The Chief Executive of the UK’s electricity and gas regulator, Ofgem, has published a prominent article in The Daily Telegraph reassuring the public about the Smart Meter programme, and stressing its potential benefits. Unfortunately, Ofgem is no longer the independent consumer champion that it once was, and the statement cannot be taken at face value. It […]

 In July, Cuadrilla became the first shale gas developer in the UK to be given final consent to begin hydraulic fracturing. CEO Francis Egan responds to criticism from environmentalists and explains why he believes fracking can reduce the UK’s reliance on imported gas. In July, Cuadrilla became the first shale gas developer in the UK to be […]

Feed-in Tariffs for renewable electricity have been a disaster wherever they have been tried, resulting in over-deployment ahead of the learning curve, and vast long-term cumulative subsidy liabilities. Germany and Spain are already desperately moving to extricate themselves. The United Kingdom has in the last few days confirmed the closure of its own scheme to […]

The Germany, Russia + Putin, Trump, natural gas, and pipeline fiasco at the NATO summit has got all of us thinking. For decades now, the Russian bear has continually been sinking its mighty energy claws into Europe and Germany. Despite long promising to “get off Russian energy,” Gazprom sales to Europe hit an all time record last year, and Europe is […]

As LNG produced and shipped out of the U.S. increasingly helps meet the world’s energy needs, a dynamic similar to that of the West Texas Intermediate crude oil’s role as a global benchmark is taking shape Geology dictates that crude oil and natural gas go hand-in-hand. Drill a well for one and there’s a good […]

To what degree after Brexit and under the government’s current plans will the UK be a “rule-taker” on energy and environment? A curious change in wording between the Chequers statement and the ensuing White Paper suggests that the government has left open the possibility that the UK would not only be committed to “current levels”, of […]

The shale gas revolution is turning ten years old and is apparently only just getting started. A new report by the business information provider IHS Markit traces the remarkable rise of the shale gas in the United States over the past decade and projects that natural gas production will grow by another 60% over the next 20 years. “To […]

Half a century ago, nuclear power was on track to out-compete fossil fuels around the globe, which would have reduced the price of electricity, the amount of harmful air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions associated with climate change. Then came a dramatic slowing of new construction and research into safer and more efficient nuclear reactors. […]