Written Evidence – Jack Pardoe (DYN0073)

Dear Lord Stirrup, Firstly, I would like to thank you and the committee for inviting me to give evidence on Tuesday 16th June. I hope I served a purpose and aided the committee’s inquiry.

Having watched the session back, I would like to make a small but important correction. I answered a question from Lord Moynihan about renewable targets, saying we would not be subject to move faster on renewable energy.             

I realised when he asked the question my instinct was that Britain already had ambitious renewable energy targets, and there was no reason we would have to sign up for further ambition.

However there is an important nuance I neglected: the UK Government’s targets are renewable electricity targets, whereas the EU’s targets are renewable energy targets, including all final energy consumption (electricity and fuels).

Point 14 on page 8 of the EU’s negotiation mandate says:

        “The envisaged agreement should also ensure the dynamic alignment of the laws of the United Kingdom with the rules of the Union on the promotion of renewable energy and provide for their simultaneous application in the United Kingdom. It should set an indicative global target for the share of renewable energy in the gross final consumption of energy in the United Kingdom.”

This would suggest that the EU might expect the UK to sign up to its target of at least 42.5% of gross final energy consumption by 2030, with an aspirational goal of 45%. The latest official figure for the UK’s own renewable share of gross final energy consumption is 16.2% in 2024.

It would seem the EU Commission would want the UK to set something at least functionally equivalent to 42.5% of gross final consumption from renewables by 2030, though without necessarily using the EU’s more granular sector-by-sector obligations. Given the UK is currently at around 16.2%, that would indeed mean signing up to a more ambitious renewable energy target.

Yours,

Jack Pardoe

Received 25 June 2026