A French union has published a set of last-minute challenges to EDF over its plans to build an £18bn nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset, with just days to go before an expected final investment decision. People close to the deal said they expected the decision about whether the project would go ahead to happen […]
The French energy group EDF has postponed giving final approval to the construction of a new £18bn nuclear power plant in Somerset as the board attempts to reassure unions and private investors about the deal. People close to the company confirmed on Tuesday that the final investment decision to build a station at Hinkley Point would not be taken […]
For many years, carbon capture and storage (CCS) — trapping carbon emissions as they are emitted by power stations and industrial installations and storing them underground — has been hailed as vital to helping decarbonise the economics of energy. The circumstances are stark, says Luke Warren, chief executive of the Carbon Capture and Storage Association: “If you […]
Drax Group Plc fell to the lowest in almost three weeks after the European Union said it will investigate the U.K.’s plans to support conversion of a coal-powered unit to biomass amid concerns that the aid may overcompensate the company. The probe will focus on U.K. estimates for the Drax plant’s economic performance, which “may […]
The majority of UK coal plants have refused to sign up to a scheme that would have seen them close automatically, meaning that the government will probably have to step in to force them to shut. Amber Rudd, energy secretary, has promised to close all British coal plants by 2025, making the UK the first country to […]
The price of oil has plummeted since June 2014 and last week fell to its lowest level for 11 years. Natural gas prices, which are linked to oil prices, have been falling too. And in many countries, such as the US, the cost of coal has been dropping for a while. Many analysts think prices will remain low […]
Storage — whether of grain or of knowledge through the printed word — has been a crucial element in human development. Of all the many technical advances that are transforming the energy business none is potentially more important than storage: it give us the ability to control the way, and crucially the timing, of energy […]
Scotland has declared an early success in its battle to meet ambitious green energy targets, with renewable power hitting the equivalent of almost half of electricity demand north of the border. The Scottish government had set an interim target of 50 per cent of gross consumption of electricity to come from renewables by 2015, with […]
