Criticism of the way the government represents support for renewables compared to other energy technologies in the UK “could have a point”, according to Greg Barker, minister for climate change.
Ashley Seager, director of Sun4Net questioned why the government uses the word subsidy to describe support for renewables but uses phrases like “price support” to describe new nuclear, even though both are helped through the same mechanism.
The coalition agreement, released after the last election pledges support for new nuclear power on the condition “that they receive no public subsidy“.
In his response, the minister pointed out that tax breaks given to oil and gas firms are different to subsidies but conceded that Seager might “have a point around contracts for difference for nuclear”.
Watch his response below: