OBR: Costs of continued gas reliance more than double that of reaching net zero

Michael Holder
clock • 8 min read
Credit: iStock
Image:

Credit: iStock

Remaining heavily reliant on fossil gas for power and heating poses huge fiscal and economic risk to the UK, warns the Office for Budget Responsibility

Continuing to rely on fossil gas for power and heating in the UK could pile hundreds of billions of pounds onto public debt by 2050, resulting in costs that are more than double the public investment required...

To continue reading this article...

Join BusinessGreen

In just a few clicks you can start your free BusinessGreen Lite membership for 12 months, providing you access to:

  • Three complimentary articles per month covering the latest real-time news, analysis, and opinion from Europe’s leading source of information on the Green economy and business
  • Receive important and breaking news stories via our daily news alert
  • Our weekly newsletter with the best of the week’s green business news and analysis

Join now

 

Already a BusinessGreen member?

Login

Michael Holder
Author spotlight

Michael Holder

Editor

View profile
More from Michael Holder

'A decisive moment': MPs back new 2040 climate target, despite Tory and Reform opposition

Farming Roadmap 2050: Defra touts vision for more climate-resilient farming

More on Investment

Report: Green business M&A activity hits $4.1tr since 2015
Investment

Report: Green business M&A activity hits $4.1tr since 2015

New analysis from London Stock Exchange Group shows green deals are on the rise globally, but activity is concentrated among those businesses with existing low carbon holdings

Amber Rolt
clock 23 June 2026 • 2 min read
Pensions sector sustainability groups commit to closer collaboration
Investment

Pensions sector sustainability groups commit to closer collaboration

TSWG and ICSWG say co-operation could lead to more 'practical' and 'impactful' action

Martin Richmond
Martin Richmond
clock 22 June 2026 • 2 min read
The clean vs dirty divide in climate finance
Investment

The clean vs dirty divide in climate finance

Selectively engaging with only the 'nice' parts of the emerging net zero economy can undermine integral solutions to climate resilience and ecosystem health, write investor and consultant Sinethemba Mafanya and Bonnie Chiu from The Social Investment Consultancy...

Sinethemba Mafanya and Bonnie Chiu
clock 19 June 2026 • 4 min read