Energy crisis looms up in Britain

Scarce and expensive energy supplies are to become the norm in the UK, leading academics have warned. Experts at the UK Energy Research Centre are warning the government of the country's looming energy crisis.

They say changes to the way people use and produce energy will be needed, and some nuclear power must be kept.

Meanwhile, Royal Society head Lord May says the UK could lose influence in the debate on climate change - because of a failure to cut greenhouse gases enough.

It followed a meeting between 150 scientific, technical, economic and sociological experts at Burlington House in October, under the auspices of The Geological Society of London.

The document says energy will inevitably become less available and more expensive than it has been for the last few decades.

It says while the role of renewable energy will increase over the coming years, fossil fuels will remain the country's most important source for the next 50 years.

It advises clean systems, including carbon capture and storage, should be pursued urgently.

The immediate issue, the report says, is the impending closure of most British nuclear power stations and many coal-fired units.

By 2015, all four Magnox nuclear stations will have shut down, as will five of the seven stations running Advanced Gas-Cooled Reactors (AGRs).

It says that new reactors will have to be built to bridge the gap in electricity supplies left by nuclear closures, if the government is to fulfil its goals on climate change, BBC reports.

V.Y.