The head of Britain’s largest natural gas distributor has warned of the need to keep fossils fuels in the United Kingdom’s energy mix past 2050 to avoid rolling blackouts outside or even complete power outages as it transitions to net-zero.As reported by the Daily Telegraph, National Gas CEO Jon Butterworth said the UK experienced 262 days last year where the wind either did not blow or was insufficient to generate power. A little more than half — 53% — of the UK’s electricity is generated by fossil fuels.Butterworth was responding to calls from the country’s National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) to shut down all gas powered electricity and heat generation — including a ban on gas powered water heaters and appliances by 2035 — and halt the supply of gas to all residential buildings by 2050..“It’s making a grave error by assuming this country can run on electricity alone,” National Gas CEO Jon Butterworth .The report was tabled to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last week, who has come under fire from environmentalists for seemingly walking back Britain’s timeline to net zero.Although Butterworth said his company supports a shift to renewable energy sources including hydrogen, he cautioned on the need for natural gas to provide base load back up when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining.“It’s making a grave error by assuming this country can run on electricity alone,” he said. “I know there’s a place for both, but heat pumps do not work for all homes, nor does electricity work for all industries. By refusing to accept that we need choices for UK families and businesses, we are ignoring the reality of the UK’s energy needs,” he said.“The idea that we would decommission existing infrastructure to then pay to replace it is completely illogical. We need to end this obsession with a one size fits all solution to net zero and work together on a plan that is affordable and realistic for everyone in the UK.”.“The UK government is now warning its people on just how unstable its electricity grid is and the need for natural gas generation. Alberta has been clearly issuing the same warning for months,”Premier Danielle Smith.In its report to Parliament, the NIC is recommending massive subsidies on the order of £6.5 billion (CAD$11 billion) to cover the costs of installing heat pumps in some 29 million British households.But Butterworth insists only a third of those are suited for the furnace replacements and in July made headlines for insisting heat pumps are “only for the privileged.” He has long maintained the need for any net-zero transition to be as painless and affordable as possible..His comments are remarkably similar to those made by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith as her government rails against federal electricity rules she insists would leave consumers at risk of higher power bills and blackouts in the dead of winter.The government has taken out $7.5 million in ads to make the point, in what has been called the ‘blackout campaign.’“The UK government is now warning its people on just how unstable its electricity grid is and the need for natural gas generation. Alberta has been clearly issuing the same warning for months,” she posted on Twitter (“X”).“It’s time for the feds to listen to what’s going on in the world. Take a minute right now and send a message to our Prime Minister.”
