Cumbria County Council has agreed its response to the DTI’s Energy Review Green Paper following a full council meeting in Kendal today.
The county council recommends that:
- An energy mix using a variety of power generating schemes should be adopted rather than relying too heavily on one particular energy source.
- The Government must encourage home-grown energy supplies, rather than relying on energy importation.
- The key goals for Government should be sustainability and energy efficiency.
- The Government needs to place more investment in the development of renewables technology and production.
- On the issue of nuclear new build, the question of disposal of nuclear waste needs to be determined before a commitment is made to build new nuclear power plants.
The experience of the past 50 years, where decommissioning and waste management liabilities have not been recognised until recently, is not a sound basis on which to commence a new programme of construction.
The council said any decision by the Government on nuclear new build must follow a decision based on CoRWM’s recommendations on Intermediate and High Level Waste management and the Low Level Waste Policy Review.
The response to the Energy Review also highlighted the following points on nuclear energy:
- Safety has to be paramount. Government must ensure that the commercial pressures on companies do not appear to undermine the commitment of regulators and professionals within the industry for safe working. This must include providing a commercial incentive for long-term safe working practices.
- Nuclear should only feature as part of a diverse range of supplies. No one source of power should dominate in the national picture. Where one source of supply, such as gas in recent years, becomes the supply of choice the nation becomes vulnerable to changes in market conditions affecting that supply source.
- There should be strong community involvement in the selection of sites for nuclear facilities. It is vital both that there is full public consultation on the choice of location for new facilities and that there is transparency in the operation of the plant.
“The nation can learn from our experience in dealing with the nuclear legacy left by a previous generation. But the Government needs to determine its policy on the disposal of nuclear waste before making decisions on whether or not to construct new nuclear power plants,” said Councillor Tim Heslop, cabinet member responsible for nuclear issues.
“The ready supply of cheap energy which we have come to expect over the last 75 years can no longer be taken for granted. This review will be critical to Cumbria. Whatever measures or combination of measures the Government decides on will affect this county –be it renewables, fossil fuels or nuclear,” said Councillor Heslop.
As well as nuclear power, the response to the Energy Review considers a wide range of potential energy sources:
- Wind power: There are currently 11 wind farms in Cumbria providing around 43MW of electricity each year. A further 4 schemes (21MW) have planning consent. Together, these could meet the electricity needs of 35,600 households or around 17% of all households in Cumbria.
However, there are concerns about the environmental impact of the growing number of wind farms in Cumbria and it is unlikely that we will be able to meet our long-term energy needs solely by wind energy. Indeed there is a strongly held view that Cumbria has provided too high a proportion of existing wind generation schemes.
- Hydro power: This is recognised as a renewable resource and attracts support from central Government under the Renewables Obligation scheme and the financial incentives delivered by the carbon trust schemes. Cumbria should not miss out on the opportunity to encourage development of this clean energy resource.
- Wave and tidal power schemes: There’s considerable potential for tidal and wave energy to contribute to the UK energy supply, but it is hindered by the high initial cost of schemes. There is, therefore, the need to take a long-term view to reap the greatest benefits.
- Energy Recovery from Waste: Government suggests that Energy from Waste (EfW) could account for some 27% of the municipal waste stream by 2020, compared to 9% at present. In order to meet tough landfill diversion targets, combat climate change, and meet energy demand through secure and sustainable supply, the Government needs to take urgent action on the commissioning of plants and technologies, showing their recognition of the important contribution of energy from waste to the UK’s energy mix.
The county council and districts are making concerted efforts to encourage waste reduction and increase re-use and recycling. However, even if 50% of waste is recycled (as achieved in much of Europe, compared to England’s present performance of 23%), the residual municipal and other waste could be a significant source of biomass.
Our residual waste in the UK has the energy equivalent of 5 million tonnes of coal –after using recoverable materials like paper for other purposes. Other wastes, such as wood, could double that energy value. Energy from waste could therefore replace up to the equivalent of one-third of the coal used to generate electricity in the UK and, in theory, easily satisfy Government’s 2010 target of 10% of electricity generated from renewable sources.
The County Council has not yet committed to a particular technology but, if a waste management contractor using direct energy from waste or producing refuse derived fuels from other processes is selected, the energy deriving from that should be included in any calculations of energy requirements and assessment of alternative methods of energy generation.