Gas

[ujoni08]

Thanks, Mike. Very useful summary.


edited to add URL - ken

[kenneal - lagger]

I think that the government are relying on loads of CCGT being rolled out in the next few years.

[clv101]

Yeah, and it's not a daft idea. The plant can be built quickly, it is affordable, it's politically clean enough (where coal isn't), there's low risk for the private money buying it as the elec. price can rise in line with wholesale gas price. What's not to like?

The fact that North Sea depletion will be near total within a decade and that lots of countries all over the world are all likely to pile into the LNG export market. Globally not everyone's going to get the LNG they'd like. Can we (a) rely on a free market or will bilateral deals, national security etc. rule the day and (b) rely on being able to out bid enough of the rest of the world to get the volume we hope for?

Personally I don't expect the market to be very 'free' and I expect our relative wealth to decline over the decade making us less able to increase our imports.

[Mean Mr Mustard]

I think that the government are relying on loads of CCGT being rolled out in the next few years.

When I did my OU energy course a couple of years ago, I was invited by a fellow student to look around his workplace - a local CCGT power station. It's not exactly a simple installation, and I'd imagine the expertise from building the last dash for gas infrastructure has long since retired or is working in other fields. Never mind the capital - is the industrial capacity there?

No different to the last lot spouting about new nukes circa 2008 - talk is cheap, while actually getting on and building stuff isn't.

[adam2]

CCGT plant may look complicated but is very much simpler than nuclear, and probably simpler than coal.

CCGT is in widespread use in many countries, the gas turbines though fairly complex are established mature technolgy, waste heat steam boilers and steam turbines, and large alternators are also mature technolgies.
Any large modern power plant contains a fair bit of complicated auxillary machinery to increase efficiency, reduce the labour requirements, and reduce risks to life and property in the event of mishap.

There is nothing especialy complex, beyond the complexity inherent in any large scale modern machinery.

The real concern is the future cost and availability of the gas to run such plants, together with the carbon emmisions which are much less than coal burning but by no means negligable.

[Mean Mr Mustard]

Whatever... we must be very courteous to Mr Putin.

[kenneal - lagger]

What we need is A National Scheme of Insulation to save a large proportion of the gas that we waste at the moment.

[adam2]

Whatever... we must be very courteous to Mr Putin.

And also to the French from whom we import a great deal of electricity, mainly nuclear produced.
It has always suprised me that those who strongly oppose building nuclear power stations in the UK, never seem worried by or opposed to the French ones, some of which are nearer to the south of the UK than for example Hinkly.

[kenneal - lagger]

Out of sight, out of mind!

[RenewableCandy]

It has always suprised me that those who strongly oppose building nuclear power stations in the UK, never seem worried by or opposed to the French ones, some of which are nearer to the south of the UK than for example Hinkly.

In my case that's because...
a) short of invading France, we can't do much about them, and
b) it's a SE England problem

[biffvernon]

And also to the French from whom we import a great deal of electricity, mainly nuclear produced.
It has always suprised me that those who strongly oppose building nuclear power stations in the UK, never seem worried by or opposed to the French ones,

I think the order of imports from France is about 10TWh/year or one tenth of one nuclear power station's worth. And some of us think this is far too much.