GAS, COAL AND GAS FROM COAL: A STRATEGIC SOCIO-ECONOMIC APPRAISAL OF THE UK ENERGY POLICY

UK energy policy is based on non-renewable sources, and is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. Until recently this was primarily coal, but during the 1990s the short term "dash for gas" has resulted in a dramatic shift in the fuel mix. With a focus on the electricity supply industry, the article seeks to provide a longer and wider strategic socio-economic appraisal of the gas–coal mix for the UK. It explores the relative merits of clean coal technology, producing gas from coal, including the specific project example of Kellingley, and concludes with an appraisal of the continuing barriers to its development.