Written Answers from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Regarding Oil and Gas

The Department which is meant to be increasing UK gas output to displace imports is stillĀ  very reluctant to talk about what it and its quangos are doing to make this possible. The cited source shows just 3 new fields coming into production in 2022, Blythe, Elgood and Tolmount. There is no mention of the status of Cambo or Jackdaw. Ministers should require more open reporting and more progress to fill the gaps in our home energy supply. There are several proven fields that need investment and production licences. The more we produce oil and gas at home the more tax revenue we generate, the more transport cost we save, and the less CO 2 that is produced. ministers accept this case but need to make sure the quangos reflect their policy. The Treasury needs to stop the windfall taxes which threaten future investment and will reduce revenues in the medium term.Ā 

The news on nuclear has also been suppressed. We need to know if it is safe to carry on with current plants for longer pending replacement by new nuclear. Over the weekend EDF was talking of two early nuclear closures owing in part toĀ  the windfall tax.

 

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (112036):

Question:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will list the gas fields that gained production licences in 2022. (112036)

Tabled on: 16 December 2022

Answer:
Graham Stuart:

While the 33rd UK Offshore Licensing Round opened in October, awards for licences under this round will not be made until next year. Awards under the previous, 32nd licensing round were made in 2020. There have therefore not been any awards for new licences in 2022.

Oil and gas fields, after being licensed, require several consents issued by regulators, such as Development and Production Consents granted by the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) before they can begin production. Several fields have received these consents in 2022.

A full list of these consents can be found on the NSTAā€™s website: https://www.nstauthority.co.uk/data-centre/data-downloads-and-publications/field-data/.

The answer was submitted on 28 Dec 2022 at 10:12.

 

 

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (112035):

Question:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an estimate of the amount of coal generating capacity could be made available on stand by notices. (112035)

Tabled on: 16 December 2022

Answer:
Graham Stuart:

Upon agreement between the Electricity System Operator and coal operators, there are 3 coal plants still operating in Great Britain with contingency contracts until March 2023. This totals approximately 2.4GW of capacity which can be called upon if needed for the purposes of security of supply.

The answer was submitted on 28 Dec 2022 at 10:13.

 

 

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (112034):

Question:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has reviewed the planned dates for the closure of nuclear powers stations; and whether he has made an assessment of the impact of postponing the closure dates on the safety of those stations. (112034)

Tabled on: 16 December 2022

Answer:
Graham Stuart:

The continued operation of, and any extensions to, operational dates for any UK nuclear power station is a decision for the operator, EDF, and the independent nuclear regulator, the Office of Nuclear Regulation (ONR), based on safety and commercial considerations. If the ONR has any safety concerns, they will not let the reactor return to service unless and until those concerns have been satisfactorily addressed and may require more regular shutdowns for ongoing review. Operational dates are kept under constant review by EDF and the ONR.

The answer was submitted on 28 Dec 2022 at 10:15.

170 Comments

  1. Javelin
    January 4, 2023

    As far as I can see the answer to all your questions is ā€œWe will keep using existing power unless the supplier or regulator stop us.ā€

    1. Nottingham Lad Himself
      January 4, 2023

      Yet the doctrine of deregulation and privatisation is intrinsically inimical to any kind of long term national strategy.

      Profit is everything and providing the service an unwelcome overhead. As long as there are not severe costs in failures on that point then the owners could not care less.

      1. Hope
        January 4, 2023

        I am unclear why you are asking these questions JR. I think it clear to most that your govt. is acting as if in the EU energy pact while strictly imposing its level playing fields in environment, competition and state aid. We should have left the EU by now.

        Introducing tax hikes in corporation tax, capital gains tax, wind fall tax and income tax. Would this deter all energy companies? Yes!

        We read Sunak buying double the amount of fracked gas from US while not having storage capacity (your govt deliberately closed them) but opening a gas inter connector to Germany! I wonder if Sunakā€™s real intention was not GB interest but EU? GB supplies RoI with gas has this ever been used as a lever for EU/N.Ireland protocol? I recollect vaccines were cut off to GB and threats from France to cut off electric Jersey of fishing licenses not issued. Heaton-Harris rapidly introducing legislation to force DUP to cave to EU demands for protocol instead of using levers to force EU to change!!

        Clue: your govt is betraying our nation on every front. It is deliberately aligning with EU and adhering to strict compliance on every front. Three months ago EU inspectors came to inspect GB compliance! Was this to make sure GB was in Lock step? Your govt allowed this! Why? Sunak referred to our country as Britain not UK, has he accepted giving away N.Ireland?

        Just get out.

        1. MFD
          January 4, 2023

          It is worrying when the Conservatives govern for the blob and not the people of the UK.
          I will be voting elsewhere as a lot of bad decisions are made behind our backs.

        2. The Prangwizard
          January 4, 2023

          Sir John is part of the problem while pretending otherwise. It doesn’t how much his party and government tricks us and betrays us he will stay with them to the end.

          Just as Sunak as you describe says one thing and acts another so does Sir John, and did you read his comment in a ‘reply’ that he wants Reform members to abandon it and join the Tories. He seems to ignore many are ex-Tories because of its betrayal behaviour.

          reply I promised my electors to serve as a Conservative MP and I keep my word. My switching to Reform would be a bad idea. I do not think an MP could win a by election for Reform if they did resign. Reform is polling 8%

          1. glen cullen
            January 4, 2023

            But if you did cross the floor, the reform party would listen to you and enact your ideas and suggestions ā€¦under this government your skills and experience are wasted

            Reply I do not think Reform can win a seat so it does not help

          2. Sir Joe Soap
            January 4, 2023

            Reply to reply-to serve as a Conservative MP you should be serving as a Conservative. If I’m employed to sell say luxury watches and my company starts selling dodgy knock-offs to its customers and tells me to do the same, I look around in bemusement and then leave, because they’re not adhering to the original terms which I was employed under. Also, frankly, I don’t want my career tarnished by being labelled a dodgy-watch salesman.

          3. Sir Joe Soap
            January 4, 2023

            As for the Reform issue, you are thereby saying you’d rather work for the dodgy-watch company trying to persuade them to sell serviceable brands than work for a confirmed serviceable watch company, albeit having to work uphill against the establishment pushing dodgy watches for your former company? Each to his own.

            Reply Not so. I argue strongly for Conservative answers

        3. Donna
          January 5, 2023

          The CON benches are stuffed with Remainers and those who very reluctantly accepted that a form of Brexit would have to be delivered.

          They have no intention of really leaving the EU ….and never did. They quite simply haven’t got any faith or pride in this country, or any guts.

      2. a-tracy
        January 4, 2023

        For goodness sakes, there are plenty of losses and failures in public, none profit sectors, like Housing Associations whose mouldy houses are killing people. There the profit is shared around the chosen clique. Do those people care? It doesn’t seem so in fact the chap in Rochdale refused to resign.

    2. Anselm
      January 4, 2023

      I have read the comments and two things have become clear in this blog comments section:
      1. People are getting cross with the government.
      2. The government is the obstacle, not the provider.

      1. Hope
        January 4, 2023

        A,
        No, the left wing socialist anti-business govt. have become the enemy of the people. Unilateral actions to the countryā€™s detriment having a direct impact on peopleā€™s way of life. No one voted for this. No one voted for Sunak or Hunt. Both rejected by their party and membership and no public mandate. Both even stopped the public knowing what ministers receive by backhanders from lobbying groups! This is not the EU we voted out.

        Now kowtowing to Chinaā€™s demands. China is a greater threat to UK than Russia. Our country needs to stop being reliant on hostile countries and organisations like the EU.

        1. Banana Republic
          January 4, 2023

          I think it’s the doctrines of the World Economic Forum which are being followed to the letter, and have been for years, meaning this is virtually a ”government of occupation”. Britain must split from Davos, it really is the most terrible influence for a variety of reasons.

          1. Mitchel
            January 5, 2023

            Britain is bust-has been bust for a long time.We therefore do as we are told so the “kindness of strangers”,as Mark Carney(echoing Tennessee Williams’ faded,fatally deluded southern belle,Blanche du Bois) put it,continues.

