Studying three scenarios for the phaseout of coal-fired energy generation, United Kingdom conservationist think tank Bright Blue concluded Tuesday that “[p]hasing out coal will not undermine the security of the UK’s energy supply.”
In a report released Tuesday, the group studied a “base case” under which low- and no-carbon energy generation grows according to market expectations and coal power ends by 2025 as required by the nation’s current environmental policy; a “low stress” case under which low and no-carbon energy generation grows faster than current expectations and many coal plants are voluntarily shut down before 2025; and a “high stress” case under which build-out of low- and no-carbon technology is slower than anticipated and all coal plants close by 2020. “Under all scenarios, the lights stay on,” the report says.
As a result of these findings, the group recommended that the U.K. accelerate the phaseout of coal, as doing so would not cause power reliability issues. “There are significant carbon and air pollution benefits of phasing coal out sooner, rather than later. We believe that the 2025 target should be brought forward to at least 2023 to give investors greater certainty, particularly those planning new gas capacity. This can be achieved without threatening security of supply,” the report says.
