Second Update of May 2019 – An overview of last week’s Energy news

Below is this week’s summary. It should be a one minute read relevant to UK energy with links to documents for those who wish to read more.

(Click a bullet point to open the relevant article)

Monday – 6th May

• A recognised environmental writer reports on problems with Germany’s energy transition. Report includes a link to an English version of the highly critical article in German newspaper Der Spiegel.

Tuesday – 7th May

• Business Green piece describes the future role of hydrogen in the gas network quoting recent Committee for Climate Change report: “moving beyond an 80 per cent target [for 2050 net carbon target] changes hydrogen from being an option to an integral part of the strategy”.

Wednesday – 8th May

• Poland continues its move away from domestic coal production and attempts to avoid dependence on Russian gas supplies. Norway is building a pipeline from North Sea fields to Poland. Norway is currently the biggest supplier of UK gas.

• World’s biggest exporter of Liquid Natural Gas, Qatar, is to expand its capacity by over 40% from 77 million tonnes per annum to 110 million tonnes per annum within 6 years. Exports of gas dominated Qatar economy’s trade surplus of $52 Billion in 2018.

Thursday – 9th May

• Another milestone on the road to coal-free electricity generation in UK: For the first time since the start of generating electricity from coal in 1882, UK supplied all electricity required without coal for a full week. Graph included shows breakdown of supply with natural gas at 46%. Nuclear and renewables combined matched the contribution of gas. Grid operators predict this to become ‘the new normal’.

• UK Government Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) showed that public support for onshore wind is at an all-time high at 79% according to latest tracker of public opinion.

• The Guardian describes plans for a major Carbon Capture and Storage project from ports of Belgium and the Netherlands. Captured CO2 will be stored in depleted North Sea gas fields. 10 million tonnes of storage envisaged by 2026 with target of 60 million tonnes by 2030. For comparison, UK net carbon emissions are stated as 364 million tonnes in 2018. EU funding is expected to support the project.

Friday – 10th May

• Ireland (Irish Republic and Northern Ireland) had 25 days of electricity generation without coal; using renewables (mainly wind): 30% and natural gas: 60%.