Families face £1,000 bill for green energy: Huge annual levy to appease the climate lobby

Daily Mail
"Families face punishing increases in energy bills of up to £1,000 a year to fund a switch to green energy and build new nuclear power stations.Energy Secretary Chris Huhne yesterday outlined a new regime that will encourage firms to build thousands of wind turbines, tidal power stations and nuclear plants.The scheme is part of a government plan to shift away from fossil fuels, particularly coal, and so dramatically cut carbon emissions to meet UK and EU targets.There is a fierce dispute between the Government, green campaigners, academics and industry analysts over the true cost of the programme. .....Industry regulator Ofgem calculates that the work will cost more than £200billion by 2020. It has also talked of a rise of 52 per cent in bills – which equates to around £600 a year. But analysts at the UniCredit bank believe the true cost will be even higher, with energy bills set to rise by around £1,000 a year – to £2,000. Billions will be spent on wind farms and wave power, while there will also be massive investment to replace existing nuclear power stations, which are coming to the end of their useful life."