Analysts have predicted that wholesale gas prices will continue to fall in 2016. While this seems like good news, will we see the knock on effect on business energy prices in the near future? Prices dropped as a mild winter in the UK meant a lower demand for energy along with lower prices globally thanks reduced demand […]
Energy prices hit five-year low. Will businesses profit?
News has just been released that wholesale gas and electricity prices hit a five-year low at the end of 2015 putting more pressure on suppliers to slash prices. Prices plummeted as a mild winter in the UK meant a lower demand for energy along with lower prices globally thanks to shale exploration and an attempt […]
Government spending review’s effect on business energy bills
Osborne has announced the Autumn spending review with some controversial changes to energy policies. The DECC’s budget is set to drop 22% over the next four years meaning hundreds of job losses. Osborne announced: “DECC will deliver £220m of resource savings by 2019-20 through efficiencies from pooling back office and corporate services, and reducing the […]
UK fracking on the rise but not in Scotland
It seems that government backing has helped to ramp up fracking planning as applications have risen. Ken Cronin, chief executive of UK Onshore Oil and Gas (UKOOG) has announced that he has “seen a significant increase in applications happening around the UK over the course of the last two or three months”. David Cameron has made […]
Shale fracking banned in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland’s environment minister Mark Durkan has banned shale fracking in the strategic planning policy statement (SPPS) for Northern Ireland. Durkan stated that this would not change unless the Department of the Environment is “satisfied that there is sufficient and robust evidence on all environmental impacts of fracking.” He said: “I have been consistently clear […]
UK government blasted over renewables cuts by Al Gore
Former US vice president Al Gore has been left “puzzled” by the recent cuts to renewables subsidies by the UK government. In their short time in power, the Renewables Obligation scheme has been scrapped, subsidies for wind farms and solar projects have prematurely ended, cut Climate Change Levy (CCL) exemptions and the Feed-in Tariff scheme […]
ECCC to review drop in renewables investment
The Energy and Climate Change select committee (ECCC) has agreed to investigate whether there has been a drop in investor confidence towards the energy market since the entrance of the new government. ECCC chair Angus MacNeil said: “Energy projects like offshore wind farms and nuclear power stations can take years from planning to completion, so […]
UK coal gasification gets planning go ahead
Despite the unknown impact on the environment and public health, the government has issued over 30 licenses allowing developers to plan coal gasification projects. The process, which resembles shale fracking, has been criticised after a lack of UK commercial testing, so much so, that Scotland have already vetoed it pending a public health impact assessment […]
DECC to shut down coal plants by 2023
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) will vow to shut down all coal-fired power plants by 2023. The UK still has 10 remaining coal-fired power stations and these will either be closed or converted to alternative fuels. This came about after the EU Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) ordered plants to reduce the amount of […]
Government back new nuclear energy plant project
Controversial nuclear plant project, Hinkley Point C is being backed by the government, with Chancellor George Osborne pledging a £2 billion credit guarantee towards the investment. The plant, despite having hit plenty of obstacles including public opposition, is being backed by Chinese firms, sealing an “unprecedented” collaboration between the UK and China. The deal will […]