The Department for the Economy has released the Energy Strategy Document. When reading this document one must bear in mind that the Department currently has a legal obligation to not just support gas as a fuel, but to promote gas as a fuel. Similarly the "DfE’s policy objective is to maximise successful and expeditious exploration and exploitation of Northern Ireland’s oil and gas resources, and all decisions will be made with regard to that policy." We have to read the Energy Strategy document in that context.
As an explanation of the above statement consider this. Earlier this morning John Redwood a Tory politician who openly supports 'fracking' and who has stated that "Climate Change is the new home for the zealots" (Feb 2021), tweeted this.
If this had been tweeted by a green party representative we would have concluded that producing our own energy would mean more Wind, Solar, Wave and Tidal generation. But because it comes from Mr Redwood, we can take it to mean the UK should look for more oil and gas and exploit it, by fracking if necessary.
So what are we to make of this statement in the Energy Strategy
"However, we also intend to utilise our modern gas infrastructure and the
potential to generate and import zero carbon gases." (my emphasis)
Hydrogen is mentioned 20 times in this document (renewable electricity 14 times), and the Department have been very careful to not openly discuss the elephant in the room, the generation of hydrogen from fossil fuel. We see that "low carbon" is mentioned 42 times and "zero carbon" only 27 times. So let us be clear when we see the following under Energy Security -:
"The largest gas producers are the United States, Russia, Iran and China. The Energy Strategy will see Northern Ireland becoming more self-sufficient in generating and supplying its own energy, reducing our reliance on others"
Its must be read in the context of a Department with statutory obligation to promote gas and with a policy to exploit Northern Ireland's oil and gas resources.
We are very concerned that the Energy Strategy document has been published before a prohibition on oil and gas licensing has been passed by the Executive. By our Executive not proceeding with this first, we have to believe they consider it secondary to this strategy, and we have to consider that our Executive wish to leave the door open to the granting of oil and gas licences here in Northern Ireland. Often it is what is not in a proposal that is more important than what is contained. We reiterate again that this strategy must be read in conjunction with current policy and statutory obligations, especially given the refusal of the Department and Executive to change those, even when given ample opportunity to do so.
This is a message of reassurance to industry. A statement that business as usual can continue. This Strategy is full of Hydrogen. If one looks at the areas of research and innovation in table 5 we see where the investment is going. There is no word on battery storage, or tidal or wave generation. There is no research on insulation and preventing heat loss from buildings and other conservation measures. There is no research aimed at grid based storage and micro grid, and community based generation. Community energy is relegated to a small section next to creating a digitised Energy System, and much of the Strategy seems to be to let community based energy be dealt with by the Department for Infrastructure and planning. This is not an oversight. This is a fundamental strategy to position our energy generation and access to our energy generation firmly in the hands of corporations, for the benefit of business and for the exploitation of the public rather than to their benefit. There is no democratisation of our energy systems which renewable energy allows, but rather a further strengthening of the role of energy companies.
We have previously called this Department the Department for careful wording. Everything in this 57 page carefully worded document has been refined reworded reinterpreted and reworked to allow a meaning that isn't actually there. The Department have instead produced a bland business oriented strategy aimed to give reassurance to the oil and gas industry that they can continue as usual as long as they don't mention how their Hydrogen is produced. As always with this department Its not what is in this strategy but what is not. There is no ruling out of Hydrogen from fossil gas which we already know is worse for the climate even with Carbon Capture and Storage. There is no ruling out an indigenous oil and gas industry. There is no ruling out further expansion of gas network nor even further gas connections. In fact to borrow a topical phrase "Jesus Mary and Joseph and the Wee Donkey it is policy to actively encourage more connections to the gas network (pg44). This also needs to be read in conjunction with DAERA's decarbonisation targets. The extensive use of 'low carbon' versus 'zero carbon' is clearly aimed at supporting the lower targets in the DAERA climate change bill. What seems clear however, is that the DAERA bill head room for emissions is being reserved not for Agriculture or farmers, but for a fossil fuel led hydrogen industry. This is an oil and gas pension plan wrapped up in a bow and being promised delivery by a Department that time and time again has shown itself to act in the interests of big business, the oil and gas industry, and for narrow party political interests. On that at least it is consistent, but we deserve better, so much better.
