Explainer-in-brief: Behind the upcoming energy strategy
As we brace ourselves for higher energy bills this month, the energy strategy is expected to finally come out this week. Boris Johnson has made clear that his juice of choice is nuclear, setting the goal of getting a quarter of the country’s electricity from nuclear power.
Yet nuclear can’t be the only homemade source, as building power stations and even smaller reactors takes time. With net-zero considerations to be factored in, Johnson is left with wind, solar and the contested option of fracking.
His party seems fine with wind only if it’s offshore; onshore wind turbines are unpopular in the countryside, and Tory MPs are wary of potential losses of loyalty. On the other hand, fracking has been banned since 2019 in the UK, only for the PM to now reconsider the moratorium.
When the strategy comes out, there will hopefully be more clarity on the direction we’re heading; whatever that is, it doesn’t look like a very steady ride.