UK urged to cut carbon emissions with natural gas use

Gas should replace coal as one of the UK's biggest sources of power in the future, according to a report published this week.

The Grantham Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics say that carbon emissions could be cut if the country turned more towards natural gas than other power supplies.

This, its authors say, could include trying to tap into supplies of shale gas. If successful, the government could introduce technology that traps and stores carbon emissions, therefore making gas-powered stations a safe bet in the future.

However, the report does warn against believing that gas prices will plummet in the years ahead, while ministers have also been told not to try to predict how much shale gas there is in the UK.

The Grantham Institute report says that natural gas is very much the way forward.

"Analysis reveals that substantial investment in gas on the assumption of low prices and large unconventional reserves is a risky option," the report's authors explain.

"A lower risk option would be a 'dash for smart gas', where natural gas is used judiciously in those areas where it offers the greatest value in decarbonising the power sector."

Furthermore, they added: "In the short run, the UK's emissions can be reduced by replacing coal-fired power stations with those fuelled by natural gas, which emit less than half the carbon dioxide per kilowatt hour of coal-fired plants.

"But in the medium- to long-term, a heavy reliance on gas-fired power stations with unabated emissions would hinder the decarbonisation of the UK's power sector."

Meanwhile, British Gas announced last month that it will be helping to lower carbon emissions by expanding its home insulation programme in the coming years.

An additional 1,000 workers will be hired as part of plans to help tackle youth unemployment, with efficiency technology to be installed in homes owned by owners considered to be at risk of fuel poverty.

Posted by Sarah Hughes