Water shortages could halt UK climate goals
New study: There may be a lack of water for carbon capture
Published 09.56
Drought threatens the UK next year.
This puts a damper on the country's net zero goal.
It is not only on Gotland here in Sweden and countries outside Europe such as Iran that have serious problems with water supply.
In the UK, they are now warning that the climate goal, to reach net zero within 25 years at the latest, may be difficult to achieve. The British government has promised a clean power system by 2030, with at least 95 percent of electricity generation coming from low-carbon sources.
Water shortages – and industrial growth – could push several regions of the country into drought, according to an analysis carried out by Durham University and funded by water supplier Wave
Industry versus water supply
The study concludes that there will not be enough water to support all the planned projects for carbon dioxide capture and hydrogen production, writes The Guardian.
Now tensions are growing between the government, the water sector and regulators over how the country’s water resources should be allocated.
Development of this type of project, which requires large amounts of water.
The researchers, led by Professor Simon Mathias, an expert in hydraulics, hydrology and environmental engineering, reviewed the plans of England's five largest industrial clusters to determine how much water would be needed to reach net-zero targets and whether Britain’s future water resources can meet demand. These include Humberside, the northwest of England, Tees Valley, the Solent and the Black Country.
“Decarbonisation measures linked to carbon capture and hydrogen production could increase water demand by up to 860 million litres per day by 2050. In some regions, deficits could arise as early as 2030,” says Mathias.
Reducing carbon emissions within the Humberside cluster in eastern Britain could push Anglian Water into deficit as early as 2030, leading to a shortfall of 130 million litres per day by 2050. Plans for the northwest cluster could also push United Utilities into a deficit of around 70 million litres per day by 2030, according to the study.
“Sustainable plans”
The government said Britain was “rolling out hydrogen on a large scale”, with ten projects said to be ready for the ground. It said it expected all projects to have sustainable plans for water supply and water abstraction permits.
“We face increasing water shortages over the next decade and that is one of the reasons we are driving long-term system change to address the impacts of climate change,” a government spokesman said.
– This includes £104 billion in private investment to help reduce leakage and build nine reservoirs, as well as a record £10.5 billion in government funding for new flood defences to protect almost 900,000 properties by 2036.
Needs heavy rainfall
But Dieter Helm, professor of economic policy at Oxford University, says there is no water shortage.
– Until recently, some water companies didn’t even know where their sewage treatment plants were, let alone whether they discharged into rivers. But a data revolution means we can map water systems in unprecedented detail, digitally, at a much finer level.
The government and the Environment Agency have warned of a water deficit across England of six billion litres a day by 2055. It has also been said that England faces a major drought next year if there is no significant rainfall over the winter.
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