Government will have to be ‘brave’ to meet net zero, says former energy head

NICHOLAS EARL

THE GOVERNMENT will have to be “brave” in the face of local opposition to its electrification plans, including hundreds of miles of new pylons, a former head of energy has warned.

Adam Bell, head of policy at consultancy group Stonehaven and former head of energy at the department for business, energy and industrial strategy, told City A.M. that lump sum payments for local households were unlikely to be enough to convince opposition to support new projects.

“It really depends on how brave the government is feeling,” he said, when commenting on the potential impact of Nick Winser’s recommendations into grid reform last week.

In his freshly published review, the electricity markets commissioner and former chief executive of National Grid called for the speeding up of grid connections through a ‘carrot and stick’ approach. Paying local households lump sum payments was one proposal. However, Bell warned such an approach may not be enough to sway local opposition, while the measure also risked a “political cost”.