            We “should” split from Davos but we are a decaying country which is a long way from being self-sufficient in the essentials and is as financially incontinent as a typical banana republic.What do you think would happen if we tried to do a Russia?

            All hope abandoned!

        2. MFD
          January 4, 2023

          Well said Hope, I totally agree!

    3. Mark
      January 4, 2023

      It sounded to me like “We will not tell the regulator or negotiate with operators to prevent closure of essential capacity to keep the lights on.”

      1. Hope
        January 4, 2023

        This govt is deliberately allowing the UK energy supply to dwindle into non existence when there is an abundance of reserves- idiots! Making us all poor, hungry and cold!!

    4. X-Tory
      January 4, 2023

      The worst reply was this one: “The continued operation of, and any extensions to, operational dates for any UK nuclear power station is a decision for the operator, EDF, and the independent nuclear regulator, the Office of Nuclear Regulation (ONR), based on safety and commercial considerations.” This epitomises what I DESPISE in this useless, traitorous government: their refusal to actually govern!

      NO – decisions on matters of national interest should NOT be left to private companies or to “commercial considerations”. It is the government that should make the decisions and then issue ORDERS to ensure that the national interest is served. Ministers – and prime ministers – who refuse to take decisions and take responsibility are despicable traitors. I really HATE this government – they refuse to do anything to help Britain and the British people. They are our ENEMIES.

      1. Hope
        January 4, 2023

        XT,
        But further dependence on EU for energy as if the UK was part of its energy pact. This is designed to stop our country leaving the EU.

        1. anon
          January 5, 2023

          Yes , they fully intend to ensure the EU has all manner of leverage to hobble and bind any future governments. This is how they work at all levels in all manner of ways to manage out/ time out delay any truly democratic government.

  2. Mark B
    January 4, 2023

    . . . there are 3 coal plants still operating in Great Britain with contingency contracts until March 2023.

    And how many coal fired stations does China have ?

    If our kind host allows :

    https://www.statista.com/statistics/859266/number-of-coal-power-plants-by-country/

    We’re not even on the bloody list !

    1. Mark B
      January 4, 2023

      Ooops !

      Good morning.

    2. Lifelogic
      January 4, 2023

      Meanwhile HSBC and other banks refuse to fund oil and gas developments though they are clearly perfectly happy using oil and gas.

      So what A levels did Sunak study? He clearly does not understand much maths himself or he would have scrapped or even never started the net harm Covid vaccines nor would he have printed all the money causing all the currency debasement and inflation?

      Forcing everyone to do some maths to 18 is fairly silly as some people never really get maths or science and never will. For example all the MPs who support net zero, the big state and the net harm vaccinations. We would do with far more people leaving school and learning practical skills at 16 or even earlier. Learning maths when you understand the need for it perhaps for a roof design or number of bricks amd times needed cam be easier for some.

      1. Sir Joe Soap
        January 4, 2023

        O/T Truss strategy finally putting its head over the parapet now reference childcare. Can only suggest she pokes the Snake to deregulate sensibly (of course he won’t) and help parents with the gap between 1 and 3 years by tax reform to allow reclaim of costs against tax (of course he won’t). Providing childcare gets a greater than 1 person in work for every parent returning.
        Of course this is of little import to the Snake and non-dom wife who had no need whatsoever for vouchers or childcare tax reliefs. Another planet.

        1. Hooe
          January 4, 2023

          Same for capital gains tax now reaching most people with modest assets and incomes. Hunt is a EU menace and needs to be ousted. Where are those men in grey suits who ousted Truss when you need them. Where is Brady and his 1922 committee?

          Those 277 Tory MPs who voted for Vassalage are determined to make it happen. Brexiteer MPs need to wake up fast.

        2. a-tracy
          January 4, 2023

          Years ago, we had childminders, ladies that decided to take a few years out to be 100% of the time with their own children; often they supplemented their income by looking after a couple of other children. The regulators got involved, you can have an unregulated nanny, but you can’t use an unregulated child-minder who had to have specific training and pay for inspections and buy the right products, so they started to diminish and wither away. The socialists preferring all babies in mass nurseries.

      2. Mickey Taking
        January 4, 2023

        The horse has bolted if at around 10 years old basic arithmetic, fractions, percentages a little mental calculation without paper and pencil cannot be done. Really basic stuff at entry to Primary school should begin. If it had been started by parents, grandparents even better. Within a year or two, teachers will have progress reports on growing abilities of each child. Any doubt on arithmetic learning and ability needs individual help. Just like reading the basic skills will allow rapid progress and be a foundation for everything else that follows. Where I volunteer (totally unrelated) I know of a 22 year old and 16 year old apprentice who have no grasp of simple arithmetic and cannot relate fractions to percentages to division of an easy number. Scandalous! Schools (and parents) should be ashamed.

        1. Hope
          January 4, 2023

          No, I know many who are teachers and their qualifications were very poor! They did not understand as children and now teaching kids what they do not know! This is the Tory party for you. Comprehensive education has resoundingly failed. Change the system. Bring back Grammar schools and start raising the standards.

          No more group work nonsense, chalk and talk with individual seats. Bring back discipline in schools. Schools are not a poor baby sitting service.

          1. Mickey Taking
            January 4, 2023

            The key work needs to be done at nursery, Foundation and Early Years. Weaned off ‘learning with play’ the hard graft of face to face has to be done to identify those youngsters who have no basic knowledge – were not read to, home has no books, possibly never talked to nor can concentrate for more than 2 minutes. The basic books for parents to show and read are almost given away in charity shops, some given in libraries. Do the parents even know where a library is?

      3. Lifelogic
        January 4, 2023

        Of course the more maths they understand the more they will realise just how much Sunak and Hunt are ripping them of with their absurdly high taxes, their currency debasement and appalling and still declining public services. The more they will see than net zero, renewable energy is a complete con trick and that expensive energy and the current economic problems were not the result of covid or Putin but caused by Boris/Sunakā€™s idiotic reaction to Covid, him money counterfeiting and the insane net zero agenda.

        If they do a bit of physics too they will realise that renewable energy is an entirely bogus concept too.

        ā€œNHS delusion is condemning people to death
        The model is broken, but still the public and our leaders refuse to consider any of the alternativesā€

        James Bartholomew in the Telegraph today. It is been killing thousands for very many years but our pathetic politicians of all parties (like Hunt health Sec for ~ six years) did and do nothing.

        1. Lifelogic
          January 4, 2023

          Sunak’s “Hi Everyone” new years message was fairly dire too. So not only maths he has trouble with. Get a decent speech writers for goodness sake and get someone to explain the very clear significant net harm maths of the Covid Vaccinations to you Sunak. While they are at it they could explain counterfeiting, money printing and inflation to you too as that is clearly beyond you too. Then they might move onto the net zero insanity.

        2. Hope
          January 4, 2023

          LL,
          NHS: we read this week in papers how women asked for female staff for procedures and got trans women!! NHS does not even know basic biology or science!

          Three female prison officers jailed for relationships with inmates! Get back to genuine occupation qualification so that when in a state of undress men for men and women for women. Not trans men or women either!

          These are self-imposed messes created by this Tory socialist govt.

        3. Original Richard
          January 4, 2023

          LL :

          You donā€™t know what these new/extra maths lessons might be.

          It could start with 2 + 2 = 3 or 5 to help justify the lunacy that is unilateral Net Zero.

        4. MFD
          January 4, 2023

          āœ”ļøāœ”ļøāœ”ļøāœ”ļø LL

      4. rose
        January 4, 2023

        LL, his greatest and most disturbing lack is a sense of urgency. No sense of urgency over the annexation of N Ireland which should be reversed immediately but is being kicked down the road until it becomes permanent; no sense of urgency about the Channel invasion; no sense of urgency about our energy security or our food security or our water security; and no sense of urgency about our burgeoning population.

        One doesn’t need to be a mathemetician to see the danger to the country in all this, but nothing effective is done. Yet when it came to the Surrender Bill, it was whizzed through both Houses in record time, illegitimately. Ditto with the Wuhan virus emergency health legislation.

