Big Big Battery Plan

 Reposted from Edie:

Europe's largest battery storage system planned for Teesside

14 December 2021, source edie newsroom

Sembcorp Energy UK has today (14 December) unveiled plans to create a 360MW battery storage facility on Teesside, which would be largest system of its kind in Europe.

Pictured: The existing 70MW battery system. Image: Sembcorp Energy

The developer already hosts a 70MW battery in the UK and has secured permission for a further 50MW, which is due to come online in 2022.

Seperately, it has now announced plans to host 360MW of capacity at the Wilton International Industrial site. 

This capacity is more than three times greater than that of the UK’s largest batter array at present – a 100MW system operated by Shell and based in Wiltshire. A second 100MW system is in the pipeline for Capenhurst, near Chester, under plans from Zenobe.

Wilton International is a 2,000-acre site that plays host to industrial facilities including chemical manufacturing, biofuel production and plastics recycling. Sembcorp Energy UK has stated that it already owns enough land at the site to develop the batteries, and the required infrastructure to enable “swift installation” of the new batteries in phases.

Sembcorp Energy UK will need to apply for planning permission for the additional expansion and has not yet announced a likely timescale for completing the project’s phases. In summer 2020, the UK Government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) moved to ease planning restrictions for utility-scale batteries, permitting cells over 50MW in England and arrays over 350MW in Wales. The decision was taken to help stimulate investment amid Covid-19, recognising the battery sector’s role in the net-zero transition and the capacity for shovel-ready job creation.

According to Sembcorp Energy UK, the planned expansion will create 70 new jobs for the region.

On the environmental piece, the point of the battery is to offer balancing and flexibility services to the grid, which will see demand patterns changing as sectors such as transport become increasingly electrified. The units can supply power in “milliseconds”, to the grid, Sembcorp Energy UK said in a statement. The units will also help to maximise the business case for the clean energy generation capacity planned for installation at Wilton International.

“Now, more than ever, flexible energy sources play an increasingly important role in maintaining secure and reliable energy supplies. With a growing reliance on renewables, the UK energy system needs to be flexible and able to respond quickly to changes,” said Sembcorp Industries’ chief executive for the UK and Middle East Andy Koss.

Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Hands added: “As we shift to a greener electricity grid on our path to net-zero, flexible energy storage will be key to ensuring we get the full benefit from our world-class renewables.

“This project will help put Teesside at the heart of the energy transition, bringing green growth to the region, while helping us deliver on our ambitious climate change commitments.”

According to RenewableUK’s latest Energy Storage Project Intelligence research, the UK had more than 16GW of battery storage capacity planned across more than 700 projects as of February.

Wilton International

The news on the battery expansion forms part of Sembcorp Energy UK's wider plans to decarbonise Wilton International in line with the UK’s long-term net-zero target.

In July, the company announced its intention to use carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies to “net” the emissions from the 300MW Whitetail gas power station. It has signed agreements with cleantech firm 8 Rivers Capital to help deliver the technologies, which enable gas to be combusted using oxygen rather than air, then using CO2 in working fluid form to drive the turbine instead of steam. The CO2 fluid attracts the new emissions and captures them. The CO2e captured will then be sequestered in rock formations under the North Sea.

The UK Government has, since then, confirmed plans for all unabated gas-fired electricity generation to come offline by 2035. 

Elsewhere, Sembcorp Energy UK is looking to purchase hydrogen to help decarbonise industrial heating processes at Wilton International. The company has stated its potential intent to purchase blue hydrogen from BP, which is planning a facility with up to 1GW of capacity by 2030 at Teesside.

The UK Government is notably targeting 5GW of “low-carbon” hydrogen production by 2030 under the Hydrogen Strategy – a feat it estimates will attract £4bn on private sector investment.  It sees both blue hydrogen – which is made using natural gas with co-located CCS – and green hydrogen playing a role. This is despite the fact that some studies have found that blue hydrogen could generate 20% more emissions over its life-cycle than burning the natural gas in the first instance.

