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New Energy World™
New Energy World™ embraces the whole energy industry as it connects and converges to address the decarbonisation challenge. It covers progress being made across the industry, from the dynamics under way to reduce emissions in oil and gas, through improvements to the efficiency of energy conversion and use, to cutting-edge initiatives in renewable and low-carbon technologies.
Addressing capacity constraints in the UK energy transition
3/7/2024
8 min read
Feature
The UK is facing daunting challenges on the cusp of the energy transition. As the UK phases out ageing nuclear reactors and plans the closure of its final coal-fired power station, there is potential for a substantial shortfall in baseload electricity generation capacity. Gavin Bollan, Technical Director at consultancy ITPEnergised, explores the pressing issues accompanying the transition.
Due to the age of many of the UK’s nuclear facilities, the government is in the process of decommissioning older sites, which will soon strip about 5–6 GW of stable base-load power from the British grid. With many of the UK’s power stations being decommissioned during the next decade, other sources of renewable energy may not be able to ensure sufficient supply, meaning we will need to use more gas-fired generation capacity. Simultaneously, the cessation of coal-fired power, while aligning with our environmental objectives, heightens the capacity gap.
The UK’s transition from these traditional power sources will require significant investments in new technologies and infrastructure to ensure a stable energy supply.
When you combine these scenarios with the current state of the UK nuclear fleet, there is great cause for concern. Five of the UK’s nuclear power stations are currently generating electricity, while three are in the defuelling phase – the last stage of their operational lifecycle before decommissioning.