Yet Another Issue Caused By The Left.

[youngmafbog]

http://news.sky.com/story/1361787/energy-crunch-plan-to-keep-the-lights-on

This was known about in Blairs day, when they had some money. Shame they squandered it on right-on projects like wind farms and failed multi cultural experiments.

And four years into the coalition Government, stiull reality has not sunk in. It's coal, gas or Nuclear or the lights will go out. With even the most basic of generators taking 3 years to build time is running out fast. Wind will not fill the gap in any shape or form.

Energy Minister Matt Hancock said lights would stay on across the country, well he would do, but with only 4% buffer he had better have his fingers crossed there are no problems with any of the current generators.

My, what a mess.

[Slapshot]

Simply green is good, if you as a company invest in greeny stuff, wind/wave/solar the governments for the last 10-12 years will chuck squillions at you, fact is that other than the one off build costs Nuclear Energy produces kilowatt power at around 8 or 9% of what a Windy Machine costs to produce the same kilo watt.... who is being shafted??

[Gromit]

8 of our 9 currently operating nuclear power stations in the UK are owned by Électricité de France.

[Zeuhl]

At the risk of stating the blindingly obvious...

a government would have to deal with all the *** and hard decision making now - for something that is going to provide a payback for someone else years down the line

perhaps the answer is a cross party team given specific target dates for delivering?

[jomifl]

Mikey, I think you are right whilst being left. The nimbies should have to do their bit and if they don't want electricity generators near themselves then lack of access to electricity seems to be a fair price to pay in order to live in an environment unsullied by the trappings of a modern power hungry lifestyle. They never seem to complain about the aesthetically unacceptable power lines that bring power and telephone and internet and TV to their homes.

[mikey4444]

Jom...the trouble with these awful nimbies is that they complain about everything. There was a plan a few years ago, to put a windfarm out at sea, miles off the coast of Porthcawl, in South Wales. I was approached by a hoity-toity type woman, in the town centre, who wanted me to sign a petition against it.

But it would have been all but invisible from the shore, especially from Swansea, and it turned out that this blasted woman lived 20 miles from the coast anyway ! As you might imagine, I gave this lady short shrift and suggested that she found another way of filling her time up.

[-Talbot-]

I gave this lady short shrift and suggested that she found another way of filling her time up.



That'll teach her to have an opposing view to yours, mikey.

[mikey4444]

No...it will teach her not to be a nimby !

[-Talbot-]

But you've just said


and it turned out that this blasted woman lived 20 miles from the coast anyway !


So how is she a nimby?

[Gromit]

// So Blair and Co were not in charge, it was all down to other campaigning parties - I see. //

No you don't.
No new stations were built because the shareholders in these foreign companies could not see enough profit in it. The Government cannot make foreign investors gamble their money on building Nuclear Plants in the UK. If their is not a good financial case for Nuclear power, then private investors will not put their money into it.

Unless you want the taxpayers to fund new stations? That sounds suspiciously socialist.

[mikey4444]

Exactly Talbot ! This is a few years ago, but I recall her saying that it would spoil her view when she walked her dog along the Coastal Path. But it wouldn't have done, unless she had dog lead in one hand and a pair of binoculars in the other ! She hadn't done her homework but I had.

[237SJ]

mikey - are you talking about Atlantic Array?

[-Talbot-]

Tax payers could fund the new stations and they could be sold to private enterprise a few years later (obviously the power station workers would get a little share or two, fairs, fair)

[mikey4444]

237...No, I don't think so, as the incident that recalled was at least 1o or 15 years ago.

[dave50]

Why politicians listen to the green and environmental idiots I will never know, all they are anti-capitalist fruitcakes.

[Gromit]

Talbot,

We do not have the money to build new nuclear power stations.

Private companies will not invest in them because they are not financially viable.

In those circumstances, using taxpayers money would be irresponsible.

Using taxpayers money to subsidise a foreign company, and enhance the fortunes of their shareholders, would be political suicide for anyone proposing to do it.

[mikey4444]

Dave50....in view of the fact that there is no longer any doubt that we need new lecky generating capacity, and you despise "green and environmental idiots" what kind of power station would you like to see near you ?

[-Talbot-]

I was serious, Gromit.

[-Talbot-]

Wasn't

[237SJ]

Not true Gromit http://www.edfenergy.com/energy/nuclear-new-build-projects/hinkley-point-c

[mikey4444]

237...my memory is a little hazy of the exact details but I seem to remember that in order to get EDF to agree to build this much-needed nuclear power station in Somerset, the Government had to agree to allow EDF to charge high electricity prices for its output, for many years ahead.

Thus holding us tax-payers to ransom. The money would have been better spent building the flipping place ourselves, rather than allow a foreign company to make loads of money for years into the future.