The Scottish Government has backed a 400MW hydro scheme proposal on a former opencast mine near Kirkconnel in Dumfries and Galloway. The £150 million Glenmuckloch Pumped Storage Hydro (PSH) scheme, a joint venture by Buccleuch Estates and 2020 Renewables, has already been approved by Dumfries and Galloway Council and now has the green light from the Scottish Government. The former opencast mine site currently operates as a surface mine, though the site is also currently under

Donald Trump’s surprise victory in the presidential election changes everything in terms of energy and climate politics in the United States, and many of those changes can be made by the incoming president swiftly, and without congressional approval. As many of President Obama’s environmental regulations were based on executive action, President-elect Trump would be able reverse these with a mere signature once inaugurated. Larger and more complex items on Donald Trump’s envi

The last coal power station in Britain will be forced to close in 2025, the government has said, as it laid out its plan to phase-out the fuel. Ministers had previously promised in 2015 that the UK would end its use of coal power “within a decade”, and replace it with gas and other fuels in order to meet its climate change commitments. Officials have since admitted that the last coal power station is more likely to shut in 2022, prompting calls from campaigners to bring forwa

The government has unveiled details for the next Contracts for Difference (CFD) auction, in which companies will compete for £290 million worth of contracts for developing renewable energy projects. This auction should result in enough renewable electricity to power one million UK homes and reduce carbon emissions by around 2.5 million tonnes per annum from 2021/22. Business and Energy secretary Greg Clark said: “We’re sending a clear signal that Britain is one of the best pl