Do we really need big power plants any more?
Governments obsess about baseload energy. This is an outdated approach
"We have to secure baseload electricity," said Amber Rudd, the UK's then energy secretary in August 2015. She was arguing the case for building Hinkley Point C, a hulking great nuclear power station that the UK government wants to see built in the southwest of the country. It will be the first nuclear power plant to be commissioned in the country since 1987, and the debate about it has dragged on for 20 long years. Opponents point to its unproven design and environmentalists cry foul of nuclear's hazards. Cheerleaders talk of energy security. In September this year, the latter won. That's par for the course. Governments always look at baseload supply when they consider their energy economy a
Also in this section
13 March 2026
Brussels is again weighing a cap on gas prices amid the Hormuz crisis, but the measure could backfire by deterring the LNG cargoes Europe urgently needs
12 March 2026
Emergency oil stocks provide a last line of defence to oil market shocks, so the IEA’s unprecedented 400m bl release represents something of a double-edged sword
12 March 2026
LPG could rapidly expand access to clean cooking across Africa and prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths from indoor air pollution each year, but infrastructure shortages and regulatory barriers are slowing investment and market growth
11 March 2026
Missiles over Dubai and disruption in Hormuz are testing the emirate’s reputation—and shaking the energy hub at the centre of the Gulf economy
