Parliamentary news:

DECC - Department of Energy and Climate Change
• 09/11/2009 - Ed Miliband statement to the House on the draft National Policy Statements (statement)

• 09/11/2009 - Consultation on draft National Policy Statements for Energy Infrastructure (press release -consultation document - consultation page)
• 09/11/2009 - Draft Overarching National Policy Statement for Energy (EN-1) (document - page)
• 09/11/2009 - Draft National Policy Statement for Fossil Fuel Electricity Generating Infrastructure (EN-2) (document- page)
• 09/11/2009 - Draft National Policy Statement for Renewable Energy Infrastructure (EN-3) (document - page)
• 09/11/2009 - Draft National Policy Statement for Gas Supply Infrastructure and Gas and Oil Pipelines (EN-4) (document - page)
• 09/11/2009 - Draft National Policy Statement for Electricity Networks Infrastructure (EN-5) (document - page)
• 09/11/2009 - Draft National Policy Statement for Nuclear Power Generation (EN-6) (document - page)







Miliband announces plans to assess 10 new nuclear sites

Mon, 09 November 09 | House of Commons - Main Statement
Summary
10 nuclear sites have been identified for possible development, the Government announced today.

In making a statement on Energy National Policy Statements, Energy and Climate Change Secretary Edward Miliband said that to meet the low carbon challenge, the planning system for energy infrastructure required a far quicker process.

Six draft policy proposals were being launched today for public consultation, the Minister announced. A diverse energy mix was required, one which included renewables, nuclear and fossil fuels with carbon capture and storage, he stated.

The rate of progress for reaching renewable energy had to be speeded up in order to achieve national objectives, Mr Miliband said. The Infrastructure Planning Commission would be required to consider local and regional concerns, and developers would have to consult local populations, he said.

The IPC would base their on decisions within a year of proposals being made, the Minister stated.

All available energy sources had to be pursued, Ed Miliband asserted. 10 nuclear sites had been identified for possible development he said, explaining that am eleventh site in Scotland would not be considered further due to concerns over biodiversity, as raised by Natural England. Additional sites, including Kingsnorth, had also been excluded from the policy proposals, he said.

Consultations were also being launched today on the nuclear reactor designs, the Minister told the house.

Clean fossil fuels constituted the third part of the Government’s strategy, Mr Miliband said, confirming that bids from E.On and Scottish Power for the CCS demonstration had been received. No new coal fire-power stations would be build without CCS from the outset e he continued. Pre-combustion projects would be expected to have total CCS capacity, while the post-combustion projects would be expected to retrofit for CCS as approved by the Environment Agency, he stated.

The energy bill included a levy to support these plans, given that the private sector alone would not be sufficient for the change required in energy, the Minister said.

In spring, further details would be published on how Government plans would be developed, he said. A consultation was also being launched today to consider the future of electricity, he added.

Local people may be hostile to the developments being proposed, Mr Miliband conceded. However, the severity of the pressures facing the UK at present required the planning system to be reformed he insisted, calling for public support.




Contents
With permission, I would like to make a statement about the energy National Policy Statements and our proposals on clean coal.

In the summer, we published the Low Carbon Transition Plan, which explained how we would meet our commitments to carbon reduction for 2020 and beyond.

New infrastructure is being provided for the coming years, with 20GW under construction or consented, more than that which will close by 2018.

But to meet our low carbon energy challenge, and due to the intermittency of wind, we will need significantly more generating capacity in the longer term.

Over the next 15 years to 2025, one third of that larger future generating capacity must be consented and built.

Given this challenge, the imperative of reform in the planning system is clear.

The current system is characterised by duplication with several bodies responsible for different aspects of consent, overlapping responsibilities of politicians and independent decision-makers, and delay.

Today, to guide the decision-making of the new Infrastructure Planning Commission, we are setting out for consultation six draft policy statements on energy, most importantly those for the trinity of fuels of our low carbon future: renewables, nuclear and clean fossil fuels.

