Comment: Government to build new gas power stations
The Government has committed to the building of new gas power stations in the UK.
By George Smeeton
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Commenting on the news that the Government has committed to the building of new gas power stations in the UK [1], Jess Ralston, Energy Analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) said: “The Secretary of State suggesting that if we cannot control energy prices then we are not secure as a country, while announcing new gas power stations, has a real irony about it. Anyone paying an energy bill in the past two years knows that the UK doesn’t control the price we pay for gas, that international markets decide.
“The North Sea will continue its inevitable decline with or without new licenses leaving us ever more dependent on foreign gas unless we lower demand. The UK is going backwards on energy security because of the Government fumbling its latest auction for British offshore wind farms, failing on its home insulation schemes and dithering on heat pumps.
“Without carbon capture technology, these gas plants may only have a decade or two before they are decommissioned, and who's going to pay for that?”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- Energy Security Secretary Claire Coutinho will set out new strategy for gas at a Chatham House speech on Tuesday, 12 March.
For more information or for interview requests:
George Smeeton, Head of Communications, ECIU, Tel: +44 (0)7894 571 153, email: george.smeeton@eciu.net