The Government’s Energy Security Strategy published today [7 April] commits to significant acceleration of hydrogen, with a doubling of the target from 5GW to 10GW by 2030, a new licensing round for North Sea oil and gas and significant acceleration of nuclear investment.
Ged Barlow, Chief Executive of Net Zero North West:
“Net Zero North West members recently revealed they are facing a collective energy bill of up to £1 billion in 2022 – a projected increase of around 65% since 2020. The current challenges only serve to highlight why we need an integrated and resilient net zero energy strategy in the UK, which will help to protect us against pressures such as increasing energy prices while enabling the transition to net zero.
“Today’s strategy recognises the role that natural gas will continue to play and that producing it in the UK has a lower carbon footprint than imported from abroad. It is an important transition fuel and shouldn’t be demonised. Reaching net zero is a journey and we will require carbon capture and blue hydrogen to get us there. This does not mean a step back from net zero. In fact, we suggest that the additional tax income from more UK produced natural gas could be used to fund the transition to net zero.
“However, gas is very much part of a transition strategy. A net zero future will require a range of low carbon technologies – including renewables, nuclear, hydrogen and ammonia – to provide energy security for the future.
“We’d previously called for more ambitious hydrogen targets so welcome the Government’s plans to double hydrogen production with HyNet North West able to deliver a significant proportion of this. However we need the correct pricing policy to support it. We also welcome the commitment to more nuclear, however alongside fission and small modular reactors, we also need to lay the foundations for nuclear fusion including prototype sites such as Moorside, Cumbria in the North West.
“The commitment to more jobs is also welcome although more detail is needed on how we create the skills to deliver on this ambition and ensure these opportunities are kept in the UK.”
Headshot of Ged attached and interviews available on request.
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