The Independent: Gas, in all forms, is our best fuel option

It is going to be a "dash for gas" in Britain. There is one quick way of closing the potential electricity generating gap that the UK faces and that is to build more gas power stations.

Given the financial and political uncertainties about new nuclear plants and the physical uncertainties about wind power, it is pretty clear that the only way through is to build more thermal power stations and, of the three possible fuels, gas is the only sensible one – oil is too expensive and coal too dirty.

So that is what is going to happen. But what we do is a tiny element of the global energy market, for we account for less than 3 per cent of the world's primary energy use. The interesting question for the world is how much time the changed outlook for gas production buys for its economy. What we will do will be pretty much the same as everyone else.   MORE