Europe | Deeds not words
The UK government is being urged to act upon its bold ambitions in relation to energy storage and tidal power potential
IF IT IS SET to deliver what has been described as its “bold and ambitious” target of achieving clean power by 2030, two of the UK’s energy trade bodies say the government must deploy essential long duration electricity storage (LDES) at pace alongside renewable generation.
Above: Kate Gilmartin, CEO of the British Hydropower Association, with Ian Murray, the Secretary of State for Scotland. By prioritising the cap and floor mechanism, Gilmartin says positive signals can be sent to international investors, triggering large-scale capital projects and job creation
Below: Pumped storage hydro at Cruachan Dam, in Argyll and Bute. A new 600MW underground plant is set to be constructed near Drax’s existing Cruachan facility, and will be the UK’s first pumped storage hydro scheme in 40 years
Right: Llyn Stwlan Reservoir Dam in Gwynedd, Wales
In a joint open letter, co-signed by all major developers of pumped storage hydropower in the UK, the British Hydropower Association (BHA) and Scottish Renewables called upon the government to urgently introduce a ‘cap and floor mechanism’ for LDES. This will enable the delivery of more than 9GW of projects in the pumped storage pipeline, several of which are shovel ready. As Claire Mack, Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables explained, a lack of policy support has meant that no new pumped storage capacity has been built in the UK for over 40 years. By urgently delivering this cap and floor mechanism, she says the government has an opportunity to put an end to years of delay and uncertainty and unlock the investment required for these projects to play their crucial role in enabling Britain to become a clean energy superpower.
Ian Murray MP, the Secretary of State for Scotland,
recently indicated that the UK Government understood the importance of cap and floor and said it “was key” to securing investment in new projects. “With economic growth and renewable energy at the centre of the new government’s agenda, there is an opportunity to demonstrate a step-change in decision-making after years of delay and uncertainty,” adds Kate Gilmartin, CEO of the British Hydropower Association. “By prioritising the urgent delivery of a cap and floor mechanism, we can send positive signals to international investors and trigger large-scale capital projects and job creation.”
To enable its delivery, the industry is urging the UK government to commit to:
Establishing a policy framework by the end of 2024, with a consultation on the scheme’s detailed design in early autumn.
Opening the first application window for LDES technologies in early 2025 at the latest.
No regrets Deeds not words are what’s needed if the government
is to meet its target of decarbonising the grid by 2030, the BHA adds. Speaking about the potential for marine energy, the association’s CEO recently said pragmatic and sustained political will is vital if the UK is not to be left behind by other countries who will seize the supply chain, employment, and other opportunities connected to tidal range developments and energy decarbonisation. There also needs to be more clarity from the government on how it expects to, as it has previously stated, either “unleash” or “aggressively explore” tidal energy, especially tidal range. The BHA is calling for this clarity, with a commitment to developing a roadmap for the development of tidal range within the UK.
With 20GW of potential energy, tidal range is a “no
regrets opportunity” for the UK’s energy sector, Kate Gilmartin says. These intergenerational assets will give 120 years or more of timetabled energy generation and could form the long-term cornerstone of a decarbonised grid, fit for the future. “With the UK spending £117billon on imported
energy in 2022, it can’t afford not to use our natural resources to maximise energy generation and meet the energy trilemma requirements of: energy security, energy sustainability and energy affordability,” the CEO of the BHA added.
22 | October 2024 |
www.waterpowermagazine.com
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