UK launches review of national energy policy

London (Platts)--23Jan2006

The UK launched a review of its energy policy Monday seeking views on
how it could meet its long-term goal of reducing carbon emissions, developing
reliable energy supplies and the possibility of a new generation of nuclear
power stations.
     Trade and Industry Secretary Alan Johnson called for "the widest
possible engagement in this vital debate", adding the UK needed to "look at
the risks to our security supply". 
     The government wants to hear views on the long-term potential of
energy efficiency measures in the transport, residential, business and public
sectors; opportunities for working with other countries on energy policy
goals; implications in the medium and long term for the transmission and
distribution networks of significant new build in gas and electricity
generation infrastructure; and measures to bring forward technologies to
replace fossil fuels in transport and heat generation, in the medium and
long-term.
     The three month consultation will investigate all the possible mixes of
power sources, including renewables, Johnson said.
     "Global fossil fuel prices are on the rise and we're becoming a net
importer of oil and gas, like many other leading economies, as production from
the North Sea declines," Johnson said at a launch event. "In a world of
heightened concerns about energy security, highlighted by the recent dispute
between Russia and the Ukraine, we need to look carefully at the risks of this
new situation.
     The energy review follows the White Paper of 2003, which set out four
goals for energy policy, including a 60% cut in carbon dioxide emissions by
2050; maintaining the reliability of energy supplies; promoting competition in
energy supplies; and ensuring adequate and affordable domestic heating.
     Since then, record long-term gas and power prices and disruptions of
energy supplies in east and west Europe have brought the issues into sharp
focus, especially the question of the desirability of nuclear new-build.

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