        There is an actual health emergency at the moment, on our South Coast, with TB, hepatitis, diptheria, AIDS and a whole lot else, including different Wuhan “variants”, being welcomed in from Calais and dispersed around the country, yet no emergency action to prevent it. That is typical of the laissez faire attitude over things which ought to be done and aren’t.

        1. Hope
          January 4, 2023

          It is not kicked down the road. Heaton-Harris rapidly introduced legislation to punish DUP MPs to force them to cave to EU demands over protocol!

          Witless Sunak pledging more taxes to Ukraine when he has not raised a cross word with EU over giving away N.Ireland!! Worse he awarded EU building of our warships when claiming to build back stronger!! Against a background when Hunt has hiked every tax to prevent business investing here! And what is left will be forced out by Huntā€™s net stupid energy reliance and lock step with EU!

          Nor are the duo doing anything about immigration against manifesto promises.

          Suggest Read Ben Habib article today.

      5. a-tracy
        January 4, 2023

        Lifelogic, if they force teenagers to do Maths to 18 they will have to change the curriculum to have a more practical leaning for those not wishing to go on to a STEM degree. My son took Maths and Further Maths plus extra modules he self-taught and said it didn’t prepare him for his Maths degree. So what is ‘Mathematics’ preparing people for?

        Does the curriculum currently include stocks and shares, savings plans, interest calculations, how credit card interest works. How mortgages work. How to size up a room for a floor covering, how to size up windows. How to budget and cost from wages to cover costs. How tax and national insurance work, including for the self-employed.

        Will they create more school hours at A level so that four A levels can be pursued for people with other careers in mind? Stop them forcing round pegs into square holes.

        1. Hope
          January 4, 2023

          AT,
          What an extremely narrow view of mathematics. My son took maths and physics at A level and degree. There are a host of modules in maths like fluid dynamics, astrology, pure maths etc etc. as for careers: aeronautical engineer, mechanical engineering, architect, structural engineer, accountancy, finance, medicine etc etc. Physics linked in so many areas and gives further careers.

          AT a very dull blog with little fact or substance.

          1. SM
            January 4, 2023

            There is surely a difference between arithmetic, pure mathematics and applied mathematics. What a-tracy seems to be saying, entirely sensibly in my view, is that schoolchildren should primarily be taught the kind of practical arithmetic necessary for everyday life. I have dyscalculia, the numbers equivalent of dyslexia, but have trained myself over the decades so that I could run a domestic budget and (although it takes some time) work out whether buying ‘3 for the price of 2’ is actually saving me money (there are times when it isn’t!).

            Forcing a child such as I was to sit through another agonising 2 years of incomprehension, as the PM is suggesting, is a guaranteed way of making him/her hate education.

          2. Hope
            January 4, 2023

            AT,
            Oh, and my son earns his living from using mathematics every day. His only problem is the high tax Tories who want everyone equal through socialism and high taxes.

          3. a-tracy
            January 4, 2023

            Hope, you seem to have your knickers in knot.

            All three of my children did Mathematics at A level from their choice, I wouldnā€˜t want students who didnā€˜t want to do mathematics at A level distracting math teachers time and energy away from those most capable of doing maths at A level. Plus I would have hated it!

            One of mine went on and did an actuarial fellowship, so blimin what he likes maths, physics and chemistry and earns his living from maths every day BUT it doesnā€˜t suit everybody so either teach life requirements if you have to force a Maths curriculum down everyoneā€™s throat but not complex maths to everyone! That was my point that you seem to have missed by a mile. I think its pointless and frankly Rishi got more important things to worry his head about right now.

            What is the point of this advanced maths for everyone 16 to 18? What is the expected outcome resitting the GCSEs until they get a better grade and hate maths for life!

          4. dixie
            January 5, 2023

            @ SM & a-tracy
            I agree completely with the points made by a-tracy and SM, a minimum of numeracy is required but beyond that one curriculum clearly doesn’t suit all and forcing people to do thinks beyond their ability or interest can be damaging.

        2. Mickey Taking
          January 4, 2023

          A-t . . .. I don’t think those basics – pay, wages vs salaries, NI deductions and Income Tax, disposable pay and need for a budget weekly or monthly, principles of rent vs borrowed money (mortgage) are covered. Food shopping and paying bills – cash, credit cards, debit cards – setting up standing orders and agreeing to Direct Debits at your bank. All needed before they go to work or university. Back in the day students didn’t have any idea of formal letter writing or producing a CV (resume), do they now get taught?

      6. graham1946
        January 4, 2023

        The school leaving age has been put up to 18 to try to fudge the unemployment figures for NEETS not for any academic gain. The country seemed to work much better when people were learning trades through proper apprenticeships than the current ‘keep them away from work as long as possible’.

        1. Hope
          January 4, 2023

          +1
          To also help leave jobs open for mass immigration. The lowering of salaries to about Ā£20,000 means low paid low skilled migrants come here with benefits in mind! Socialist Tories for you.

      7. Mark
        January 4, 2023

        What we really need to see is a proper grounding in basic arithmetic – tables, addition, subtraction, division, fractions and percentages, orders of magnitude, all at a young age, and including exponentials/growth rates/interest by age 16, together with basic elements of geometry and understanding charts and rudimentary statistics (and how they are used as false propaganda). If the basics are inculcated early (by rote works well for much of it), they provide a foundation that can be built on by those with greater aptitude. Stretching out the basic curriculum for those who are less inclined will do nothing to increase standards: in fact, it will make them worse, as it already has done. It is quite some years since I discovered that A level maths no longer covers much calculus and differential equations – an essential precursor to any STEM degree, and really for what should be in science A levels.

        1. Hope
          January 4, 2023

          It also helps young people to enjoy problem solving! I agree with LL, the govt could do with a lot more of these type of people!

        2. Mickey Taking
          January 4, 2023

          exactly !!

      8. hefner
        January 4, 2023

        Somewhat surprising from you Lifelogic. In 2003 The Times had someone wanting children to be able to abandon maths by 14. Fortunately it was kept to 16.
        Even so there is a non-negligible fraction of the population unable to compute a surface or a volume, to compare fractions, to calculate a percentage, to do approximate mental arithmetic for exchange rates, to get a feeling for what a mortgage rate will cost them over 10 or 25 years, to realise a 20% drop is to be compensated by a 25% increase, to realise that GDP per se is only an indicator not particularly meaningful in comparisons where GDP per capita or GDP per capita at purchasing power parity is required. Moreover there is, included on this blog, donkeys only able to bray ā€˜garbage in, garbage outā€™ as soon as statistics of any kind are called for, with even more stupid comments when ā€˜modellingā€™ is involved, whether for economic, health, electoral, or various planning purposes.
        If anything, a more numerate population is likely to bring a better ā€˜developmentā€™ as has been shown in the last 50 years by Singapore, China, South Korea, ā€¦

        1. R.Grange
          January 4, 2023

          Yes, it would be good to have a population numerate enough to see through the deceptive use of statistics and models, as we had recently during the Covid crisis from the like of Whitty and Ferguson.

          The trouble is, Hefner, to achieve that we are going to need lots of well-qualified and effective maths teachers. I wonder where they are going to come from. Not from among the dinghy people, I fancy.

          1. dixie
            January 5, 2023

            My problems in maths at school stemmed from being taught by mathematicians who had no clue how to teach those not smitten by the elegance and beauty of it all. I had no problem when taught by scientists and engineers based on realistic problems and situations.
            We need more effective teachers who can teach subjects effectively in a way the pupils can grasp and learn from.
            The qualification should be that someone is an effective teacher, not that they are an effective or even expert mathematician.

  3. Ian Wragg
    January 4, 2023

    The big players are not bidding for the latest round of North Sea drilling licences because of Hunts confiscatory taxes.
    EDF that is the French Government are looking to shutdown 4gw of coal and nuclear for the same reason
    I suppose it all helps net zero whilst we freeze to death. Still no problem for the gimmigrants as they can have the heating on

    1. Peter Wood
      January 4, 2023

      Yes, it would appear our Tory government has decided to allow the French government to decide if the population of the country of England is to have necessary power.
      It’s hard to believe this, but I suppose we’re still all EUropeans….

