Green and black

6 July 2011 Last updated at 23:00 GMT By Will Smale Business reporter, BBC News, in West Sussex At present there is little to see at Northern Petroleum's Markwells Wood facility A ?500m battle is welling up over a picture postcard piece of English countryside.

An area of ancient woodland in the rolling hills of the South Downs in West Sussex, Markwells Wood is a world away from rain-lashed oil rigs in the North Sea or sun-bleached oil refineries in the deserts of Saudi Arabia.

Yet hidden behind the trees is one of the UK's newest onshore oil wells.

With testing work continuing, the owner, London-based Northern Petroleum, estimates it could produce about five million barrels of oil.

This is tiny in comparison with reserves in the Middle East, but with the UK's offshore oil supplies in the North Sea running low, Northern's argument is that such small onshore oil fields - of which there are currently 28 scattered across Britain - together play a vital role in reducing our dependence upon imports.

'Hidden away'

As Derek Musgrove, Northern's managing director, drives up to Markwells Wood in his Land Rover, the only obvious sign it houses anything at all is a basic gravel access track.

"As you can see, the facility is very much hidden away," he says.

"The trees all the way around the site are not just a visual barrier, but excellent sound proofing - you would be surprised at just how effectively trees absorb noise."

At present all is quiet at Northern's site - two acres of levelled land cut from the wood, with the small wellhead roughly in the middle.

Beneath the flooring of basic compacted stone is a thick plastic membrane, which covers the entire site, including a trench running all the way around the perimeter.

"While it is highly unlikely that there will be any leaks, we don't take any chances, and the membrane is there for containment," says Mr Musgrove.

"Everything we do is about best environmental and safety practice. We wish to be the best possible neighbour, and behave with the utmost care."

'Natural beauty'

But while Northern Petroleum is keen to stress its environmental credentials, it has a fight on its hands to win planning permission to start actual production.

Continue reading the main story

Markwells Wood is only going to produce a tiny amount of oil in the scheme of things, and it just isn't worth the potential environmental damage”

End Quote Richard George Greenpeace Especially as Markwells Wood, near Chichester, lies within the new South Downs National Park, which came into being on 1 April of this year.

Northern was granted planning permission in 2008 by West Sussex County Council, but only for exploration work.

It needs additional planning permission to start production, and now this decision will be in the hands of the new South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA).

The authority does not appear favourable to the idea of a new oil well, saying it has two statutory purposes:

To conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the areaTo promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of the Park by the public

A SDNPA spokeswoman says: "All planning decisions within the South Downs National Park have to give effect to the twin purposes of the park.

"Major mineral development would only be considered acceptable in exceptional circumstances, and would need to be rigorously assessed in line with national policy."

'Conservation danger'

Northern also faces sizeable - and vocal - opposition from environmental groups.

Northern Petroleum's well is hidden away in Markwells Wood

Woodland Trust campaigns case officer Christine Byrne says: "We expressed our disappointment when it was first announced that Northern Petroleum would be drilling for oil [in Markwells Wood], and our view still stands that ancient woodland is irreplaceable.

"Furthermore we fear that the discovery of oil at Markwells Wood may mean that further testing or extraction is inevitable across the South Downs, spelling danger for other precious conservation sites."

Greenpeace climate campaigner Richard George says the South Downs National Park is "a beautiful area that we really don't want to be trashing to keep us hooked on oil".

He adds: "Instead of carte blanche to tear up the south of England, let's reduce our demand for oil.

"Markwells Wood is only going to produce a tiny amount of oil in the scheme of things, and it just isn't worth the potential environmental damage."

Northern Petroleum says it aims to be a good neighbour and consults with local people

If the national park authority does turn down its application, Northern would be able to appeal to the Planning Inspectorate, which deals with appeals in England on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.

While the Planning Inspectorate decides on most appeals itself, for contentious issues the decision is left to the Communities Secretary, Eric Pickles.

In Northern's favour are three main factors.

Continue reading the main story Accounts for just 1.5% of total production. 98.5% being offshore28 current onshore oil fieldsHas been operating for more than 60 yearsOil wells in Nottinghamshire were vital for fuel supplies during World War IIThe largest onshore oil field is Wytch Farm in DorsetFirstly, it has a proven track record of stringent environmental standards at its existing onshore UK oil wells.

Secondly, another government department, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), is generally favourable to onshore oil and gas exploration, saying it contributes "usefully to UK security of supply and to the UK economy".

And more importantly, the DECC has already given Northern the government licences it needs - in addition to future planning permission - to start production at Markwells Wood.

