Those readers in Britain will likely be aware of the fire that occurred at Ferrybridge C power station, yesterday. Thankfully, no injuries to persons were recorded. Britain's energy policy did though take a hit as yet another power station comes off of the grid.
Back in June 2013, I posted here, http://bit.ly/18jFqAB, on the looming power crisis that was facing Britain. The shutdown of Ferrybridge C, for the 9-12 months it will take to rebuild, will only make the problem worse and heighten the risk of power outages, during the coming winter.
Is shale gas the answer? Yes, or at least partly. Be under no illusion though. Fracking technology has advanced tremendously in recent years and is proving very beneficial to an otherwise anemic American economy, however this won't solve the UK's energy crisis, overnight.
Nor will it be particularly scenic! For these very extensive gas reserves to be exploited, we will need to put-up with significant numbers of drilling derricks despoiling our landscape. Before all of the greenies jump up in protest at the ruination of beautiful views etc., please have a care! Those monstrosities called wind turbines do exactly the same, on the visual harm front but do far less to actually address our energy needs.
The crisis that Britain faces is perhaps now even more acute. Russia has been flexing its military muscle in Ukraine and elsewhere in Eastern Europe and also flexing or at least showing off its energy muscle. Letting it be known that if Russia is pushed too far, it might have to suspend gas supplies to Western Europe. Further, the situation with Qatar, the other major supplier of gas to Britain, is not good. Qatar is 'neck-deep' in funding and supplying terrorist organizations throughout the Middle East and beyond. As are their near-neighbors but bitter rivals, Iran and Saudi Arabia. It is easy to foresee a situation where these countries, particularly Qatar, feel the urge to use the gas weapon in furtherance of their extremist agenda.
So a crisis then.
There are solutions. They are short, medium and long term but they do require action and unfortunately, such action is not likely to be forthcoming before the outcome of the next UK General Election, in May 2015 (so too late for the coming winter!). Even then, the solutions will only possibly be implemented if the Conservatives win outright power. Possibly because pandering to minorities and ignoring the wishes of the majority is a trait that has been seen too often, from the Conservatives in the current coalition. It is clear though, that Labour and the Lib Dems will not take the necessary actions, as they are so in thrall to the environmentalists within their own ranks and to the lunatics running the European Union asylum.
The solutions?
Short term. Cease the shut down programme that is being followed for power stations. As said in my earlier piece, these shut downs are not driven by economy or utility. The plants still have a long life of power generation, ahead of them. The closures and dismantling is purely political and driven to meet idiotic goals set in the lalaland called the European Union. Gesture politics at its worst!
Reconsider the closure programme for Britain's nuclear facilities. I am not technically qualified enough to know if these really do have to be shut down or whether, without risk, they can have their lives extended but this does need to be reviewed and the last possible operating life squeezed out of them.
On the subject of nuclear and short term, accelerate the building process and most particularly the planning process. We cannot allow Hinckley C and other future plants to be subjected to the same level of delay as was seen at Sizewell.
Start exploration drilling and move to development/exploitation drilling for shale gas on a large scale. This is short to medium term in nature but we need to get going. Britain's energy future, indeed energy security cannot be held in jeopardy by a minority that oppose drilling on the back of false science. Just as people have been duped by the so called Global Warming (is that what they are calling it this week? Or is it Climate Change or something else?) false science but are now seeing through this, so must we expect the government to ignore the nonsense about water table contamination (has only happened in the most extremely rare instance) and earthquakes (really!?) and look for the government to drive through planning applications - so get the Department of Energy and Climate Change to drop all of its drilling delaying tactics - and to support the exploration programmes. The latter will involve a more robust police presence at these drilling sites. These protestors simply cannot be allowed to hold-up progress and especially by unlawful acts. Why is it that a natural resources company requires multiple permits to set-up a drilling location on private land but a bunch of eco-loonies can establish a protest camp on public land without any kind of permission?
Put in place now, long term solutions - that has to mean nuclear! More power stations must be built and built nearer to urban population centres. Given how long these take to actually build, once the over-lengthy planning process is passed, we need to start on these sooner rather than later.
I know that this is 'pie in the sky' wishful thinking but politicians need to have a grown-up conversation with the British people. The energy facts of life need to be spelled out. If we don't continue to use existing power stations - conventional gas and coal-fired ones and nuclear - for longer, the lights will go out. If we don't exploit the natural resources that lie under our soil - the lights will go out. If we don't accept that 'not in my backyard' cannot continue to be used to oppose necessary energy developments, the lights will go out. Oh, and it won't just be the lights! Houses won't be heated, food won't be cooked, baby incubators won't work, air traffic control will shut down, production lines will cease to flow, no more internet, no more cell phones! You get the picture.
Going back to the TV pictures from the Ukraine, for a moment, you get a glimpse, when you see such pictures of parts of Eastern Europe, of what life would be like in the green heaven that the eco-loonies wish upon us. You see people traveling around in horse carts and houses being heated by wood fires. It might look like some kind of agrarian idyll but I bet that this is not something that most Britons would aspire to or for this to be a future that they would wish upon their children and grand-children.
The 2015 General Election campaign is likely to be dominated by the economy and Britain's relationship with Europe. Of far greater importance though is the looming energy crisis. If this isn't addressed, then we will have no economy, to speak of and Europe will be a place most people never get to travel to, anymore!