  4. Stred
    January 4, 2023

    Sir Alok Sharma KCMG has been honoured for his role in blowing up coal fired power stations, rather than mothballing them like the Germans, and failing to persuade the Chinese to stop building any more. It’s good to know how the awards system works. Presumably the green subsidy milking industry will find him a job when he loses his seat in two years time.

    1. Nottingham Lad Himself
      January 4, 2023

      I assume that this was done not primarily for environmental objectives, but to free up the land to enable developers to profit from it.

      As we see with the effects of today’s war, such contingency facilities are priceless.

      There was a serious examination of whether Beeching’s destruction of civil infrastructure amounted to treason, incidentally. The point was left moot, I understand.

      1. Roy Grainger
        January 4, 2023

        Right – the reason developers build homes is to profit from it. We should stop all home building immediately.

        1. Sir Joe Soap
          January 4, 2023

          It’s worth asking why German politicians aren’t quite so “motivated” as our own to blow up their coal fired stations to free up land to build houses, don’t you think?

          1. Mark
            January 4, 2023

            acorn: the locations were chosen because they cut costs, placing power stations not too far from centres of demand and from means of fuel supply. Now we choose to site wind farms far from centres of demand, offshore and in Scotland. The consequence is an expensive, duplicated grid. The sites would be better used to provide dispatchable capacity, not batteries that are necessarily a consumer of energy.

          2. rose
            January 5, 2023

            Because they haven’t exported their manfacturing.

        2. rose
          January 4, 2023

          And Beeching was only executing his brief.

          1. Mickey Taking
            January 4, 2023

            Those above wanted a shift from trains (some restructuring was needed) to roads mainly for haulage. Once Marples (couldn’t drive) dashed off abroad we were left with an ‘overnight ‘ destruction of rail routes, end of steam, initial empty motorways and a big profiteering for road builders. Treason or seizing opportunity?

        3. Nottingham Lad Himself
          January 4, 2023

          A typically infantile binary fallacy.

  5. turboterrier
    January 4, 2023

    The flavour and tone of the reply is what we used to call duck shoving. It is an answer, but answers nothing really relevant. One must ask the question do we really need these people and the department?

    1. Bloke
      January 4, 2023

      Quality and accountability are absent. The Speaker should intervene at PMQs and on other questioning occasions at source when waffle is used to reply instead of proper answers. The same should apply to evasive written ā€˜answersā€™ such as those Graham Stuart carelessly cobbled together.

  6. Fedupsoutherner
    January 4, 2023

    Well those answers have filled me with assurance…….not. There seems to be no sense of urgency and no real long term plans to sort this very real problem out John. The government’s approach makes no sense at all. At a time when energy is crucial to our economy and to our manufacturing businesses this government is content to raise money through windfall taxes which will stop investment and do great harm. EDFS position is of particular concern. We need more tax revenue and more well paid jobs but this fact doesn’t resonate with your government. That’s why they are unfit for office and that’s why we need a party like Reform that will do what’s necessary.

    1. Mike Wilson
      January 4, 2023

      and thatā€™s why we need a party like Reform that will do whatā€™s necessary.

      But thatā€™s not going to happen. Support for Reform will simply ensure an even bigger Labour majority. The only way to get a change of direction is to get the local Tory Party associations on board and get them to threaten deselection. Itā€™s where the real power is – but they donā€™t seem to use it.

      1. X-Tory
        January 4, 2023

        Oh give it a rest! Stop trying to scare people with the big bad Labour wolf. Labour are NO WORSE than the current Tory government. In fact, in some ways they could even be better – they would not, for instance, have given a contract to build our Navy ships to our filthy Spanish enemies. There is no policy area where the Tory goverbnment is doing any better than Labour would do – not immigration, or the economy, or Brexit, or public services, or taxes, or energy, or … anything. Let’s just kill the Tory party and then see what rises from the ashes.

        1. Hope
          January 4, 2023

          XT,
          And the fitting out in N.Ireland to deliberately hinder All GB businesses with EU laws, regs, rules, tariffs and border down Irish Sea!

          The contracts should have been in GB so any N.Ireland business could tender without EU hindrance. This was a despicable sellout and betrayal of UK and its businesses. The further deceit by Wallace, Hunt and Sunak by the specious media briefing was astonishing.

      2. Fedupsoutherner
        January 4, 2023

        Mike. Blah, blah. Yes you’re probably right in what you say about Labour getting in. Perhaps if they get in with a majority it will spare us from the SNP. Sorry but they won’t be much worse than what we have now and at least it might wake the Tory party from their idyllic slumber when they see just how pissed off we are with them. Holding my nose whole I vote for Con or Lab is not an option.

    2. Mark
      January 4, 2023

      I do not think that Reform’s plans to nationalise energy and impose price controls make any sense at all. We already have a system whose operation is tightly controlled by the state, and it is failing. The state involvement from BEIS, OFGEM, the CCC and National Grid is giving us all the wrong policies, and Parliament is ill equipped to control them with so few having a basic understanding of the issues.

      Start by asking energy companies what their design for a low cost, reliable system would be with no carbon dioxide constraints (but include genuine environmental limits on things like particulates). Then you have a benchmark that allows the costs of emissions abatement to be evaluated. But first plug in the effects of cheap energy to economic success. You don’t need welfare payments for cost of living. You have industry that generates jobs, profits, taxes and exports, and supply security rather than import dependency.

      1. Hope
        January 4, 2023

        M,
        First paragraph highlights failings of a govt unable, unwilling or incapable of making decisions. Instead it created all those quangos!!! Making more indecision but moreover giving it the ability to pass the blame! None of them, including BIES are required or necessary.

        Bearing in mind this govt has aligned to EU and has level playing fields as well! We voted LEAVE EU!

    3. Dr John de los Angeles
      January 4, 2023

      I completely agree. After decades of being a Member of the Conservative Party, I could now no longer vote for this neo-socialist shower. True Conservatives will vote for the Reform Party, but it needs great people like Sir John, to cross the “Floor” and really boost its profile as a true conservative party.

  7. BOF
    January 4, 2023

    Meanwhile, in oh so ‘green’ Germany, a wind farm is being demolished to extent a lignite coal mine and even a town is threatened with the same fate.

    So much for Net Zero. King Coal reigns supreme in Germany and most of the world while our numpties obfuscate and delay and our energy prices go through the roof as a direct result of intermittent energy.

    Why would any company invest in N Sea if their profits are to be stolen by a voracious state?

    1. Dave Andrews
      January 4, 2023

      The Green Party in Germany remains green at heart. They have an aspiration to be net zero by 2030, and that’s all that’s needed in politics. Words matter, not actions. Much like our low tax at heart government.

    2. glen cullen
      January 4, 2023

      …and no mention of fracking for shale gas

  8. Sea_Warrior
    January 4, 2023

    I will be interested to see if any British energy companies bother making bids in the 33rd round. Harbour Energy – the biggest North Sea producer – has stated that it won’t be. Why? Because of the windfall tax! If it’s not Alok Sharma rejoining at the destruction of coal-fired power-stations, it’s Hunt doing his utmost to limit domestic production. Solution: lower windfall taxes until the investment starts flowing again. Better still, just remove them.

    1. Timaction
      January 4, 2023

      Solution- Get rid of the Consocialists.

  9. Sea_Warrior
    January 4, 2023

    So, the contingency contracts run out in March 2023 and there’s no intention of extending them – even though we are in a near-war situation.

    1. glen cullen
      January 4, 2023

      Churchill ”action this day”

    2. Mark
      January 4, 2023

      In reality we shouldn’t be just granting contingency contracts for coal, but rather looking for a baseload contribution at much lower cost to the economy than extra gas burn. The problem is that these units are old and the maintenance required to keep them operational can be extensive. It is not worthwhile unless they can have a reasonable prospect of earning a return. Much the same applies to aged nuclear.

