Business leaders including Thames Water and Nestle call for end of gas usage by 2035
Business giants, including Thames Water, Nestle, BT and the Co-op, have reportedly called for an end of gas usage by 2035, as a supply and pricing crisis grips the UK.
It would allow the UK to champion a “historic first”, following on from its legislation to end relentless coal-fired power.
In a letter addressing MPs, the businesses urged that “the time is right for the UK to signal an end to the use of unabated fossil fuels in the power sector”, Sky News first reported.
“This week has highlighted the challenges of relying on imported sources of gas,” Nestle UK&I’s head of sustainability Emma Keller said, one of the letter’s 13 signatories.
Two energy suppliers have already ceased trading this week, after battling to keep up with a surge in gas prices – leaving hundreds of thousands of customers fearing higher bills this winter.
Nearly half of the country’s electricity generation is fuelled by gas plants, according to the government’s climate change advisory body the Climate Change Committee.
It will take a push to transition the more sustainable energy sources, which the letter acknowledges will require “a significantly greater level of investment” – around $14bn a year.
Considering the current impacts of the UK’s dependency on gas – which is currently seeing businesses collapse and households with potentially higher bills – the concern could gain traction at COP26 in November.
Due to be hosted by the UK is Glasgow, the UN’s flagship climate summit will be used to urge and incentivise countries to commit to net zero power – in a bid to keep the global climate below 1.5C, as per the Paris Agreement.