UK Faces Energy Conundrum, Europe Debates 2015-2030 Emission Targets

RENO, Nev. - Dec. 10, 2013 - PRLog -- Smart Energy Universe (www.smartenergyuniverse.com,) is covering developments in the debate in the U.K on the need and direction for curbing increasing consumer energy costs. Europe is focusing on a multitude of issues including sustainability, energy efficiency, and 2030 GHG (Green House Gas) emission targets. Is there a consensus? Far from it. Smart Energy Universe reports on all points of view. Not surprisingly, our global readership is now in the millions.

The political parties in U.K. are at loggerheads on energy policy. Edward Davey, UK Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Changeadmits that “energy costs “are rising for the last 10 years”, but blames it on “increase in wholesale energy prices”. His solution: “we are increasing competition in the market to bear down on prices and provide people with a proper choice of supplier”. The Government is “…counting on energy efficiency to bring down the costs”

Meanwhile, the U.K. Labor Party Chief has taken his party head-on into the energy battle with the recently released “Green Paper”. Labor MP, Caroline Flint, is saying: “even after these changes to levies, energy bills are still rising, and the average household will still be paying £70 for that energy than last winter.” Labor wants to “freeze the consumer utility bills until 2017 election.”

U.K. Chancellor George Osborne seems concerned about the energy situation in U.K and discusses this in the traditional Autumn Message. He states ‘U.K. Business taxes are too high and exports are too low”. He said these issues must be addressed to bring consumer energy costs down.

The EC is busy working on 2030 GHG emission targets among member states.  . A global consortium of 13 international organizations coordinated by IIASA and Potsdam Institute have expressed concern that “the current pledges for GHG emission reduction are inadequate and will further increase the challenge to reach the 2030 targets” at the next Conference in Paris.

Many countries are counting on “fracking” to extract promising supplies of gas and oil to satisfy energy demand and bring down prices. However, many don’t believe that will happen. Professor Dieter Helm of Oxford recently told a Parliament Committee that “the effects of shale gas on the whole world gas prices is, and is likely to remain, very limited.”

Across the pond, all is not peace and quiet. In the U.S., there is much discussion surrounding fracking activities. BOEM (Bureau of Ocean Energy Management) has just announced its plans for leasing in the Alaska Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), with a caveat that “it may not go forward” with the leases. Companies have commented that “the government’s unwillingness to follow through on the lease commitments….will impact the economic attractiveness of future Alaska OCS leases”

Down in Louisiana, Shell just announced “it will not move forward with the proposed Gulf-Coast Gas-to-liquids (GTL) project,” saying it is not a viable option.

Australia is busy rolling back Carbon taxes and is reexamining GHG emission targets as is Japan.

What about non-OECD countries? EIA’s International Energy Outlook projects that “the growth in world energy use comes largely from non-OECD countries; with their share increasing from 54% in 2010 to 65% in 2040.”

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