      However, if we allow these units to close we will have even worse capacity shortages leading to frequent high prices and rationing/blackouts.

      1. anon
        January 5, 2023

        They should be used in full to drive the cost down in winter and then mothball in the summer. Gas can because it can cycle up and down to fill the gaps, even expensively. Rationing by extreme prices and blackouts and giving leverage to the EU is obviously the plan.

    3. Timaction
      January 4, 2023

      They’ve only had 12.5 years to sort out an energy strategy. But no, net zero God has got in their way. They pray to remove the bogey gas CO2 which is needed by every plant on the planet.

      1. Original Richard
        January 4, 2023

        Tim action :

        Net Zero IS the energy strategy.

        1. glen cullen
          January 4, 2023

          Correct ‘net-zero’ is both a Tory & Labour energy strategy ….thank god for Reform

  10. Donna
    January 4, 2023

    Only an irresponsible Government, which values virtue-signalling over energy security, would countenance closing our three remaining coal-fired power stations.

    But then it’s quite clear that we ARE government by irresponsible, virtue-signalling, Eco lunatics ….. who would rather see thousands of the British people die of cold than change their Net Zero lunacy.

    1. Timaction
      January 4, 2023

      They are useless leftwing lunatics. Far removed from reality and the practical consequences of their net stupid, whilst the rest of the world produces cheap energy. Farage pointed out last night that 8 billion tonnes of coal will be burnt this year to heat and manufacture goods world wide. A record. Our useless Consocialists will not allow coal mines, fracking, and have windfall taxes on energy producers. They have to go, we can’t afford them.

      1. Hope
        January 4, 2023

        TA,
        We read China has created more CO2 in the last 8 years than UK in the last 200 years. China allowed by the world governance not to make any changes until 2050! Presumably by then most countryā€™s will be dependent on China for everything and China fulfils its goal to rule the world! Idiots!

        Even solar panels and wind machines made by coal fired power stations in China!! Then transported over the world! What are the ships made of that put up wind machines at sea? Steel! Who makes most the steel?

    2. glen cullen
      January 4, 2023

      Ukraine has an estimated 127.9 trillion cubic feet of unproved technically recoverable shale gas resources (U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)), mostly on its eastern border with Russia ā€“ no wonder Putin has invaded
      While China & India maintain security of coal fired power stations, while I like many bought a few candles just in case of power outage

      1. Mike Wilson
        January 5, 2023

        I bought candles and a generator!

    3. Atlas
      January 4, 2023

      Donna – it certainly seems that way.

      In the light of Sunak’s policy statement, to be made today, I wonder how many of our MPs and leading Civil Servants actually are numerate?? – Especially when it comes to considering Climate Change and Net Zero…

      1. Hope
        January 4, 2023

        Even if numerate like Sunak his decision making and judgement is awful. Sunak has lost and wasted hundreds of billions, maths alone is of little use if other characteristics are missing as in the case of Sunak. Starting with patriotism and acting in the national interest. Perhaps Sunak is not good with understanding words or keeping his word?

  11. Cuibono
    January 4, 2023

    I read that the price of gas has actually dropped but has not been passed on to the consumerā€¦yet!
    Plus allegedly the powers that be have suddenly realised that there just isnā€™t enough electricity full stop. House building will be threatened and maybe put on hold ( oh dear!), electric cars as we know, will consume too much electricity and apparently worst of allā€¦.all the eliteā€™s data using/storing/controlling plan will be impossible. Our computers need electricity to run!!!
    They really should learn to ā€œthink before they inkā€ shouldnā€™t they?

    1. Donna
      January 4, 2023

      That’s because the gas we are currently using was bought sometime ago “on the futures market” when the price was high.

      1. Fedupsoutherner
        January 4, 2023

        Donna. What I want to know is how much we are paying for the excess LNG we are buying and then sending to the EU? When we need it are we paying more for it?

      2. Cuibono
        January 4, 2023

        Yes I know.
        But it was supposed to protect the customer from spikes in price.
        Didnā€™t work though did it?
        Too many small suppliers probably didnā€™t help.
        And naturally we foot the billā€¦as ever!

  12. MPC
    January 4, 2023

    The replies exemplify the governmentā€™s management of decline. In the future, government and opposition will simply disagree about how best to manage regular energy blackouts. Similarly with illegal immigration – manage the inflow of illegals rather than stop them through effective legislation.

    1. Anselm
      January 4, 2023

      46,000 illegals. Some of them, I am sure, will contribute to our energy and hospital crisis by working in A&E.
      But, what can you do when you see people (including a smattering of kids) drowning in the channel? Legislation won’t cure that one.
      Send them back – and give the lawyers a vast Christmas bonus? Legislation won’t cure that one because there are Human Rights to consider.
      Imprison them? Well, we more or less are the moment, – very ineffectively and extremely expensively and unfairly. Beggars lie on the street outside hotels where the illegals sit in the warm waiting for their next meal.
      Oh – and the prisons were already full under Mrs Thatcher!

  13. Sharon
    January 4, 2023

    According to Net Zero Watch itā€™s mainly Europe that is behaving like a twit with regards to energy. Andrew Montfort from Net zero Watch is even warning America to not go down the same destructive route.

    Apart from Germany, who always look after umber one, why are we and the Europeans (EU) setting ourselves on a path to self destruct? And more importantly, why is no-one calling them out on this madness? Why are MPs just accepting it all? It makes no sense to me.

    1. Donna
      January 4, 2023

      If you read today’s TCW – Defending Freedom, you’ll see that the Eco lunacy has infected Australia’s political class.

    2. Hope
      January 4, 2023

      S,
      Why is UK still in lockstep with EU as if in the EU energy pact and doing exactly the same is the question.

    3. turboterrier
      January 4, 2023

      Sharon
      Why are MPs accepting it?
      Simply because the vast majority are totally unfit for purpose as to the position they hold. It cannot come as a great surprise that there is little but a fag paper difference between all of them. You can count on the fingers of one hand those that could qualify for being a called a real statesman. The takeover of Parliament by this new generation of lack lustre politicians has been slowly building up over the years and all the little cliques are now well established. Easy prey to be converted to globalistic theology.

      1. Hope
        January 4, 2023

        277 Tory MPs voted for vassalage so Sunak and Hunt are delivering for them.

        1. Cuibono
          January 4, 2023

          They didnā€™t vote for Sunak or Hunt though.
          And neither did we!

    4. Dr John de los Angeles
      January 4, 2023

      I agree,

    5. ChrisS
      January 4, 2023

      Absolutely right !

    6. Berkshire Alan
      January 4, 2023

      Sharon.
      Perhaps many of our Mp’s do not understand simple mathematics, calculations, graphs, pie charts, finance, interest rates etc etc.
      Our Prime Minister has highlighted such a problem with many of the Nation’s people only today, so why should Mp’s be given a free pass and assume they are exempt !

      Viewed our Prime Ministers presentation today, and I have to say for the first time we appear to have a Leader who actually understands the detail of the many polices they are promoting, which makes a huge change.
      I cannot imagine any other leader we have had in the last two decades which seems to have had such a grasp.
      Not a big Sunak fan, but at last we had a Conservative leader that seemed to be able to present facts in a clear and concise manner, with some common-sense reasoning and sensible comment, without unrealistic pie in the sky promises or glib statements.
      Thus I will wait and see with interest.

      1. Mark B
        January 5, 2023

        All he stated was the bloody obvious. Well, obvious to those with more than two brain cells.

        1. Berkshire Alan
          January 5, 2023

          Marks B

          That was a plus then, as for far too often it seemed as if our ministers did not even understand the obvious.
          Now we have to see if action actually takes place.

  14. agricola
    January 4, 2023

    Their answers appear to be don ‘t ask impertinent questions , the establishment is back in control should you have failed to notice. It is long overdue that MPs held the E to account robustly because you are close to the same treatment in 2024.

