The UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has stated that removing gas as a power source will help protect against price surges.
Johnson has also confirmed plans to eliminate fossil fuels from the UK’s electricity generation process by 2035.
The UK generated 43% of its electricity from renewable sources in 2020 but gas-fired power plants still account for a significant proportion. Over the last 5 years, our total share of electricity being generated from renewables has increased by 20%.
Nuclear power plants, which currently provide about a sixth of the UK’s electricity, would also continue to form part of the energy mix under the net zero plans.
“What I’m saying is we can do for our entire energy production by 2035 what we’re doing with internal combustion engines in vehicles by 2030” he said, during a visit to a Network Rail site in Manchester.”
“And what we’re also saying is that by 2035, looking at the progress we’re making in wind power, where we lead the world now in offshore wind, looking at what we can do with other renewable sources, carbon capture and storage with hydrogen potentially, we think that we can get to complete clean energy production by 2035.”
The proposed shift would not only aid in the decarbonization of the UK but also soften the impact of the kind of gas price fluctuations that have prompted fears of a winter energy crisis, in recent weeks.
As Boris Johnson confirmed plans to decarbonize the electricity grid, gas was providing just under a third of the UK’s electricity demand, at 11.4GW (according to the National Grid data).
“The advantage of that is that it will mean that, for the first time, the UK is not dependent on hydrocarbons coming from overseas with all the vagaries in hydrocarbon prices and the risk that poses for people’s pockets and for the consumer,” he said.
“We will be reliant on our own clean power generation, which will help us also to keep costs down.”
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