Britain will need fossil fuels for decades to prevent blackouts, the man in charge of the UK’s gas network has warned.
Renewable power production methods are weather-dependent, which increases the risk of blackouts in absence of fossil fuel energy sources.
“In 2022, the wind didn’t blow enough or at all for 262 days. And in those 262 days, we would have had rolling blackouts, or a full blackout across the UK if it wasn’t for gas,” said Mr. Butterworth.
Phaseout
Government policies brought forward in the Net Zero Strategy include phasing out petrol and diesel vehicles by 2035, new buildings with fossil fuel boilers by 2025, and oil and gas boilers in existing buildings by 2035.Replacing traditional boilers, that use natural gas, propane, or heating oil, with heat pumps has been hailed by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) as a highly efficient and low-carbon alternative.
To boost the interest in heat pumps, the government has increased grant funding for households to switch from gas boilers.
It also invested £10 million to support innovation in the heat pump sector to cut installation costs. The government extended the BUS to 2028, so that people have more time to apply and complete the switch.
A heat pump works by extracting heat from the outside air and transferring it inside. It uses electricity to do that.
The National Gas CEO said that heat pumps will merely use the power produced by gas-fired power stations.
“That is actually far less efficient than burning gas in your house. Domestic gas boilers are about 90 percent efficient but the best power station is about 50 percent efficient,” Mr. Butterworth said.
The Conservative government, as well as Labour opposition, are committed to achieving the net zero target by 2050.
But on the phaseout of fossil fuel boilers, Labour said it will not challenge Mr. Sunak’s extension of deadlines.
Energy security concerns, caused by the war in Ukraine, have pushed Britain, among other countries, to increasingly turn to renewables. Renewable energy could help to cushion electricity price rises and reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels.
There are around 11,500 wind turbines in the UK, with the start-up of more than 350 new offshore wind turbines in British waters.
“We have, as a country, invested in intermittent renewable energy, meaning wind. So when the wind doesn’t blow, the gas transmission system has to replace it, so I don’t see it,” said Mr. Butterworth.
He added that even if gas won’t be used so often, on the days it is used, “there will be exactly the same amount of gas going through the pipes.”