  15. Lynn Atkinson
    January 4, 2023

    Well this is evidence of the veracity of your last tweet. The fact is that the private sector output is up 25% but it is not providing ā€˜usā€™ with higher living standards because the Government is draining all that increase from us to subsidise higher wages in the reduced-output State Sector.
    Moreover they are taking our savings by deliberately deploying inflation.
    The state sector needs to be cut to the bone and the PM needs to leave the teaching of maths and all other subjects to an education system that has to please parents who pay for it, or starve.
    The PM should attempt to do one thing that only the Government can do: stop criminals illegally entering and exploiting our country and expel those already here.

    1. Hope
      January 4, 2023

      +1
      Kids should have learned enough maths by 16 to leave school not give them longer! It shows another govt. failing in Education!!

      1. glen cullen
        January 4, 2023

        What’s their next education policy – every child has to stay in secondary education until 20 years old

        1. Lynn Atkinson
          January 4, 2023

          Oh surely 40 would be better? And have one years experience 35 times over? Leave Illiterate and and innumerate but older?
          Surely the premise that the more money you throw at things the better they become has been blown to smithereens? Or are we all socialists now because there is no alternative to ā€˜the (political) scienceā€™.

    2. turboterrier
      January 4, 2023

      Lynn Atkinson

      Very good post Lyn.
      Perhaps the PM could do one other thing and strenuously :-
      What real value does the Civil Service bring to the UKplc?
      Like the invaders problem being sorted it will never happen.

      1. turboterrier
        January 4, 2023

        Sorry add debate after strenuously

        Should have read strenuously debate

      2. Lynn Atkinson
        January 4, 2023

        My flesh crawls at ā€˜ukplcā€™. The UK is NOT a profit centre for the state sector. It should be illegal for any state sector entity to compete in the private sector.
        They make the rules and canā€™t run with the hare and hunt with the hounds, I think it was a Hestletine who coined that phrase. Certainly he used it extensively.

    3. Anselm
      January 4, 2023

      “The state sector needs to be cut to the bone”

      NHS figures: looked up today (and rounded up). Just under half a million doctors and nurses: three quarters of a million make up the rest. Of these 23,000 are “Managers” and 11,000 “Senior Managers”. I tried to find out what the rest do – and failed. OK so there are cleaners and porters and lab staff, but the adverts did not seem to suggest that they made up a large proportion of the vast array.

      1. Lynn Atkinson
        January 4, 2023

        The real annoyance is that it is PCW etc who are keeping the NHS on life-support by doing the huge majority of the work achieved with a handful of people.

  16. JohnE
    January 4, 2023

    The independent North Sea producers now have problems with refinancing their borrowings because the banks have no idea how to value their reserves given the random confiscatory policy of this government.
    So, far from increasing output it may be shuttered.
    No one can invest in the U.K. in these circumstances. It is sub banana republic.

  17. Barrie Emmett
    January 4, 2023

    Excellent questions and the answers, obfuscation. What is it with politicians and their desire to destroy our way of living on the altar of Net Zero. The Kings new clothes springs to mind.

  18. Ian B
    January 4, 2023

    The Answer therefore was ā€œwe will sit on our hands as long as it takesā€

    12 years of neglect on the first principle of Government, the UKā€™s safety, security and resilience. 12 years of refusal by the UKā€™s top line Management, the Government to do the most fundamental duty placed on them.

    What does Government do, it blames others for its own inept management of the UK

  19. Ian B
    January 4, 2023

    Elsewhere and just as pertinent to the UK’s ills and to most clear logical thinkers a travesty – ā€Arm Holdings Technology To Power Saudi Arabiaā€™s Healthcare Transformationā€
    The UK released one of the Worlds dominant companies(ARM), that is needed to power everyone’s(as in the Worlds) future, so as its IP can be stripped and ravaged with no reward for the UK just costs, loss of income, loss of jobs, knowing full well the UK will have to pay others a greater amount for the same tto geet the out put back. It is and was a dangerous situation to pace the UK in, all thanks to 12 years of no Management of the UK by the Conservative Government.

    1. Martyn G
      January 4, 2023

      One can hardly be surprised, Ian, they are simply following on from having already sold water, gas, airports, electricity, steel and much of what used to be our industrial base as a major manufacturing nation. I despair.

  20. Ian B
    January 4, 2023

    From the MsM
    ā€˜Rishi Sunak is set to announce on Wednesday that he wants all pupils to study maths until the age of 18 in a major speech aimed at setting out his big picture vision for Britain.ā€™
    ā€˜ Rishi Sunak drops plans for war on Whitehall red tapeā€™ read as meaning EU Laws and regulations that hamper UK Industry on the World stage, to remain as the unelected unaccountable EU retains its power over the UK Parliament
    A Vision, yet no Management, more demands on the taxpayer and no accountability or responsibility for those in receipt of our money. Who does Government think is paying the real price for their refusal to manage, it is not the magic money tree ā€“ it is the overburdened taxpayer that is having to make all the sacrifices. It is not while Rome burns, but while the UK burns ā€“ the fiddles keep on and playing. What are these people on?

    1. Martyn G
      January 4, 2023

      Ian B – just watched the PM’s speech. During it I found myself saying a lot of times “I don’t believe you”. Rarely have I heard such a dispirited presentation by the most senior politician in the land. All talk, no believable substance.

      1. glen cullen
        January 4, 2023

        I’m with you ..I watched the speech and didn’t believe a word he said

  21. Iago
    January 4, 2023

    9.41 a.m. importing 18% of our electricity!

    1. glen cullen
      January 4, 2023

      16:00hrs importing energy at 15%

  22. agricola
    January 4, 2023

    Just read that a republican sympathising biden envoy is being sent to Northern Ireland to muddy the waters, just like his great grandad joe did in WW2. When you let a wound like the NIP fester for long enough other germs join in to kill the patient.

  23. glen cullen
    January 4, 2023

    Slightly off topic but goes to the mind set of this government
    Sunak wants to reshape the UK by making maths education mandatory up to the age of 18 years ā€¦.this is what happens when a government has been in power to long, they fail to realise that itā€™s the people that reshape the UK and ā€˜notā€™ the social engineering antics of government ā€¦this along with the policies of net-zero, these edicts are deeply worrying ā€“ once again does anyone remember reading this policy in the 2019 manifesto

  24. glen cullen
    January 4, 2023

    We might think that the answers to SirJ questions are quite ā€˜madā€™ (mutually assured destruction of EU energy supply)
    But they are the current policies of our government, not a mistake, not an error, not mismanagement but the plan of the PM, the cabinet, the climate change committee and strategy of ā€˜net-zeroā€™ THIS IS ONLY THE START

    1. glen cullen
      January 4, 2023

      not EU but UK

  25. Anselm
    January 4, 2023

    We live on an island over a pile of coal, with some of the world’s top scientists who are in touch round the globe. We are very rich in coal, oil and gas. We have an educated, largely honest and hard working workforce.
    And it is the CONSERVATIVE GOVERNMENT with this obsession with fossil fuels that has made me live in a dark, cold house, that a couple of years ago was warm and cosy.
    Only government could create a shortage of gas, petrol and electricity (which also powers industry) in such a land as ours.

    1. glen cullen
      January 4, 2023

      You’re spot on Anseim

  26. ChrisS
    January 4, 2023

    I always wonder why MPs bother to ask these questions because the sole objective of the civil servants who draft the response for the ministers is to NOT provide any meaningful answer !

    We certainly need the three coal-fired plants to be kept in commission and on standby each winter until we have some SMRs up and running, given that there is already going to be a reduction in operational nuclear plants before 2030.

    EDF are bluffing over closing the two UK nuclear plants even earlier. As it is a French State-owned company, and recent French governments have neglected their impressive nuclear capacity to such an extent that they have 50% of capacity out of service, they will want to keep the interconnector with England working to avoid blackouts in France. That means making sure England retains the generating capacity provided by the two nuclear stations for when the wind isn’t blowing.

    It is utterly shameful that after being the first country to built operational nuclear power plants, the Blair government put us in a position where we are now 100% dependent on France for our nuclear generation capacity. Subsequent Conservative governments have done nothing to correct this. I suspect it is yet another example of the Civil Service wanting to bind us to the EU in a perverse form of “every Closer Union.”

