SOUTH Bank Conservative MPs Martin Vickers and Andrew Percy have welcomed the defeat of plans to create a carbon emissions target for the energy industry, despite the support from the renewables industry.
Tory backbencher Tim Yeo tried to amend the Government's Energy Bill to set a "decarbonisation" target for the power sector by 2030.
But MPs rejected the move – which was supported by energy companies such as Siemens – by 290 votes to 267 following a Commons debate.
Mr Vickers (Cleethorpes) and Mr Percy (Brigg and Goole) voted against the amendment which, if passed, would have ensured that almost all UK electricity would have come from carbon-free sources like wind and nuclear by 2030. Mr Percy said he had not been prepared to set "an arbitrary target", adding: "Given that thousands of people in my area work in the gas and coal industry, people who voted for this amendment were in effect saying they didn't care about their jobs.
"We don't know how much extra would have gone on people's energy bills, and you'd have to be a fool to believe people's future payments should be mortgaged in that way."
Mr Vickers said Government has to "strike a balance" between more ambitious carbon reduction targets and the "cost to the consumer".
He added: "People have to bear in mind that the more they clamp down on CO2 targets the more they'll put up energy bills.
"I want to get Siemens and other investors into the area, but I'm also mindful of the penalty consumers will pay for this.
"At the moment energy prices are just about as high as consumers will tolerate."
Earlier in the House Of Commons, Labour MP Barry Gardiner, a member of the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee, told MPs how Siemens had warned that waiting until 2016 to set a decarbonisation target for 2030, could see it and others delay or cancel planned investments. Hull is hanging out for Greenport Hull where Siemens is the major manufacturer, with Able UK awaiting an imminent decision on its go-ahead to provide port and logistics facilities to support the large-scale plans for Round Three, at North Killingholme.
He added: "If we ignore what industry is saying we do so at our peril."
But ministers said the target would have placed too many restrictions on business at a time of economic difficulty.
Gaynor Hartnell, chief executive of the Renewable Energy Association, said the vote had been "disappointing", adding: "The failure to decarbonise our electricity supply industry will have long term consequences both environmentally and economically."
Grimsby MP Austin Mitchell (Labour) was not able to vote as he was in hospital, as reported.
'It is so disappointing ... I can't understand it' BUSINESS leaders pouring in time, effort and money into the sector have spoken of their disappointment at the reluctance to set targets and really incentivise renewable energy investors An open letter with several signatories from this area has been largely ignored, having been organised by Yorkshire and Humber campaigner for Friends Of The Earth, Simon Bowens. One of those who put his name to it was Mark O'Reilly, pictured, chairman of Team Humber Marine Alliance, the representative body of the maritime industry and allied supply chain network. He said: "It is so disappointing when so much work is being put in to making this happen. I cannot understand it, especially when you consider the socio-economic impact in our part of the world. It will lead to yet another delay and we really don't want to miss the boat. "There is a momentum already gathered here, and I don't think this will stop it, but at some point in the future I think people will stop and think 'why did we do that?'. I don't think people understand the impact it can have."