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Electricity imports from Europe exceeded generation from Britain’s nuclear fleet over the first three months of the year. The new quarterly first came as nuclear output fell to a 40-year low due to multiple concurrent outages and a series of closures in recent years.
1 year ago
The government has been warned about the risks of ‘radical’ changes to the CfD (Contracts for Difference) regime by solar developers. Solar Energy UK raises concerns that introducing uncertainty by reforming the low carbon generation support scheme will reduce investor confidence.
The government has rejected pressure from MPs to set longer term targets for deploying floating offshore wind farms, saying that to do so would not be sensible. It follows calls from the House of Commons Welsh Affairs Committee for the UK government to set a target for offshore wind deployment by 2045.
The UK government has been warned that it risks losing the workforce it needs to meet its net zero ambitions. The Committee on Climate Change has urged the government to take action to “defend its competitive advantage in Net Zero sectors like hydrogen and carbon capture”. Failing to do so will see workers leave the UK for countries in Europe or the USA, where there is a clear plan for the creation of net zero jobs.
The UK risks “generational” damage to its industrial base unless it can offer the “right mix” of stable energy policies, the director general of the Confederation of Paper Industries has warned.
Sizewell B has begun generating again following the completion of an £80 million upgrade. The Suffolk nuclear plant has been offline since the middle of February. In that time, the plant has undergone refuelling and a series of maintenance works. This included replacing one of the two rotors that are responsible for turning the turbine that makes the power, replacement of one of the four reactor coolant pumps inside the plant’s dome and routine servicing of valves and motors.
