News Category
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UK & Canada combine forces on carbon capture
The UK and Canada have agreed to work together regarding research and knowledge sharing in Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). According to the Government, CCS has the potential to be a cost effective technology for decarbonisation of UK power, enabling us to keep fossil fuels in the electricity mix. The agreement is also seen as an important step forward for the CCS sector overall. Britain is currently leading Europe with two commercial scale carbon capture and storage ...
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Avian flu outbreak in Yorkshire
Defra has announced that a case of avian flu has been confirmed on a duck breeding farm in Yorkshire. Immediate action has been taken, including introducing a 10km restriction zone and culling all poultry on the farm to prevent any potential spread of infection. Poultry farmers are reminded that some strains of avian influenza cause a notifiable disease so if they suspect any strain of avian influenza they must inform their nearest Animal and Plant and ...
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Go-ahead for UK fracking colleges
The first national UK shale colleges have been given the go-ahead by Business, Enterprise & Energy Minister, Matthew Hancock. A National College for Onshore Oil and Gas will be headquartered in Blackpool and linked to colleges in Chester, Redcar and Cleveland, Glasgow and Portsmouth. The colleges will: Provide high level specialist skills needed by the industry from ‘A’ level equivalents right through to postgraduate degree level, and train teachers and regulators. Accredit relevant training and academic courses run by ...
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Walney wind farm extension granted
The extension to the Walney offshore wind farm in the Irish Sea has been given the go-ahead by government - if built it will triple the size of the wind farm, already one of the biggest in the world. It is expected to create 230 new jobs over the four year construction period and around 185 jobs annually during the expected 25-year lifespan. Once built, it should generate enough electricity to power over half a million ...
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£14m fund for new energy technology
A £14 million fund to help businesses develop new products and technologies to reduce carbon emissions and improve energy security has been announced by Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Vince Cable. The move is aimed at encouraging companies to invest in technologies that will meet future energy needs in a more environmentally friendly way, while at the same time boosting economic growth. In a separate competition, Innovate UK are making £5 million available to ...
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New £97m supercomputer for Met Office
Government plans for a new £97 million Met Office supercomputer mean forecast updates will be available every hour, with higher detail weather information for precise geographical areas. The world-leading High Performance Computer will help the UK to predict disruptive weather events such as flooding, strong winds, fog and heavy snowfall more effectively. It will also open up the potential for higher resolution models, which will have the ability to pinpoint more detail for small scale, high-impact ...
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Green light for HS3
David Cameron and George Osborne have given their backing to a report published by HS2 chairman, Sir David Higgins, which sets out proposals aimed at maximising the benefits of HS2 in the north of England more widely. In the report, Sir David identifies the importance of improving east west connectivity and considers the central role a high speed rail link could play. He concludes that with a high speed link the journey time between Leeds and ...
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Help stop the quagga mussel threat
Anyone who uses lakes and rivers is being urged to help slow the spread of an invasive mussel recorded in the UK for the first time this month. The quagga mussel, first spotted by Environment Agency teams carrying out water quality testing on the River Wraysbury, has now been confirmed in nine locations in the south east. To slow the spread of the species, anglers, sailors and others should use the "check, clean, dry" approach by thoroughly ...
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Subsidy for solar farms ends in January
Farmers are to lose their right to claim subsidies for fields filled with solar panels under new government plans aimed at ensuring more agricultural land is dedicated to growing crops and food. From January 2015, farmers who use fields for solar panels will not be eligible for any farm subsidy payments available through the Common Agricultural Policy, for that land. Environment secretary, Elizabeth Truss, comments: "English farmland is some of the best in the world and I ...
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Tractor weight and speed limits increased
Regulation to allow higher tractor speeds and heavier tractor and trailer combinations on Britain's roads will come into force from Spring 2015, the Government has announced. Under the changes, the maximum combination weight limit for tractors and trailers will increase from 24.39 tonnes to 31 tonnes, while the speed limit will increase to 25mph (40km/h), up from 20mph. The increase in combined weight means bigger tractors will be able to pull trailers without sacrificing cargo to meet the ...
