‘Beast from the East’ exposed our energy failings

By Paul Homewood

h/t Green Sand

The recent severe weather placed a huge strain on Britain’s energy networks. As well as a gas supply threat there were troubling signs that electricity supplies were dangerously exposed. Current policies are set to make the situation worse.

Until recently, British power generators could supply all of the electricity the nation needed. A mixed portfolio of nuclear, gas, coal, oil and renewable plants kept the lights on and allowed for a balanced choice of fuels to generate power.

But chronic policy failures over a generation to get plants built as old ones shut, mean Britain is looking to import more electricity from Europe. Imports are set to make up to a fifth of supplies by 2025. The “Beast from the East” laid bare the risks of this approach.

Slanting the electricity market more in favour of imports exposes the UK’s energy security and undermines investment in new power plants at home. Billions of pounds of investment are now at risk, which will undermine future security of supply and threaten price rises. Policy needs to change. Energy security and more competitive pricing must become a priority as we prepare to leave the EU.

Tony Lodge is a research fellow at the Centre for Policy Studies and co-author of “The Hidden Wiring – How electricity imports threaten Britain’s energy security”

Read the full article here.

A rare bit of realism in the Telegraph about the looming threat to Britain’s energy security.

It is sad though that it takes an outsider to write it, when the Telegraph has its own Energy Editor, Jillian Ambrose, who spends most of her time writing puff pieces for the renewable lobby.