http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/uk-government-climate-advisors-odds-132244720.html

 

The UK government is on a collision course with its climate advisors over the role gas should play in cutting CO2 output in Europe (Chicago Options: ^REURUSD - news) 's second largest emitter, statements published Thursday show.

 

Britain is considering new policies aimed at decarbonising its electricity sector by 2030 that include the construction of a large number of new gas-powered plants.

"We have always said this (decarbonisation) will include gas fired plant, which is quick to build and flexible. After 2030 we expect that gas will only be used as back up, or fitted with carbon capture and storage technology," Edward Davey, Secretary of State for Energy (NYSEArca: JJE - news) and Climate Change said in a statement on Thursday

His comments appeared at odds with advice from the government's independent expert panel, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), to scale back the role that gas should play in the country's energy mix.

"Extensive use of unabated gas-fired capacity (i.e. without carbon capture and storage technology (CCS (KOSDAQ: 066790.KQ - news) )) in 2030 and beyond would be incompatible with meeting legislated carbon budgets," the CCC said in an open letter, responding to Davey's comments.

To achieve its emissions targets, Britain needs to invest in clean energy technologies such as wind power, which is volatile as a result of changing weather patterns and needs to be backed up by conventional power plants running on coal, gas or nuclear fuel.

A fifth of Britain's ageing power stations are closing by the end of the decade and Davey said Britain needed to build a diverse mix of all the technologies "to keep the lights on" and lower emissions.

Under the 2008 Climate Change Act the UK must cut greenhouse gas emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.

"We are committed to meeting our statutory carbon budgets. That is why we are pushing through ambitious reforms to overhaul existing old fossil fuel power plants, replacing them with new low-carbon forms of power generation," Davey said.

"Alongside up-scaling of renewables, nuclear new build, and eventually with carbon capture and storage, gas has an important role to play in the transition to a low carbon grid."

CONCERN

Green groups have become increasingly concerned about the government's plans to ramp up UK gas-fired generation.

"The UK is already over-reliant on gas, which was the main driver behind recent energy bill rises," Keith Allott, head of climate change at WWF said.

"Continuing this over-reliance on gas would make no strategic sense from the perspective of consumers or the UK's energy security, whilst being completely incompatible with the UK's obligations under the Climate Change Act."

Earlier this week, Davey said some 10 to 20 gigawatt of new gas generation was coming online in the next two decades.

This would require the construction of over a dozen new gas-fired power plants.