Policy News

Wednesday 14 April 2010

The Liberal Democrats‘ General Election manifesto was unveiled in London today by the party‘s leader Nick Clegg

A Liberal Democrat government would invest up to £400 million in refurbishing UK shipyards so they can manufacture offshore wind turbines and other marine renewables equipment, the party revealed today (April 14) as it published its manifesto for next month's General Election.

The party said that the investment would be made as part of a one-year job creation and green economic stimulus package, with £3.1 billion of public spending being used to create 100,000 jobs and help Britain take its first step towards being a zero-carbon nation by 2050 - confirming a pledge made in February 2010 (see this NewEnergyFocus.com story).

To achieve this goal, the Liberal Democrats use their 'Manifesto 2010' to confirm they would set a target for 40% of UK electricity to come from "clean, non-carbon emitting sources" by 2020, rising to 100% by 2050 (see this NewEnergyFocus.com story).

It explained that this would be "underpinned" by guaranteed price support and added that it would ensure that "at least three-quarters of this new renewable energy comes from marine and offshore sources".

The party also said that it would: "Set out a clear renewables routemap to 2050, covering grid access and investment in electricity networks, and develop new incentives to promote renewable heat."

By setting targets for renewable energy generation and carbon reduction, the Liberal Democrats say: "Our response to climate change will give the British people more secure energy supplies, reduce air pollution and related health costs - and create thousands of new jobs."

Shipyards

The party's proposals for shipyards are focused on sites in the North of England, and in Scotland, and in the manifesto it explains that the scheme will also involve it writing-off backdated business rates demands from before April 2008 for businesses in the ports.

The investment would represent a considerable jump from the £60 million the current government committed to invest in port sites for the development of offshore wind in this year's Budget (see this NewEnergyFocus.com story).

Elsewhere, the Liberal Democrat manifesto also proposes:

• A one-year 'Eco Cash Back' scheme offering £400 if a household installs double-glazing, replaces an old boiler or installs micro-generation. The manifesto notes that, if micro-generation is chosen, the energy could be sold back to the National Grid at a profit, claiming it would offer a "more attractive" Feed in-Tariff than under the current system
• Work to "transform" electricity networks to allow them to better connect and integrate clean energy technologies, with an emphasis on sub-sea connections, leading to the development of a 'European Supergrid'
• Blocking any new coal-fired power stations unless they have the "highest level" of carbon capture and storage facilities
• Rejecting a new generation of nuclear power stations, with the manifesto claiming that the energy source is a "far more expensive" way of reducing emissions than promoting renewable energy and energy conservation.

Investment bank

Just like the Labour (see this NewEnergyFocus.com story) and Conservative (see this NewEnergyFocus.com story) election manifestoes published earlier this week, the Liberal Democrats also propose a green investment bank, which they dub an 'Infrastructure Bank'.

"To sustain jobs and growth for the long term, we will set up an Infrastructure Bank to direct private finance to essential projects such as new rail services and green energy, building the environmentally sustainable economy that is needed for the long term," they say.

And, like the Conservatives, they advocate the abolition of the Infrastructure Planning Commission formally established by the government earlier this year to make decisions on major infrastructure planning applications such as large-scale energy-from-waste plants.

Instead, the Liberal Democrats say they want to "return decision making, including housing targets, to local people. We will create a third-party right of appeal in cases where planning decisions go against locally agreed plans"