Fourth Update of April 2020 – 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 – 20th April

• A consortium of industrial power suppliers and end-users has been awarded funds from UK Government to support plans to make Humberside in eastern England the first industrial cluster to be ‘de-carbonised’ by 2040. The plans depend upon production of hydrogen and Carbon capture and storage.

Tuesday – 21st April

• Industry body Oil and Gas UK has stated that UK offshore oil and gas met approximately two-thirds of UK oil and gas demand and almost half of total energy in 2019.

• Article describes UK Government data showing biomass share of electricity generation has multiplied three-fold in the previous 10 years. Total power generation from all renewable sources, including biomass, has increased four-fold.

Wednesday – 22nd April

• A project in NW England, aiming to become the UK’s first net-zero industrial cluster, using hydrogen and Carbon capture and storage, has received government funding in order to develop a plan.

• Cargoes of liquid natural gas from the USA have been cancelled by Asian and European importers due to lower demand from the current business environment.

Thursday – 23rd April

• Plans are being made to use heat from water in flooded former coal mines in northern England to heat homes.

Friday – 24th April

• The fine spring weather across the UK meant that on Monday 20th April 2020 solar power generation broke a record. At peak generation solar power provided 30% of the electricity supply, generating 9.7 GW (for context UK electricity demand during the week varied between 20 and 30 GW).

Sunday 26th – April

• EDF is preparing to submit an application for a large nuclear power station (Sizewell C) to be constructed on the English east coast.