Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, has revealed plans to make all of the country's electricity fossil-free by 2035. The country's goal is to attain net-zero emissions by 2050; therefore the move to become a fossil-free power generator is part of that ambition.
According to statistics given by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, renewables will account for 43% of total electricity output in 2020. (BEIS).
"Looking at the progress that we're making in wind power, where we lead the world now in offshore wind, looking at what we can do with other renewable sources, carbon capture and storage with hydrogen potentially, we think we can get to complete clean energy production by 2035," Johnson said.
The United Kingdom currently relies on gas to supply approximately 38% of its electrical needs.
The UK is aiming to deploy nuclear power as a backup for renewable energy as part of its ambitions to phase out gas in electricity generation by 2035.
"It will mean that for the first time the UK is not dependent on hydrocarbons, coming from overseas, with all the vagaries in hydrocarbon prices and the risks that poses for people's pockets and for the consumer." Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.
In December of last year, the Prime Minister stated that by 2025, he will approve at least one large nuclear power plant. In 2026, Electricite de France (EDF) plans to start up unit 1 of the 3.2GW Hinkley Point C nuclear power project. Hinkley Point C is the first new nuclear power plant built in the United Kingdom in over two decades.
Nearly six million houses will be able to be powered by the nuclear power plant. By 2035, the United Kingdom has committed to reducing its emissions by 78 percent. Between the 31st of October and the 12th of November, the country will host the COP26 climate summit.
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