We need all of them in the long-term because the challenge of the low carbon transition is so significant:

renewables are a home-grown and plentiful source of supply, already powering two million homes in the UK
nuclear is a proven, reliable source of low carbon energy: an important baseload in the system
and fossil fuels, with carbon capture and storage, will enable flexible peakload response.
Last year we saw offshore wind generation increase by two thirds and onshore wind generation by one quarter.

But we need to significantly increase the rate of progress to meet our objective of 30% of our electricity coming from renewables by 2020.

The National Policy Statement on renewables covers onshore renewables over 50MW and offshore wind over 100MW. Other onshore decisions remain with local authorities.

The policy statement seeks to strike the right balance between achieving national objectives and avoiding adverse impacts on the local environment and biodiversity.

While government sets out the framework in the National Policy Statements, each application will be decided upon by the IPC.

The IPC will have to take account of regional and local plans, drawn up by local authorities.

And developers will have to ensure they have consulted locally before any application is made, with local authorities submitting Local Impact Reports.

The Infrastructure Planning Commission will make its decisions on the basis of a clear timetable of a year from the acceptance of an application to a decision.

This system is right for energy security: by meeting our commitments on renewables, we can limit the need for gas imports, holding them at 2010 levels for the rest of the decade.

And it is the right thing to do also for our environment, because there is no bigger threat to our countryside than climate change.

But even on our ambitious targets for renewables, there will be a need, on the estimates we are publishing today, for additional new non-renewable power.

We need to use all available low carbon sources.

That is why we were right last year to end the moratorium on new nuclear in this country and in response energy companies have announced intentions to build 16GW of new nuclear power.

In the spring we invited comments on the 11 sites that had been nominated for new nuclear power stations, all on or near existing nuclear sites.

I can tell the House that 10 of 11 sites have been judged as potentially suitable and included in the draft Nuclear Policy statement.

The next step will be consultation in the 10 selected sites as well as nationally.

The consultation proposes that the 11th site, Dungeness, is not included in this National Policy Statement.

This is because the Government does not believe, following advice from Natural England and others that a new nuclear power station can be built there without causing an adverse effect on the integrity of the internationally unique eco-system.

Under the Habitats Directive, we are obliged to consider alternative nuclear sites.

An independent study has suggested that three, Kingsnorth, Druridge Bay, and Owston Ferry are “worthy of further consideration”

We have concluded, however, that all of them have serious impediments and none of them is credible for deployment by the end of 2025, the period of the policy statement, nor do we believe they are necessary for our plans for new nuclear.

Therefore, we have excluded all of them from being potential sites in the draft Policy Statement

On waste management, the Government is satisfied that on the basis of the science and international experience, effective arrangements to manage and dispose of the waste from new nuclear power stations can be put in place.

In addition, today we are opening consultation on the proposed regulatory justification for two different reactor designs

New nuclear is right for energy security and climate change and will be good for jobs too, creating up to 9000 jobs to build and operate power stations at each site and helping leading companies access the international market.

As well as renewables and nuclear, the third part of our low carbon future is clean fossil fuels.

There is no solution to the problem of climate change either at home or abroad without a solution to the problem of coal: cheap and reliable, but the most polluting fuel.

Already from the European budget, 180 million euros has provisionally been offered to assist Hatfield power station fit CCS and I can confirm that we have received bids from Eon and Scottish Power for the next stage of the current CCS competition for a post-combustion power station.

Early next year, we will allocate the up to £90million set aside for the next for the bid or bids that will go forward to the detailed design and engineering stage.

Our aim is for carbon capture and storage to be ready to be deployed 100% on all new coal fired power stations by 2020.

We are determined to ensure that with the right combination of regulation and incentives we make this happen.

So I can confirm that under our new framework, there will be no new coal fired power stations without CCS.

With immediate effect, to gain development consent all new coal plant will have to show that it will demonstrate CCS from the outset on around 400 MW of total output.

Our plans are based on up to 4 projects between now and 2020 including up to two post-combustion projects and up to two pre-combustion projects

The pre-combustion demonstration projects are expected to have 100% CCS on their coal capacity from day one.

The post-combustion projects will be expected to retrofit CCS to 100% of their capacity, within five years of 2020, enforced by the Environment Agency, with a review to confirm this by 2018.

