UK: Government must give up ‘dash for gas’
June 29th 2012
The government must give up its ‘dash for gas’ in order to save money for hard-pressed households and avoid dangerous levels of greenhouse gas emissions, according to the committee charged with advising ministers on climate change. Going for gas rather than lower carbon alternatives such as renewable energy could result in costs of £25bn by the 2020s, a charge that would be paid by energy bill payers, according to the Committee on Climate Change.
Ministers have strongly supported a large increase in the number of gas-fired power stations in the UK as a way of keeping the lights on while cutting greenhouse gas emissions. But the massive programme of construction envisaged could put climate targets under threat if new gas-fired power plants displace lower carbon alternatives such as wind farms and nuclear reactors. Ed Davey, the energy and climate change secretary, joined with the chancellor George Osborne earlier this year in calling for a big increase in gas-fired power generation, despite warnings that the rising cost of gas has been the biggest factor in energy price rises for consumers.
David Kennedy, chief executive of the Committee on Climate Change, said: ‘[Ministers] must rule out the dash for gas, and set clear carbon objectives in the context of draft energy legislation and the forthcoming gas generation strategy. Our analysis shows that power sector decarbonisation is economically sensible, even in a shale gas world.’
Read the full article: The Guardian
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