Britain's energy strategy in disarray
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/uk-government-is-warming-to-nuclear-power-15778LONDON — Companies wishing to prospect for shale gas in the UK have been granted ten-year tax breaks and will get special planning permission from the Government if they go for large scale projects. To avoid delays, the Government also used its budget to announce plans to tempt local communities with cash to accept these developments.
This controversial push to exploit shale gas for electricity production comes as the Government’s already contentious plans to subsidize new nuclear stations ran into legal trouble in Brussels.
With many EU countries opposed to nuclear power, including Germany, it is unlikely that a majority of the 27 member states would vote to set aside existing competition legislation to let the UK favor nuclear power over other forms of generation.
This setback for nuclear in the UK is a blow for the industry worldwide, since Britain has been seen as the flagship country for a new nuclear renaissance, the only large western economy to embrace a new generation of nuclear power stations.
With Britain’s coal-fired stations gradually being closed because of EU legislation aimed at reducing carbon emissions, and plentiful supplies of wind power untapped because of planning delays, the UK Government’s energy strategy is in disarray and the future uncertain (see our story of 5 February, UK’s nuclear plans come unstuck).
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The Conservative government's singleminded obsession with building nuclear power plants is screwing up what was an aggressive and successful program to build out renewables.
And you want to distract from that with some irrelevant, cherry-picked bullpuckey about the German energy transition?
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2013/03/2012-german-nuclear-gas-fired-generation-falls-further-while-renewables-grow
Good luck with that.
> The Conservative government's singleminded obsession with building nuclear power plants
> is screwing up what was an aggressive and successful program to build out renewables.
No, the government's multi-track obsession with "anything but renewables" is screwing
up what was largely a facade about building out renewables. Both this abortion of a government
and the preceding "Conservatives in Red Ties" governments have been well-paid by the
fossil fuel industries to ensure that the latter's business interests are protected.
To remind you of the OP subject:
>> Companies wishing to prospect for shale gas in the UK have been granted ten-year tax breaks
>> and will get special planning permission from the Government if they go for large scale projects.
Don't let the focus shift away from the incredible build-up of natural gas extraction & consumption
that is being actively worked by this government.
And as for this bit:
>> To avoid delays, the Government also used its budget to announce plans to tempt local communities
>> with cash to accept these developments.
i.e., blatantly admitting that they will use taxpayer funds to bribe any community who is concerned
about the dangers of natural gas extraction ... that is just obscene.
> Companies wishing to prospect for shale gas in the UK have been granted ten-year tax breaks
> and will get special planning permission from the Government if they go for large scale projects.
> To avoid delays, the Government also used its budget to announce plans to tempt local communities
> with cash to accept these developments.
A government who brazenly states that they will use taxpayer funds to bribe any community who dares to
be concerned about the dangers of natural gas extraction?
If that's the carrot, I'm waiting for the stick of "enhanced anti-terrorist laws" that will include any protest
for the sake of the environment. (They've already tried this a few times under existing laws but the move
towards corporate control is gaining momentum.)
