Government NOT telling people to reduce energy consumption says minister
The Government is not telling people to reduce overall energy consumption, a minister has said, but he refused to rule out rationing.
Climate minister Graham Stuart said rather than looking at reducing overall use, the Government is supporting the energy regulator to devise solutions to provide incentives for businesses and consumers to potentially cut peak-time energy demand if needed.
During a series of broadcast interviews on Friday, he said the UK’s energy security is “pretty strong”, and he noted National Grid said blackouts this winter are an “unlikely” scenario.
Mr Stuart also said he does not recognise a report in The Times which claimed Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg signed off on a £15 million public information campaign about using less energy this winter only for the plan to be ruled out by Prime Minister Liz Truss.
“I don’t recognise that. We are in an iterative process of policy development and ideas, and we come to a conclusion,” Mr Stuart told Sky News.
“The idea there was some highly developed campaign… passionately devoted to and Number 10 nixed it, I don’t recognise that.”
On Thursday, the National Grid Electricity System Operator said households and businesses might face planned three-hour outages to ensure the grid does not collapse. But it described such a scenario as “unlikely”.
But Mr Stuart did not rule out the need for energy rationing this winter when pressed on LBC.