Sarah George

Two new EV charging "forecourts" announced

 Something of a case of "Slowly, Slowly, Catchee Money" (to misquote). It's a step in the right direction but plenty more of such infrastructure is required. It will be interesting to follow the closure of petrol and diesel serving outlets in the future (if I live that long!).

The UK must not walk away after COP26

 A quick summary of the CCC's view here. A repost from Edie.

Climate Change Committee: UK Government needs to 'raise ambitions' on reaching net-zero

2 December 2021, source edie newsroom

The UK's climate watchdog has called on the UK Government to deliver a "genuine increase in ambition" to reach the measures detailed in the new Glasgow Climate Pact at COP26, including the submission of new emissions targets, rewriting the tax system to phase-out fossil fuels and strengthening international collaboration between countries.

Following COP26, the CCC has called on the UK Government to strengthen domestic and international approaches to reaching net-zero

The Climate Change Committee (CCC) has released a statement this morning (2 December) offering its thoughts on how the UK can implement measures listed under the Glasgow Climate Pact to strengthen its approach to reaching a legally binding net-zero emissions target set for 2050.

Under the Glasgow Climate Pact, nations are encouraged to formulate and publish updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement for 2030, by the time COP27 begins in Egypt next year.

These nations should strive to align their climate targets and plans with a 1.5C temperature pathway, the text says. Some nations had been pushing for this to be a requirement, others for its omission entirely. In the end, the document states that the UN will “take into account different national circumstances”. Nations including China, South Africa and Indonesia have stated they will likely need more time.

In a first for any COP, the final text mentions fossil fuels, stating that “unabated” coal power should be phased down as a priority and that “inefficient subsidies” for all fossil fuels should be removed. The final draft had included "phase out" as the official language, but this was changed to phase down after objections from India.

Following COP26, the CCC has called on the UK Government to strengthen domestic and international approaches to reaching net-zero and aligning the global economy with the 1.5C target of the Paris Agreement.

CCC chairman, Lord Deben, said: “The UK must not walk away after COP26. Glasgow was a step forward in global efforts to address climate change, including a genuine increase in ambition to reduce emissions worldwide. We also saw important technical advances, with new rules agreed for reporting emissions and on international carbon trading, and multiple initiatives and sector deals. This is real and welcome progress, but success depends on what happens now.

“The next year is critical for climate action in the UK and internationally. At home, we need to walk the talk and urgently deliver actions in the Net Zero Strategy. Globally, the UK must continue to encourage stronger action on climate and insist on rapid emissions reductions and stronger adaptation through all diplomatic channels. The ultimate success of the Glasgow Climate Pact will be measured by climate risks averted, not words on a page.”

Renewed action

With COP26 still putting the world on course for temperature increases of between 2.1C and 2.7C, the CCC believes the UK should use its COP Presidency position and team to deliver a crucial 12 months of climate action that sets the world up to deliver emissions reductions in line with scientific requirements through to the 2030s.

To build on this, the CCC has made a series of new recommendations to the Government. The watchdog notes that the UK will have to publish a strengthened Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) prior to COP27. It calls on the Government to include stronger plans on climate adaptation through quantitative targets and potentially making the new targets legally binding. This, the CCC suggests, should also clarify approaches to offsets and carbon removal technologies.

The CCC notes that the UK already has one of the most ambitious 2030 targets for reducing emissions in the world and one that is consistent with the Paris Agreement. However, the CCC notes that steps have not been put in place to meet it.

Despite the publication of the Net-Zero Strategy, the Government has refused to share any detail on actual emission reduction requirements for sectors to reach net-zero. The CCC has called on the Government to strengthen the delivery of the net-zero strategy, including “robust” plans to reduce agricultural emissions.

With the Glasgow Climate Pact calling for the “phase-out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies”, the CCC has called for the Treasury to review the role of the tax system in reaching net-zero and delivering a more consistent and reflective carbon price. Importantly the CCC believes that no fossil fuel subsidy should be classified as “efficient”.

Prior to COP26, the Treasury warned that policies must be put in place to address a £37bn deficit that could arise from a loss of tax revenue as the shift away from fossil fuel continues.

International efforts

On international action, the CCC suggests that the UK applies stronger product standards to imported goods, while also reviewing carbon border adjustment mechanisms and trade levers.