    This is why the Rolls-Royce SMRs are of such critical importance to our future energy security. They must be 100% designed, manufactured, installed, and managed by UK companies, irrespective of any cost savings that might be made by importing components. If they turn out to be as good as I suspect they will be, by 2050 we could no longer be dependent on unreliable wind, and our own network of SMRs can be funded by the profits from exports.

  27. Mike Wilson
    January 4, 2023

    This government is unbelievable. The world has changed. You just need a basic understanding of ā€˜Mathsā€™ – well, actually Arithmetic – to function in the modern world. Add in bit of basic trig and geometry – and you will handle any real world issue – from doing accounts to setting out an extension to your house. The complicated stuff can be left to specialists. GCSE Maths is more than adequate.

  28. Rhoddas
    January 4, 2023

    There is no sense of urgency, despite the horrendous price rises in energy. It’s not going away.
    Fiddling whilst Rome burns šŸ™‚
    If this didn’t kick start urgent step increases for our own energy supply, nothing will Sir J.

    I’m afraid we do need a GE, we need a good clear out.

  29. Bryan Harris
    January 4, 2023

    This all suggests that ministers have something to hide…..

    Could it be they are so fond of their ridiculous net-zero agenda that they are afraid to even be open and honest about what they aren’t doing to ensure we have adequate energy?

    The government can no longer be trusted on energy policy, clearly it is their intent to make us suffer for their biased irrationality.

    No doubt they are planning to build homes for immigrants on the land now occupied by once thriving industry.

  30. Original Richard
    January 4, 2023

    Has Parliament decided which has priority, the continued path to unilateral Net Zero by 2050 (electricity decarbonised by 2035), or security of energy?

    If the former, does Parliament have an estimate for the resulting reduction in the standard of living and the number of excess deaths caused when our unilateral Net Zero Strategy has led to the only energy available/allowable is Chinese supplied, expensive, weather dependent and intermittent electricity rationed and controlled by smart meters?

    1. ChrisS
      January 4, 2023

      Yes to question 1 and the answer is that Net Zero is their priority.

      The answer to question 2 is a resounding No because they know that the Net Zero strategy will lead only to impoverishment and our economy going backwards, because we already know that sensible countries like the US and rogue states like China will ignore the climate fanatics and carry on as normal.

  31. Rhoddas
    January 4, 2023

    The enduring policy should be – provide UK energy consumers with reliable sensible low energy, without subsidy.
    How to deliver this, additional drill/mine/fracking and base load nuclear / SMR, do it now, no more faffing about.
    We may be able to save a modicum of manufacturing industry.

    If Tories get the prices down and stop illegal migrants, then there’s still a chance of re-election… otherwise toast!

  32. Bert Young
    January 4, 2023

    When there is something to hide one should not be too surprised .

  33. a-tracy
    January 4, 2023

    We need to pay attention. Labour are promising to achieve a net zero power system by 2030. They are pledging Ā£28bn a year for climate action. They also pledge to spend Ā£60bn BILLION energy efficiency programme to fix Britains leaky homes and buildings? Can I ask are these buildings housing association ones? Those that the housing associations all pledged to fix over 20 years after buying the homes for buttons. We are paying these organisations to pad out their pensions and leave the houses to go to ruin.

    Now Labour doesn’t exactly have good form with power generation; their forays into power by their local councils are nearly cleared out council funds (check out Warrington Ā£18m potential loss for starters Ā£52m exposure). Yet the Tories make no capital out of these pie-in-the-sky plans probably because Thurrock, a Tory council screwed up to investing Ā£644m to Ā£1bn of public money into solar farms.

    “25 Oct 2021 ā€” Eight energy companies owned by local authorities lost a staggering Ā£114,022,019 over four years!” Energylivenews

    A public owned energy generation company and we all know where that leads to services restricted, cancelled on a will of the staff and their unions, once we are beholden we are stuffed. Then labour promise devolution, sugar! I live in the North! No thanks!

    1. glen cullen
      January 4, 2023

      I no longer trust Labour or the Tories to grow our economy

      1. a-tracy
        January 4, 2023

        Glen, Iā€˜m honestly thinking theyā€˜ll all follow the globalist/eu agenda no matter what.

  34. Ian B
    January 4, 2023

    An interesting rant on twitter today

    Jan 4, 2023

    @NadineDorries
    Three years of a progressive Tory government being washed down the drain. Levelling up, dumped. Social care reform, dumped. Keeping young and vulnerable people safe online, watered down. A bonfire of EU leg, not happening. Sale of C4 giving back Ā£2b reversed. Replaced with what?

    @NadineDorries
    A policy at some time in the future to teach maths for longer with teachers we donā€™t yet even have to do so. Where is the mandate- who voted for this? Will now be almost impossible to face the electorate at a GE and expect voters to believe or trust our manifesto commitments.

    1. Ian B
      January 4, 2023

      @IanB Also twitter
      @johnredwood
      Since 1997 output per person is up by more than one quarter, earning us higher living standards. Public service output per head is down over the same long period. We need something for something pay deals in government led activities to improve this.

      Every one but Government recognizes the need to actually Manage the UK so we can move forward, and they(the Government) are the ones paid to do it, at the moment with their tax policies that amounts to ‘twice’ over. Still no economy planning, still no future for the UK. As one of the JR Diary Contributors reminded us recently we have the same people that lost many ‘billions’ on NHS Software projects, all down to lack of Management ability now suggesting they have a grip on the economy! .

  35. Dr John de los Angeles
    January 4, 2023

    I, as usual, agree with you, Sir John. I specialise in the study of energy security and I am just appalled that the Government seems to have no urgent, secure energy policy. The high cost of energy affects everything and is THE main contributor to inflation.

    As winter descends on the UK and all across the Northern hemisphere, we struggle to stay warm and keep well! Many will die because of the unaffordability of gas and electricity. My family and I cannot afford to have the heating on and we are all suffering from respiratory infections, myself for over a month.

    Despite the misleading climate narrative, almost everywhere that is cold is much more deadly than where there is a hot climate.

    Cheap and reliable energy to keep us warm used to be the hallmark of prosperous countries, however, this is no longer true because of our Net Zero obsession.

    Cold kills 4,600,000 people every year and that is more than nine times more than those dying of heat, claims the Climate Change Institute of the University of Maine in the USA.

    Our health, our economy, our growth and our comfort will never be improved until and unless the UK Government invests in cheap, secure energy by RAPIDLY rolling out New Nuclear and, MUCH MORE CHEAPLY, Geothermal energy which is there forever for us beneath our feet.

    However, nothing will change until Planning Law is changed to make Geothermal, New Nuclear and pumped Hydroelectricity, PERMITTED DEVELOPMENT (not unreliable and expensive wind and solar). Further, The law should be changed to ensure the ability to Coimpulsorary Purchase land for these three types of low-cost energy development. If we did this the UK would be transformed into an incredible country of great prosperity.

    But I truly fear that this stunted vision, “accountant” led administration with no drive whatsoever for a great future will continue with their policy of “managed decline” with a third-world economy shining brightly in their headlights, but they cannot recognise it!

    My friends at Iceland Drilling, the worlds leading Geothermal Drilling Experts, are waiting to be called by the UK Government to help them with the necessary rush for cheap energy that we so desperately need here, but the telephone never rings and it probably never will because almost NONE of the Government cares as they, very regrettably, continue to sleepwalk into political oblivion!

    1. Fedupsoutherner
      January 4, 2023

      Thank you for a brilliant post Dr John

    2. a-tracy
      January 4, 2023

      Very Interesting

  36. Pauline Baxter
    January 4, 2023

    I believe National Grid issued a statement that there would not be extensive power outages this winter but they were very likely next winter !!