If we conclude at that time that CCS will not be proven, we believe further regulatory measures will be required to restrict emissions from these plants, such as an emissions performance standard.

But even with the right regulation, if we leave the funding of CCS simply to private companies, it won’t happen in time.

To make CCS financially viable, our proposed Energy Bill contains powers to introduce the levy announced in the Budget by the Chancellor to support demonstration and, responding to points made in the consultation, the levy will also be available to support the move to 100% retrofit of CCS.

Taken together, these policies are the most environmentally ambitious set of coal conditions of any country in the world.

And they provide the opportunity for Britain to create thousands of jobs in carbon capture and storage throughout our country.

On coal, nuclear and renewables, the aim of our national policy statements is clear: consistent with the advice of the Committee on Climate Change, we need to be on course for the long-term goal of near-zero carbon emissions from power.

Alongside the overall policy statement and those for nuclear, renewables, fossil fuels and gas storage, we are also publishing the policy statement for electricity networks.

Together, these documents represent a framework for the future of our energy supplies.

Mr Speaker, in every area: onshore and offshore wind and other renewables, nuclear and clean fossil fuels; there will be people who wish to oppose specific planning applications.

Their voice must be heard in the process. The planning process must ensure we consent the right projects in the right sites.

But while of course we need a process that can turn down specific applications, saying ‘no’ everywhere would not be in the national interest.

As a country, we need nuclear, renewables and clean coal for our energy future.

They are necessary for security of supply, tackling climate change and the future of our economy.

That is why we are reforming the planning system and publishing our statements today.

I urge all sides of the House to unite behind these proposals.

And I commend this statement to the House.






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Hughes attacks the Government's commitment to nuclear energy

Mon, 09 November 09 | House of Commons - Main Statement
Summary
Focusing on renewable energy instead of nuclear would offer more potential for jobs and sustainable, safe energy, the Liberal Democrats argued today.

Responding to a statement on Energy National Policy Statements, Liberal Democrat Energy and Climate Change Spokesperson Simon Hughes asked why the press had been briefed on this policy in advance and why statements were provided only shortly before the statement to his party.

Mr Hughes said that he remained un-persuaded that nuclear power was in any way more safe and secure than they had been in the past.

The Liberal Democrat spokesperson hoped for information on the consultation on this draft proposal, and also about EU requirements on nuclear power. He hoped that different viewpoints would be taken into account.

He then said that decisions had not been taken on the design or placement of the nuclear sites, while the Health and Safety Commission had shown serious concern about this proposal. With more investment in renewables to the extent of that offered to the nuclear industry, there was a greater potential for jobs and a safer energy sector, he argued.

On carbon capture and storage, Mr Hughes sought confirmation that the new generation of coal power stations would not be fitted with clean coal technology as soon as they were established.

He asked about connection of nuclear and other power stations to the proposed European grid.

Mr Hughes regretted the fact that major energy decisions would be taken by an independent quango. The Liberal Democrat Shadow Energy and Climate Change Secretary said that the democratic process had been

In reply, Energy and Climate Change Secretary Edward Miliband defended the use of nuclear power. He said that there were ambitious targets for renewable energy that would be tough to meet, but felt that ruling out nuclear power would be wrong.

Mr Miliband welcomed the statements on plans for 16GW of power from energy companies, and stated that the Government would choose from two potential sites.

On coal, he stated that it was a clear commitment that there would be no new coal power stations without a demonstrated carbon capture plant.

The Secretary of State stated that National Policy Statements offered democratic oversight, but felt that it was right to allow specific decisions to be taken through an independent process.




