We have our own fuel. Why are we relying on the goodwill of foreigners.

The  Express on line has run my piece on domestic energy production in place of imports in the Comment section.

www.express comment

48 Comments

  1. Iain Gill
    January 7, 2022

    I see Dr Steve James demolished the arguments of Sajid Javid in front of the press. Lets hope the NHS leaves Dr Steve alone, as we all know the public sector does not like people who speak out against its more nutty fashions and dictats. Dr Steve deserves a knighthood, and asked to suggest some others who could be giving the politicians alterative views to the rather mad advice they are getting from their current advisors. The YouTube channel of Dr. John Campbell is well worth a watch, far far better analysis than comes from the main stream media.
    It is the politicians fault for not seeking advice more widely, there is no excuse. Those who have been proven wrong repeatedly really should be treated with some cynicism.

    1. Donna
      January 8, 2022

      In 16 weeks time, Javid will sack this admirable doctor, who has spent the past 20 months treating people with Covid, for the sin of not having an unlicensed, experimental “vaccine” which he doesn’t want and doesn’t need.

      And there will be thousands of others. A GP friend of mine is planning (with several colleagues) to leave the NHS and set up a private practice.

      1. LJONES
        January 10, 2022

        Then let’s hope ‘they’ don’t become spiteful and remove their licences to practise.

  2. Voter
    January 7, 2022

    The Doctor was right. Hopefully more will speak out now.
    I was very pro Farage for Brexit but he is on the wrong side
    of the vax/passport debate so I’m anti Farage now.

    1. voter
      January 8, 2022

      It’s now being said it was staged ( Javid and the Doc).
      It doesn’t ultimately matter if it provides an out
      for the mess that’s been created.

  3. formula57
    January 7, 2022

    You say in the Express article, “My message to the Government for 2022 is to take the energy crisis in Europe seriously.

    We’re not going to get much help from our allies on the continent – they are in the process of making the position worse.”

    Ain’t that the truth! When will our Government wake up to the danger and face the reality that self-reliance is the only hope?

    1. DavidJ
      January 11, 2022

      +1

  4. Julian Flood
    January 8, 2022

    My article ‘The Sensible Speech on Climate the PM will never make’ on 29th Aug 2021 made many of the same points, but there are two important differences.
    Fracking: to avert a true energy crisis we nerd new gas supplies now. Drilling offshore will be too slow but onshore might keep the lights on. The protests against fracking the Bowland shale were mainly Green Luddism, but as an old Cold War warrior I have my suspicions about Russian involvement.

    The single most vital change in policy would be to demand a minimum capacity factor from generators before they are allowed to connect to the Grid. UK solar for example manages ten or twelve percent, has priority access but when it fails (90% of the time) the burden falls elsewhere. Make renewables guarantee a 90% capacity factor by teaming up with other technologies and conventional generation will be profitable.

    Oh yes, one other thing.

    Told you so. This is a policy, virtue-signalling manufactured crisis.

    JF

    1. Julian Flood
      January 8, 2022

      Oops. The mock PM’s speech article on the TCW blog. It’s a bit early, sorry.

      JF

    2. Original Richard
      January 10, 2022

      Julian Flood : “Make renewables guarantee a 90% capacity factor by teaming up with other technologies and conventional generation will be profitable.”

      This is essentially what is happening now. The wind industry is making money on subsidies and constraint payments and the fossil fuel industry is making money on providing grid stability and long-term backup.

      I wouldn’t be surprised if some companies do not have a foot in both camps.

      The next auctions should be based upon renewables guaranteeing a fixed amount of energy using ONLY renewable sources so that wind is used to provide the energy for grid stability and long-term backup.

      It won’t happen as it will kill the wind industry stone dead.

  5. lifelogic
    January 8, 2022

    How will we afford to pay for this “goodwill” of foreigners?

    1. dixie
      January 8, 2022

      You are at least 10 years too late in starting to worry about this.

  6. Shirley M
    January 8, 2022

    An excellent article. Why is our government not looking after the UK’s interests? Why are they making us more dependent upon unfriendly EU countries, and increasing our imports when we could be self sufficient with the added benefits of energy security, UK jobs and taxes.

    Why isn’t the government being held to account over its failures? You are one voice in the wilderness, Sir John, but the majority of your party is killing our country and this will result in the justified death of your party.

    1. alan jutson
      January 8, 2022

      SM

      Indeed the question from JR is so bloody obvious, it’s a wonder why no one has acted upon it so far.

      It would seem the nation is fixated on take away’s of all sorts.
      Many seem happy with the attitude if I can buy it ready made, then I do not have to bother with it myself, no matter that it is three or four times the price.
      Started off decades ago with so called fast food, which you had to collect yourself (wasted time which could have been spent in the kitchen) now home delivery, all at great expense, so now many cannot be bothered or have actually lost/not learn’t the skill of cooking anything reasonable themselves.
      As for shopping, now a huge amount completed on line, just sit in front of a computer look at a few pictures, and get what they give you, and if you do not like it send it back !
      For many we seem to have lost the art of touchy feely, check and compare the quality before you buy.
      No wonder its the same with gas and electricity, who cares where it comes from seems to be the attitude, until there is a shortage, or until it gets very expensive indeed !
      You reap what you sow. !

