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You can find news, hot topics and information about the latest energy issues here, along with links to BERR Energy Press Notices, speeches, and new publications:
Ed Miliband, the new Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, today welcomed the creation of a new department to tackle the twin challenges of energy security and climate change.
Ministers today said that they will continue with their fight against fuel poverty, as Environment Secretary Hilary Benn holds meetings with energy suppliers and the home insulation industry to discuss how to speed up work on increasing energy efficiency in the UK’s homes.
The pledge comes as Defra and BERR jointly published the Sixth Annual Progress Report for the UK Fuel Poverty Strategy, and follows the recent announcement of a £1 billion Home Energy Saving Programme to increase fuel efficiency and help for vulnerable households.
Energy Trends and Quarterly Energy Prices publications are published today 25 September by the Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform. Energy Trends covers statistics on energy production and consumption, in total and by fuel, and provides an analysis of the year on year changes. The September edition of Energy Trends also includes articles on: “Renewable energy in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the regions of England in 2007” and “CHP in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the regions of England in 2007”. Quarterly Energy Prices covers prices to domestic and industrial consumers, prices of oil products and comparisons of international fuel prices.
The Government today welcomed EDF's proposed £12.5 billion takeover offer for British Energy Group plc (British Energy) and the British Energy Board's recommendation of the offer to its shareholders. The Government has committed to accept the cash offer of 774p per share for its 36 per cent stake held by the Nuclear Liabilities Fund (NLF), subject to certain conditions.
UK Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks has today pledged the UK's support to help build Iraq's energy sector capacity, a sector that is vital to the country's economic development and reconstruction. Mr Wicks was speaking from Iraq at the end of a two day visit, made at the invitation of Iraqi oil minister Shahristani. The visit included a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki in Baghdad and also a visit to the Kurdish Regional Government.
The secretary of state, John Hutton, launched the Office for Nuclear Development (OND) on the 18 September and chaired the first meeting of the nuclear development forum.
The Government has today announced approval of a new power station in Cheshire fuelled by waste. The proposed plant has capacity to potentially take waste from Manchester, Merseyside, Halton, Cheshire and Warrington which would otherwise have gone to landfill.
The Government today unveiled a new strategy for the UK's manufacturing sector - 'New Challenges, New Opportunities' - to help UK firms take advantage of changing global trends in manufacturing.
Next year, a low carbon industrial strategy will address the challenges facing manufacturers as they try to reduce their carbon footprint and the huge opportunities from investment in energy and a shift to a low carbon economy. The Office of Nuclear Development will work with industry partners to develop the nuclear supply chain and maximise high value-added work captured by UK manufacturers from an estimated £20bn capital expenditure in nuclear. And a new Office for Renewable Energy Deployment will be established to address barriers to renewables deployment including helping to develop the UK supply chain. Nuclear and renewables alone could create up to 260,000 jobs over the next ten years.
The go ahead for one of the UK's largest offshore wind farms to date will be announced by the Prime Minister today, in a speech to business leaders.
The 500MW West of Duddon Sands wind farm is planned near Walney Island off the coast of Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria and will comprise of up to 139 turbines. The developers, Morecambe Wind Limited, estimate the wind farm could provide the equivalent of around 372,000 homes with clean, green electricity.
Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks has today given the go ahead to Thor Cogeneration Ltd to construct a 1,020MW gas-fired combined heat and power station at Seal sands, Teesside. He has also given deemed planning permission for the development having agreed planning conditions with Stockton on Tees Borough Council.
The Government's plans for a low carbon future took another step closer today as Energy Secretary John Hutton announced the approval of the UK's fourth largest offshore wind farm.
The Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics 2008 is published today (Thursday 31 July) by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. Included with the Digest this year is the popular booklet “UK Energy in Brief, and the Energy Flow Chart.
Data for 2007 in Energy Consumption in the United Kingdom are also released on 31 July, on the internet. This publication brings together statistics from a variety of sources, providing a comprehensive review of energy consumption in the UK since the 1970s.
In addition, UK Energy Sector Indicators are also released on 31 July.
A list of 10 proposed projects that could provide clean, green energy from the tide in the Severn Estuary is being considered. The list has been published at an event to discuss the progress of the feasibility study in Cardiff attended by organisations such as environmental groups, local businesses and councils.
Business Secretary John Hutton today confirmed the Government will establish a National Nuclear Laboratory, and launch a competition to appoint a commercial operator to run the organisation.
The detailed criteria and process for assessing where new nuclear power stations could safely and securely be built across England and Wales have been set out by the Government today.
The consultation on the Strategic Siting Assessment outlines the process the Government will use for identifying suitable sites for new nuclear power stations. The Government is proposing to invite third parties to nominate sites which it will then assess against a range of criteria.
Expansion in offshore wind could create up to 30,000 new jobs in manufacturing and bring £3 billion of investment to the North East, Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks will say during a visit to Gateshead and Northumberland.
