Miliband's Department Consulted Extensively on 'Independent' Net Zero Report

Miliband’s Department Consulted Extensively on ‘Independent’ Net Zero Report

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Back in November Ed Miliband was busy lauding a report from the “independent” (state-owned) National Energy System Operator into the government’s Clean-Power-by-2030 target. He said “Expert analysis backs our policy and its benefits for the country. Defeatist critics should take note”…

The caveat-laden report said that the target could be reached if, among other things, the government achieved a tripling of offshore wind and solar capacity as well as a fivefold increase in households agreeing to turn off devices at short notice. Now the “independent, expert analysis” is in question…

An FOI has been released which gathered correspondence between DESNZ officials and NESO in the run up to the report’s publication. There are numerous occasions on which NESO asks directly for feedback and input from Miliband’s department on the report itself. Take three egregious examples from Kayte O’Neill, NESO’s COO, to Miliband’s staff:

• “We are keen to get views on the messaging, tone and structure (overall and for the main sections) as well as anything that you [DESNZ] think is missing and anything you strongly dislike or can’t live with!“
• “We hope you will see that your feedback and comments have been incorporated wherever possible”
• “please find the very latest draft report and costs annex which include the updated narrative and visuals on cost… In any case we will ensure the 3 orgs [NESO, DESNZ & Ofgem] are aligned on lines to take on costs.“

Miliband has numerous times used this one report to claim that his plans have been proven to be viable and affordable by a disinterested third party. As usual with the blob it is all a Potemkin exercise…

UPDATE: The team over at the DESNZ press office called asking Guido to remove the eco-terrorism banner, but didn’t dispute any of the actual facts of this story.

A DESNZ spokesperson said:

“NESO is operationally independent. It is standard practice for NESO to seek diverse perspectives ahead of report publications; this has always been the case. As you would expect, they sought feedback from DESNZ alongside other key stakeholders – including industry and society – ahead of the publication of the Clean Power Action Plan.”