Noel Edmonds on UK energy crisis!

[kenneal - lagger]

We can buy as much oil and gas as we are willing to pay for, but that price could be the end of our economy as we know it.

[Keepz]

So do you feel Ofgem are wrong then Keepz?

Or do you just feel that we are over-reacting to an extremely unlikely situation?

They're not wrong but those who are interpreting them to be saying that we can't rely on getting any gas out of Norway are indeed over-interpreting. It's not certain whether Norway will supply the huge majority or merely the majority of our import requirements this winter (and the majority of our total requirement will be met from the UK North Sea). Much of the remainder is likely to come from the Netherlands, and then we'll have more gas in storage going into the winter than we've had in previous years; further, some new LNG import facilities should be coming on line which presumably their owners expect to use, otherwise why would they have invested in them.

It's not going to be cheap, certainly; we shall have to match global prices if we want gas to come to and/or stay in the UK. But I repeat, it's completely and utterly and 180 degrees wrong to suggest that we are helplessly dependent on the political whim of Russia, Iran and those dodgy North Africans for our gas supply. The suggestion by the way also traduces Russia and North Africa, both of which have been reliable suppliers to markets that are prepared to pay commercial prices, ie the EU, for many years - though I wouldn't want to speak for Iran.

[SunnyJim]

Isn't the general feel that we may start experiencing probs around 2010, and probs will be evident and regular by 2012, so while I agree North Sea and Norway may fill the gaps this year and possibly the one after there really isn't much that can be done after that as most of europe is in the same position.

As I understand it Keepz you're talking about this winter. What do you expect (and why) to be the situation in the winter of 2010?

[echurchill - E4B]

Well Noel's right!

The people of the UK have a right to knowing that the energy gap will be filled and Britain won't be left in the dark to eventually come to a grinding halt!

[biffvernon]

a right to knowing that the energy gap will be filled

How can you have a 'right' to know something that isn't true? Surely your 'will' and you're 'won't' have got swapped.

[emordnilap]

the energy gap will be filled and Britain won't be left in the dark to eventually come to a grinding halt!

How do you work that out? Have you got sources/references/facts? Please post them, that's why we come here, to learn.

[Bandidoz]

The people of the UK have a right to knowing that the energy gap will be filled and Britain won't be left in the dark to eventually come to a grinding halt!

2008 will be remembered as "The Year of Wishful Thinking".

[kenneal - lagger]

With rights go responsibilities and in this case the responsibility is to pay for the fuel. It's doubtful that many can pay for the fuel so bang goes the right to electricity for them, at least.

Unless, of course, we change the way we pay for it and introduce a cheaper basic ration and then a very much more costly tariff above that.

[Keepz]

Isn't the general feel that we may start experiencing probs around 2010, and probs will be evident and regular by 2012, so while I agree North Sea and Norway may fill the gaps this year and possibly the one after there really isn't much that can be done after that as most of europe is in the same position.

As I understand it Keepz you're talking about this winter. What do you expect (and why) to be the situation in the winter of 2010?

Gawd knows, but the UK has the diversity of options as to import sources, supply routes, commercial relationships, fuels for electricity generation etc to make us as well placed as any other comparable economy to deal with it

[clv101]

...as well placed as any other comparable economy to deal with it

Are you seriously suggesting that the UK is as well placed as any other comparable economy when it comes to medium term electricity provision? I'm hard pressed to think of a worse country.

[Keepz]

the energy gap will be filled and Britain won't be left in the dark to eventually come to a grinding halt!

How do you work that out? Have you got sources/references/facts? Please post them, that's why we come here, to learn.

I'm not sure whether echurchill means will for won't and vice versa here, but National Grid's Seven Year Statement on electricity generating capacity shows a very healthy amount of replacement capacity being planned to come online over the next few years, some of which is already under construction. So it's certainly not justifiable to say that nothing's being done, or that it's a certainty that the gap won't be filled.

http://www.nationalgrid.com/uk/sys%5F08 ... s_Table3_5

Neither would it be right, however, to say that it's a certainty that the gap will be filled. If interest groups keep succeeding in hindering the Government's efforts to facilitate the provision of new capacity, eg through reforming the planning process, making progress on nuclear, consenting to new coal-fired power stations, looking at the Severn Barrage etc then there is indeed a real danger that the industry won't make it in time. But I am not sure whether that was quite what Noel meant.

[PS_RalphW]

EChirchill is posting here to boost the google rating of the company web site that (s)he works for. I don't think peak oil is a primary reason for this poster being here.

[mikepepler]

Give Emma a chance - when she first posted here it was pretty much a spam advert, about which I contacted here, and she re-registered with a name and signature that made it clear who she was representing.

I think it's worth getting other people's view, and to be fair the advert is only in her signature, and many of us are advertising our websites, myself included.

At the very least she's being exposed to information about peak oil!

[biffvernon]

Well I've given Emma a chance. I got an electricity quote from her firm's website. The day time rate is cheaper, by 0.16p per unit but the night time rate is 3.33p per unit more than my supplier (Ecotricity of course). So I won't be changing.

Actually, I wouldn't change even if they were loads cheaper than Ecotricity because Ecotricity are such a great company.

[snow hope]

Commercial spammers have no right to be on this site as far as I can see. I feel you are being naievely fair Mike....... Now if she stopped using the commercial signature and still continued to post to the site, then I would certainly give her/him a chance.