UK may miss renewable energy target

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The study by Cambridge Econometrics said the UK would not meet the ambitious goal put forward by the European Commission for the country to source 15% of its total energy needs from renewables such as wind power and biofuels by 2020.

The forecast reiterated earlier warnings that the Government will also miss its targets for cutting carbon emissions by 20% by 2010 and for renewables to make up 10% of electricity consumption by then.

The latest concerns come as environmentalists accused the Chancellor Alistair Darling of "tinkering in the margins" and failing to take decisive action in the Budget to tackle climate change.

The UK Energy and the Environment report forecasts that renewables will account for just 6% of electricity consumption in 2010, up from just under 5% in 2006.

With fossil fuel prices remaining high and electricity demand expected to grow by 0.5% a year between 2010 and 2020 the share of renewables in electricity use should reach 21.75% by 2020, above the Government's aim of 20%.

But the outlook for the UK meeting EU targets for the renewables share of total energy use by 2020 - which includes transport and heating as well as electricity - looks much bleaker.

In January, the Commission unveiled proposals for how different countries would contribute to an EU-wide target of generating 20% of its energy needs from renewable sources - setting the UK's share at 15% - up from less than 1% now.

The British Government vowed to play its part in meeting the ambitious targets, although there will more wrangling before a final figure is agreed on.

But the latest report warned the percentage of total energy coming from renewables would rise to just 2% in 2010, 3.5% in 2015 and 4.75% in 2020 under current policies.