Utility Week

4 | 28TH FEBRUARY - 5TH MARCH 2020 | UTILITY WEEK Seven days... Warning over carbon offsetting The government has been warned not to rely on carbon offsetting to reach its net zero goals. The Department for Transport is currently considering whether to force airlines and other transport companies to include a carbon offsetting charge for all journeys. The government has also indicated that it will rely on an international offsetting scheme in order to reach net zero emissions from the aviation industry. But they have been warned that they risk making a "terrible mis- take" a•er The Telegraph revealed some voluntary offsetting schemes, which are self-regulated, risk fool- ing consumers hoping to mitigate their emissions contribution. The Telegraph Climate crisis is 'a threat to humanity' The world's largest financier of fossil fuels, JP Morgan, has warned clients that the climate crisis threatens the survival of humanity and that the planet is on an unsus- tainable trajectory, according to a leaked document. The JP Morgan report on the economic risks of human-caused global heating said climate policy had to change or else the world faced irreversible consequences. The Guardian Coal and wood ban could cost £469m The ban on coal and wet wood could cost households up to £469 million over the next ten years, according to government estimates. Sales of domestic coal and untreated wood will be phased out by 2023 as part of a commitment to improving air quality. Dry wood is estimated to be 60 per cent more expensive than wet wood, while alternatives to coal are 38 per cent more expensive. The Telegraph Press roundup BEIS awards £28m towards hydrogen production T he Department for Busi- ness, Energy and Indus- trial Strategy (BEIS) has awarded more than £28 million to five projects for phase two of its low-carbon hydrogen sup- ply competition announced in May 2018. It includes funding to develop the technology to enable floating wind turbines to produce hydro- gen offshore. Two of the projects concern the process of electrolysis, whereby electricity is passed through water to separate it into hydrogen and oxygen. Environmental Resources Management will receive £3.12 million to design a pro- totype of an integrated water treatment and electrolyser system that would be fitted to floating wind turbines. It would allow hydrogen to be produced offshore using seawater before being piped back to land. ITM Power has been granted £7.5 million to develop designs for an electrolyser system that would feed an oil refinery in the Humber region and would be powered by Orsted's Hornsea Two offshore wind farm. The funding for the Gigastack project will also enable the company to further develop its plans for the large-scale manufacture of electrolysers. The other three projects con- cern the extraction of hydrogen from natural gas – a process known as reformation. To make the fuel low-carbon, the result- ing carbon emissions would be captured and stored. The three beneficiaries here are: the Progressive Energy consortium (£7.48 million); Pale Blue Dot Energy (£2.7 million); and Cranfield University (£7.44 million). The grants are part of a £90 million package of funding for efforts to cut carbon emis- sions from homes and industry announced earlier this month (18 February). TG "The construction sector must be made accountable for delivering outcomes, rather than the current design-for-compliance approach" The Committee on Climate Change calls for the Future Homes Standard to be introduced earlier than 2025. STORY BY NUMBERS Diversity challenge to water sector Trade body British Water has pledged to make itself more diverse and has challenged the UK water sector to do the same. 30% Proportion of female non-executive directors that British Water wants to see on its board by 2025. One Number of women on trade body's non-executive board at present. 20% Percentage of female workers in water sector, compared with 47 per cent national average. 50% At least half of British Water's workforce should be female and from diverse backgrounds. Floating wind farms are a key area of research

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