European Scientists on the Future of Gas:- "We must ban new natural gas boilers at once"

ACCORDING to EASAC, natural gas is not cleaner than other fossil fuels and using it instead of coal or oil risks achieving little or no reduction in greenhouse gas effects. EASAC's new report:- "Future of Gas" highlights the extremely high global warming potential of largely unrecorded methane leakages along the whole natural gas supply chain. To mitigate climate change, it is crucial to stop using all fossil fuels, to ban new natural gas boilers, and to massively ramp up renewable electricity production.

To replace Russian pipeline gas, European Member States have turned to liquid natural gas (LNG) from outside Europe, but this open up other issues. William Gillett, EASAC's Energy Programme Director explains to us that:- "We understand this is a necessary compromise as an emergency measure to make sure we keep the lights on, people warm and industries running. But as we are putting the immediate dependency on Russia behind us, we must completely phase out gas and ramp up re-newables, We can't argue our way out of drastic changes. The climate does not make compromises. Methane emissions have a lifetime in the atmosphere of only about 10 ears, which is 10 times shorter than that of carbon dioxide. However, its 20 year global warming potential is over 80 times that of carbon dioxide, which means that it is far more destructive."

Neven Duić, Chair of EASAC's Energy Steering Panel added:- "So far, we have been evaluating the impact of greenhouse gas emissions in a time span of up to 100 years. And there is nothing wrong with these calculations. However, climate change is progressing so fast that now we must focus on impacts within the next ten years. That's why there is no alternative to replacing natural gas with re-newables at once, With 65 million boilers installed in the EU to heat buildings, heating is by far the largest use of natural gas. 8 Member States have already adopted measures to ban the installation of new gas boilers or to require high levels of re-newables in buildings. Such actions should be stimulated throughout Europe,"

The report recommends heat pumps and district heating as ready to use and climate friendly alternatives to gas boilers. It underlines that heating, unlike electricity, is a very local market. Building structures and regulations, local climate, demand densities and the availability of renewable or waste heat sources influence what should be the best choice for each district or building. Therefore, Cities must integrate the transition into urban planning, and engage with heating system owners and users.

Also, it is vital that this process addresses social injustices. William Gillett:- "Not everybody has the money or enough credit with banks to go out and buy a new heating system. Europe's success in reducing its greenhouse gas emissions requires foresight, social sensitivity, and support mechanisms that are targeted on the most vulnerable groups and households. Gas distribution and supply companies often argue for progressively replacing natural gas with hydrogen, which would allow them to keep their assets running for years to come. But from a scientific point of view, this approach holds very little promise for heating homes more cleanly."

Anne Neumann, Chair of the EASAC Working Group explains:- "Blending 10% hydrogen in natural gas merely delivers 1% in CO2 reduction which is not a good use of a valuable energy carrier that will be needed in hard to abate sectors. We foresee fast growing demand for hydrogen and hydrogen derived fuels in some industries and for heavy duty transport."

"For a long time, natural gas has been seen as the ideal bridge from coal on the road towards net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. In some countries, natural gas has become the main fuel to generate electricity. EASAC's 'Future of Gas' report makes clear that this is a dead-end road. Natural gas should no longer be considered as a transitional option. All electricity production and heating based on combustion literally fuels global warming, and must be replaced by re-newables such as:- wind, solar, or hydro," says Duić.

The report also weighs the possibilities of carbon Capture and storage (CCS) and nuclear. "The coming decade is decisive for keeping climate change in check, but fusion is still in its infancy, and neither CCS nor new nuclear plants based on current or small modular reactor technology can be built quickly enough. In addition, in many Regions, nuclear power plants risk becoming vulnerable to climate change effects such as cooling water scarcity," concludes Gillett.

A statement has been sent to us from the UK's Energy Security Secretary, Grant Shapps, commenting on Ofgem's newly announced Price Cap for Q3 2023, along with an explainer on what the new Cap means for UK households.

In the press release Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps said:- "It's positive households across the country will see their energy bills fall by around £430 on average from July, marking a major milestone in our determined efforts to halve inflation. We've spent billions to protect families when prices rose over the winter covering nearly half a typical household's energy bill; and we're now seeing costs fall even further with wholesale energy prices down by over 2 thirds since their peak as we've neutralised Putin's blackmail. I'm relentlessly focused on reducing our reliance on foreign fossil fuels and powering up Britain from Britain to deliver cheaper, cleaner and more secure energy.

Within the press release, also contained this explanation to the OFGEM Price Cap...

"How much will I pay under the new Price Cap compared to previously?

The new Energy Price Cap is the lowest level it has been since October 2022. From 1 July 2023, the Cap will be set at an annual level of £2,074 to £426 less than the £2,500 households were paying on average under the Energy Price Guarantee.

Why are energy bills coming down?

The new Price Cap reflects wholesale energy prices having fallen by around ⅔ since their peak. This has been driven by boosting alternative sources of supply, including through the UK's LNG import infrastructure which provides access to diverse sources of gas.

The Government is working hard to bring down energy prices further. Our Powering up Britain plans lay out how we're driving significant investment in new renewable and nuclear projects as part of wider efforts to boost our energy security and independence – and we want to make sure these efforts are felt by household in lower bills.

Why did the Government introduce the Energy Price Guarantee?

The Energy Price Guarantee was set at £2,500, which was the maximum a typical household would have to pay towards their energy bills. We introduced this because the Energy Price Cap went up as wholesale prices increased, reaching £4,279 for a typical household at its peak.

What happens to the Energy Price Guarantee now?

Energy prices are expected to remain below the Energy Price Guarantee level, now at their lowest since before Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, meaning the return to Ofgem's Price Cap setting the amount suppliers can charge consumers for their energy instead.

However, from July, a discount specifically for prepayment meter users under the Energy Price Guarantee will mean they will on average save around £22 a year, bringing them in line with those paying by direct debit.

What other support is there for households struggling with the cost of living?

We stepped in to pay around half of the typical household energy bill this winter, and by the end of June a typical household will have saved £1,500, due to the Energy Price Guarantee and the Energy Bills Support Scheme.

We're also providing additional support to the vulnerable, including a £900 payment for those on means-tested benefits, £300 for pensioner households and an extra £150 for people on an eligible disability benefit."