Coal is a No Go without Carbon Capture

The UK government announced earlier this week that there would be no new coal plants without carbon capture. The UK government overturns its coal policy hoping to bring about a low carbon future.

This new major overhaul in the UK coal power industry came as a shock to some people. During this announcement, the UK government noted that no new coal plants will be made unless a proportion of their carbon dioxide emissions are buried under the ground.

However, some experts say that this new policy should not have shocked anyone. Ed Miliband, the energy and climate change secretary, says that this new policy will balance out three challenges. First, it will help to ensure the security of the UK energy supply. Next, it will deal with the need to build a low carbon economy, and finally, it will slash greenhouse gas emissions in the UK.

He went on to say that there is no alternative to this policy. The UK government is very serious about fighting off climate change. The UK government also would like to keep a very diverse mix of energy sources for the economy.

Although coal is the dirtiest of all the fossil fuels, the UK government does believe that it still needs to be burned. This will keep the UK from being over reliant on foreign gas. The UK government had planned to allow eight new coal fired stations to open up over the next 30 years. Under the new European pollution laws, almost one-third of all the existing coal stations will be forced to close.