Second Update of July 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 – 8th July

• UK supplier E.ON says its 3.3 million household customers will all receive electricity entirely from renewable sources.

• French company, Brittany Ferries, transporting passengers and freight between UK, France and Spain will have 3 ferries powered by Liquid Natural Gas by 2022 (first one in 2020). The company states that the modern design, size and cleaner fuel will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by almost half compared with diesel vessels.

Wednesday – 10th July

• GMB Union is proposing that the cost of meeting climate change targets should be through direct taxation and not through energy bills.

Thursday – 11th July

• National Grid has issued an update of its “Future Energy Scenarios” in light of the UK Government targeting 2050 net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. Link is a brief summary of how to achieve this target, using hydrogen for heating, electricity for vehicles and Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS). 35 million electric vehicles and smart-charging is an emerging theme.

• FT piece comments on the reliability of UK natural gas supply from Gulf region during and beyond current conflict. Piece states UK imports more olive oil from the Middle East than crude oil but identifies a risk to supply and price volatility of natural gas from the region.

• Cuadrilla has announced it will fracture-stimulate the second horizontal shale gas well in Lancashire (NW England) in the upcoming months.

Friday – 12th July

• BEIS Select Committee report: “Improving energy efficiency is by far the cheapest way of cutting our emissions and must be a key plank of any credible strategy to deliver net zero by 2050”.

Sunday – 14th July

• The UK Government White Paper setting out new policy for energy was intended to be released by ‘early Summer’ according to Ministers. It is now widely reported that the outgoing Chancellor is putting off such a commitment of investment until UK has a new Prime Minister.