 Britain faces power cuts in next decade
September 17th 2008
Security of energy supply must now take priority over everything else, even climate change, if we are to avoid major power cuts over the next decade, a new report is urging.
A Pragmatic energy policy for the UK argues that unrealistic “green” aspirations and wishful thinking about unachievable quantities of offshore wind generation has led to under-investment in energy base load infrastructure to replace the loss of one third of generating capacity the UK is to lose over the next decade.
The Fells Associates report discloses what it calls a "staggering lack of understanding" of the technical and engineering reality of the infrastructure that can be achieved within a short timescale.
Unrealistic renewables targets founded on "weak energy arithmatic" are a result of the failure to consult engineers and utility managers to examine what could actually be done accoring to the report which is also critical of the strategy to rely on more gas to plug any energy gaps.
"The default position with the current policy is more gas, with all the political uncertainties on availability and price that implies,” explained the report's author Professor Fells.
It is suggested that to meet energy demands in the medium term, a strong case can be made for replacing inefficient, polluting, old coal-fired stations with new coal-fired stations.
This suggestion echos the views of David Porter, CEO of the Association of Electricity Producers. Speaking at Energy Insight at The Energy Event in Birmingham earlier this month. Porter argued:"The most encouraging thing to come out of the Government recently has been its support for coal." Fells called for the continued support of coal and argued: "We will never get to our green targets without medium term use of coal."
Medium term initatives set out in the report include:
• More inter-connectors to Norway, Germany, France and the Netherlands
• Burning of municipal waste in incinerators to generate electricity, provide power around large conurbations and cut down on landfill
• Coal power station life extensions may become essential despite the EU emissions directive post-2015
• Some further nuclear station life extensions
• and the nuclear new-build programme must start urgently to have a new station by 2018
• Government assistance for research into carbon capture and storage, which must be demonstrated urgently if CO2 emissions are to be reduced and security of supply improved
• Increased strategic gas storage
Download the full report here.
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