With the UK holding the COP Presidency for the next year, until COP27 in Egypt, the CCC also calls for the Government to continue to prioritise high-level leadership through the Presidency team.

Specifically, the CCC notes the importance of the UK steering progress on the delivery of doubling funding for climate adaptation through transparent reporting. Additionally, the UK will need to support the establishment of dialogue on loss and damage.

The CCC also claims that the UK could revisit its climate finance contributions by restoring a commitment to spend 0.7% of GDP on climate aid as soon as possible.

The CCC will publish a comprehensive assessment of UK progress in summer 2022.

Matt Mace

Renewables Capacity Growing - But Not By Enough

 This report from Edie quoting forecasts from the IEA could be read as good news. The bad news is that the rate of growth in renewables is nowhere near fast enough to track to net-zero by 2050. More and more a global economy based on growth, growth and yet more growth looks unsustainable. It's an unpalatable message for governments to give - so they don't - which means there are some nasty shocks lurking down the line.

Auditors: "Business As Usual"

 This is a repost from Edie. It outlines a very sad state of affairs and just goes to show how much greenwash there is sloshing about.

Shareholders ignoring auditor approaches to climate risk, report warns

30 November 2021, source edie newsroom

Shareholders at listed UK companies are failing to hold auditors to account on an inability to manage and address climate-related risks, a new report from Greenpeace has warned.

Greenpeace is calling for the UK Government to introduce “specific duties” for companies and auditors to ensure that “climate risk is reflected in financial statements”

A new report from Greenpeace found that between January and August this year, shareholders voted by 90% or more to reappoint the auditors at all but 3 of 349 large listed companies. Greenpeace notes that these firms were either listed on the UK FTSE100 or FTSE250, or were one of 78 of major global emitters whose audit reports were identified by Carbon Tracker and the Carbon Accounting Project as failing to meet ‘good practice’.

Indeed, ClientEarth found that only 4% of the audit reports of the 250 largest listed UK companies included clear explanations of whether auditors were considering climate change in their decision-making factors.

Greenpeace UK’s senior programme adviser Charlie Kronick said: “Polluting companies and their auditors are failing to integrate climate change and the 1.5C  target of the Paris Agreement into their business plans and financial statements - for example over-valuing fossil fuels, rather than recognising they need to be phased out.

“This leads to bad investment decisions that not only harm company profits, but also wreck the climate. Our findings show that investors aren’t going to force auditors to improve any time soon. We’re calling for the government to step in by creating a duty for companies and auditors to ensure climate risk is reflected in financial statements.”

Greenpeace is calling for the UK Government to introduce “specific duties” for companies and auditors to ensure that “climate risk is reflected in financial statements”.

Indeed, the Government is introducing a mandate on corporate non-financial disclosure, in alignment with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). However, it seems that policy is relying on investors to hold these companies to account.

The Greenpeace report notes that shareholders in the UK have the power to vote against auditors, but that they tend not to.

The findings come as investors increasingly call on the government to introduce a mandate for companies and auditors to align accounts with the pathways of the Paris Agreement.

Insufficient audits

Earlier this year, a survey of more than 700 chief audit executives found that just over one in ten (12%) believe their organisation is making sufficient efforts to measure, reduce and adapt to climate risks.

The survey was conducted by the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors (Chartered IIA). Climate change and other environment-related risks have been steadily climbing the list of risk priorities in recent years, the report revealed. It was ranked in the top five risks by just 14% of professionals in the 2020 edition of the report, published in 2019. That proportion rose to 22% last year and 31% this year. No other risk area saw year-on-year increases in prioritisation this steep.

Nonetheless, that leaves 69% of audit chiefs not viewing climate risk as a top-five risk. The Chartered IIA’s definition covers physical risk, such as flooding; transition risk, such as stranded assets or increased costs from altered legislation, and potential reputational risk.

Moreover, just 12% of the survey respondents agreed that they, their teams and their organisations are prioritising spending significant time and effort preparing for the climate crisis. As well as professionals working in the private sector, those working in NGOs and the public sector were also polled.

Matt Mace