Back at Markwells Wood, Derek Musgrove says he is happy to be patient.

"We never rush these things, and continue to consult locally," he says.

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Green gadgets

18 May 2011 Last updated at 16:23 GMT By Roland Buerk BBC News, Tokyo Watch: Roland Buerk says people will have to walk more and get used to cold toilet seats

Japan is braced for a summer of electricity shortages after the earthquake and tsunami in March.

The country relied on nuclear power for 30% of its supply.

But the Fukushima plant was disabled by the disaster, and another nuclear plant at Hamaoka has been shut down because of safety fears.

Tokyo's electronics shops are busy these days with customers looking for energy efficient gadgets.

The earthquake has left Japan with an electricity shortage, so people have been urged to use it sparingly.

At Bic Camera, a huge multi-storey building in the Yurakucho district, demand began to pick up the week after the earthquake and tsunami.

Popular lights Continue reading the main story

I don't think any of us imagined we would lose the power supply because of a natural disaster like we did”

End Quote Junichi Nonaka Kirin brewery The latest lines of eco-fridges are selling well.

Also popular is a new range of air conditioners, which can sense when people are in the room, and whether they are being active or sitting still, and adjust the cooling output accordingly.

The machines even send a message to the remote control to remind people to shut the doors and windows if they detect a draught of warm air.

"The interest level has risen quite a bit," says salesman Kai Fujiwara.

"If you are talking about [energy efficient] LED lights alone, it's twice as much as before the quake. LED lights are expensive, 20 or 40 times more than ordinary light bulbs, but people are buying 10 at a time."

Power consumption falls

The Japanese have a large appetite for power.

Tepco, which serves Tokyo and the surrounding area, used to boast it sold more electricity than was consumed in all of Italy.

Demand for energy efficient gadgets is picking up

But sales have fallen sharply along with this new enthusiasm for frugality.

Tepco produced, or bought from other utilities, 15.3% less electricity in April compared with the same month last year.

Tohoku Electric, which serves the badly hit north east, saw its capacity fall by 19.3%.

Sandals and T-shirts

More generating capacity should be online by the summer, but the shortfall in the east of Japan could still be 10% of normal supply.

Surplus power from the west cannot be transferred easily because electricity there runs on a different frequency.

In response the Cool Biz campaign, in which salarymen are urged to discard their jackets and ties every summer to save on air conditioning, has been ramped up.

Under the motto Super Cool Biz, the government is suggesting they consider sandals and T-shirts, even Hawaiian shirts, for the office this year so the thermostat can be set even higher.

Brewing power Tepco has seen electricity sales fall sharply

But just saving electricity is not enough.

The way it is generated and supplied is also being reassessed.

Two days after the earthquake, the Kirin brewery at Yokohama began selling electricity to the national grid.

Gas-fired generators on site power the brewing, bottling and canning processes, and with spare machines installed in case of breakdown there is more capacity than needed.

Now they have been put to use, providing enough energy to run more than 3,000 homes.

Harnessing electricity from factories is likely to become increasingly important to Japan.

"I don't think any of us imagined we would lose the power supply because of a natural disaster like we did," says Junichi Nonaka, the Kirin brewery manager.

"So we have realised that we took unlimited electricity for granted. We also now know we need to save energy and not to waste it."

Electricity wasted

Even before the disaster, though, Japanese industry used energy efficiently.

Consumption is about the same as in the early 1970s, despite the economy now being far bigger.

Others are more wasteful.

Many shops are brightly lit and doors are typically left open in the summer, allowing cool air to stream onto the pavement.

Some 4% of electricity in households goes to power heated toilet seats, so clearly there is room for saving.

Geothermal resources

But getting by on less, or making more, will take innovation.

That could be an opportunity for the economy.

Solar panels are already being adopted, but some experts believe the technology could be a dead end.

Even if production can be ramped up, making each unit cheaper, it will still be a costly way of generating electricity.

Instead, some believe Japan's position on the Pacific ring of fire, the very thing that makes it vulnerable to earthquakes, may provide an answer.

"Japan is full of geothermal resources," says Taishi Sugiyama from the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry.

"There are many volcanoes.

"If we successfully develop that, then it can be one of our major electricity supplies.

"You have hot water everywhere in Japan. If we drill much deeper we can tap geothermal resources. The potential is close to 10% of Japanese power supply."

Mother of invention

Over the next few months Japanese offices and homes are likely to be rather uncomfortable with less air conditioning.

Tokyo's summer is sticky.

But necessity is the mother of invention.

And in the long term the drive to conserve power and find new sources could help Japan's economy to recover.

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