Tories go nuclear, promise to prop up carbon price
But even Dave can't stop Expected Energy Fail
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The UK faces at least two years of peak-time power cuts in five years, despite the Conservatives' pledge to revive nuclear power.
The Tories' energy policy was published Friday, and while a revived nuclear commitment provides some of the promised "energy security", it won't come in time. And, amazingly, the party has committed to propping up the carbon price.
By 2015 the high cost of complying with EU environmental compliance will have taken out a third of the UK's coal capacity - the power companies would rather close than comply - followed by two thirds of its oil powered generating capacity by 2020. Nuclear provides 14 per cent of UK electricity today, but all but one of the current generators are due to close by 2022.
UK energy capacity, by source
That means cuts - or in the ministry's jargon "expected energy unserved" - in just five years' time.
The Tories note that by 2017, the 3GW hour shortfall will mean "a 15 minute power cut for every household in Greater Manchester, every winter night for a month".
When to expect cuts: UK "expected energy unserved" (Source: DECC)
Gas will need to fill the gap - and almost all of it is imported.
The Conservatives have vowed to maintain the EU's 20 per cent renewable target, and reiterated the Millipledge to mandate unproven Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).
Strangest of all, the party has committed to propping up the price of carbon. Carbon trading is the Kyoto solution to get the energy companies on the global warming bandwagon, and many have indeed signed up.
But the price of carbon is volatile - it's fallen to €1 per tonne, and this week two exchanges (France and the Nordics) were suspended.
"The experience of the ETS has been of such price volatility and market uncertainty that it has had the opposite of its intended effect: it has made long-term investments more risky and therefore more costly, and so less likely to be made," explains the strategy document.
The Tories plan to manage the price of carbon by revising an energy tax, the Climate Change Levy, paid by energy suppliers. This would kick in when the European carbon price fell below the desired level.
Of course, energy companies will pass on the cost to the punters. You can see why Tory party faithful call the front bench "BluLabour".
You can peruse the policy here (pdf). ®
COMMENTS
British planning at its best
The irony is that we've known about a potential shortfall for at least a decade. Instead the politicians, the greens and the nimbys have conspired to allow the situation to fester.
Our own fault.
How many of you green freaks are willing to go without power because of knee jerk reactions to unproven issues? because that is exactly what has happend.
How exactly are you going to charge all those millions of electric cars you want whilst relying on the elements and not even having the power to run a toaster?
dont get me wrong, Im all up for not needlessly poluting the world but logic has gone out of the window, least in part you have your selves to blame for this mess by stoking and refueling the fires politictions and the media corperations have made. Dont be fooled in to thinking they are doing this for the good of man, they did it to get votes, get figures and appear to be doing something about an issue that isnt understood.
This argument for running out of power has been here for years, its not new and the time needed to get powerplants that are not coal or oil up an running is far to long because of serious govenment budget issues.
The whole stinking mess is our fault and a short sighted govenments.
Time for some diesal generators.
Whilst we are at it, you should look in to the resources the planet has left for food, with current and future expected populations increases, its quite a bit less than the time we have left with oil, but its ok, starving to death will be ok because firstly it wont initially effect us, the poorer countries will starve first when we are incapable of supporting them, also CO2 levels will not increase and finally the mass culling of world populations due to lack of food has the upside that more food becomes available to those that survive.
Whats more scary is thats likely to start happening before i leave this world.
(untitled)
The irony is that we've known about a potential shortfall for at least a decade. Instead the politicians, the greens and the nimbys have conspired to allow the situation to fester.
Here here, there has been little spending on infrastructure. The coal that should have been used (and cleaned up with carbon capture to appease the greens) has been replaced with valuable oil and gas.
Put simply, properly looked after nuclear is safe. The greens went bananas over nulcear in the 70's and 80's.. Now, we need it.
Renewables, wind/wave/solar are unreliable. The quoted output of the equipment is an ideal. 30% to 50% is a maximum output for these toys.
Renewable hydrocarbons if employed would decimate the food supply for the planet. They are a non starter.
The problem for the UK is, WE DONT OWN OUR ELECTRICITY GENERATING INFRASTRUCTURE. It is in private hands.
Shareholders demand profits and dividends. This money should be spent on infrastructure first instead of these leeches.
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