"Aren’t we missing your CEO?"

MPs were bristling yesterday after the chief executive of npower was a no-show at a hearing into how consumer bills are affected by infrastructure investment. Attending on behalf of the energy firm, Director of Policy Dr John McElroy got a hostile reception from MP Margaret Hodge who chairs the Public Accounts Committee. Ms Hodge told […]

Sellafield nuclear clean-up cost £67.5bn – and still rising

The cost of decommissioning the Sellafield nuclear site has reached £67.5 billion and there’s no indication of when it will stop rising. A new report by the Public Accounts Committee showed around £1.6 billion of public money is being spent at the site every year but is not convinced the taxpayers’ are “getting a good […]

Wind farm licensing ‘could bring higher prices’

The “skewed” way offshore wind farms are licensed could lump far more cost on our energy bills than it needs to, claims a new report from MPs on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). Ofgem’s and DECC’s new licensing regime is crucial to building more offshore wind power. DECC estimates offshore wind farms could contribute 8-15% […]

Potential ‘funding gap’ for flood defence after cuts

There is a potential million-pound “funding gap” for flood defence systems, claim MPs in a critical report out today. The Public Accounts Committee report adds communities in at-risk areas may not be guaranteed insurance within two years. In the report, MPs looked at the how the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and […]

MPs concerned about ‘obvious risks’ of £12bn smart meter rollout

MPs are concerned about the “obvious risks” of the UK’s planned £11.7bn roll-out of smart meters. Government wants 53 million homes and businesses in the country to get a smart meter – which sends information between the user and the energy supplier, supposedly improving the accuracy of bills – by 2019. Yesterday MPs on the […]