Britain on the 'Cusp of an Energy Renaissance'

By Kelvin Ross, Deputy Editor, Power Engineering International
November 30, 2012   |  

Wind power will be key beneficiary in new low-carbon initiative.

 

LONDON -- UK Energy Secretary Ed Davey Wednesday said "we are on the cusp of a renaissance in British energy" after unveiling the government's long-awaited Energy Bill.

Speaking to journalists after he had addressed the House of Commons, Davey said the Bill had “given industry and investors exactly what they need – consensus and political certainty.”

Earlier he had told Parliament that “the UK is open for energy investment”.

“The Energy Bill will attract investment to bring about a once-in-a-generation transformation of our electricity market, moving from predominantly a fossil-fuel to a diverse low-carbon generation mix.

“The Bill will support the construction of a diverse mix of renewables, new nuclear, gas and CCS, protecting our economy from energy shortfalls and significantly decarbonising our electricity supply by the 2030s as part of global efforts to tackle climate change.”

He said the UK energy challenge was “an economic opportunity there for the taking. It will stimulate supply chains and support jobs in every part of the country, capitalising on our engineering prowess and our natural resources, cementing the UK’s place at the forefront of clean energy development.”

Some headline aspects of the Bill were released last week, the most notable being that it would not include a decarbonisation target for 2030 – this has been deferred until 2016 – and a levy would allow utilities to raise £7.6bn by 2020 via customer tariffs to go towards low carbon investment.

A Three-Part Roadmap to Energy Independence

By Bill Richardson, APCO Worldwide
November 30, 2012   |   

 

Energy independence is not a theoretical discussion. It will strengthen our national security and will boost our domestic economy. As a former member of Congress, Governor of New Mexico, and Secretary of Energy, I have looked at the issue of energy independence from many perspectives and can tell you that its need is more critical now than ever. As he enters his final term, I urge President Obama to take three specific steps to help move the nation toward energy independence.

First, he should convene a national energy summit. Bring together all energy stakeholders from industry, NGO, and other key groups representing oil and gas, renewables and clean tech, coal, and nuclear for a comprehensive discussion of the energy issues that confront us. The oil and gas industry must realize they just can’t have a free hand. There’s got to be sensible regulation. That means dialogue. Let’s keep politics out of it. Other than the President, no elected officials should be in the room – they’ll get their chance later.

Second, the President should direct his Administration to develop a federal climate change policy. If Hurricane Sandy taught us anything it’s that our planet is saying something to all of us – and it’s not good news. Economists say the world can protect itself from catastrophic climate change at a cost of one to three percent of our economic activity. We can’t afford not to do it.

Third, the President must work with Congress to introduce and pass a comprehensive energy bill. We desperately need one, but because of politics we haven’t had one for far too long. Here’s where Congress gets its chance. Recent energy legislation has been piecemeal, and has too often pitted small factions against one another. Now is the time for conciliation and compromise on the energy front, instead of this incessant competition.