Over the next decade and beyond, there are two long-term energy challenges facing the UK, including:
Therefore, the UK is set to take significant steps towards a new energy economy. This will be an economy where the technologies meeting our electricity, heat and fuel needs have to deliver against three key criteria: sustainability, security and affordability.
As a result, a wide range of emerging energy technologies are expected to play an important role in reshaping the way we gain our energy requirements. The extent to which they do so, however, will depend fundamentally on their ability to be harnessed safely.
The government’s strategy for dealing with the challenges is set out in the Energy White Paper 2007 and the legislative aspects of this strategy were introduced in the Energy Act 2008. Before the White Paper and Act the government launched an energy review for which, in 2006, HSE prepared an expert report. This concluded that HSE’s regulatory framework is sufficiently comprehensive and flexible enough to deal with new risks and hazards achieving sensible risk management. Specific new regulatory controls may be required in due course if these risks merit such action.
Due to this HSE formed the Emerging Energies Technologies (EET) Program, which is now complete. This aimed to gather further information on these new technologies to understand the hazards and risks in more detail in order to support industry.
This report outlines the health & safety hazards that key emerging energy technologies could pose, both to workers and to the public at large. Health and safety in the new energy economy.
The program also developed a plan for how HSE will continue to support and engage with the energy sector, which is ongoing.
Health and safety in the new energy economy: meeting the challenge
Emerging Energy Technologies Programme
The energy review report
White Paper on Energy