Engineers warn of looming UK energy gap

Phasing-out of coal and nuclear reactors without alternatives will combine to create a supply crunch in a decade's time, report predicts

The UK is facing an unprecedented "energy gap" in a decade's time, according to engineers, with demand for electricity likely to outstrip supply by more than 40%, which could lead to black outs .

New policies to stop unabated coal-fired power generation by 2025, and the phasing out of ageing nuclear reactors without plans in place to build a new fleet of gas-fired electricity plants, will combine to create a supply crunch, according to a new study.