来源：《每日电讯报》
原文刊登日期：2020年4月7日
The principle behind the Government’s new energy strategy is a good one. Successive administrations have failed to take resilience and security of supply seriously, leaving the UK overly reliant on international markets and foreign expertise. Britain has not saved businesses or consumers from unsustainable price rises.
政府最新能源战略背后的原则是好的。历届政府都没有认真对待能源供应的可恢复性和安全，导致英国过度依赖国际市场和外国专业技术。英国未能将企业或消费者从不可持续的价格上涨中拯救出来。
The strategy, therefore, anticipates a big increase in nuclear power to reduce reliance on oil and gas, with the hope that by 2050 up to 25 per cent of the UK’s electricity needs could be catered for from that source. There will be an expansion of wind and solar generation, too, although in the case of wind it will be focused on offshore generation. More ambitious targets have also been set for alternative fuels such as hydrogen.
因此，该战略预计核能将大幅增加，以减少对石油和天然气的依赖，并希望到2050年，英国多达25%的电力需求可以依靠核能得到满足。风力发电和太阳能发电也将扩大，尽管风力发电将集中在海上发电。此外，还为氢等替代燃料设定了更雄心勃勃的目标。
But these are all medium to long-term ideas that will do next to nothing to help households with the immediate problem of surging energy bills. They also themselves carry great risks, not least that the proposed new nuclear capacity may prove extremely expensive within the timeframe set out. Ministers will admittedly launch a new licensing round for North Sea oil and gas. But there is concern that the Government’s fixation on net zero and its tendency to appease environmental activists has prevented it from taking more radical measures in the short term.
但这些都是中长期的想法，对于帮助家庭解决眼前的能源价格飙涨问题几乎毫无帮助。它们本身也有很大的风险，尤其是拟议中的新核电设施可能在设定的时间表内被证明极其昂贵。无可否认，内阁部长们将对北海石油和天然气进行新一轮许可。但有人担心，政府对“净零排放”的执着及其安抚环保人士的倾向，使其无法在短期内采取更激进的措施。
In recent years, the energy industry has been wrapped in red tape, a maze of environmental obligations and green levies. Governments have also developed a habit of attempting to pick winners and have not necessarily been honest with the public about the actual cost of some renewable energy sources, which have enjoyed generous subsidies. Over-regulation has also made it more difficult for the market to adapt to meet changing demand.
近年来，能源行业一直被繁文缛节、环境义务和环保税所包围。历届政府还养成了一种试图挑选赢家的习惯，并且不一定诚实地告知公众一些享受着慷慨补贴的可再生能源的实际成本。过度监管也使市场更难适应不断变化的需求。
It is all very well setting ambitious targets and goals, but much greater thought is needed on how they can be achieved without further loading consumers and businesses with extra cost. A lot of faith is also being placed in new technologies that promise no damage to living standards while shifting us away from fossil fuels. Let us hope that those technologies can actually deliver the goods.
设定雄心勃勃的目标当然很好，但如何在不增加消费者和企业额外成本的情况下实现这些目标，还需要更深入的思考。人们对新技术也寄予了很大的信心，这些技术承诺不会对生活水平造成损害，同时让我们远离化石燃料。让我们期待这些技术真的能带来好处。