Weekend press round-up: Government sets up secret ‘green nudge unit’

Avonmouth explosion: Boy, 16, among four workers killed

A 16-year-old boy was among four workers killed in an explosion at a waste water treatment works.

Teenager Luke Wheaton, Michael James, 64, Brian Vickery, 63, and Raymond White, 57, died in the blast in Avonmouth, Bristol. A fifth person injured is recovering at home.

It happened at 11:20 GMT on Thursday in a silo that treated biosolids.

Wessex Water said it was working with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to investigate the cause of the blast.

It is understood Mr James was a contractor working at the site, while Mr Vickery and Mr White were employees of Wessex Water and Luke was an apprentice at the firm.

Luke was a former pupil at Bradley Stoke Community School in Bristol and had recently started an apprenticeship at the plant.

In a post on Facebook, the school said it was “shocked and saddened” to hear of the “tragic passing of our former student Luke Wheaton”.

“Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time,” it added.

North Bristol Rugby Football Club also paid tribute to the teenager on Twitter, saying his death was “absolutely heartbreaking”.

“Such terribly sad news that one of our Colts, Luke Wheaton was tragically lost in the accident in Avonmouth yesterday morning,” it said.

“All of our love and thoughts to Luke’s family, team mates, coaches and everyone else that knew him.”

A witness reported hearing a “very loud explosion” that “shook buildings” and another said they saw about 10 ambulances driving to the scene.

Avon and Somerset Police declared a major incident in the immediate aftermath.

Supt Simon Brickwood said he wanted to “extend my heartfelt sympathies to the families of those involved”.

“We appreciate the impact this incident has had on the local community and we thank those affected for their patience while our investigative work is carried out,” he said.

“This is likely to be ongoing for some time and we will be keeping the victims’ families informed throughout.”

Formal identification of the victims is yet to take place and post-mortem examinations are under way, police said.

Investigators are due to speak to the fifth victim when it is appropriate to do so.

Colin Skellett, chief executive of Wessex Water, said the firm was “absolutely devastated” by what had happened.

“Our hearts go out to the family, friends and colleagues of those who lost their lives during the tragic event on Thursday,” he said.

“I know from the thoughts and comments I have received from so many, that this has affected the whole Wessex Water family.

“We are determined to find out what happened and why and we will work with the relevant authorities to do just that.”

BBC News

Government sets up secret ‘green nudge unit’ to persuade Britons to install smart meters, drive less and cut down on meat

The Government has established an environmental ‘nudge unit’ to work out how to persuade people into green behaviours such as driving less and cutting down on meat.

The team was set up in April this year because of a recognition that the next phase of decarbonising will require much more personal behaviour change.

The 45 per cent cut in emissions already achieved since 1990 has come mostly from the phase-out of coal and its replacement with renewable energy such as offshore wind.

Boris Johnson on Friday set the UK one of the world’s most ambitious targets to cut emissions, by 68 per cent within the next decade, up from a previous target of 61 per cent.

The new ‘behaviour change and public engagement team’, which is working from inside the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy department, is focused on how to get public buy-in for further emissions cuts, which will be targeted at what we eat and how we travel and heat our homes.

BEIS will also work to ensure that green policies do not unfairly impact one area of society.

The Government has not made any calculations for how much reaching net zero will cost, but the NAO said it could ultimately reach hundreds of billions. The cost of inaction would be far greater.

The head of the unit is Gervase Poulden, a former environmental journalist and committed vegan.

Its existence was revealed in a report this week from the National Audit Office, which warned that the UK faced a “colossal challenge” in reaching its legally binding goal to be net zero by 2050.

The Government’s policies have so far been dismissed as inadequate. The 10-point green plan unveiled last month would leave emissions at 5 per cent below even the previous reduction target, according to analysis by energy consultancy Aurora.

One of the trickiest areas will be to improve energy efficiency and switch heating systems in the UK’s draughty homes.

Installing a heat pump is expected to cost between £8000 and £17000.  A £2bn Green Homes Grant to encourage insulation measures has so far had fewer than 300 successful applicants.

The widespread uptake of smart meters will also be needed to help handle increased electricity demand from heating and cars.

