RE: Dr Alan Whitehead MP (Lab) - debate on energy trilemma24 Mar 2023 11:14
AW said it may be that hydrocarbons brought into the UK are more carbon intensive than UK’s but they are still… hydrocarbons. He added that with what decided, yes, O&G is needed but in far far smaller quantities than now. He said we need to have the right use for O&G in the future energy economy and then make sure as much is UK produced and not imported but the total amount to be compatible with the net zero goal. David Duguid (Cons) then said it was good to hear AW thought there there was a gap (in O&G required) and that he (AW) agreed this must be closed and the UK not be dependent on foreign imports. AW replied that in the long term there had to be a reduction and the answer was not to simply increase O&G production as this would be incompatible for the long-term future. A smiling Kieren Mullan then said he was pleased to hear AW say he agreed the UK should do as much as possible of its own energy production in the meantime, during the transition, and asked if that was Labour’s official position while still got to be using O&G. AW replied saying what he said was the UK should try to make sure a reduced amount, in the end, that we have of O&G use in our system is as indigenous as can be, but this did not mean we increase O&G production overall. As said, it felt to me that DW was struggling to skirt around the fact that even with reduced O&G use it will be needed for “a long time” and that it was best the UK produced as much as possible of what it needs. Even the use of the word “indigenous” felt he did not want to be clear. In the end he did though, effectively. acknowledge this, and that causes a mis-match with Labour policy of now more O&G licences. The EPL is also a mistatch with this requirement now acknowledged by both parties.
AW then said we need to make sure what we are doing for our energy provision for the future on our route to net zero is indeed secure and affordable. He said he thought, hoped, we are on track on the target for making sure our energy economy should be based, as far as power is concerned, pretty wholly on renewables by 2030”. He added that the official government target for this is 2035. By “power” I assume he means electricity. I cannot see 2030 as being a realistic target.
AW continued saying the variables needed to be considered, with regards to the energy trilemma, but more O&G was not the solution, but instead things such as more storage, flexible use, especially since… we now know that renewable energy is the cheapest form of energy there is, at the moment, so on the affordability criterion we really are making progress on that front.
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