Fuel Oil News July 2019 | Page 20

Inside Out Understanding the UK’s Clean Growth Strategy Continued from page 19 DELIVER CLEAN, SMART, FLEXIBLE POWER (21% OF UK EMISSIONS)  Measures will focus on reducing power costs for households/businesses by implementing the smart systems plan, which will help consumers to use energy more flexibly and could unlock savings of up to £40 billion to 2050. Phasing out the use of unabated coal to produce electricity by 2025 Delivering new nuclear power through Hinkley Point C and progress discussions with developers to secure a competitive price for future projects in the pipeline Improving the route to market for renewable technologies such as offshore wind  Targeting a total carbon price in the power sector to give businesses greater clarity on the total price paid for each tonne of emissions Investing around £900 million of public funds in innovation in the areas of smart systems, new nuclear technologies and reducing the cost of renewables  ENHANCE THE BENEFITS AND VALUE OF OUR NATURAL RESOURCES (15% OF UK EMISSIONS) Measures will include designing a post EU exit system of agricultural support to focus on delivering better environmental outcomes Establishing a new network of forests in England including new woodland on farmland, and fund larger-scale woodland and forest creation, in support of the commitment to plant 11 million trees, and increase the amount Energy sector under pressure to demonstrate green credentials of UK timber used in construction Working towards the ambition for zero avoidable waste by 2050 and publishing a new Resources and Waste Strategy to make the UK a world leader in terms of competitiveness and resource productivity/efficiency  LEAD THE PUBLIC SECTOR (2% OF UK EMISSIONS) Initiatives to be pursued will include introducing a voluntary public sector target of a 30% reduction in carbon emissions by 2021 Providing £255 million of funding for energy efficiency improvements in England with help for public bodies to access funding sources Agreeing tighter targets for 2020 for central government and actions to further reduce GHG emissions beyond this date While the strategy detailed here is not lacking in ambition and scope, there is now a growing realisation that the world is not on track to achieve the key COP21 Paris Agreement goals for containing expected temperature rises. Manifestations in public opinion have been very evident recently with Extinction Rebellion seeking far more radical carbon reduction measures in order to achieve net carbon neutrality by 2025 vs. 2050. There is also a growing activism by certain shareholder groups pressurising companies. This is especially evident in the energy sector were there is pressure to demonstrate ‘green credentials’ as both a key strategic intent, with on-going adherence measurable in published metrics e.g. BP, Shell and, more recently, ExxonMobil. Additionally, there is pressure from a number of bodies to bring forward the ending of the sale of ICE vehicles to 2030 as opposed to 2040. In June the government revised its 2050 target for an 80% cut in GHG emissions vs 1990 levels, to one of ‘net zero emissions’, following a recommendation by its advisory Committee on Climate Change (CCC), to be enacted by statutory instrument. To help achieve this goal, the CCC has recommended that all new car sales be electric by 2035. The next Inside Out will look at the government’s Road to Zero strategy where the ambition is to see at least half of new cars being ultra-low emission by 2030. This strategy is part of plans to make the UK – the best place in the world to build and own an electric vehicle. “I FIRST MET JANE WHILE STILL WORKING IN THE CORPORATE WORLD WITH CONOCO, WHICH WAS NOT LONG AFTER SHE HAD TAKEN OVER THE EDITORIAL RESPONSIBILITIES FOR FUEL OIL NEWS. I IMMEDIATELY FOUND HER TO BE BOTH INTERESTED AND HIGHLY ENGAGED ABOUT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE BROADER DOWNSTREAM OIL SECTOR. 20 years “SHE HAS BEEN ABLE TO BUILD UP AN EXTRAORDINARILY LARGE NETWORK OF CONTACTS, NOT ONLY IN THE OIL DISTRIBUTOR SECTOR, BUT ALSO IN RELATED SECTORS SUCH AS LOGISTICS, STORAGE, REFINING AND FUELS’ WHOLESALING, AS WELL AS IN REGULATORY BODIES AND RELEVANT TRADE ASSOCIATIONS. SHE HAS USED THESE TO GREAT EFFECT IN ENSURING THAT SHE IS BOTH WELL-INFORMED ON AN EXTRAORDINARILY BROAD SPECTRUM OF SUBJECTS AND UP TO DATE WITH THE LATEST, RELEVANT DEVELOPMENTS, NEWS AND TRENDS. “AS A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE EDITOR SHE IS ALWAYS RECEPTIVE TO NEW IDEAS, THOUGHTS AND SUGGESTIONS AND HER REPUTATION IN THIS CAPACITY COULD HARDLY BE HIGHER AND SO IS A CREDIT TO A&D PUBLISHING. FOR ME PERSONALLY, SHE IS A PLEASURE TO WORK WITH.”  ROD PROWSE, MARATHON ASSOCIATES 20 Fuel Oil News | July 2019