The UK government policies to move towards Net-Zero emissions by 2050 depend on the electrification of transport, home heating and industrial processes. So the secure generation of electricity is an essential requirement.
During the recent cold spells in the UK the electricity grid has been heavily dependent on gas-fired power stations to satisfy the demand. For example on the 12th December 2022 [1] of the 44GW of demand 2.7% was provided by wind and solar power whilst over 70% by gas and nuclear powered stations. Renewables such as wind and solar are an important part of the energy mix but they cannot meet the demand when there is little wind on uniformly cold and hot days.
So in the near future we will need gas-fired power stations to meet the demand during these periods. How can we do this and reduce the emissions? One way is to use Carbon Capture [2] technology, where carbon dioxide emitted from power stations is captured and stored or reused. This is a well proven technology which needs to be a key part of the energy investment program in the near term.
Until we have some other energy form which can replace gas to provide reliable on-demand electricity then we must retain it and invest in it to reduce the emissions.