Press Release: GWPF Calls On Government To Come Clean On Cost Of Renewable Energy

Press Release 28/03/17

The Global Warming Policy Forum (GWPF) is calling on the Government to release the uncensored report on the total system costs of renewable energy which was published last Friday in a version that deleted all quantitive cost estimates.

After an unexplained delay of a year since completion the UK’s Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) last Friday published a report by Frontier Economics on the total system costs of uncontrollably variable renewable generators, a topic of crucial importance in understanding the cost-effectiveness of current climate policies.

 The study is not only very late, but contains no quantitative estimates of additional system costs. However, examination of the peer reviews, which are published with the study, reveals that an entire table of numerical cost estimates, some of which were described by the external reviewer as “very high”, were in fact present in the version sent out for comment in mid 2015, but have been subsequently removed.

Remarkably, the document is dated February 2016, and the peer reviews are dated late July to very early September 2015. The Department has been in possession of the final work for over a year before releasing it to the public, and aware of its conclusions for something like a year and a half.

It appears that the consultants, Frontier Economics, are not to blame for this omission, since their draft as sent to the Department of Energy and Climate Change in mid-2015, did in fact include such cost estimates.

Dr John Constable, the GWPF’s energy editor said:

‘Given the sensitive nature of the subject, it is entirely reasonable to suspect deliberate suppression of embarrassing estimates. BEIS should without delay publish the unredacted study so that the interested public can assess the true cost of renewable energy.’

More information about the Frontier Economics report here:
http://www.thegwpf.com/is-the-uk-government-concealing-very-high-renewables-system-cost-es timates/


Contact
Dr John Constable
GWPF Energy Editor
john.constable@thegwpf.com