BERR publishes the fifth annual report on progress towards the goals of the 2003 Energy White Paper today.
Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks said: "In the 2003 White Paper, we identified energy security and climate change as two of our key policy challenges. Five years on, these issues have emerged as among the foremost challenges of the 21st century for governments around the world.
"The goals set out in the 2003 White Paper are still entirely valid, and this annual report sets out our progress against them. Five years on, of course, we have also built on those goals, not least through the 2007 Energy White Paper, and in many areas we are going further and faster."
The full goals were (and remain): reducing carbon emissions, ensuring reliability of supply, maintaining competitive markets and combating fuel poverty.
The four bidders that have pre-qualified in the Government's carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstration competition were named by Business Secretary John Hutton today. He also announced publication of a consultation on the legislative framework for CCS, including carbon capture readiness.
Green energy blueprint to create 160,000 jobs
A national renewable energy blueprint designed to slash carbon emissions dramatically, reduce the UK's dependency on oil and gas and claim a valuable share of global green business opportunity was set out by Business Secretary John Hutton today.
Energy Trends and Quarterly Energy Prices publications are published today 26 June by the Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform. Energy Trends covers statistics on energy production and consumption, in total and by fuel, and provides an analysis of the year on year changes. The June edition of Energy Trends also includes articles on: "Renewable energy in 2007", and "Regional and local use of road transport fuels 2006". Quarterly Energy Prices covers prices to domestic and industrial consumers, prices of oil products and comparisons of international fuel prices.
The Renewables Advisory Board has reported that the UK could generate 14% of its total energy from renewables by 2020 if a set of identified radical policy changes are put into effect quickly. Recommendations include accelerating grid studies, streamlined consenting processes, early introduction of revised support mechanisms and, most importantly, strong political leadership.
The Energy Minister, Malcolm Wicks, has today given the go ahead to Helius Energy plc to construct a 65 MW biomass power station near Stallingborough in North East Lincolnshire.
A landmark agreement has been reached between Government and industry which aims to remove aviation and radar barriers to the major expansion of wind energy that has been outlined by Business Secretary John Hutton.
The UK is a leader in a new global nuclear investment 'league table' and looks set to attract the world's leading energy companies to build its next generation of nuclear power stations, research commissioned by Business Secretary John Hutton has found.
Raft of new Government measures to help vulnerable consumers and especially the elderly make their homes warmer and more energy efficient announced.
Business Secretary John Hutton outlined plans for increased North Sea oil production today, as he gave the green light for two new field developments, changes to the North Sea licensing system and announced record interest in the latest licensing rounds.
Work to determine the potential of a tidal energy generator in the Severn Estuary is continuing with the appointment of a consortium led by consulting firm Parsons Brinckerhoff who will manage the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA).
Cutting edge technology from the United States that uses gas from an extinct volcano to extract more oil from mature fields is to be examined by UK Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks.
UK Business Secretary John Hutton will visit Scotland today for talks following the two day industrial action by Unite workers at the Ineos Grangemouth site. The strike action ended today at 7am.
Households struggling to pay their fuel bills are set to receive significant extra help with the cost of warming their homes. The money is being provided by domestic energy suppliers in a deal brokered by Energy Secretary John Hutton following last month's Budget.
The UK is continuing to lead the world in marine renewables technology as the Secretary of State for Energy, John Hutton, grants planning permission for a prototype tidal stream generator to be tested in the Humber Estuary near Grimsby.
The nuclear industry has been invited today to bring forward new reactor designs for a Justification Decision, an important stage in getting the first new nuclear build started in the UK.
An overhaul of the Government's Low Carbon Building Programme (LCBP) will see more generous grants for schools and public buildings, while the £10 million support still available to householders will be extended until 2010 for new applications.
Energy Trends and Quarterly Energy Prices publications are published today by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. Energy Trends covers statistics on energy production and consumption, in total and by fuel, and provides an analysis of the year on year changes. Quarterly Energy Prices covers prices to domestic and industrial consumers, prices of oil products and comparisons of international fuel prices.
The Fuel Poverty Advisory Group (FPAG) today published its Annual Report for 2007. In it, FPAG welcomes the Government’s recent announcements in the Budget about the expansion of the energy suppliers’ social programmes and about prices for prepayment customers.
The Prime Minister will today award the first Bevin Boy Badges to a group of 27 Bevin Boys, invited to Downing Street for a special presentation ceremony.
Plans for sites owned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) to be made available to developers were welcomed today by Business Secretary John Hutton.
Energy companies were invited today to bring forward plans to build and operate new nuclear power stations as part of the UK’s strategy for a secure, diverse, low carbon energy mix.
The Government’s response to its nuclear consultation, in the form of a White Paper, was published alongside the Energy Bill which sets out a range of measures to address the twin challenges of tackling climate change and securing energy supplies.
Earlier press releases can be found on the Central Office of Information (COI): News Distribution Services website.
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