A summary of today’s news…
UK
Fracking peer meant North-West
Lord Howell, who caused uproar by saying fracking should take place in the desolate North East has revealed he was actually referring to drilling in Lancashire. Lord Howell of Guilford said: “"The general story is right - that we want the derricks for fracking to be far away from residences in unloved places that are not environmentally sensitive.”
British Gas: free power Saturdays
The BBC reports that British Gas plans to offer free power on Saturdays in an attempt to get consumers to shift more of their power usage to the weekend, when there is lower demand from industry. The scheme will be available to households with smart meters. Free Power Saturday is already offered by Centrica (British Gas’s parent company) in the US.
Ofgem freezes solar feed-in tariff for rest of year
The news has been welcomed for bringing stability to the industry after the recent row between the EU and China. Brussels and Beijing agreed a deal to limit the amount of solar panels imported from China last weekend.
Drax CEO: we need dash for gas
Dorothy Thompson says she will consider investing in gas-fired power plants, which she claims are needed to stave off the threat of power cuts. Drax are also pressing ahead with plans to decrease their CO2 emissions by converting part of their facility to burning biomass. However importing biomass from its investment in two-pellet producing plants in the US will surely entail a significant carbon footprint.
WORLD
Australian 155MW solar farm gets go-ahead
The £267m project will create the largest solar facility in the southern hemisphere. Set across two sites in New South Wales, the project will deliver power to 50,000 homes and is scheduled for completion in 2015.
Poland leaning towards lignite
After its shale revolution failed to kick start, following the withdrawal of several US explorers, Poland is turning its attention to its vast lignite coal reserves. The economy ministry announced yesterday: “Looking at Poland's limited reserves of gas and oil, lignite coal has to be perceived as the stabilizing factor for Poland's energy safety.”
