UK Firms Beg for Energy Crisis Solution as Deadline Looms
The business community in the UK is growing increasingly frustrated with the government's lack of action on its energy crisis. Manufacturers are crying out for a fix, and they're urging ministers to get moving.
Make UK, the trade association representing manufacturers, has called for an expansion of the government's energy support scheme, known as the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme (BICS). The current scheme is set to benefit 7,000 firms, but Make UK wants it to expand to cover 115,000 businesses instead. They're also pushing for backdating of savings in electricity bills to April this year, rather than waiting until 2027.
The energy crisis is biting hard, with the UK boasting some of the most expensive industrial energy prices globally. The closure of ExxonMobil's ethylene plant near Cowdenbeath in Fife has highlighted the problem, alongside rising carbon levies and sky-high energy costs.
Peter Kyle, business secretary, will soon announce a formal consultation on how BICS will be implemented – a process that could take months to complete. This is unacceptable when it comes to such pressing issues. Industrial companies can already see the impact of higher transmission charges in their electricity bills, with annual increases of £500,000 forecast for heavy users.
Make UK's boss Stephen Phipson has warned that "the clock is ticking" on tackling the energy crisis. With the government's promise of cutting electricity prices by up to 25% set to arrive only in 2027, five months before a consultation even begins seems like an eternity.
The question is: what's holding ministers back? Is it a lack of political will or technical constraints? Whatever the reason, one thing is certain – more action needs to be taken now. The fate of thousands of businesses hangs in the balance, and it's time for policymakers to get moving.
The business community in the UK is growing increasingly frustrated with the government's lack of action on its energy crisis. Manufacturers are crying out for a fix, and they're urging ministers to get moving.
Make UK, the trade association representing manufacturers, has called for an expansion of the government's energy support scheme, known as the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme (BICS). The current scheme is set to benefit 7,000 firms, but Make UK wants it to expand to cover 115,000 businesses instead. They're also pushing for backdating of savings in electricity bills to April this year, rather than waiting until 2027.
The energy crisis is biting hard, with the UK boasting some of the most expensive industrial energy prices globally. The closure of ExxonMobil's ethylene plant near Cowdenbeath in Fife has highlighted the problem, alongside rising carbon levies and sky-high energy costs.
Peter Kyle, business secretary, will soon announce a formal consultation on how BICS will be implemented – a process that could take months to complete. This is unacceptable when it comes to such pressing issues. Industrial companies can already see the impact of higher transmission charges in their electricity bills, with annual increases of £500,000 forecast for heavy users.
Make UK's boss Stephen Phipson has warned that "the clock is ticking" on tackling the energy crisis. With the government's promise of cutting electricity prices by up to 25% set to arrive only in 2027, five months before a consultation even begins seems like an eternity.
The question is: what's holding ministers back? Is it a lack of political will or technical constraints? Whatever the reason, one thing is certain – more action needs to be taken now. The fate of thousands of businesses hangs in the balance, and it's time for policymakers to get moving.
It's like the government is just dragging its feet on solving it. Those companies are losing millions every year because of these crazy high energy costs, and it's not even fair that they have to pay more due to things like carbon levies. The 7,000 firms currently under BICS shouldn't be all there's to support - we need more businesses to get help too! 
It's ridiculous that the deadline for this scheme is in months time when companies are already feeling the pinch. Can't they just speed up the process or something? 
We can't keep waiting around for these politicians to figure things out...
The UK energy crisis is getting out of hand 
! These industrial companies are struggling so much they're begging for help 
. Five months from now seems like an eternity waiting for some action from the government 
. They need to get their act together and sort this out ASAP, not just for the businesses but also for the economy as a whole 
. It's not about having more time, it's about taking responsibility and making things happen right now 
. Backdating savings on electricity bills already? That's something they can do today, not in 2027 
.
. 7k firms are supposed to be helped by BICS but now they want to expand it to 115k, that's some serious growth mindset required 
. And can we talk about the delay? Five months is like an eternity for these guys who have to deal with £500k annual increases in electricity bills 
. Time to put their money where their mouth is, or as Stephen Phipson said, "the clock is ticking" 
these firms r literally bugging u 2 death & ur just gonna leave them 2 rot? £500k increase in electricity bills is already stressing them out & now u're telling me its gotta wait 5 months 4 a consultation? that's like, ages in business speak! 
what's the point of even having a business secretary if they cant make decisions on their own?! u need 2 step up ur game & sort this out already! 
industrial companies r gettin hit hard w/ these energy prices... £500k in electricity bills 4 heavy users?! thats insane 
Like, we're not even getting any decent compensation for already paying through the nose for energy. And an expansion of BICS? Good luck with that 
. The clock might be ticking, but I think the government needs to speed up and get on with it!
. It's like they're being left high and dry while the energy prices just keep skyrocketing 
. But at least we had some support from the government then, you know? Now it seems like they're waiting for ages to make a decision 
and still nothin's being done about it 
. Whatever the reason, we need some real action now, not just empty promises