Trade union GMB says Jeremy Corbyn's energy policy won't 'keep the lights on'

GMB is backing Owen Smith for leader

Jeremy Corbyn wants to leave some fossil fuels in the ground (Getty)

One of the country’s biggest trade unions has accused Jeremy Corbyn of formulating an energy policy that will not “keep the lights on”.

GMB, which is backing Owen Smith for Labour leader, said the policy to target 65 per cent of electricity generated from renewables by 2030 was based on “wishful thinking”.

Mr Corbyn pledged on Wednesday to create 300,000 jobs with an energy investment programme, which he says would make the UK the world’s leading producer of renewable power. But Justin Bowden, GMB national secretary for energy, claimed a fracking ban was “naïve and short-sighted”.

“Everyone gets how - over time - renewable energy sources have an important role to play in a sensibly conceived mixed energy policy,” he said.

“However wishful thinking doesn't generate the power we need to heat homes, keep the lights on and the economy functioning; this means that until there are technological breakthroughs in carbon capture or solar storage then gas and nuclear power are the only reliable, low-carbon shows in town for all those days when the sun doesn't shine and the wind doesn't blow.

“Limiting the UK's options on achieving energy self-sufficiency by proposing an outright ban on fracking is naive and short-sighted. Gas is four times cheaper than electricity, the main reason why over 80 per cent of homes use gas for heating, and access to gas is a key part of every fuel poverty strategy.

“While we are waiting with our fingers crossed for the technology to arrive, or quadrupling the size of the electricity infrastructure and asking everyone with a gas boiler to rip it out and replace it with an electric one, we should not be having to depend on Russia, Qatar, Kuwait or some combination of these regimes to supply us with gas to heat our homes and supply the gas for our crucial chemicals industry.”

Onshore wind power is now often the cheapest form of energy when all costs are taken into account (PA)

Mr Corbyn has pledged to create the growth of 200 “local energy companies”, most of which would be co-ops or municipally owned by local councils. He has also said he would promote the creation of energy cooperatives to decentralsise generating capacity, launch a national home insulation programme, leave some fossil fuels “in the ground” and phase out coal power by the early 2020s.

Despite Mr Bowden’s claim that gas is cheaper than electricity, the latest figures suggest some wind power projects are in fact the cheapest energy source – with costs plummeting by the month.

A report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance released in October 2015 found that onshore wind was in fact the cheapest energy source in the UK once environmental costs were taken into account. Since that report was released, costs have fallen even further.

Countries with a similar profile to the UK have surged ahead in terms of renewables generation. Germany increased its renewable electricity share from around 6 per cent in 2000 to well over a third by 2016 through a series of reforms; on certain days 100 per cent of demand has been met by renewables. Spain generates over 40 per cent of its electricity from renewables. Even the UK itself has seen significant progress, with renewable generation touching 25 per cent of all generation in some recent quarters, up very from low levels in the 1990s.

Speaking at the launch of his energy manifesto in Nottingham on Wednesday, Mr Corbyn said: “When Labour gets back into power Britain will lead the world in action on climate change.

“We will act to protect the future of our planet, with social justice at the heart of our environment policies, and take our fair share of action to meet the Paris climate agreement - starting by getting on track with our Climate Change Act goals.

“We want Britain to be the world’s leading producer of renewables technology. To achieve this we will accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy, and drive the expansion of the green industries and jobs of the future, using our National Investment Bank to invest in public and community-owned renewable energy.

“This will deliver clean energy and curb energy bill rises for households; an energy policy for the 60 million, not the Big 6 energy companies.

“The decision to scrap the Government's Energy and Climate Change department was short-sighted and irresponsible, and has set us back in our efforts to combat climate change. Labour would reinstate the department in our first month of going back into Government, as part of our plan to rebuild and transform Britain so that no-one and no community is left behind.”