09 November 2009 - Press Release - Miliband sets strategic direction for overhaul of energy system




Six draft National Policy Statements to guide planning decisions on energy infrastructure
Ten sites named as potentially suitable for new nuclear
A Framework for the Development of Clean Coal
Faster and fairer planning decisions on new energy infrastructure were a step closer today as Energy and Climate Secretary Ed Miliband laid before Parliament draft texts setting out the national need for a low carbon secure energy mix. He also set out an ambitious new policy for the transition to clean coal.
The draft National Policy Statements (NPSs) published today are a crucial part of reforms that will remove unnecessary planning delays facing large energy proposals. They will be the basis on which individual planning decisions are made from next March by the new Infrastructure Planning Commission.
To meet our low carbon energy challenge, and due to the intermittency of wind, we will need significantly more generating capacity in the longer term. One third of that larger future generating capacity must be consented and built over the next 15 years to 2025. While there are already proposals to build more energy infrastructure, more is needed to bring about the shift to a low carbon future. The NPSs include clear direction towards a massive expansion in renewables, a new nuclear programme based around ten sites assessed as potentially suitable for new build and a programme to demonstrate clean coal technology.
Mr Miliband said:
“The threat of climate change means we need to make a transition from a system that relies heavily on high carbon fossil fuels, to a radically different system that includes nuclear, renewable and clean coal power.
“Change is also needed for energy security. In a world where our North Sea reserves are declining, a more diverse low carbon energy mix is a more secure energy mix, less vulnerable to fluctuations in the availability of any one fuel.
“In exploiting new technologies we can also lock green jobs and growth, not carbon, into the UK’s future energy sector.
“The current planning system is a barrier to this shift. It serves neither the interests of energy security, the interests of the low carbon transition, nor the interests of people living in areas where infrastructure may be built, for the planning process to take years to come to a decision.
“That is why we are undertaking fundamental reform of the planning system which will result in a more efficient, transparent and accessible process.
“And our new policy framework for clean coal will drive the development of CCS which will be essential for reducing the impact of coal-fired power stations on the environment.”
Six NPSs are published - one overarching and one for each of the following areas: fossil fuels, nuclear, renewables, transmission networks and oil and gas pipelines – alongside the Government’s final Framework for the Development of Clean Coal.
The new system will be faster and fairer for everyone involved:

Decisions on proposals bigger than 50 megawatts (or 100 megawatts for offshore wind) will be reduced from two years, sometimes much more, to one year.
Clearer and better opportunities for the public and local communities to have their say.
Up to £300 million a year will be saved in unnecessary expense incurred by UK industry.
Housing and Planning Minister, John Healey, who led the Planning Bill through Parliament, said:
“The course of our country’s future will be set by investments in new energy sources, water supplies, ports, railways and other transport networks. The National Policy Statements do what they say on the tin - they are Britain’s policy blueprints within which the Infrastructure Planning Commission will run a faster and fairer planning system, with fuller public scrutiny of larger developments.
“Instead of major projects going through, three, four, five separate applications, sometimes sequentially, there is now one single consent system, with one full expert and public examination. This includes new steps that require open public consultation before applications can even be submitted.”

New Nuclear Power
The draft Nuclear NPS sets out why new nuclear power is needed, and that the Government is satisfied that effective arrangements will exist to manage and dispose of the waste that will be produced by new nuclear power stations.
It is the only site-specific energy NPS. A rigorous Strategic Siting Assessment has been carried out by the Government focussed on sites that are deployable by the end of 2025 to meet our pressing climate change and energy security goals. The assessment looked at exclusionary and discretionary criteria, a Habitats Directive assessment and an Appraisal of Sustainability, and took on board advice from the Regulators and inputs from a Public Comments Window.
Ten of the eleven sites nominated by industry in March have been assessed as potentially suitable for new nuclear deployment by the end of 2025: Bradwell, Braystones, Hartlepool, Heysham, Hinkley Point, Kirksanton, Oldbury, Sellafield, Sizewell and Wylfa.
Dungeness was nominated but has not been listed as the Government does not consider that potential environmental impacts at this site can be mitigated. The Government also has concerns about coastal erosion and associated flood risk at that nominated site.
Following a rigorous independent study in line with the Habitats Directive, three alternative sites were identified as worthy of further consideration: Druridge Bay in Northumberland, Kingsnorth in Kent and Owston Ferry in South Yorkshire. It was concluded that all of them have serious impediments, none of them is credible for deployment by the end of 2025, nor are they necessary for our plans, and they have not been listed in the draft Nuclear NPS.
A consultation on the Secretary of State’s proposed decision that two nuclear power station designs are Justified under the Justification of Practices Involving Ionising Radiation Regulations 2004 is also launched today. The benefits and health detriments of each of the two designs have been assessed and the Secretary of State has considered whether they are Justified according to EU legislation. The consultation seeks views on the proposed decision, and the evidence on which it is based.

