UK may need new gas-fired power stations to decarbonise grid

The new pylons that will be required to transmit power from new offshore and onshore windfarms are likely to cause a headache for Labour, the report says. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA

Labour is likely to have to approve new gas-fired power stations in its attempt to decarbonise the UK’s electricity systems by 2030, in what would be a tricky decision for the new government.

Keeping the lights on for the rest of the decade, and beyond, will require some additional baseload power, and new nuclear power stations will not be built in time, according to a report from the National Engineering Policy Centre.