Mark Pritchard MP was welcomed by Piers Gough, Associate Director with
Wardell Armstrong, and drew attention to the important work Mr Pritchard does
for the Parliamentary Environmental Audit Committee. Mr Gough commented that the
Committee had recently warned that the UK would need to replace a quarter of its
existing electricity generating capacity by 2016 and proposed new generation
nuclear plants simply could not be built in time to fill the gap in energy
demand. In the short term therefore we would almost certainly require new gas
fired power stations supplemented by a significant growth in renewable energy
projects and energy conservation measures to meet demand.
Mr Gough stated that historically the UK had performed poorly in
terms of the proportion of energy derived from renewable sources and, in 2003 we
were ranked 14th out of 15 EU members in terms of the amount of energy derived
from renewable sources. With an eye to the rural economy, he pointed out that we
currently produce only about 5% of a potential 2GW of electricity from
agricultural and forestry wastes.
He went on however to applaud the work of a number of local
organisations who are developing or implementing new environmental technologies
including Harper Adams University College, Marches Energy Agency, Talbotts of
Stafford, a leading manufacturer of biomass boilers and Greenfinch based in
Ludlow, who have developed an advanced waste digestor which provides gas for
heating and power generation from kitchen and green waste.
Mr Gough closed by commenting that the West Midlands was better
placed than perhaps any other region of the Country to deliver in relation of
newable energy projects but a step change in the rate at which projects were
coming on line would be necessary if a shortfall in energy supply was to be
avoided.
