Northern Ireland’s environment minister Mark Durkan has banned shale fracking in the strategic planning policy statement (SPPS) for Northern Ireland. Durkan stated that this would not change unless the Department of the Environment is “satisfied that there is sufficient and robust evidence on all environmental impacts of fracking.” He said: “I have been consistently clear […]
UK government blasted over renewables cuts by Al Gore
Former US vice president Al Gore has been left “puzzled” by the recent cuts to renewables subsidies by the UK government. In their short time in power, the Renewables Obligation scheme has been scrapped, subsidies for wind farms and solar projects have prematurely ended, cut Climate Change Levy (CCL) exemptions and the Feed-in Tariff scheme […]
New shadow head of energy policy appointed
Shadow energy secretary Lisa Nandy, has cemented her reputation as a campaigner for green energy with the appointment of an ex-Greenpeace director as her new head of energy. Joss Garman, former deputy political director for Greenpeace, will leave his current role at IPPR as associate director for energy, transport and climate change. The Labour party […]
Ofgem energy investigation over British Gas
Ofgem are investigating whether British Gas has complied with the requirements of conditions 7A, 14, 14A and 21B of its gas and electricity supply licences, which contain safeguards relating to supply to micro business consumers. There have been concerns over wrongful blocking of business customer transfers and billing issues after British Gas experienced a host […]
ECCC to review drop in renewables investment
The Energy and Climate Change select committee (ECCC) has agreed to investigate whether there has been a drop in investor confidence towards the energy market since the entrance of the new government. ECCC chair Angus MacNeil said: “Energy projects like offshore wind farms and nuclear power stations can take years from planning to completion, so […]
UK coal gasification gets planning go ahead
Despite the unknown impact on the environment and public health, the government has issued over 30 licenses allowing developers to plan coal gasification projects. The process, which resembles shale fracking, has been criticised after a lack of UK commercial testing, so much so, that Scotland have already vetoed it pending a public health impact assessment […]
DECC to shut down coal plants by 2023
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) will vow to shut down all coal-fired power plants by 2023. The UK still has 10 remaining coal-fired power stations and these will either be closed or converted to alternative fuels. This came about after the EU Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) ordered plants to reduce the amount of […]
High risk of blackouts this winter
National Grid warns of potential blackouts this winter as the capacity margin hits a record low of 1.2%. Capacity margin is the average amount of extra electricity available compared to peak winter demand. Households will be expected to fund subsidies to new gas power stations to increase capacity and avoid darkness. Measures have already been […]
Infographic Promotes Merits of Switching Business Energy Supplier
Business Juice has developed an eye-catching infographic to explain and promote the merits of switching business energy supplier. The average company could save 23% on their bills yet over 40% of businesses have not switched in over 5 years. Should I Switch my Business Energy? The infographic neatly and clearly displays the key information relating […]
Investment in UK renewables falls dramatically
The recent cuts to renewables subsidies and green schemes, has dramatically affected the number of investors in the UK renewables market. A worrying time to be losing investment as EU carbon targets loom in the distance and the government seems to be more focused on fracking than wind and solar energy. EY energy corporate finance […]