New Coalition Government's Energy Policy

On 12 May the newly formed Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government released the first details of its likely energy policy. The details come with the release of a list of points agreed between the parties during their negotiations to form a coalition.

The key points on energy policy are:

• Nuclear Power: The conservatives will bring forward the national planning statement for ratification by parliament, making new nuclear construction possible. The Liberal Democrat spokesman will speak against the planning statement but Liberal Democrat MPs will abstain from the vote on it, which will not be regarded as an issue of confidence.
• Electricity: The full establishment of feed-in tariff systems in electricity; the maintenance of banded ROCs; the establishment of a smart grid and the roll-out of smart meters.