Energy

26Considerable investment in UK electricity generating and water supply infrastructure is needed to replace existing ageing facilities and to install new technology required to meet government targets and to ensure long term security of supply. For example, the UK Government plans to focus the power generation portfolio, currently based primarily on traditional gas and coal fired power stations, to depend more on (a) nuclear, (b) “clean” coal and gas generation with carbon capture and storage, and (c) a mix of renewable energy technologies, including wind and tidal turbines, barrages, tidal lagoons, hydrokinetic devices, and traditional hydropower systems. Meeting the challenge of developing a low carbon energy system intricately depends on understanding environmental impacts and advancing appropriate novel technologies and infrastructure to mitigate for them.

The vast majority of future electricity generation will continue to depend heavily on large quantities of water, e.g. for direct cooling at power stations or to drive turbines at tidal barrages. In contrast to previous eras, current plans to overhaul the UK energy infrastructure require consents to be obtained within the constraints of increasingly strict international environmental legislation (e.g. EU Water Framework Directive and EU Habitats Directive).  Current legislation is based on the recognition that development of energy systems has had significant adverse impacts on other provisioning and cultural ecosystems services. In the UK, the need to develop new energy and water supply infrastructure within the constraints of stringent environmental legislation has resulted in unsuccessful applications for consent and frequent impasse in negotiations between stakeholders and regulators.

UK fisheries are of high economic importance and conservation concern. Currently there is limited information on how new generation energy infrastructure will impact fish populations.