The 10-point plan included the ban of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 but experts, including figures from the car industry, this week warned there would also need to be a significant reduction in the amount of traffic on the roads.

Dr Steve Melia, senior lecturer in transport and planning at the University of the West of England told MPs on the Environmental Audit Committee that “if we are going to achieve these carbon budgets, we’ve got to be significantly reducing traffic.”

He pointed to targets of between 20-60 per cent reduction.

Konstanze Scharring, director of policy and government affairs at the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders was asked whether traffic level reductions would be necessary.

She said: “I think absolutely we need to look at all methods of reducing the impact of road transport.”

Daily Telegraph

Alok Sharma could lose role in reshuffle ahead of climate change summit

Boris Johnson’s rumoured New Year reshuffle could see Alok Sharma sacked from either of his roles as Business Secretary and president of the COP26 climate conference, The Telegraph understands.

Downing Street insiders are concerned that Mr Sharma cannot manage both his jobs at the same time, risking the UK’s reputation on the world stage when it hosts the UN climate conference in November next year.

A source claimed he was likely to be replaced in a reshuffle early in the New Year, which Mr Johnson is considering in an attempt to “reset” the Government after the departure of his former chief adviser, Dominic Cummings.

Alternatively, Mr Sharma could remain as Business Secretary but lose the COP26 portfolio, which could then be elevated to a Cabinet-level appointment, the source suggested.

Allegra Stratton, the Prime Minister’s press secretary, this week said there were no imminent plans for a reshuffle, telling reporters: “He is happy with his top team, and as far as I know there is no reshuffle planned just now and there is plenty to be getting on with.”

One MP said backbenchers were worried about a shortage of “big beasts” in the Cabinet, with key roles instead occupied by people there “for the wrong reasons”.

Mr Sharma was an early supporter of Mr Johnson in last year’s leadership race and was rewarded with the now-defunct international development brief, followed by the business department.

The COP26 presidency was awarded to Mr Sharma after the sacking of Claire O’Neill, a former energy minister.

Mrs O’Neill this week joined calls for former Prime Ministers and Foreign Secretaries to be recruited as ambassadors for the conference, accusing Mr Johnson of taking a “cavalier attitude” towards its organisation.

David Cameron and William Hague have both been approached to be ambassadors, but declined to be involved.

Former Prime Minister Theresa May was asked to take the helm of the conference last October but turned the role down amid reports that she did not want to work with Mr Cummings. His departure may mean she could now join the COP26 team.

Downing Street officials are understood to have been rattled by the appointment of John Kerry, a former US Secretary of State, as Joe Biden’s climate envoy.

“The penny is dropping in Number 10 that to make this happen you need the right personality,” an MP said.

Sunday Telegraph

Switching all boilers to hydrogen ‘is impractical’

The country would need 30 times as much offshore wind farm capacity to produce enough “green” hydrogen to replace all natural-gas boilers, the government’s official adviser says.

Chris Stark, chief executive of the Climate Change Committee, said that converting all gas heating systems to clean-burning hydrogen was “unwieldy and impractical” because of the difficulty of producing enough of it.

More than 80 per cent of homes have gas boilers that emit carbon dioxide and will need to be replaced by 2050 to reduce emissions to “net zero”. In a green strategy last month the government said that it was leaving open “the choice as to whether we ultimately pursue hydrogen heating, an electrified heating system or a mixture of both”.

This week the committee is due to publish analysis that Mr Stark said would include dates by which gas boilers must cease to be sold and used.

Proponents of hydrogen say that it offers a route to decarbonising homes with minimum disruption to consumers, since gas boilers and cookers could be replaced with hydrogen ones that operate in much the same way. Gas networks are also pushing for the option because it could prevent their pipeline networks becoming obsolete.

Mr Stark told The Times that while he saw a role for pure hydrogen heating in some places, electrified heating such as heat pumps that draw warmth from the environment would need to be “the bedrock of the transition”, in large part because of the challenge of making enough hydrogen.

The Times

Utility Week’s weekend press round-up is a curation of articles in the national newspapers relating to the energy and water sector. The views expressed are not those of Utility Week or Faversham House.