Wind farms outstrip nuclear power

The UK's wind farms generated more power than its nuclear power stations on Tuesday, the National Grid says.

Solar farms 'will not spread unrestricted across British countryside'

Solar farms must not spread unrestricted across the British countryside and become as controversial as onshore wind turbines, a minister warned on Friday. Instead, solar panels will be rolled out on millions of homes, businesses, schools and government buildings, said energy and climate change minister Greg Barker.

Shale-gas drilling unlikely to affect energy security, say MPs

Shale-gas drilling could be given the go-ahead in the UK but is unlikely to have a major impact on energy security or domestic prices.

A report by the Energy Select Committee of MPs found no evidence that the hydraulic fracturing process involved in shale-gas extraction — known as ‘fracking’ — poses a direct risk to underground water aquifers, provided the drilling well is constructed properly.

Energy challenges and security solutions

It’s good news for the UK’s renewable energy sector this week as the government prepares to prove its green credentials with an ambitious new set of emissions targets.

Energy secretary Chris Huhne is this week expected to announce targets to reduce CO2 output by around 50 per cent on 1990 levels by 2025.

Kingdom steps up role in global energy security

Saudi Arabia holds the key to global energy security. It plays an extremely significant role in balancing the overall demand and supply.

With many in the Western world continuing to be skeptical of the Saudi potential and capacity, at least in the longer run, eyes continue to remain focused on Riyadh.

Deep water oil drilling ban rejected

A committee of MPs has opposed any freeze on deep water drilling for oil in the UK's seas, warning such a move would undermine the country's energy security.

The powerful energy and climate change committee raised doubt over whether equipment to tackle a similar environmental disaster would be adequate in the harsh conditions West of Shetland.

In the inhospitable seas near the Island, the Government is looking in a bid to secure future fuel reserves for Britain. The area holds much deeper and more hazardous waters than the relatively shallow North Sea.

More than forty wells are likely to be drilled in search of gas to ease the country's looming energy shortage. And a lack of clarity over liability laws could leave the UK taxpayer picking up the bill for a major oil spill offshore, a report by the committee in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster warned.

The MPs launched their inquiry to examine the implications of the explosion on BP's Deepwater Horizon rig 50 miles off the Louisiana coast which killed 11 workers and left millions of barrels of oil pouring into the sea. A committee of MPs have rejected such a move warning it would undermine the UK's energy security.

They raised doubts over whether equipment used to tackle oil spills would be adequate in the harsh conditions West of Shetland. The committee urged the health and safety executive to consider making equipment to seal a drill pipe a requirement on all UK deep water rigs.

The committee's chairman Tim Yeo said: "A moratorium on deep water drilling off the west coast of Shetland would undermine the UK's energy security and isn't necessary."

But he said: "The harsh and windy conditions in the North Sea would make an oil spill off the coast of Shetland very difficult to contain or clean up.

"Safety regulations on drilling in the UK are already tougher than they were in the Gulf of Mexico, but oil companies mustn't use that as an excuse for complacency."

The report said the conditions to the west of Shetland were far more difficult than those experienced by teams tackling the spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

And green campaigners renewed their call for a moratorium on deep water drilling in UK waters, amid concerns over the environmental threats of deep sea drilling and the UK's reliance on fossil fuels,

John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace which has launched a legal bid to halt the granting of new drilling licences, said: "This report lists all the reasons why a ban on deep sea drilling makes sense and then ignores its own findings.

"The oil companies have no idea how they would deal with a major spill off the coast of the UK but apparently we're supposed to trust them until they come up with an adequate plan."

Dan Barlow, head of policy at WWF Scotland, said: "This report highlights that the current UK oil drilling framework falls short of providing the necessary safeguards to protect Scotland's marine environment in the event of an oil spill.

"Given the environmental imperative to end our addiction with oil, the focus of our energy policy must be on making a renewable revolution a reality.

"Pursuing new oil would undermine the leadership role this country has built on tackling climate change and progressing toward a low carbon economy."

But the Government welcomed the report's conclusion that a moratorium was unwarranted.

Energy Minister Charles Hendry said: "We looked at our regime and increased inspections immediately after Deepwater Horizon and plan a further review once US reports and the detailed analysis of the factors which caused the Gulf of Mexico incident are available."

He added: "As we move towards a less carbon intensive future, oil and gas are set to remain a key part of our energy system for years to come and it is vital that we search for and produce the UK's own resources as safely as possible."

Meanwhile a report into the Deepwater Horizon explosion blamed systematic industry failures. A US presidential commission blamed failures to appreciate risk and said a fundamental mistake by BP was failing to exercise proper caution.

The spill has cost BP billions of collars and led to the departure of their chief executive.

Source: http://news.stv.tv