The Telegraph: Three strategies to strengthen UK gas infrastructure resilience
Natural gas makes an important contribution to UK energy supplies. In 2011, it accounted for 29 per cent of the energy consumed in the UK – second only to petroleum. 40 per cent of our electricity comes from gas-fired power plants and over 20 million households rely on gas for their heating and hot water.
The future role of gas is increasingly contested, particularly for power generation. It is a key focus within debates about how to meet the UK’s energy policy goals of climate change mitigation, energy security, and affordability. So, what contribution should gas make to our energy needs, and how will this affect our energy security?
For some, most notably oil and gas companies and the Chancellor George Osborne, gas is the fuel of the future. It the cleanest of the fossil fuels, and is likely to be plentiful and cheap. The advent of unconventional ‘shale gas’ has reinforced this view. There are hopes that the low gas prices that have resulted from the development of shale gas in the United States could be replicated here.