Mikey,
March 2016
// Tomorrow two more of the country's remaining coal-fired power stations, Eggborough in Yorkshire and Fiddlers Ferry plant in Cheshire, will close their doors. They are the latest in a spate of closures affecting ageing coal-fired plants that have delighted environmentalists and sparked concerns among energy industry insiders in equal measure.
Last week, the Longannet coal power plant in Scotland and Ferrybridge plant in Yorkshire both closed, while later this spring Rugely power plant in Staffordshire is scheduled to shut down. Together this wave of closures removes 8.4GW of generating capacity from the UK electricity system, and this at a time when winter capacity margins are at some of the tightest levels they have ever been. //
The NEED for Hinkley Point B is an entirely manufactured situation. We are deliberately closing electricity generating stations on a large scale leaving a gaping hole in our ability to keep the lights on*. Then they turn around and say "only clean green nuclear power can save us" .
* In terms of energy security, we have flipped from being self sufficient in supplying our own coal for making electricity, to being wholly dependent on foreigners including Russia for our power stations.