Energy

Faced with an uncertain energy future, Britain’s businesses are voting with their feet.  As we have reported on this site in recent days, supermarket giant Sainsbury’s is planning to generate all of its own energy from biogas, while confectionery manufacturer, Mars aims to operate all 12 of its UK plants …

Pension funds are putting pressure on ExxonMobil to start telling its shareholders how climate change will affect the oil giant’s business, according to Ben Walsh at the Huffington Post: “The California public employee pension fund and the New York City pension fund, which together manage $433 billion in investments, told …

Low oil prices and uncertainty over climate change policy is making an impact on energy companies in the Arctic, according to Helle Abelvik-Lawson at Greenpeace: “Shell, Eni, ConocoPhillips and Iona Energy have surrendered a total of 350 oil drilling leases covering more than 2 million acres of the Arctic Ocean.  …

British energy supplies fell below critical levels on Monday night as several UK power stations broke down, according to Kiran Stacey in the Financial Times: “Power prices jumped to £1,250 per megawatt hour at one point as the company that runs the UK’s electricity network rushed to make sure there …

Following accusations of hypocrisy in the French media, energy minister, Segolene Royal is discussing with French parliament a potential ban on the import of U.S. shale gas. France has banned shale gas exploration using hydraulic fracking for environmental reasons.  However, this has not prevented French energy companies importing liquid natural …

Mars is the latest company to choose to generate its own electricity rather than continue to rely upon the UK’s increasingly creaky National Grid.  Its deal with windfarm generator Eneco means that all 12 Mars plants in the UK will be powered by renewable energy.  Keith Findlay at Energy Voice …

Last week’s elections provided the government with an ideal opportunity to bury bad news.  Most obvious was the botched attempt to hide the U-turn over compulsory academy schools that took centre stage in George Osborne’s Budget.  Less obvious was the panicked announcement that £38 is to be added to everyone’s …

News that the government has set up another review into the proposed tidal lagoon in Swansea Bay is further evidence that neither the UK nor the Welsh governments has even the first inkling of the energy crisis that is set to hit the UK. Anyone taking the slightest interest in …

“The move by Sainsbury’s is further evidence that the current UK government is on the wrong side of history.” UK supermarket giant Sainsbury’s has lost faith in the Government’s ability to keep the lights on according to Emily Gosden at the Telegraph: “Paul Crewe, a senior executive at the supermarket …

The latest Ofgem figures for electricity generation by technology type contain both good and bad news for environmental campaigners. The good news is that total energy generation – which follows consumption patterns – has been trending down since 2008; most probably as a result ofBritain’s sluggish economic performance since the …