Client:
West Coast Energy
Project:
Review of an Outline Regional Energy Strategy and Proposals
for Development.
Dates:
February to July 2001
West
Coast Energy (WCE) in association with EC Harris (ECH), were
appointed to undertake a Review of an Outline Energy Strategy
proposed by the Welsh Development Agency (WDA). A strategic
approach for how best to engage with the Energy Sector in Wales
was required in the light of major changes anticipated in the
energy 'mix', policy objectives for 'sustainable development'
and the WDA's remit for economic development. ess consulting
was appointed by WCE to project manage the Review and to author
the Review Report.
To
characterise the Energy Sector in Wales, the Review Team carried
out an audit of the current status of energy provision, demand
and distribution in the Region. This involved informal consultations
with the major stakeholders in the Sector and enabled the Sector
to be defined in a number of key areas:-
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•
The current energy generation mix
•
The annual output and demand
•
The contribution from renewable sources
•
Regional energy quality issues
•
Constraints to economic development
•
Social, technical, environmental and political impacts.
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Spreadsheet
models were prepared to enable assessments to be made of the changes
likely to take place in the Sector over the next five to ten years.
Existing and new generation technologies were compared to understand
the forces acting for change (decline in coal and nuclear; changes
to gas (CCGT) and support mechanisms for clean energy and renewables,
etc). Currently identifiable new projects were subject to a probability
assessment to enable projections to be made of Public Sector Investment,
jobs created or sustained, total energy, renewable energy, and
CO2 outputs.
A
picture then emerged of the changes that could be expected over
the next ten years in terms of the technology, location and distribution
of energy. This provided the framework within which the WDA could
expect to be operating and further models were prepared to enable
the WDA to evaluate and prioritise their sector support programmes
to give the best return within their corporate plan objectives.
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