ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the questions by a somewhat cautionary tale – the expanding use of gas for electricity generation, with particular reference to the experience of the UK from the late 1980s to 2015. Over this period, investment in gas-fired power capacity exceeded investment in all renewables, with significant implications for pathways to decarbonised energy has received remarkably little academic attention. The chapter identifies why the physical form of gas-fired power stations, when linked to the kinds of sites selected, reduced the likelihood of effective public opposition. It considers how the numerous potentially critical claims that could be made of gas-fired power stations – to specific projects, their impacts and as a wider energy pathway – were insulated from legitimate challenge by the institutional structures of consenting procedures. The chapter outlines the rise of gas as a source of energy, flagging up the environmental issues this brings with it, especially with respect to climate change.
