Energy campaign
Towards a One Planet Energy policy
At a time when the UK government is set to adopt legislation to greatly reduce our emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), through its Climate Change Bill, it may also soon approve a new generation of coal-fired power stations. Coal is by far the most carbon-polluting form of electricity generation, so giving consent to new coal-fired power stations, which can operate for 50 years, will make it extremely difficult for the UK to meet its emissions reduction targets.
At a time when urgent action is needed to reduce our emissions, the UK's energy and climate change policies must be compatible, rather than work against each other.
Evading capture
Power companies that are proposing new coal-fired power stations are aware of concerns about rising CO2 emissions from burning coal, and would have us believe they have a solution – namely carbon capture and storage (CCS) 'readiness'.
CCS involves capturing the CO2 produced when coal (or gas) is burned, before it reaches the atmosphere, then storing it somewhere secure – usually in geological stores, such as empty oil and gas fields.
This technology has had limited use in Norway, but has not been demonstrated on a commercial scale, meaning that power companies proposing to use CCS can only state that their plants will be 'CCS ready', rather than having the technology installed from the outset.
It is clear that the UK needs to decarbonise its power sector dramatically if we are to contribute our fair share of the solution to combating climate change. WWF believes that we should only allow new coal-fired power stations to be built when they have effective CCS technology operating fully from the outset.
Find out more by reading our report Evading Capture.
New generation – old technology
At a time when the UK needs to vastly increase its capacity for power generation from renewable sources, there is a very real prospect that we will turn back to one of the dirtiest forms of electricity generation.
In 2007, the energy company E.On submitted proposals to build a 1600MW 'supercritical' coal-fired power station at the company's existing plant in Kingsnorth, Kent. 'Supercritical' plants emit around 15-20% less CO2 for each unit of power than older coal plants, but they are still about twice as carbon-intensive as the most efficient gas-powered power stations.
Unfortunately, Kingsnorth is not the only proposal for new unabated coal stations in the offing – there are further plants at various stages in the planning and approvals process across the country. The Business and Enterprise Secretary, John Hutton, is set to announce his decision on Kingsnorth later in the year. WWF fears that approval of Kingsnorth will open the door to rapid consent to the other new stations, locking the UK into another half century of high carbon emissions.
What you can do
WWF has been lobbying MPs to ensure the Energy Bill requires all new power stations to meet the 'California Standard'. This would set a simple cap on the amount of carbon any power station can emit per unit of electricity generated, regardless of the type of fuel used for generation.
You can support our efforts by calling on your MP to demand that a California-style emissions standard is included in the Energy Bill currently going through parliament.
Take Action - Write to your MP today.