The Chancellor is set to commit £57m to support clean tech jobs and green growth in Scotland as part of tomorrow’s Budget, with just under half of the funding to be channelled into schemes that help transform North East Scotland – long the centre of the UK oil and gas industry – into a clean energy powerhouse, the government announced late last night. In a preview of the green spending plans in tomorrow’s Budget, the government said Chancellor Rishi Sunak will announce £27m of funding for the Aberdeen Energy Transition Zone, a commitment it dubbed “a first step” in its drive to deliver a dedicated sector deal designed to transition the UK’s oil and gas industry towards a lower carbon future.
Business Green 2nd March 2021 read more »
All planned coal projects around the world must be cancelled to end the “deadly addiction” to the most polluting fossil fuel, the UN secretary-general António Guterres said on Tuesday. Phasing out coal from the electricity sector is the single most important step to tackle the climate crisis, he said. Guterres’s call came at the opening of a summit of the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA), a group of governments and businesses committed to ending coal burning for power.
Guardian 2nd March 2021 read more »
Uncertainty over whether coking coal from a controversial proposed mine in Cumbria can be used by the UK steel industry has raised fresh doubt over the project. Cumbria County Council are currently reviewing their decision to give planning approval for the UK’s first deep coal mine in 30 years, following criticism from environmental groups. The Government declined to intervene in the decision, but ministers have maintained that the mine could help save transport emissions by supplying the domestic steel industry. West Cumbria Mine has said around 13 per cent of the coal is expected to go to British Steel and Tata Steel, split equally, with the rest to be exported. But planning documents seen by The Telegraph reveal that doubts were raised early on in the approval process over the high sulphur content of the coal, which could be an impediment to its use by both companies. In an email sent to Cumbria County Council a representative from British Steel said: “The sulphur content of the coal is an issue for British Steel currently due to our operations and blend sulphur limit.”
Telegraph 1st March 2021 read more »