    2. DavidJ
      January 11, 2022

      +1

  7. Lefebvre
    January 8, 2022

    From “Global Britain” to “ let’s ban imports”.

    Reply. No, let’s produce more at home after years of the EU helping close down parts of industry and farming here

    1. dixie
      January 8, 2022

      @Lefebvre – the process is called “reshoring” but in this case we should stop exporting the fuel reserves to an ungrateful EU, or at the very least only export some of the surplus after our energy security needs are met.

      1. dixie
        January 8, 2022

        correction “or at the very most only export some of the surplus after our energy security needs are met.”

    2. Nottingham Lad Himself
      January 8, 2022

      But how ever does that sit with the ERG's veneration of markets, if imports, notably of food, are cheaper, Sir John?

      reply People will choose which is best. It is called a market!

      1. dixie
        January 8, 2022

        But, I would like to be able to choose so require proper, clear and thorough labeling on goods and services I wish to buy.
        PS the “face” price is rarely the true cost.
        PPS just because something could be done, doesn’t mean it should

      2. Micky Taking
        January 8, 2022

        I’d agree with ‘let’s ban imports from EU’.

      3. Micky Taking
        January 8, 2022

        Martin I’d have thought you would choose a much redder colour?

        1. dixie
          January 8, 2022

          a graffiti vandal is limited to the spray cans they can buy.

        2. Nottingham Lad Himself
          January 8, 2022

          I don’t know how Sir John’s site did that to my usual posting method.

          It is weird, isn’t it?

      4. glen cullen
        January 8, 2022

        reply People will choose which is best. It is called a market!

        So why is this government imposing a ICE car ban and not allowing the people to choose….Its called a market ?

        Reply I agree. I do not want a ban.

        1. glen cullen
          January 8, 2022

          SirJ you’ve restored my faith, as you’re the first MP to state that this government shouldn’t impose an ICE car ban….god bless you Sir – where you lead may many follow

          1. DavidJ
            January 11, 2022

            +1

    3. Micky Taking
      January 8, 2022

      precisely Sir John, a strategy by Framce and Germany to undermine UK competitiveness.

  8. dixie
    January 8, 2022

    For a couple of years I have asked if people even knew where their gas & oil came from and it has been clear most don’t even care and very few believed there would be supply issues or even that R&D and planning needed to be done on alternatives.
    The point is, even if the government magically changed track and granted new oil & gas licences and even permitted fracking, removed VAT and reduced duty on fuel and energy, there would still need to be extensive and urgent R&D on alternative fuels and processes that the taxpayer would need to fund.

  9. turboterrier
    January 8, 2022

    The more this man and his followers are allowed to slowly but surely destroy this country by their all talk no do method of governing and we the public do nothing, they will continue to do so unabated.

  10. Donna
    January 8, 2022

    With his ludicrous Net Zero/Energy Policy, Johnson appears to be on a mission to destroy the British economy and the CONservative Party along with it.

    Working class people are not going to vote for a CON Party which has broken a manifesto commitment not to raise their taxes and is deliberately making them colder and a great deal poorer so Johnson can virtue-signal his green credentials to the world and placate green activists in the UK.

    The first duty of any Government is to keep citizens safe and the country secure. Johnson is deliberately failing on both counts.

    He has to go.

    1. DavidJ
      January 11, 2022

      +10 and the sooner the better. Hopefully the furore over his No. 10 party will help bring him down.

  11. Sakara Gold
    January 8, 2022

    The biggest ever round of the government’s flagship renewable energy support scheme opened for applications on 13 December. ÂŁ285 million in support is available for building the next generation of Great Britain’s green energy projects, which is substantiallly less than the ÂŁ2.7billion earmarked by BEIS for the oil industry “blue hydrogen” and “carbon capture” scams

    Alongside the ÂŁ200m funding pot for offshore windfarms, there will be a further ÂŁ55m available to emerging renewable technologies such as tidal power and ÂŁ20m will be earmarked for floating offshore wind farms.

    The government will also make ÂŁ10m available to developers of onshore wind and solar farms for the first time since 2015.

    Dan McGrail, chief executive of the trade organisation Renewable UK, said the scheme could bring forward private investment of over ÂŁ20bn in a boost to jobs and the UK supply chain, while reducing energy bills and helping the UK to meet its climate targets.

    Early indications are that there is huge international interest in the CfD auction, as the fossil fuel industry have substantialy raised their prices to recover losses incured during the lockdowns. This auction will be the largest ever renewable energy auction in the world and could see more than 20 GW of new renewable capacity added. It will cement the UK’s position as global leader in offshore wind.

    Siemens have already built a massive factory on Humberside to build the turbines and a HVDC cable manufacturing facility is planned.

