Ed Miliband, the UK’s Energy Secretary, is facing accusations of “cheating” on the government’s clean power targets by treating electricity imports from foreign gas- (and even coal-) fired power stations as zero-carbon for UK accounting purposes.

The core issue, reported today in outlets like The Telegraph and Daily Sceptic, stems from how the UK calculates its electricity emissions and progress toward the Clean Power 2030 goal (aiming for ~95% clean electricity by 2030).

Under Miliband’s approach:

• Imported electricity via interconnectors (e.g., from Norway, France, the Netherlands, Belgium) counts as zero-carbon in UK stats, regardless of how it was generated overseas.
• This includes power from gas-fired plants (and reportedly coal in some cases). The emissions are attributed to the producing country, not the UK importer.
• Critics argue this is accounting sleight-of-hand: it lets the UK hit headline “clean power” targets more easily without reducing actual fossil fuel dependence or global CO₂ emissions. The physical molecule of CO₂ doesn’t care about borders.

Miliband’s department frames the push as building “homegrown” renewables and reducing vulnerability to fossil fuel price shocks, with recent record auctions securing capacity for millions of homes. He has repeatedly said accelerating clean power is the way to cut bills long-term (£300 average saving claimed by 2030) and achieve energy security.

Opponents (including voices on the right and energy analysts) call it ideological gamesmanship:

• The UK is already a net importer of gas and becoming more reliant on foreign supplies as North Sea production declines under current policies (one analysis suggested three times more dependent).
• Gas still sets the marginal price for much of the UK’s electricity, so imports don’t automatically displace it domestically.
• True emissions accounting (consumption-based vs. territorial) would look worse if foreign fossil generation is re-labeled “clean.”

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Miliband classes foreign gas as clean power in pursuit of green target

Energy Secretary accused of ‘cheating’ by saying electricity from foreign gas-fired power stations is carbon-free

Ed Miliband faces cheating accusations over plans to exclude emissions generated in foreign gas-fired power stations from UK totals. The Telegraph has the story.

He has pledged to make the grid 95pc gas-free by 2030 – but 15pc of UK power comes from neighbours such as Belgium, the Netherlands and France, which have coal and gas-fired power stations.

Mr Miliband has ruled that all such imported power be classed as zero-carbon – making it look as green as wind or solar – because the emissions occur outside UK borders.

The decision will bring his target of a 95pc gas-free grid by 2030 within much easier reach because it means electricity generated overseas will all be deemed to be carbon-free – even if it comes from burning coal.

Mr Miliband’s approach was described as “cheating” by Kathryn Porter, an energy analyst at Watt-Logic.

“It is misleading to describe the power delivered by subsea interconnectors from Europe as zero-carbon,” she added.

“These countries use gas-fired power plants, so clearly the power we are using is generating greenhouse gas emissions. You can’t use an accounting trick to avoid that fact.”

Britain is increasingly reliant on energy imports, especially when wind and solar output plummets.

On such days the UK’s reliance on imports surges to more than 20pc – pushing up CO2 emissions. If overseas emissions incurred in generating power for the UK were included, it would potentially undermine the 95pc carbon-free target.

Read the full story here.