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4 | 16TH - 22ND JUNE 2017 | UTILITY WEEK Offshore wind capacity could be five times more by 2030 A new report from Renewable UK claims the UK could expand its offshore wind capacity to almost five times its current level by 2030. 25GW Amount of offshore wind capacity that could be installed by the end of the next decade. 20m The number of homes this could power – equating to 75 per cent of all UK households. 13MW The sharp ramp-up in installed capacity would be achieved by using bigger turbines, each with a capacity of 13MW. 8MW The current capacity of the largest wind turbines used off UK shores. STORY BY NUMBERS Seven days... National media UK gas traders caught off guard as Qatari LNG cargoes change course The Qatari crisis has already cost the UK two major gas deliveries for this month, causing market prices to surge and raising concern that further price shocks could follow. UK gas traders were caught off guard late last week aer a pair of Qatari cargoes destined for the UK market abruptly veered off course in the days following a major travel ban on the UK's biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplier by neigh- bouring Gulf states. The Telegraph, 11 June National Trust facing legal challenge The National Trust is facing a legal challenge aer forcing a fracking company to divert around its land when surveying for shale gas. Ineos Shale is beginning seismic testing for gas this week across 250 square kilometres of the east Midlands. It wanted to use sound waves to sur- vey the rock deep below Clumber Park, the 3,800-acre former country estate of the dukes of Newcastle, which the trust purchased in 1945. The Times, 13 June Gove reiterates climate change rebuttal Michael Gove's first act as environment secretary was to issue a denial yesterday that he had ever intended to remove climate change from the national curriculum. The Green Party had said he was "entirely unfit" for the brief because of his "attempt to wipe the subject from our children's curriculum". This was a reference to claims in 2013 that Mr Gove, when education secretary, had removed climate change from a dra of the updated geography syllabus. Mr Gove authorised officials to point to a strongly worded rebuttal issued by the Department for Education at the time. The Times, 13 June Clark pledges 'absolute' price cap on energy retailers T he Conservatives are set to implement an "absolute price cap" on energy retailers in the wake of the general election. Speaking exclusively to Utility Week, business and energy secre- tary Greg Clark said: "We will get Ofgem to set an absolute cap." He added that the Conserva- tives' energy price cap will take inspiration from the views of Martin Cave, a panel member for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigation into the sector. Cave was in the minority in calling for muscu- lar intervention in the market, while his peers favoured only limited price regulation for prepayment meter customers. Clark stated: "We have taken the recommendation from the CMA report which called for a prepayment meter cap, an absolute cap, set by the regula- tor. They were in two minds as to whether to go beyond that, so we backed the minority opinion." The business and energy secretary also confirmed that a promised energy cost review will go ahead and that it will likely become a "periodic" assessment of energy policy costs. Clark said the review would "ensure the UK meets its com- mitments to reduce emissions, but do so in the most cost- effective way for businesses". Last week, Lord Turner, a former chair of the Committee on Climate Change, was tipped to lead the review. At the count in his Tunbridge Wells constituency, Clark did not rule out working with Labour on implementing a price cap and other interventions in the energy market. "We need to see what the final outcome will be before we consider the next steps," he said. Subsequently, however, the Tories said they would not do any deals with their opponents. Clark did slam the opposition party's plans to renationalise sections of the energy sector, calling it "very costly" and say- ing that taxpayers' money "could be better spent elsewhere". MB "There seems to have been a collective loss of confidence in markets and competition to deliver the best outcome for consumers" Simon Virley, head of power and utilities, KPMG. See news, p8 PHOTO: VICTORIA JONES PA WIRE/PA IMAGES