Clean Coal
Alongside the NPSs, a Framework for the Development of Clean Coal is published setting out the most environmentally ambitious set of coal conditions of any country in the world. Following the consultation in June, today’s document confirms:
No new coal without Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS):
With immediate effect, to gain development consent all new coal plant will have to show that they will demonstrate the full CCS chain (capture, transport and storage) from the outset on at least 300 MW net of their total output.
A programme of up to four commercial-scale CCS demonstrations, including both pre-combustion and post-combustion capture technologies, will be funded by a new CCS Incentive. Legislation to introduce this has been proposed for the forthcoming Parliamentary session.
A long term transition to clean coal:
We expect the demonstration plants will retrofit CCS to their full capacity by 2025, with the CCS Incentive able to provide financial support for their retrofit.
A rolling review process, which is planned to report by 2018, will consider the case for new regulatory and financial measures to further drive the move to clean coal. In the event that CCS is evidently not going to become a viable technology option, an appropriate regulatory approach for managing emissions from coal power stations will be needed.
Also confirmed today is that the Government has received two bids - from E.ON and Scottish Power - to proceed to the next stage of the current CCS demonstration competition. It is expected that contracts for the detailed design stage will be concluded early next year.
In addition, the European Commission has provisionally selected Powerfuels to receive €180m to develop a pre-combustion CCS power station at Hatfield. The Commission and Powerfuels are now negotiating the terms of the funding.

Why is Planning Reform Needed?
The draft NPSs, which will have full public consultation and Parliamentary scrutiny, will guide the Infrastructure Planning Commission to make faster and fairer decisions. They represent a framework for the future of the UK’s energy supplies, which are at present being hampered by the current planning system. For example:

Renewables: The Scout Moor 65MW windfarm took nearly two years to secure planning permission. The Fullabrook 66MW wind farm took over 3 years to secure planning permission.
Nuclear: Sizewell B took 6 years to secure planning consent, cost £30 million and only 30 of the 340 inquiry days were devoted to local issues. The new system will give greater opportunity for local people.
Gas Storage: The proposed Presall gas storage facility to store 1020 million cubic metres of gas (20% of current storage capacity) was the subject of an application for planning permission in November 2003; an appeal was rejected by CLG in October 2007 – taking the process to four years.
Electricity Networks: The North-Yorkshire grid upgrade, a major high-voltage transmission line upgrade, took 96 months to secure planning permission. This is an example of non-power station energy infrastructure that can cause major delays to projects intended to improve security of energy supply.

Notes for Editors:
The Energy National Policy Statements will be subject to an extensive 15 week consultation between the 9th November and the 22nd February with the opportunity for the public to influence and comment on these draft NPS at a national and local level. Parliamentary scrutiny will follow the conclusion of this consultation.
For more information on the draft energy NPSs and its associated consultation programme please visit: www.energynpsconsultation.decc.gov.uk[external Link]
The document “A framework for the development of clean coal” is available here:
http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/clean_coal/clean_coal.aspx
Today we’re also publishing our guidance on carbon capture readiness. This guidance is intended to give practical advice on the type of information Section 36 applicants need to submit to the Secretary of State to demonstrate that a proposed new combustion plant can be built carbon capture ready (CCR). The CCR requirements only apply to new combustion plant which have an electrical generating capacity at or over 300 MW and which are of a type covered by the Large Combustion Plant Directive. The document is available here:http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/what_we_do/uk_supply/consents_planning/electricity/electricity.aspx
Department of Energy and Climate Change is central to the UK Government’s leadership on climate change. We are pushing hard for an ambitious global deal in Copenhagen in December to avert the most dangerous impacts. Through our UK Low Carbon Transition Plan we are giving householders and businesses the incentives and advice they need to cut their emissions, we are enabling the energy sector’s shift to the trinity of renewables, new nuclear and clean coal, and we are stepping up the fight against fuel poverty.

DECC Press Notice
Reference number: 2009/130
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Nuclear Consult Group response, available at:
http://www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk/ground/unjustifiable.php