Coal power to be phased out by 2025 and ‘no more blank cheques’ for offshore wind

Speaking at the Institution of Civil Engineers in London Rudd set out policy priorities and her strategy for putting them into action.

“We now have an electricity system where no form of power generation, not even gas-fired power stations, can be built without government intervention. And a legacy of ageing, often unreliable plant,” she said. “Perversely, even with the huge growth in renewables, our dependence on coal - the dirtiest fossil fuel – hasn’t been reduced. Indeed a higher proportion of our electricity came from coal in 2014 than in 1999. So despite intervention we still haven’t found the right balance.”

According to the department of energy and climate change (DECC), Rudd signalled her intention to develop a cleaner, more secure energy network by consulting on closing coal fired power stations by 2025.

Rudd said: “One of the greatest and most cost-effective contributions we can make to emission reductions in electricity is by replacing coal fired power stations with gas.