Norway vs UK

Norway vs UK

1. UK

   • Until the 1970s, the UK depended heavily on domestic coal from Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, South Wales and north-east England. It was also among global leaders in nuclear technology from the 1950s–70s, but lost momentum after the discovery of large reserves of North Sea oil and gas, whose increased use after the 1970s greatly altered the UK’s energy mix.
   • The North Sea reserves became a ‘secure’ alternative to dependency on Middle Eastern oil, after prices there rose in the early 1970s.However, North Sea oil is expensive to extract, so if global prices fall (as they did in 1997-98 and 2014-15), it becomes less viable. Stocks of North Sea oil and gas are also declining, which is forcing the UK to import more
   • There are 150 years’ worth of coal reserves left in the UK, but current technology and environmental policy make its extraction and use unrealistic and expensive. The UK’s last deep coal mine closed in 2015, although 80% of the UK’s primary energy still came from fossil fuels. The technology exists for ‘clean coal’ (that is, absorbing CO2emissions), but coal has lost its political support.
   • The increasing reliance on imported energy sources affects the UK’s energy security, and this has become a political issue.However, public concern is also growing over new and proposed fracking and nuclear sites.The privatisation of the UK’s energy supply industry in the 1980s now means that overseas companies (e.g. France’s EDF and Germany’s E-on) decide which energy sources are used to meet UK demand. They buy primary energy on international markets.
   • GDP per capita (PPP) = US$41 200 (2015)Energy use per capita = 2752 kg oil equivalent (2014)Average annual household energy costs = £1300 (2015)
   • In 2015, the UK committed to a 40% reduction in domestic greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, compared to 1990 levels.It intends to broaden its energy mix with renewable sources (especially wind) and more nuclear power.However, the UK also abandoned its ‘Green Deal’ conservation and insulation schemes in 2015.In 2015, the UK’s CO2 emissions were 7.13 tonnes per capita (down from a peak of 11.5 in 1980).

2. Norway

   • Because Norway is mountainous, with steep valleys and plentiful rainfall, HEP is the natural energy choice..Much of the oil and natural gas in Norway’s territorial waters is exported
   • Norsk Hydro runs over 600 HEP sites, which supply 97.5% of Norway’s renewable electricity.HEP costs are low once capital investment is complete. However, the transfer of electricity from HEP production in remote regions to urban population centres and isolated settlements is expensive.
   • Deepwater drilling technology enabled both Norway and the UK to develop North Sea oil and gas extraction.
   • HEP has been used since 1907, and the Norwegian Water and Energy Directorate manages the nation’s power supply.The Norwegian government has an interventionist approach, which prevents foreign companies from owning any primary energy source sites – waterfalls, mines, forests.Royalties and taxes paid into the government from the sale of fossil fuels boost the standard of living through government spending, but profits also go to a sovereign wealth fund to prepare for a future without fossil fuels and investment in environmentally sustainable projects.
   • GDP per capita (PPP) = US$61 500 (2015)Energy use per capita = 5854 kg oil equivalent (2014)Average annual household energy costs = £2400 (2015
   • In 2015, Norway committed to a 40% reduction in domestic greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, compared to 1990 levels.Norway is the third largest exporter of hydrocarbons, and is expanding its output.Norway’s ‘Policy for Change’ was launched in 2016, with a domestic target of being carbon neutral by 2050.In 2015, Norway’s CO2 emissions were 11.74 tonnes per capita (up from 11.6 tonnes in 1989).