Energy minister Malcolm Wicks tells Newsnight that 20% target was for Europe as a whole

Energy minister Malcolm Wicks has admitted that the government is aiming to generate only 10-15% of energy from renewable sources by 2020.

In an interview on Newsnight, Wicks said that the existing 20% target was one for the whole of Europe rather than for all the individual nations to comply with. "We are negotiating on this right now. It will be a considerable percentage," he told presenter Gavin Esler.

Wicks then added that cutting carbon emissions wasn't just about renewables saying that carbon capture and nuclear could play a part.

The interview followed reports yesterday that the Government was wriggling out of hitting its promised 20% target.

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