Sep 2009 01

Blackouts5

The Government's energy policy is disastrous.  By trying to push renewables into action prematurely, on a massive scale, they have imposed huge costs on businesses and ordinary taxpayers.  14 per cent of the average household electricity bill is now the result of climate change regulations, the figure is even higher at 21 per cent for industrial consumers.  Despite that, renewables generate less than 2 per cent of Britain's electricity.  We're spending a fortune and getting very little in return.

Those policies also tilt the balance away from generating power using coal and towards gas.  Gas power gets hit less by policies such as the Emissions Trading Scheme and it can provide back up for the large quantities of highly volatile wind power being added to the grid.  Unfortunately, Britain's domestic gas reserves are dwindling and that means big increases in the extent to which we employ gas-fired power stations will mean becoming increasingly dependent on importing scarce gas from international markets.  There could easily be severe spikes in the price British consumers have to pay if other countries go down a similar route (many of the policies driving this change are being formed on a transnational basis) and there are supply disruptions.

The situation is made considerably worse in the short term by the European Large Combustion Plant Directive (LCPD) which mandated that certain plants would have to make extremely expensive investments in upgrading their equipment or close.  Those that took the option to close are scheduled to go offline and the Telegraph reports that the resulting sudden loss in capacity could mean blackouts by 2017.  Similar concerns have been raised for some time by groups like the Renewable Energy Foundation.  It might be possible to avoid blackouts with further investments to fill that gap with even more gas capacity, but getting even more dependent on a single fuel would be incredibly bad news.

Placing a huge burden on the poor, vulnerable people who suffer most when electricity prices rise is a serious matter.  So is adding to the bills of energy intensive manufacturing industries.  Blackouts would be dangerous and a huge blow to the country's standing as a place to trade and invest.  Politicians need to stop putting our national interest at stake gambling on the renewable energy fairy tale.  The Emissions Trading Scheme and the Renewables Obligation should be scrapped and we should ignore EU directives that threaten to lead to disastrous consequences for ordinary Britons.

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  • john in cheshire

    I honestly believe that there is no purpose in arguing with socialists/greens. They are always strident and bullying in their behaviour.
    The only way to counter the destruction that they are perpetrating on our country is to physically, forcefully and completely eject them from every place in public (and private) life that they have insinuated themselves into over the past 50 or more years.

  • Hardeep Singh

    Nice and cheap policy for the short term by Labour, the usual trick. They never consider the longer term implications for such poilitical planning just enough to make themselves look good for the day. After all Labour’s long term planning won’t stretch beyond even 10 months it’s just what will have the most media impact for least cost (or get someone else to pay for it). Failing that they go for the ridiculous ‘dream’ annoucements of high speed this-and-that so far into future most people will have long retired and moved to sunnier climes anyway. It just doesn’t mean anything and this renewables scheme is something they have planned to be a burden to industry which already pays enough anyway. Just like the 1970s when we power blackouts it appears that fashions may have changed but underneath Labour is still as irresponsible as ever and when it comes to it just can’t make the grade. Power shortages are a strategic issue and there’s no amount of spin that will state otherwise. They are single handedly killing the nation’s prosperity, future and standing because of this amoral mercanery style political elite that have made a politics a cash cow for self indulgence and personal wealth. When on earth are these morons going to go back to their previous professions of grave robbing amd pick pocketing?
    There are almost daily annoucements of new tax schemes and that’s before an election whilst they’re trying to woo us! As for John’s post above why not have an equivalent action day that goes against the grain of those hippies entitled “protestors with a job
    and responsibile for their actions”.
    New Labour’s architects need to be arrested and tried for treason.

  • gildedtumbril

    The solution of most of our problems is simple. Let us get our arses out of the bloody EU. It is bleeding us dry and throttling what little industry we have left.
    Why the hell do we pay fines to the EU for burying our own waste? Because we are frigging mad. Why do we let all the damned foreigners steal our fish? Because we are frigging mad. Why do we import spring onions from all round the world? Because we are frigging mad.
    Stuff the EU and to hell with UKIP – you kip while they steal.

  • Andrew Smith

    Unfortunately for John in Cheshire, the Tories are as bad. Their leader even has a windmill on his house and pretends to cycle to work. But, of course, John might categorise Roon as a Socialist and who am I to say that is wrong?

  • John W. Burley

    So Oxford’s Idiotic Council have gone for a blanket 20 mph “speed limit” that is now causing mayhem there.
    Do they not know that the police cannot enforce such a low “speed limit” simply because they do not have their cameras validated for this low speed and it would cost a lot of money to have this done properly. The advice would be to ignore this silly limit completely.
    John W. Burley Retired lecturer.