Mr Occhipinti continued,

“The gas grid currently delivers gas into the homes of over 85% of the UK population and there is little appetite to simply abandon gas and start again with a new system, not to mention the enormous costs involved.

EUA has been consistently and repeatedly championing the gas grid and the role it can play in decarbonising heat, which is central to our future climate change obligations and frankly, it has been a Cinderella area of public policy. Well it is time for Cinders to go to the ball, and we need that full debate over the best way to decarbonise heat. Because of its existing reach, cost efficiency and ability to store energy - using the gas grid is key, and so greening the gas that flows through the pipes, whether with biogas, bioSNG, or hydrogen is the obvious solution.

There needs to be a thorough, evidence-based debate about how this is achieved. But to help, BEIS need to signal that they are interested in this area of policy. Industry is already working on solutions, but they need BEIS's buy-in to encourage the wider debate about planning for our future energy needs, in a decarbonised world, and using the UK's hidden asset - its gas grid.”

The study will aim to guide the world's nations on how to limit warming to 1.5 degrees, providing an outline of low-carbon development pathways. An outline of the report can be found here.