand organisations’ need for clear timescales for returns on investment on energy-efficiency measures, the WEC concludes.

“Without a deeper understanding of industry expectations … policymakers will face challenges in developing the industry-changing policies required for a low-carbon future,” states the report.

Subscribe

Subscribe to IEMA's newsletters to receive timely articles, expert opinions, event announcements, and much more, directly in your inbox.


Transform articles

Is the sea big enough?

A project promoter’s perspective on the environmental challenges facing new subsea power cables

3rd April 2024

Read more

The UK’s major cities lag well behind their European counterparts in terms of public transport use. Linking development to transport routes might be the answer, argues Huw Morris

3rd April 2024

Read more

Tom Harris examines the supply chain constraints facing the growing number of interconnector projects

2nd April 2024

Read more

The UK government’s carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) strategy is based on optimistic techno-economic assumptions that are now outdated, Carbon Tracker has warned.

13th March 2024

Read more

The UK government’s latest Public Attitudes Tracker has found broad support for efforts to tackle climate change, although there are significant concerns that bills will rise.

13th March 2024

Read more

A consortium including IEMA and the Good Homes Alliance have drafted a letter to UK government ministers expressing disappointment with the proposed Future Homes Standard.

26th February 2024

Read more

Global corporations such as Amazon and Google purchased a record 46 gigawatts (GW) of solar and wind energy last year, according to BloombergNEF (BNEF).

13th February 2024

Read more

Three-quarters of UK adults are concerned about the impact that climate change will have on their bills, according to polling commissioned by Positive Money.

13th February 2024

Read more

Media enquires

Looking for an expert to speak at an event or comment on an item in the news?

Find an expert

IEMA Cookie Notice

Clicking the ‘Accept all’ button means you are accepting analytics and third-party cookies. Our website uses necessary cookies which are required in order to make our website work. In addition to these, we use analytics and third-party cookies to optimise site functionality and give you the best possible experience. To control which cookies are set, click ‘Settings’. To learn more about cookies, how we use them on our website and how to change your cookie settings please view our cookie policy.

Manage cookie settings

Our use of cookies

You can learn more detailed information in our cookie policy.

Some cookies are essential, but non-essential cookies help us to improve the experience on our site by providing insights into how the site is being used. To maintain privacy management, this relies on cookie identifiers. Resetting or deleting your browser cookies will reset these preferences.

Essential cookies

These are cookies that are required for the operation of our website. They include, for example, cookies that enable you to log into secure areas of our website.

Analytics cookies

These cookies allow us to recognise and count the number of visitors to our website and to see how visitors move around our website when they are using it. This helps us to improve the way our website works.

Advertising cookies

These cookies allow us to tailor advertising to you based on your interests. If you do not accept these cookies, you will still see adverts, but these will be more generic.

Save and close