Engineering news
The government has announced plans to close all coal-fired power stations by 2025 and restrict their use by 2023. Instead they have proposed a move to build more gas-fired plants to ensure the long term security of the country's energy supply.
The decision was announced in a speech from Energy and Climate Change Secretary Amber Rudd which outlined a 'new direction' for the country's energy policy. In the speech she stressed that “energy security comes first” and the government was determined to ensure the UK has secure, affordable and clean energy supplies.
Rudd said: “We are tackling a legacy of underinvestment and ageing power stations which we need to replace with alternatives that are reliable, good value for money, and help to reduce our emissions.
“It cannot be satisfactory for an advanced economy like the UK to be relying on polluting, carbon intensive 50-year-old coal-fired power stations.
She added: "Our determination to cut carbon emissions as cost effectively as possible is crystal clear and this step will make us one of the first developed countries to commit to taking coal off our system.”
Rudd stressed the need to build a new energy infrastructure “fit for the 21st century”. Projects such as a new gas plant at Carrington, a “large increase” in renewables over the next five years and new nuclear in the longer term were all part of that plan, said Rudd.
The government is also building new interconnectors in a bid to make it easier to import cheaper electricity from Europe.
Rudd said: “These changes are vital. Cheaper energy means lower household bills – something which matters to all of us.”
In her speech, Rudd pointed to gas as amongst the cheapest and most secure form of energy to heat homes in Europe despite the decline in domestic gas production from the North Sea. This, she said, was in part due to new Liquified Natural Gas terminals and pipelines.
To reduce dependence on gas imports, which currently stands at around 50% of UK supply, the government wants to encourage investment in shale gas explorations to add a “new source of home grown supply.” In the next 10 years, the government also plants to get new gas-fired power stations built.
Rudd said: “There are also economic benefits in building a new industry for the country and for communities.
“Our North Sea history means the UK is a home to world class oil and gas expertise, in Aberdeen and around the UK – we should build on that base so that our shale potential can be exploited safely.”
Nuclear power also played a large part in government plans for cheap green energy, with Rudd pointing to the construction of Hinkley Point C as well as plans for a new fleet of nuclear power stations, including at Wylfa and Moorside. This could provide up to 30% of the low carbon electricity needed through the 2030s and create 30,000 jobs, Rudd said.
Plans to cut support for offshore wind power were reiterated, but Rudd said that government would support up to 10GW of new offshore wind projects in the 2020s if the industry moves quickly to improve technology to cut cost competitiveness.
Dr Jenifer Baxter, head of energy and environment at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said that while the closure of traditional coal-fired power plants by 2025 was a positive move the building of more gas power plants should not be looked at as a “silver bullet solution” to creating a secure, affordable and clean energy system.
She added: “Increasing demand for natural gas will lead to other ‘difficult’ challenges in securing the gas network in the UK. This may include more imports and potentially greater use of shale gas.”
Baxter added that while nuclear power generation has a role to play it requires significant investment and the UK should invest more research into the R&D of new generation of renewables and other low carbon energy.
Claire Jakobsson, head of energy and environment policy at EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, welcomed the new energy strategy and given investors a “clear signal” to move forward with plans for new gas, although all eyes would be on this year's capacity auction to see if it delivers.
She added: “While today’s announcements are reassuring for British industry, they must now be met with action. The consultations next spring may give greater clarity on much of the detail of delivery, but we must move forward quickly. We cannot afford more decades of delay impacting security of supply, risking international competitiveness and, ultimately, costing the consumer.”