Letter: Flawed siting of 'green' electricity

Sir: Your report (5 June) that consumers will be able to buy green electricity following liberalisation of the domestic energy market from April 1998 suggested that this new opportunity was first unveiled at the Climate Change conference organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature. For 18 months, Friends of the Earth has been at the forefront of this new agenda.

In the run-up to liberalisation, it is essential that all electricity consumers receive information from their electricity companies on the fuel they use. Consumers receive little or no environmental information from their regional electricity company on the product they buy.

The regional electricity companies have a key role to play in educating the public on the contribution to climate change from different fuel sources, and on the need to use electricity far more efficiently and from renewable sources. For such a scheme to work, it would have to be mandatory and have the backing of government.

Dr PATRICK GREEN

Friends of the Earth

London N1