Blair - Mind the Gap - but no mention of the P word.
(c) 2006, Leamy | 12.07.2006 15:47 | Analysis | Ecology | Technology
Blair is pushing on with the new nuclear agenda by talking of addressing the coming energy gap and climate change... but no mention of peak oil.
"We're going to move from being self-sufficient in basic energy to a situation of importing energy. Fifteen years down the line we have got high energy prices and real problems.", he said.
"We're going to move from being self-sufficient in basic energy to a situation of importing energy. Fifteen years down the line we have got high energy prices and real problems.", he said.
The government yesterday published its long-term Energy Review, giving the go-ahead for a new wave of nuclear power stations to be built around the country. There had been an energy review carried out in 2003, but it obviously didn't deliver the conclusion required by Blairs friends in the nuclear lobby, coming down more in favor of investing more in renewable sources than building new nuclear capacity. Increasing oil and gas prices and growing uncertainty over supply have raised concerns over a potential energy gap so Blair took for opportunity to call for other review.
One thing is for certain, there is going to be an increasingly big energy gap, and not just in the UK.
The UK has under 30 years of useful coal reserves left, the burning it releases carbon dioxide and adds to global warming. With the UK commited to cut its carbon emissions by 60% by 2050 we will in theory see many of the remaining coal-fired power plants closed.
Many coal plants have already been closed in favor of cleaner gas powered stations. However the UK's energy bonanza provided by the North Sea is over and production in steep declines. If the UK were continue to rely on gas it will mean increased reliance on imports from Russia etc and gas prices are only going to continue to climb as other gas reserves peak. The UK was only importing 10% of it's gas needs last year but this will rincrease quickly to as much as 90% by 2020.
Nuclear power currently supplies almost 20% of the UK's electricity and the UK's current nuclear power stations are all reaching the end of their lives and should in theory be decomissioned with the next 15 years.
Apparently renewables are already supplying 20% of our electricty needs but the governments energy review says that power companies will be expected to supply just one fifth of Britain's energy from renewable sources, a pathetic 33% increase on the current amount being produced!
It is clear that there is not serious commitment to long term energy security or environmental concerns from the UK government and no lesson learned about investing in energy from finite resources which includes the uranium used in nuclear power stations.
The only serious approach to the coming energy crisis is a massive move to invest in renewable energy and conservation measures and a scale never before imagined. Anything else is ultimately a dangerous and expensive waste of time.
One thing is for certain, there is going to be an increasingly big energy gap, and not just in the UK.
The UK has under 30 years of useful coal reserves left, the burning it releases carbon dioxide and adds to global warming. With the UK commited to cut its carbon emissions by 60% by 2050 we will in theory see many of the remaining coal-fired power plants closed.
Many coal plants have already been closed in favor of cleaner gas powered stations. However the UK's energy bonanza provided by the North Sea is over and production in steep declines. If the UK were continue to rely on gas it will mean increased reliance on imports from Russia etc and gas prices are only going to continue to climb as other gas reserves peak. The UK was only importing 10% of it's gas needs last year but this will rincrease quickly to as much as 90% by 2020.
Nuclear power currently supplies almost 20% of the UK's electricity and the UK's current nuclear power stations are all reaching the end of their lives and should in theory be decomissioned with the next 15 years.
Apparently renewables are already supplying 20% of our electricty needs but the governments energy review says that power companies will be expected to supply just one fifth of Britain's energy from renewable sources, a pathetic 33% increase on the current amount being produced!
It is clear that there is not serious commitment to long term energy security or environmental concerns from the UK government and no lesson learned about investing in energy from finite resources which includes the uranium used in nuclear power stations.
The only serious approach to the coming energy crisis is a massive move to invest in renewable energy and conservation measures and a scale never before imagined. Anything else is ultimately a dangerous and expensive waste of time.
(c) 2006, Leamy
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