MPA welcomes announcement to decouple gas and electricity pricing

At a time of heightened uncertainty around global energy supplies, the government has announced plans to weaken the link between gas prices and British electricity costs. The country's sky-high rates have long hindered the British cement sector's competitiveness. Reacting to the news, Martin Casey, senior director for cement and lime, said:

"For too long, British industries like cement have been strangled by soaring electricity costs, with the UK having some of the highest prices in the world. That has real consequences for competitiveness, making it hard for domestic producers to stack up against overseas manufacturers who aren’t facing the same issue.

“The proposals to reduce the impact of volatile gas prices on electricity costs are therefore very welcome. We’ll need to see the detail, of course, but measures that tackle this long‑standing problem and create a fairer energy market are critical for a sector that is already under pressure.

“Supporting the domestic production of materials like cement isn’t just about keeping good, well-paid jobs across all four nations, it’s also about helping the UK economy grow and protecting our national resilience in a challenging geopolitical climate.”

His commentary has been featured in New Civil Engineer and Agg-Net. Read the full pieces here:

www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/miliband-moves-to-double-down-on-energy-transition-with-plans-to-use-railway-sites-for-renewables-22-04-2026/

www.agg-net.com/news/mpa-welcomes-government-action-on-electricity-pricing