Environmental legislation news: UK government announces energy policy reforms

British energy and climate secretary Ed Miliband announced draft plans to develop a low carbon energy mix for the country in parliament yesterday (November 9th).

The proposals include a nuclear programme which has earmarked ten sites around the country as potentially suitable for new-build nuclear plants along with a programme to utilise clean coal technology.

Sites include Sellafield and Braystones in Cumbria as well as Oldbury in Gloucestershire and Sizewell in Suffolk.

Mr Miliband said: "The threat of climate change means we need to make a transition from a system that relies heavily on high-carbon fossil fuels, to a radically different system that includes nuclear, renewable and clean coal power."

Under the proposals, no new coal plants will be built unless they include carbon capture and storage facilities.

Six new National Policy Statements have been published to cover all areas of the energy mix and to provide guidance on planning decisions relating to the energy infrastructure.

These latest measures come as the government prepares for the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen next month.

Posted by Joseph Hutton