  37. glen cullen
    January 4, 2023

    U-turn on NI, u-turn on shale gas, u-turn on taxation, u-turn on immigration, u-turn on oil exploration, every day a new u-turn or a new policy which wasnā€™t in the manifesto ā€¦and now a u-turn on the sale of ch4

  38. glen cullen
    January 4, 2023

    Sunaks speech today shows that he and this Tory government are on a different planet ā€¦doesnā€™t he realise that people are living in fear of their next energy bill, the fear of getting ill, the fear of securing a permanent full-time position, the fear of being sacked due to immigration, the fear of not being able to afford to feed their family ā€¦the fear of not having a political party that represents them

    1. Fedupsoutherner
      January 4, 2023

      Glen the answer is NO.

      1. Mickey Taking
        January 4, 2023

        No – because he has no skin in it….public failure and sacking is no big deal when you have friends in the background, a wife worth the best part of a Ā£billion. Head for the sunshine, develop your English estate, live your life.
        So a few million get reduced to modern poverty, awake at night in the cold house or rooms, fearful for the future, will you have a job, can you feed the kids – what sort of life is in prospect. No confidence in the Government nor change, hope you won’t need NHS, will benefits let you live.
        Politicians stay well removed from the poorest, the unemployed maybe becoming long-term unemployed. The elderly and their circumstances, their small lifetime asset (their home) being stripped back to nothing to pay for so-called Care. The loss of independence, their head formerly held high, now in despair.
        Bloody clueless like trying to teach 18 year olds higher maths who cannot tell you a third as a percentage.

  39. Ian B
    January 4, 2023

    As with others I suggest the UKā€™s ills are down to the refusal of Government to
    manage. Like all sound-bites there is always more to it. The first failure of Government is to suggest from their lofty isolated World in Whitehall they can have a plan that works in every nook and cranny of the UK. It appears this failure is generated by the ego of the individual suggesting that they and they alone will ā€˜doā€™ the actual work required.

    What Government first and foremost needs to recognise is they are ā€˜rubbishā€™, extremely rubbish at spending our money. Then they need to recognise our money they do delegate to others needs to have a defined purpose, accountability and responsibility attached to it. The blame for failure is 100% theirs, they just lack the management ability to manage so much so it comes over as a refusal to do the job.

    As I write this the PM is trying to tell us that he personally will grow the economy, cut NHS waiting lists, stop criminals crossing the channel. At best that is disingenuous, if he could do all that he already would have done so. All that he has done is rob the People of this Country the finances and resources to get the job done. You just cant have it both ways. The people are better than its Parliament and a heck of a lot better than the Government. The Government started a relentless war against the People, when simply all it had to do was get out of their lives and trust them.

  40. glen cullen
    January 4, 2023

    Try as I might, I couldnā€™t find any substance what so ever in Sunaks speech today ā€¦all jam tomorrow, pledges without success criteria, and meaningless platitudes
    I take it that the BoE inflation target of 2% is out the window
    The parliamentary party members got rid of Lizz for this !

    1. Donna
      January 5, 2023

      Sunak’s just a bland, pretty-boy, number-cruncher. He has no leadership qualities whatsoever. He’s just a front-man for the Globalists.

      Nothing he said was believable and his “promises” will go the same way as all the others the Pretendy-CONs have made since 2010.

  41. Ian B
    January 4, 2023

    1,376,190 the number of people the taxpayer employs in the NHS. Are they all failing as the MsM would let us think, I doubt it. However If 10% of NHS is failing and not living up to expectation that would still be137,000 not up to scratch, a significant noisy amount and the reason to create angst. They are only there, getting away with it and the MsM is having a laugh, because of Governments refusal to manage.
    Getting that in perspective there are now a quarter of a million more staff in the NHS than there was pre-pandemic.
    According to the ā€˜Kings Fundā€™ NHS expenditure(taxpayer money) has risen by some 27% over the same period which is a combined of an actual additional Ā£88 billion of taxpayer money having been spent by the NHS.
    Where the PM is wrong, he is the ā€˜oneā€™(first as chancellor now as PM) that organised that amount of funding, that massive growth in staff, but not ‘one once’ of management ability has been demonstrated to the purpose of this additional tax spend, how it is accounted for and who will take responsibility.
    Today we learn along with other personal sound-bites the PM is suddenly going to take charge and make things work. On historical evidence that is just a ā€˜sound-biteā€™ for today’s headline and nothing will happen.
    All any one wants is someone to manage, properly manage the UK.

  42. Mark
    January 4, 2023

    Ask the Secretary of State whether he is planning to act over the operation of the CFD contracts on Baseload Market Reference Prices that prevents economic operation unless market prices are at scarcity levels, resulting in about 2GW increased use of gas for generation. The same of course also applies to coal, which is taxed heavily and therefore has to charge enormous prices to cover the taxes and the costs of warming up, instead of operating in continuous baseload.

  43. Paul Cuthbertson
    January 4, 2023

    So much obfuscation from idiots. Forget all the net zero, climate change, green crap propaganda. We have plenty of coal so let us start building coal fired power plants. Nothing wrong with coal but there again Tesla Energy maybe just around the corner!

    1. glen cullen
      January 4, 2023

      +1

  44. Original Richard
    January 4, 2023

    The unilateral Net Zero Strategy is clearly designed to impoverish the U.K. with meagre supplies of expensive and intermittent electrical energy produced by Chinese supplied wind turbines and solar panels coupled with Chinese supplied impractical and expensive electrical replacements for gas boilers and ices.

    The cost to upgrade the National and local grids will be simply unaffordable and industry and commerce will move out of the U.K.

    So essentially the Net Zero Strategy is designed to turn us into a third world country dependent upon China and winters will be very harsh with many excess/early deaths.

  45. Keith from Leeds
    January 4, 2023

    Hello Sir John,
    The questions & answers you have published today, & on previous occasions, show utter contempt for you & the people you represent. The answers are buck passing & a refusal to accept responsibility.
    In regard to energy today, they show complete complacency at a time when the government should have this as the highest priority. People do what you inspect, not what you expect! Do any government Ministers get off their backsides & go & look for themselves what is happening, & then demand action to get things moving? What these people need is a good kick up the backside, but it has to come from the top. Sunak needs to be a tiger & he comes across as a pussy cat!

  46. Original Richard
    January 4, 2023

    Parliamentā€™s energy strategy is basically to establish what we do most of best and finding fewer ways of doing more of it less.

  47. forthurst
    January 4, 2023

    The NTSA is a private company owned the government. It’s objectives are:

    a. secure that the maximum value of economically recoverable petroleum is recovered from the strata beneath relevant UK waters; and, in doing so,
    b. take appropriate steps to assist the Secretary of State in meeting the net zero target, including by reducing as far as reasonable in the circumstances greenhouse gas emissions from sources such as flaring and venting and power generation, and supporting carbon capture and storage projects.

    The Arts graduates need to stop gibbering about carbon capture and storage because the technology does not exist and is not needed anyhow and neither is net zero.

  48. Fedupsoutherner
    January 4, 2023

    I was very disappointed not to hear anything from Sunak about our energy problems. I can only assume he can’t see we have a problem.

  49. Iain Gill
    January 4, 2023

    so Rishi has promised 5 things
    1 halfling inflation… I suppose if they stop printing money, but unlikely
    2 economy growing… compared to what, and by what measure?
    3 reducing national debt… absolutely no way… presumably mixing deficit and debt up and even then a tall order for this wasteful government
    4 waiting lists… no chance, not without a deep breath and replacing the NHS with a copy of the Australian healthcare system
    5 small boats… no chance unless copying Australian system

    So a complete void from a clueless PM completely out of touch

  50. Lindsay McDougall
    January 5, 2023

    I listened at length to Richard Tice on GB News this morning. My political views have much more in common with those of the Reform Party than those of the Conservative Party. Give me one good reason why I should vote for this high tax, big State Government.

  51. anon
    January 5, 2023

    So what are we supposed to do. Which is going to be the most economical for the indivdual to use? Not based on marlet forces because they don’t exist. Can you ask the TPTB that set the prices, assuming there will be a supply.

    – Choose electric appliances or Gas/OIl appliances or just take a jab, go cold and or die-off.

    – will they half inflation before they double it or triple it first?

    HMG is out of control and is being subject to malign foreign influences.

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