Post Election News
Lord Rupert Redesdale
Member of the House of Lords | UK Metals Expo Chair | EMEX Conference Chair | Founder of The Energy Managers Association | CEO of The Water Retail Company
The new majority Tory Government has already started making some changes in the structure of DECC. The Energy Efficiency Deployment Office is no longer in existence but has been replaced by the Business and Local Energy Unit. The EMA hopes to work closely with this new body to help inform the Government on the needs and problems associated with energy management.
The news that Ferrybridge power station is to close, one of 14 coal powered plants that presently produce 31% of Britain energy is not a surprise. However, the imminent closure of the majority of the rest of the plants will have serious implications for energy security in the UK. Ferrybridge closed not because it failed the 2017 emission targets but because the 48 year old plant is uneconomic to run. It is almost certain that no new coal power stations will be built and with the majority of nuclear power stations coming to the end of their active lives, it means that the country will be dependent on gas and wind. No new generating plants can be built quickly, even new gas plants, could take as much as seven years to connect to the grid. Hinckley Point, the flagship of the new nuclear programme, will following the design faults of the French plant under construction, now not come on line until 2030.
Energy efficiency will become a major priority if the lights are not to go out, it is the only strategy left.
Senior Partner at Cambridge Management Consulting
9 年The point about energy security is of extreme importance to businesses that depend on technology. And it's not just energy efficiency that needs to be on the agenda - UK companies need to develop strategies for coping with unstable utilities that will allow them to "keep the lights on" if the lights start to go out (pardon the cliche overload)
Civil Servant, multi-award winning speaker, paraclimber and Co-Founder at Paraclimbing London
9 年Actually these changes were made before the election took place as a way of becoming more consumer focussed for households, businesses, industry and everything in between. Changes to the directorate took place so that we could work flexibly for whichever new government came to be and that we would be able to do this while focussing on our target audiences in a more efficient way.
Mines & In-ground Asset Monetisation & Trade
9 年And yet both the Labour and Tories seem to ignore the massive potential for waste to energy.