The government’s energy strategy leaves key questions unanswered

Editorial: The strategy is at least evidence that the government is starting to design a complex plan for energy generation that will eventually produce minimal greenhouse gas emissions

No fewer than eight nuclear reactors are planned, at an unspecified cost (PA)

There is one thing that can fairly be said about the government’s energy strategy: that it will not reduce a single gas or electricity bill for many years to come.

The business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, has been wise not to pretend otherwise. Even so, he’s probably veering into the realms of fantasy when he claims that the strategy, such as it is, will make a difference in “three, four or five” years’ time.

The centrepiece of the strategy is a nuclear revolution. After decades of indecision, U-turns and failed projects, no fewer than eight nuclear reactors are planned, at an unspecified but enormous cost. This will merely raise, once again, some familiar questions, most of which are not addressed in detail within the strategy.