Conservatives propose radical overhaul of Britain's energy policy

The Conservative Party, have launched plans for the largest overhaul of British energy policy since the early 1980s, in order to secure our energy supplies, meet our carbon emission targets, and ensure energy is affordable.

"We are setting out a Conservative programme for the long-overdue reform of British energy policy, Leader Daivd Cameron said, "together with the actions we will take to mobilise the investment required to enact those reforms and our strategy for minimising the cost to consumers".

He criticised British energy policy for being out of date. "It was designed almost thirty years ago for a world in which Britain had an excess of generating capacity; in which we enjoyed the benefits of growing North Sea oil and gas production; and in which neither local pollution nor climate change were the concerns they are today."

The policy paper, Rebuilding Security, sets out 12 key actions that a Conservative government would take immediately. Including:

• Create a capacity guarantee in electricity and a security guarantee in gas supply, to ensure that the lights stay on and our homes stay warm
• Take decisive action to promote nuclear and renewable power, through streamlined planning, a floor price for carbon and improved infrastructure
• Make Britain more energy efficient, through our Green Deal and a new “energy internet”, that puts consumers in control of their energy usage

Greg Clark added that five more years of Gordon Brown would "only make an already precarious situation worse" in terms of the challenges we face with climate change and securing our energy supplies. "We need radical change and in this Green Paper we set out plans for the biggest overhaul of British energy policy in a generation", he said.

"Our policies will deliver secure, sustainable and affordable energy for the years ahead, while boosting investment and creating jobs. Ours is a plan to turn a threat into an opportunity, demonstrating the energy leadership and values needed to get Britain back on track."

You can read the Conservative Energy policy in full using the document reader below, or alternatively click here to download a copy in PDF format.