The government has announced “common sense” plans to build polluting gas-fired power stations to secure the UK’s energy supply as the nation transitions to net zero.
Ministers say they are supporting the building of new gas power stations to combat energy price rises and “maintain a safe and reliable energy source for days when the weather forecast doesn’t power up renewables”.
But the announcement drew fierce criticism from environmental groups, who claim it will make the UK even more reliant on the fossil fuels that drive the climate crisis.
What new power stations are being built?
New power stations that are powered by gas are being built in order to supplement the energy output of the UK's renewable energy sector.
Energy Security Secretary Claire Coutinho says the government will broaden existing laws requiring new gas plants to be built net zero ready and able to convert to low-carbon alternatives in the future, such as carbon capture and hydrogen.
These gas power plants, it is alleged, will run less frequently as the UK continues to roll out other low-carbon technologies.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “Our record on net zero speaks for itself – the latest stats show that we’re already halfway there, with greenhouse gas emissions 50% lower than in 1990.
“But we need to reach our 2035 goals in a sustainable way that doesn’t leave people without energy on a cloudy, windless day.”
Why are they being built?
The UK is heavily dependent on gas and doesn’t have much storage so disruptions in supply, such as those caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, can cause huge rises in the price of gas.
Coutinho said: “Without gas backing up renewables, we face the genuine prospect of blackouts. Other countries in recent years have been so threatened by supply constraints that they have been forced back to coal.
“There are no easy solutions in energy, only trade-offs. If countries are forced to choose between clean energy and keeping citizens safe and warm, believe me, they’ll choose to keep the lights on.
“We will not let ourselves be put in that position. And so, as we continue to move towards clean energy, we must be realistic.”
Move seen as a backward step by critics
Environmental organisations slammed the plans, claiming expanding gas capacity makes little sense in terms of cost and energy security, while extending reliance on expensive fossil fuels.
"The government's cunning plan to boost energy security and meet our climate goals is to make Britain more dependent on the very fossil fuel that sent our bills rocketing and the planet's temperature soaring," Dr Doug Parr, policy director at Greenpeace UK, said.
Jess Ralston, an energy analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit thinktank, 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 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?”
