politics

14 Apr 24

Getting the Grid to Net Zero

Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

It’s late in the afternoon of 2 April 2023 on the island of Kauai. The sun is sinking over this beautiful and peaceful place, when, suddenly, at 4:25 pm, there’s a glitch: The largest generator on the island, a 26-megawatt oil-fired turbine, goes offline. This is a more urgent problem…

16 Nov 23

UK to pay 66 per cent more for offshore wind energy after failed auction

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

Contracts for Difference (CFD) auctions invite companies to bid to develop renewable energy projects in the UK and give them a guaranteed minimum price for the electricity they will generate. The system also means that if electricity prices in the future rise above that level, the companies pay the excess…

09 Nov 23

Governments ‘doubling down’ on fossil fuels despite climate change goals

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

The major new report from the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and other climate bodies found that 2030 production levels are 69 per cent more than what would be consistent with a less ambitious 2°C warming scenario. 151 national governments have pledged to achieve net zero…

06 Nov 23

UK faces £615bn shortfall in infrastructure spending by 2030

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

According to a report by the ABI, the UK will need around £1.3tn to meet its infrastructure goals, but only £700bn in funding is currently secured from a mixture of public and private sources, leaving a £615bn shortfall. The areas most in need of additional investment include onshore and offshore…

30 Oct 23

UK approves 27 new licences in North Sea to begin drilling for oil

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) said the licences were approved for projects that have the potential to go into production more quickly than others. Climate scientists have warned that the expansion in North Sea oil drilling will do little to lower bills or improve security in the near term,…

20 Oct 23

Public unconvinced by smart meter roll-out, report finds

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

In a new report, the PAC said that the roll-out had failed to meet its original targets and has repeatedly shifted its deadlines for completion. It also said that consumers with traditional meters are less interested in having a smart meter. Reports of forced switching of consumers to smart meters…

13 Oct 23

Households face higher bills due to relaxation of climate targets, experts say

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

Last month, Sunak reduced ambitions on a raft of green policies, including pushing back the ban on the sales of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 to 2035; phasing out 80 per cent of new gas boilers, rather than all of them, by 2035; delaying the ban on off-grid…

10 Oct 23

Labour promises railway and energy reforms if it wins the next election

Electrical, Electronics & Instrumentation, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

Speaking at the party’s conference in Liverpool, shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh confirmed that plans announced under former leader Jeremy Corbyn to return the UK’s train system to public ownership have not been dropped under Keir Starmer. “There is no point offering infrastructure announcements of investment unless we radically reform…

04 Oct 23

Sunak axes northern leg of HS2, but promises billions for transport links

Civil, Structural & Architecture, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

After weeks of speculation, Sunak confirmed the scrapping of “the rest of the HS2 project” during his closing speech at the Conservative Party conference, held in a former train station in Manchester. Sunak explained his decision to scrap any HS2 connection that is not in the London–Birmingham leg as a…

25 Sep 23

Backlash builds over possible scrapping of HS2 Manchester link

Civil, Structural & Architecture, Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing

The government is facing criticism from politicians, industry groups and two former Conservative prime ministers over concerns it could decide to cancel the Northern link of the High Speed 2 (HS2) line. The news was first reported by The Independent, which claimed the government had already spent £2.3bn on stage…