Plastics Industry Warned 'Prepare for Power Cuts'

Speaking today at a British Plastics Federation Energy Management seminar, the BPF Director-General Peter Davis said.

"Companies need to plan now for the risk of power cuts from 2016, only six years away.  The Government has been far too slow in developing more gas storage and commissioning new power stations including nuclear.  It's hard to see how they can catch up."

Mr Davis said," Companies will have to consider: reducing their use of energy; installing generators; considering renewables such as windmills and solar panels or having a priority feed from one of the new Local Energy from Waste plants."

The plastics industry is a strategically crucial sector manufacturing materials for the packaging of foodstuffs, parts for cars and aeroplanes, building components and medical equipment. "If the plastics industry stops", said Davis," many customer industries and, indeed, daily life, could grind to a halt"

He urged any new government to support the construction of a new generation of nuclear power stations "to keep the lights on and meet  challenging carbon targets"

Mr Davis said that nine oil and coal fired power stations are to be closed by 2015.  Four out of ten of our ageing nuclear reactors must be decommissioned within six years.  Imports of gas will rise from 40% of UK demand to 70% in 2018.  Yet we have only gas storage enough for 16 days demand compared with 99 days in Germany and 122 days in France.

OFGEM the Energy Regulator have stated that regular power cuts could start in 2016. Black outs at peak times could mean that every home could be left without power for an average of 40 minutes in 2016. That could increase to two hours in 2017.

Peter Davis said, "The effect on manufacturing would be much worse with rolling power cuts for companies.  This would harm investment in the UK.

The UK's population is rising rapidly - 47 million in 1939, 61.4 million now and we are all personally consuming more energy."

OFGEM states that £200bn of investment is needed urgently for new power generation and storage.  We need to build two large plants every year Peter Davis said, "This should have been foreseen ten years ago.  Last week I asked a panel of energy experts at the Materials Knowledge Transfer Network AGM what we should do.  Disappointingly they thought the 'Dunkirk spirit' would get us through as it has done in the past."

Today's BPF Energy Management seminar has a session on 'What to do when energy shortages occur."  (See BPF website www.bpf.co.uk)

Also being launched today is a 70 page book 'Controlling Energy Use in Plastics Processing: A Quick Start Guide' commissioned by BPF Energy and written by energy expert Dr Robin Kent.

The BPF's Climate Change Agreement is driving reduction in energy use in the Plastics Industry.  276 manufacturing sites are registered. 

ENDS