    Reply Very good but we also need to provide the back up capacity for when there is no wind or too much wind

    1. Micky Taking
      January 8, 2022

      A German industrialist building a massive factory on Humberside?
      I thought UK was going to be ‘abandoned in a siding, while the EU would speed past’ after Brexit!
      I must have misheard.

    2. dixie
      January 8, 2022

      I don’t want huge international interest in yet more opportunities to screw the British taxpayer and customer, siphon off yet more profits to elsewhere.
      Why isn’t the government encouraging and giving preference to UK industry and manufacturing – all the other countries do that for their companies.
      The UK isn’t a global leader except in buying lots of imported windmills

    3. Original Richard
      January 8, 2022

      Sakara Gold :

      An installed capacity of 20 GW of intermittent and unreliable offshore wind with a capacity factor of 50% will produce on average 10GW of electrical power and represents just 5% of our current total energy needs. It will also require fossil fuel generators to provide grid stability and long-term backup.

      The whole wind industry is a complete scam. Firstly the wind suppliers are making money from green subsidies and constraint payments and the fossil fuel generators are making money by providing the security of supply.

      It would not surprise me to discover that fossil fuel generators were also bidding at the windmill auctions.

      1. DavidJ
        January 11, 2022

        Scam indeed.

    4. Mark
      January 8, 2022

      That ÂŁ285m is in reality a very much bigger sum. For a start it is in notional 2012 money, and secondly it is per year for 15 years and thirdly it is based on some very weird assumptions. Looking at the current market conditions I wonder if this auction will prove successful. One of the important changes is that the new deals will offer no compensation when prices turn negative. That means that these new plants will be first in line to curtail with no compensation and will not get the subsidies given to earlier projects. That means they must make sufficient revenue from uncurtailed output, which will force up the price they need. The maximum permitted price dreamt up by the scheme administrators may prove ambitious in the light of this, and of rising costs. We will see.

      1. Julian Flood
        January 9, 2022

        Threaten the ‘market’ with the possibility of taxation of renewables and with any luck the speculators will run for cover. When people suffer from the “no gas no oil we’ll be the Saudi Arabia of wind and the Qatar of solar” then all bets are off: an election fought on that basis would be very dodgy for the main parties.

        JF

  12. Original Richard
    January 8, 2022

    The answer is that we have yet again another Remain PM who wants us to be dependent upon EU generated energy in order to weaken our negotiating position with threats of power cuts.

    To make matters even worse, he has been bamboozled by the BEIS Marxist Britphobes’s Net Zero Strategy into believing that we can power our whole country on “the breezes that blow around these islands” (Conservative Party conference speech Ocober 2020).

    It’s not going to end well.

    1. Original Richard
      January 8, 2022

      PS : I think we also need to recognise that BEIS/the government expects us to use less fuel as they are intending to reduce our CO2 emissions by importing more electricity from the EU.

    2. DavidJ
      January 12, 2022

      +1

  13. Peter from Leeds
    January 8, 2022

    One way to reduce energy consumption and hence both CO2 emissions and energy price would be to ban crypto currency, as the Chinese have effectively done. Apparently the energy cost of every single transaction of bitcoin is enough to power a typical US house for six weeks. Crypto currency is the new daffodil bulb. Not to be confused with Blockchain which is in principle a good idea.

    1. Nottingham Lad Himself
      January 8, 2022

      Spot on, Peter.

      It is good to see the ongoing crash though, whatever.

      Bitcoin down from nearly $70,000 to around $41,000 as I write.

    2. DavidJ
      January 11, 2022

      Another way is to reduce our population significantly as the UN requires. Time for Boris to tell his globalist mates to take a hike.

  14. Julian Flood
    January 9, 2022

    Offshore wind has a capacity factor of less than 50%, onshore less than 30%. That means we have to rely on fossil fuel backup for the days when they fail. The backup plants have to cycle up and down which means they have to be designed to do so — combined cycle gas turbines are not good at this so we will have to use open cycle which are less efficient and the fact that they frequently lie idle means they are wasted capital.

    Solar is worse, capacity factor around ten to twelve percent, so backup of nearly 90%.

    The cost of backup is not factored in to the contract with the renewable companies but it should be. The legislation should be simple — no provider should be allowed to connect to the Grid without a guarantee, enforceable by fines, that they would provide 95% availability. Then the renewables would pay the true cost of their intermittency. The amusing fact would then emerge that they could just run the backup and ignore the expensive and inefficient solar and wind.

    Before anyone puts their life-savings into the renewables sector, remember this: a contract is a contract but a tax is a tax. Retrospective taxation could easily smash a business model which depends on HMG continuing to be blind to the stupidity of their energy policies. One big power cut and not just the investment logic will change — so will the government.

    This proposal is digging when halfway to Hades, but until the big money is pulled out of the renewable boondoggle there will be no questioning of the highway from the MSM, ignorant, STEM-illiterate and idle.

    This government is not just mad, it’s getting madder.

    JF

  15. DavidJ
    January 12, 2022

    No doubt Boris is just following instructions from his globalist mates. We need a PM with true loyalty to the British people who will tell the globalists to take a hike.

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