I go away for a week and come back to a foreign country, where nothing seems as I left it.
A friend (who works in nuclear power) pointed me at this interesting resource which shows carbon intensity of electricity generation by country. Obviously it doesn't quite tell the whole story, but it does lend weight to the view that the quicker we get a few new nuclear power stations going the better...
I couldn't agree more, Red Squirrel, and that "illegal subsidy" strike price of £92.50 per MWh looks a real bargain now.
I have mixed feelings about nuclear power.
It should be a good idea, but I have doubts as to the practical application.
I do not trust chinese involvement from either the quality control point of view or for national security reasons.
And as for japan, if they cant build a decent train then I don't want a nuke from them.
I would have more faith in UK▸ designed and built reactors, but could we build them these days ?
Hinkley C is years late and will no doubt go furthur over budget.
I think the past 60 years show that nuclear power is practical. It is even more so now for a number of reasons. Firstly, we probably won't need to make any more plutonium for bombs for a long time - I would much prefer that we used it as fuel instead. This gives us a lot more choice over design - the Magnox reactors were inefficient in using the fuel because of the need for plutonium. That leads to the second point - we know a great deal more about nuclear energy than we did 60 years ago, even if we did run down the skills set somewhat. The choice of materials is easier to make now when know what various types of concrete and steel look like after being bombarded by neutrons for a few decades. How we deal with what is currently termed waste, but which may prove to be fuel has improved enormously.
The third point is competitiveness. Nuclear can already match wind and solar for safety, but can beat them soundly in terms of reliability. I was laughed at some time ago for saying that the limitations of renewables would become more apparent as more came on line and we got closer to beginning to fase out phossils. Seems I was right, although that has yet to stop the snake oil merchants from flooding social media with stories about how they are going to store all the excess renewable power in batteries or make hydrogen with it. We need a supply of energy that is reliable and controllable, and if we don't want gas or coal in the mix, it will have to be nuclear.
Brings me nicely to the fourth point - yes we can build them. Hinkley C seems to be going to plan, and is having something of an, er, electrifying effect on confidence in the nuclear engineering sector. At the top is a man with wild hair who works out what goes bang when what hits what, and how best to keep it under control. The pyramid expanding below is about engineering in the truest form, applying lessons learned in materials and techniques. An awful lot of people have been grafting away on Hinkley C for a long time, with apprentices watching their every move. Sizewell C should be relatively straightforward for them - if it gets built. That's really down to the financial modelling at the moment, which, as RS says, is the really complicated bit. We won't get Hinkley C terms again - I share broadgage's view that the price will rise, but remember - we don't pay until it starts running.
I say "if" Sizewell C is built. I think it will be, but other technologies are in the ascendancy. Rolls-Royce has designs for small modular plant, built in a factory and transported (if they can find a lorry driver) to a suitable site. Next to a closed coal power station or nuclear plant will do fine. They are off-the-shelf, just add a couple more for extra power. Thorium is back in vogue, as are molten salt reactors.
It has all gone orribly wrong WRT▸ natural gas price and supply in the UK.
Wholesale gas it at present trading at 140 pence a them. And has been for some days. That is about FOUR times the usual price at this time of year, and substantially in excess of the last peak price of 82 pence a therm.
Russia is restricting supplies, and various Asian countries are outbidding us for LNG cargoes.
In the near term, this is bad news for the environment as coal burning has increased, West Burton coal power station is back in use for example.
In the longer term, prices like this are good news for the climate as use of gas is discouraged and renewables become more economic. Two domestic energy retailers have gone bust, due to paying much higher wholesale prices and being unable to pass this on promptly to consumers. Others are expected to follow.
Although gas prices are greatly increased, there are not YET any physical shortages in the UK.
If supplies remain adequate but at today's price then I expect retail gas prices to at least double, and electricity prices to increase by at least 50%
If significant physical gas shortages occur, then I expect that HMG will bring in emergency regulations to limit consumption, and that large scale power cuts will result. GAS cuts are unlikely for safety reasons, It is ELECTRICITY supplies that would be at risk in any serious gas emergency.
It has gone horribly wrong, although it was not a surprise to some commentators. The renewables companies are saying that it has been 20% less windy than expected, which has had a big impact on their
profits output. We aren't the only ones trying to close coal plants down, although I can see the closure plans being slowed a little, meaning more gas has been needed. Russia and China are replenishing stocks in the same way as some people buy toilet paper when told there is no cause for alarm. Both are looking to increase production generally, adding pressure. We produce nearly a half of our own gas, with most of the rest coming from Norway and Qatar. That last is especially subject to price volatility, being delivered by ships that can change course if they get a better offer. As much of our electricity is derived from gas, the price of that goes up when the price of gas rises. The price of uranium is also rising, but as a stock the size of a suitcase will power a 3
GW▸ reactor for a month, the effect isn't so marked. India intends to build a Thorium reactor, with the fuel being extracted from sand - not a scarce product in India.
I am not sure how this can be of long term benefit for renewable energy. The price of that will begin to rise again, and bigly so in the event of installation supplies from any country using cheap forced labour being banned from the market. The price of the backup generators is already up.
As part of my job, I look into energy deals for consumers. The big savings have vanished, with deals offering much the same prices as the capped standard variable tariffs. Some are even charging more than the SVT. I wouldn't let that put you off signing up to a fixed deal. The SVT cap is about to go up, and many commentators expect a further 20% rise next spring. They also predict that we will be down to 10 or so suppliers within months. Some small ones are already trying to sell their domestic customers, but the big boys seem content to just let them fail and be appointed by Ofcom to take over. That saves a lot of angst with
TUPE▸ , pensions, credits due to consumers etc.
Those insulators look inadequate to me. Are they actual photographs or "artists impressions" ?
I'll bet you a pound to a sufficiency of port that they have been tested to a specification well beyond necessity. I rather like the design, although I am yet to see one "live", as it were. I have certainly seen a lot of work going on adjacent to the M5, and on passing through Tickenham. I find it rather exciting. I bet most people have no idea what is going on. Not everyone is in favour, but remember that the original lattice pylons won a design competition. They look rather dated now, with many being in their 70s.
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