The political economy and regional implications of energy policy in Britain in the 1990s

In this paper I first outline significant developments in the field of ener gy policy in Britain in the 1990s. Two themes identified by the 1998 White Paper on energy sources for power generation are considered in depth: the r elated issues of diversity and security of supply; acid the operation of th e electricity market. The leading fossil-fueled generators have pursued a p ath of internationalisation in the course of the decade that contrasts mark edly with the contraction of the indigenous coal industry. These corporate strategies and their regional implications are considered in a subsequent s ection. It is concluded that there are contrasting arguments presently bein g applied by government to different fuel sources. A likely consequence of recent policies will be high levels of imports of coal and gas by the secon d decade of the 21st century. This in part arises from government preoccupa tion in the early 1990s with reducing the degree of dependence upon coal as an energy source.