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industry & Government news

UK GOVERNMENT GO-AHEAD FOR GAS

PLANT CRITICISED BY LAWYERS

ENVIRONMENTAL LAWYERS are Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy of the country’s renewable power.
“considering their options” after (BEIS) said the UK is going “further and The change means that just six per
the government overruled planning faster than any other major economy” in cent of the utility’s power now comes
inspectors to give the go-ahead for a taking action on climate change. from coal. The ultimate goal is to stop
new gas power plant. More than half of electricity came using coal altogether.
The Planning Inspectorate had from low carbon sources last year and “We’ve probably reduced our
recommended that an application by seven million more homes will be emissions more than any other utility in
Drax Power to construct up to four powered by renewables as offshore the world by transforming the way we
new gas turbines at its site near Selby, wind prices hit a new low, he said. generate power,” Will Gardner, CEO of
in North Yorkshire, should be turned The Drax power station used to spew the Drax Group, told CNN Business.
down on climate grounds. out millions of tons of carbon dioxide Subsidies have helped finance the
Its report on the proposed project a year by burning coal. But over the switch to biomass, which consists of
said the scheme was not needed to past eight years, it has overhauled its plant and agricultural matter and is
deliver energy supplies and would fail operations by converting four of its six viewed as a promising substitute for
to deliver on UK efforts to cut carbon, coal-fired units to biomass. The plant’s coal. Last year, Drax received £789
with its impact on climate change owners say it now generates 15 per cent million in government support.
outweighing any benefits.
However, Energy Voice reports that
Business and Energy Secretary Andrea
Leadsom has given the go-ahead for
the scheme, saying there is a national
need for such development and
the benefits are not outweighed by
potential adverse effects.
Environmental legal charity
ClientEarth, which had objected to the
planning application, said it is now
considering its options. MORE THAN HALF OF UK ELECTRICITY CAME
A spokesman for the Department for FROM LOW CARBON SOURCES LAST YEAR

LINDE INVESTS IN UK HYDROGEN MACHINE MANUFACTURER

INDUSTRIAL GAS and engineering increasing number of companies years, including on projects such as
group Linde has taken a stake in a and governments that are backing fitting hydrogen fuelling pumps at
small British business that makes hydrogen as a possible solution for UK forecourts owned by Royal Dutch
machines to produce hydrogen, in the problems such as how to store excess Shell, he said.
latest sign of companies preparing for electricity generated by renewables
a potential boom in ‘clean’ gas. and how to reduce carbon dioxide
According to The Financial Times, emissions from sectors including ITM POWER
Linde has agreed to invest £38 heavy industry and haulage.
million in return for 20 per cent of The International Energy
Sheffield-based ITM Power, which Agency, the Paris-based think-
has a market capitalisation of about tank, has described 2019 as a year
£140 million and makes electrolyser of “unprecedented momentum” for
machines that produce hydrogen hydrogen, which does not produce
from water using electricity. carbon dioxide when burnt.
The investment from Linde is one The joint venture would allow
strand of a wider fundraising push ITM to concentrate on supplying
announced by ITM to raise more than electrolysers while Linde carried out all
£52 million to bolster its cash reserves of the engineering, procurement and
and help fund a move to bigger construction elements of projects, said
manufacturing facilities in Sheffield. ITM Chief Executive Graham Cooley.
The two companies will also launch The two companies had already ITM POWER MAKES ELECTROLYSER MACHINES
a 50:50 joint venture to target an been working together for five THAT PRODUCE HYDROGEN FROM WATER

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News.indd 3 14/11/2019 16:53