UK Ministers need to stop “crossing their fingers” and urgently develop a “Plan B” to meet climate change targets if new nuclear power stations are not built on time. In a new report published today, the Energy and Climate Change Committee said nuclear power could play an important role as a low carbon technology to […]

The Government today asked regulators to assess the design of the reactor for Horizon’s nuclear power plants. The project’s Japanese owners Hitachi said this marks “important progress” in the project to build two to three new plants in the UK. Energy Minister John Hayes has asked the Office for Nuclear Regulation and the Environment Agency […]

Energy Minister John Hayes tried to dispel the idea his department is in a head-to-head with the Treasury by declaring it isn’t the “enemy” in a recent interview. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has appeared to be at odds with the guardian of the coffers over spending on renewable energy and fossil […]

The UK has pledged up to £10 million for a European scheme aimed at encouraging the development of innovative bioenergy projects. The ERA-NET Plus BESTF scheme, worth around €47 million (£38.3m) worth of public money, is expected to stimulate up to €100 million (£81.5m) of industry-led bioenergy projects. It is supported by eight European countries, […]

The UK Government today announced a number of environmental and safety measures for the UK’s offshore oil and gas industry. DECC said the Government would adopt recommendations from an independent review panel, which was set up following BP’s Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The panel, chaired by Professor Geoffrey Maitland, “acknowledged the strength and rigour” […]

A $1.6 billion (£987m) project to develop two oil fields in the North Sea was given the green light by the Government today. Led by Aberdeen-based Dana Petroleum, the Western Isles project is expected to produce more than 40,000 barrels of oil equivalent, adding more than 30,000 barrels to the firm’s daily production. The project […]

The Government has launched an action plan to improve the country’s nuclear power supply chain on the same day as Sellafield power plant offered 500 jobs in West Cumbria. Last week’s Energy Bill opened the door to new nuclear plants in the UK despite an as yet undecided guaranteed price for low carbon energy. The […]

For a bill that’s been delayed “longer than it takes an elephant to gestate”, as MP and chair of the energy select committee Tim Yeo so succinctly put it at the EIC event I was at last week, yesterday’s energy legislation has certainly caused enough grief on the way out. While we’ve been waiting for […]

A Conservative MP has been accused of a secret plot to sway energy policy against wind farms. In an undercover investigation, the campaign group Greenpeace filmed interviews in which MP for Daventry, Chris Heaton-Harris suggested he could influence energy policy. Greenpeace also suggests the MP was part of a co-ordinated challenge to the Climate Change […]

DECC today announced Stephen Dingle as the new Chair of the Coal Authority. Originally appointed as a member of the Board and Chair of its Audit Committee, Mr Dingle will take on his new role on 1 April next year for a four-year period. He has had a career as an investment banker and financial […]