ADBA Northern Ireland Conference: Paving the Way for a Greener Future We recently hosted our…
British green gas – reducing our reliance on Qatar
Last week, several Gulf countries cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of destabilising the region with its support for Islamist groups. This could be bad news for the UK’s energy security.
The majority of the UK’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) is currently imported from Qatar. LNG accounts for one quarter of all imported natural gas, or 14% of total gas consumed in the country.
The UK’s growing dependence on imported gas makes us increasingly vulnerable to geopolitical events abroad, and events like the recent one in Qatar, a country located in a politically volatile part of the world, could severely affect our security of gas supply as well as the wholesale gas import price we pay.
The uncertainty of how Brexit will affect European imports poses another significant risk, as a further 45% of our natural gas is piped in from European countries such as Norway and the Netherlands.
This leaves just 39% of the gas consumed in the UK produced domestically. This number will decline over the years as North Sea gas supplies are depleted.
It is therefore of paramount importance, more than ever, to invest in expanding domestic production. Investment in green gas, such as biomethane, can provide the double benefit of:
1) Reduce our import reliance, and
2) Reduce our carbon emissions & help achieve our Carbon Budgets.
… and therefore makes sense both from an environmental AND an economic point of view.
We are calling for the value of AD to be recognised by the new government. With the right investment and support from the government, biogas from AD has the potential to power 30% of the UK’s total domestic demand, and in doing so, abate over 4% of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions.
If you would like to find out more about the growing potential of AD and how it can make a significant contribution to meeting UK policy goals, why not attend July's UK AD & Biogas and World Biogas Expo 2017 for more expert discussion and insights.
Keynote speakers will be covering topics including:
- AD and Biogas: Delivering the UN Sustainable Development Goals
- AD's contribution to meeting world carbon reduction targets
- UK energy strategy: what is AD’s role?
If you have any questions about the industry, please feel free to send me an e-mail (emiliano.lewis@adbioresources.org).