Nuclear Power, the way forward?
With some commentators forecasting electricity supply shortfalls fast approaching the UK, significant numbers of existing coal and nuclear power stations due to be decommissioned over the next decade, and with the reserves of hydrocarbons from the UK Continental Shelf running low, the UK Government is looking to other sources of supply to take over from the local oil and gas supplies. This issue is affected by the fact that UK is also obliged to adhere to targets set by the Government in line with Kyoto Protocol, and will be due to make further commitments to lowering carbon emissions for 2020. The Government is keen for the UK not to be held hostage over gas import prices with fears that the unpredictable Russia might be largely in control, and so is pushing forward with solutions that will allow UK to maintain its own secure energy supply. This is where Nuclear Power comes in, a much maligned method of the past; could it be coming back to the forefront of UK supply again?
Despite Gordon Brown initially stating in relation to EU renewable energy targets 'It would be foolish to embark on a new generation of nuclear power stations, as we have guaranteed that we would make the necessary investments in both energy efficiency and renewables, that is why we are not going to build a new generation of nuclear power stations' this was said back in 2003 when that year's Energy White Paper was presented to the House of Commons; priorities and policy seemed to have some what changed since this statement.
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UK Gas Markets
Gas markets throughout Europe are undergoing significant changes as liberalisation and competition emerge. The UK has the most liberalised gas market in the world, and has seen almost continual change and development from 1990 to the present day, with further changes expected due to ongoing market evolution and the forecast UK gas gap.
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