DECC releases monthly energy statistics amid major cuts

The monthly report shows an overall reduction in oil decency and growth in natural resource usage in the past year. However this comes at a time with the government confirming that both the Carbon Trust and the Energy Saving Trust “will no longer receive core government funding.”

“The development of the Green Deal, an ambitious market-driven energy efficiency scheme, combined with the need to further prioritise public expenditure, means that the DECC needs to take a different approach to future delivery of energy efficiency and low carbon innovation,” a DECC spokesperson said. “Spending on innovation in the future will be focused on a much smaller range of priority technologies.”

 The DECC produces monthly statistics on climate change, energy, fuel poverty, coal health and the fuel mix disclosure table.

The report shows that production of indigenous primary fuels in the three months to March 2011 stood at 37.8m tonnes of oil equivalent, 11 per cent lower than the corresponding period a year ago.  This large decline in output is due to a record fall in petroleum production, and a record fall in gas production.

For the three months January 2011 to March 2011 compared to the same period a year earlier figures showed that production of coal and other solid fuels rose by 23.2 per cent; production of petroleum fell by 15.6 per cent; production of natural gas fell by 17.1 per cent; electricity produced from nuclear sources rose by 6.9 per cent and electricity produced from wind and natural flow hydro rose by 39.8 per cent

The UK remained a net importer of crude oil, natural gas liquids (NGL’s), and refinery process oils (12.4m tonnes) due to an indigenous oil production 7.7 per cent decrease compared with last year.

The first quarter’s data shows that the prices paid for all fuel and light have risen by 1.9 per cent in the past year.  Also, Prices rose by 2.8 per cent in real terms in the first quarter.

The data released shows a shift towards sustainable energy resources despite the market undergoing austerity measures.
The Carbon Trust, an NGO providing specialist support for businesses and the public sector in climate control issues,  maintains that the “organisation is capable to cope with the cuts,” despite the announcement to reduce its budget by more than half.

DECC official says that despite the cutbacks to NGO’s and the coalition’s deficit reduction program, it will keep its promise to create the “greenest government ever”.

Image: donnamarijne | Flickr