UK climate change programme : memoranda relating to the inquiry submitted to the Committee / Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee.

  • Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Environment, Transport, and Regional Affairs Committee.
Date:
1999
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Licence: Open Government Licence

Credit: UK climate change programme : memoranda relating to the inquiry submitted to the Committee / Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    11/112 (page 5)
    The UK Climate Change Programme Summary of Policies and Measures, contained in Annex 1 on page 7 of the 2nd Report Summary, lists four policies in the electricity generation sector and only one in the transport sector. The time has now come for the Government to concentrate on the transport sector and to acknowledge that some of its policies in the electricity sector need careful scrutiny to ensure that they do not cause more environmental problems than they can ever solve. 4 January 1999 Memorandum by the Engineering Council (CC 3) UK CLIMATE CHANGE PROGRAMME INTRODUCTION In order to establish how best to meet the emissions targets and commitments for 2010, we need to look further ahead to, say, 2050-2100. A full review of the potential for non-fossil technologies to produce power and fuels on the scale required is needed. The Climate Change Consultation Process (CCCP) as it stands will not deliver the savings the UK has committed itself to in the time-scale required, largely because of the over-optimistic assumption of the contribution which alternative energy sources and CHP could make and because the timescales for introduction of new generating capacity and for demand-side reductions are longer than the CCCP implies. Electricity supply As nuclear power stations are taken out of service according to the current plan, by 2003 we shall have lost approximately 3 GW of non-fossil fuelled power. In the main, it is planned to replace this with fossil fuelled power stations such as clear coal technology power stations and CHP plants. The government appears to have been misled about the technical performance and benefits of CHP. We are concerned that the CCCP relies so heavily on CHP delivering savings in emissions. These savings are calculated on the basis that approximately 5 GW of low efficiency coal fired generation will be replaced with supposedly highly efficient gas fired CHP. However, CHP plant is only cost-and energy-efficient when running with balanced heat and power outputs. We do not believe that this state will be achieved in the majority of CHP installations. There has not been sufficient independent research carried out into how much of a contribution renewable sources can make to the energy-mix in a reasonable time-scale. To make the best use of renewable energy, there will need to be local generating systems with a back-up grid. Some renewable energy sources are variable and unpredictable in nature (e.g., wind power) and so a back-up system is required to ensure smooth and consistent power for customers. This will require fossil fuel capacity, to be run on variable load with associated reduced efficiency. There is also cause for concern about the stability of the grid being threatened through a large number of small capacity renewable energy supplies. More research is needed to understand fully the implications of this. Planning time for any type of power generation plant is at least four years. Construction itself is a lengthy process for all such projects, shortest for Combined Cycle Gas Turbines (CCGT) and on-shore wind and longest for off-shore installations and nuclear power stations. The die is already cast for power generations up to 2010, with several clean-coal stations being commissioned in that time. There is not enough time to be able to do anything dramatic to the energy-mix before 2010. It is essential we consider our long-term plans now. Wherever possible and practicable, replacement generating capacity should make use of the existing embedded infrastructure. The Magnox stations scheduled for taking out of service have the potential to have their operating life extended by up to five years to help “tide us over” whilst bringing the power stations running on alternative renewables on-line. NFFO (the Non Fossil Fuel Obligation) is a powerful tool for encouraging the development of new renewable technologies. However, it is unclear that the targets for renewable could be met unless resources were made available at a much higher level, planning restrictions were overcome and guaranteed markets for the higher priced energy were found. The government needs to increase the support for research, development and demonstration of offshore power generation technologies—wind, tidal and wave. Reducing Energy Demand The CCCP needs to examine the possibility of a demand-side reduction. There is plenty of technology available to help achieve this but it is not in common use. Energy efficiency is not generally high on the industrial, or domestic, agenda.