UK set to miss EU renewable energy targets

Energy used in transport and for heating homes and buildings is well behind target

The UK is set to miss its 2020 European renewable energy targets, according to a report by the Energy and Climate Change Committee.

The overall obligation includes three sub-targets: 30% in electricity, 12% in heat and 10% in transport. The UK is three-quarters of the way towards its 30% electricity sub-target and is expected to exceed it by 2020, but it is not yet halfway towards 12% in heat and the proportion of renewable energy used in transport actually fell last year.

Angus MacNeil, chair of the cross-party committee, said: “The UK will miss its 2020 renewable energy targets without major policy improvements. … If the UK reneges on these targets, it will undermine confidence in the government’s commitment to clean energy and the climate targets agreed in Paris.

“The government must recommit to the 2020 targets or, if necessary, set replacement targets to support the longer-term decarbonisation objectives of the Climate Change Act.”

The renewable target is a legally binding commitment set in accordance with the European Commission and the EU member states. The UK could be fined if it misses the target, although the status of such targets is unclear following the decision to leave the European Union.