Back in June 2013, I posted here, http://bit.ly/18jFqAB, on the looming power crisis that was facing Britain. The shutdown of Ferrybridge C, for the 9-12 months it will take to rebuild, will only make the problem worse and heighten the risk of power outages, during the coming winter.
Is shale gas the answer? Yes, or at least partly. Be under no illusion though. Fracking technology has advanced tremendously in recent years and is proving very beneficial to an otherwise anemic American economy, however this won't solve the UK's energy crisis, overnight.
Nor will it be particularly scenic! For these very extensive gas reserves to be exploited, we will need to put-up with significant numbers of drilling derricks despoiling our landscape. Before all of the greenies jump up in protest at the ruination of beautiful views etc., please have a care! Those monstrosities called wind turbines do exactly the same, on the visual harm front but do far less to actually address our energy needs.
The crisis that Britain faces is perhaps now even more acute. Russia has been flexing its military muscle in Ukraine and elsewhere in Eastern Europe and also flexing or at least showing off its energy muscle. Letting it be known that if Russia is pushed too far, it might have to suspend gas supplies to Western Europe. Further, the situation with Qatar, the other major supplier of gas to Britain, is not good. Qatar is 'neck-deep' in funding and supplying terrorist organizations throughout the Middle East and beyond. As are their near-neighbors but bitter rivals, Iran and Saudi Arabia. It is easy to foresee a situation where these countries, particularly Qatar, feel the urge to use the gas weapon in furtherance of their extremist agenda.
So a crisis then.
There are solutions. They are short, medium and long term but they do require action and unfortunately, such action is not likely to be forthcoming before the outcome of the next UK General Election, in May 2015 (so too late for the coming winter!). Even then, the solutions will only possibly be implemented if the Conservatives win outright power. Possibly because pandering to minorities and ignoring the wishes of the majority is a trait that has been seen too often, from the Conservatives in the current coalition. It is clear though, that Labour and the Lib Dems will not take the necessary actions, as they are so in thrall to the environmentalists within their own ranks and to the lunatics running the European Union asylum.
The solutions?
Short term. Cease the shut down programme that is being followed for power stations. As said in my earlier piece, these shut downs are not driven by economy or utility. The plants still have a long life of power generation, ahead of them. The closures and dismantling is purely political and driven to meet idiotic goals set in the lalaland called the European Union. Gesture politics at its worst!
Reconsider the closure programme for Britain's nuclear facilities. I am not technically qualified enough to know if these really do have to be shut down or whether, without risk, they can have their lives extended but this does need to be reviewed and the last possible operating life squeezed out of them.
On the subject of nuclear and short term, accelerate the building process and most particularly the planning process. We cannot allow Hinckley C and other future plants to be subjected to the same level of delay as was seen at Sizewell.
Start exploration drilling and move to development/exploitation drilling for shale gas on a large scale. This is short to medium term in nature but we need to get going. Britain's energy future, indeed energy security cannot be held in jeopardy by a minority that oppose drilling on the back of false science. Just as people have been duped by the so called Global Warming (is that what they are calling it this week? Or is it Climate Change or something else?) false science but are now seeing through this, so must we expect the government to ignore the nonsense about water table contamination (has only happened in the most extremely rare instance) and earthquakes (really!?) and look for the government to drive through planning applications - so get the Department of Energy and Climate Change to drop all of its drilling delaying tactics - and to support the exploration programmes. The latter will involve a more robust police presence at these drilling sites. These protestors simply cannot be allowed to hold-up progress and especially by unlawful acts. Why is it that a natural resources company requires multiple permits to set-up a drilling location on private land but a bunch of eco-loonies can establish a protest camp on public land without any kind of permission?
Put in place now, long term solutions - that has to mean nuclear! More power stations must be built and built nearer to urban population centres. Given how long these take to actually build, once the over-lengthy planning process is passed, we need to start on these sooner rather than later.
I know that this is 'pie in the sky' wishful thinking but politicians need to have a grown-up conversation with the British people. The energy facts of life need to be spelled out. If we don't continue to use existing power stations - conventional gas and coal-fired ones and nuclear - for longer, the lights will go out. If we don't exploit the natural resources that lie under our soil - the lights will go out. If we don't accept that 'not in my backyard' cannot continue to be used to oppose necessary energy developments, the lights will go out. Oh, and it won't just be the lights! Houses won't be heated, food won't be cooked, baby incubators won't work, air traffic control will shut down, production lines will cease to flow, no more internet, no more cell phones! You get the picture.
Going back to the TV pictures from the Ukraine, for a moment, you get a glimpse, when you see such pictures of parts of Eastern Europe, of what life would be like in the green heaven that the eco-loonies wish upon us. You see people traveling around in horse carts and houses being heated by wood fires. It might look like some kind of agrarian idyll but I bet that this is not something that most Britons would aspire to or for this to be a future that they would wish upon their children and grand-children.
The 2015 General Election campaign is likely to be dominated by the economy and Britain's relationship with Europe. Of far greater importance though is the looming energy crisis. If this isn't addressed, then we will have no economy, to speak of and Europe will be a place most people never get to travel to, anymore!
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