Proposed new nuke at Wylfa

[kenneal - lagger]

New renewables with more investment in tidal energy and also iron air batteries to store energy long term with long term release is the way to go forward. That will be far quicker than a new nuke or two.

[adam2]

You may well be correct, but I have some doubts.

Firstly tidal power proposed in the Bristol Channel was rejected due to the nimby factor. This was widely reported as being a "great victory for local people" An not as a setback for green energy.

As regards battery storage on the scale needed, that is IMHO possible but I fear hugely expensive. And of course to charge these batteries will need very roughly trebling the installed wind and solar capacity, more NIMBY trouble.

My own views may be summarised as;

New nuclear----------------------------------------------------------Neutral.
More wind power, up to what the grid can accept-------------In favour.
More PV on existing and new buildings---------------------------In favour.
More PV, ground mounted-------------------------------------------Neutral, due to concerns about land taken up.
Tidal power in Bristol channel--------------------------------------In favour.
Other tidal power------------------------------------------------------Neutral/wait and see how well the Bristol scheme goes.
Limited battery storage, for handling peak demands------------In favour as better than OCGT.
Huge scale battery storage, to cover for weeks of low wind---Neutral until costs become clearer.

[clv101]

Firstly tidal power proposed in the Bristol Channel was rejected due to the nimby factor. This was widely reported as being a "great victory for local people" An not as a setback for green energy.

That may have been reported but I'm sceptical. IMO the most significant reason for its rejection was simply cost. It was looking significantly more expensive than Hinckley C which made it a non starter.

[kenneal - lagger]

When I advocate tidal power it is not just tidal barrages such as a Rance in France and as proposed in the Severn, where several barrages of differing sizes and extent have been proposed but individual or fields of individual turbines as have been installed at Strangford Loch in Northern Ireland and in the Pentland Firth in Scotland. There are several other places around our coast such as the Menia Straits where such turbines can be easily and cheaply deployed to generate completely predictable electricity.

Where they have been deployed so far they are only experimental installations so the amount of energy available is far greater than currently being extracted.

[adam2]

A new nuke at Wylfa is back on the agenda.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clkk7ewenyro