Latest news with #net zero
Telegraph
17 hours ago
- Business
- Telegraph
‘Dangerous and detached': Steel industry chief slams Ed Miliband on net zero
'It is real madness at the heart of success of governments who don't understand the principles of good business' On the latest Planet Normal podcast, which you can listen to using the audio player below, columnists Liam Halligan and Allison Pearson are joined by Simon Boyd, the managing director of REIDsteel, to discuss the future of the steel industry in the UK. Mr Boyd did not hold back in his criticism of Ed Miliband, the Secretary for Energy and Climate Change. He said: 'He is so far detached from reality and I think it's quite dangerous.' He warned that Mr Miliband's net zero policies were wrecking UK manufacturing, 'exporting jobs overseas and then reimporting the product made in dirty factories.' Mr Boyd described net zero as 'an absolute disaster' for steel and manufacturing, and said he did not understand the confusing government policy. 'They're encouraging everyone to buy British steel with one hand, but with the other, they demand low carbon content materials. It doesn't work.' Mr Boyd called for public ownership of British Steel to save the industry: 'Only public ownership will put the investment in to protect this core industry.' On energy, he advocated using domestic resources and nuclear: 'I'd continue drilling in the North Sea and push for modular reactors.' He concluded that the current net zero drive was 'absolute madness' and strangling UK manufacturing.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Heath battery farm plan recommended for approval
Plans to build a battery energy storage system (BESS) close to a West Yorkshire village have been recommended for approval by council planning officers. A report said the scheme for land near Heath in Wakefield was acceptable despite more than 1,200 objections and criticism from councillors and said the development, which would see 72 containers storing lithium ion batteries installed on farmland, could pose a fire risk to residents and harm the local conservation area. However, applicant Harmony Energy said the project would contribute to net zero targets and that there were at least 130 similar sites operating safely in the UK. A spokesperson for the company said no properties within the village of Heath would be able to see the seven-hectare site and that its cultural heritage assessment had been "robust".BESS facilities take in power from renewable energy sources and then release it back to the National Grid when demand is planning application for the site was submitted in 2022 and a council report outlines reasons for the three-year delay in a decision on the scheme, which include changes to national planning policy and the area's Local officers said the site was previously designated green belt but had been reclassified as grey said there was "considered to be no technical reasons to withhold planning permission" and have recommended the scheme be approved at a meeting on 17 July, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. A total of 130 comments in support of the proposal have been received by Wakefield a spokesperson for the I Love Heath Common campaign group previously said: "Harmony Energy is showing a blatant disregard for local feeling."There is nothing renewable about a battery storage facility. It is a standalone industrial development."They added: "Its sole purpose is as a business opportunity, and it is certainly not a source of renewable energy."Campaigners said two historical buildings – the Grade II-listed Dame Mary Bolles Water Tower and the Whittling Well – are situated less than 100m from the proposed BESS Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority (WYFRA) also previously said the risks were "very real and are becoming more common".But Harmony Energy argued: "Schemes would not be financeable or insurable if they were deemed to be a significant risk."The company lodged an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate following the three-year delay in determining the application.A four-day public inquiry is expected to be held over the matter at a date yet to be confirmed. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
