Britain at risk from oil supply disruption?

Report suggests station closures and storage capacity cuts could lead to possible crisis

Findings gathered by business advisors Deloitte for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) argue that, due to reductions in storage capacities to save money, as well as the closure of thousands of petrol stations over the past 40 years means the UK is at risk of oil and petrol shortages if something was to disrupt supplies. It is estimated that the average petrol station has enough stock for just two days demand.

The report is one of two covering the impact the entry of supermarkets and the demise of independent retailers has had on the petrol retailing market. The second, produced by the Office of Fair Trading, rejected arguments from independents that competition in the market was not working because supermarkets controlled the market due to their purchasing power.

The report argues that petrol stations don't have enough stock to cope with disruption to oil supply

(Image source - Daily Mail)

John Hayes, energy minister, said the report showed the retail sector had more than enough stocks to “meet fuel supply shocks” before contingency measures were taken. However, the Petrol Retailers Association, claimed the Deloitte analysis demonstrated that the majority of forecourts were running with “dangerously low” levels of reserves.

In 2011, there were 8,700 petrol stations, down from 37,500 in 1970, with many people believing the rate of closures is due to the power of supermarkets, such as Tesco and Asda, who have petrol stations as part of nearly all of their UK stores. These supermarkets control around 40% of the petrol/diesel market (worth over £47bn a year) despite only accounting for 15% of petrol stations nationwide.

Can Scotland reach their energy targets if they gain independence?

Target of 100% renewable energy may fail without UK help

If Scotland votes to become independent it may result in plans to become totally reliable on renewable energy being scrapped.

This warning comes from academics from four UK universities, who believe that the country won’t be able to fund Alex Salmond’s ambitious plans for 100% of Scotland’s electricity to be generated from renewable energy sources by 2020 if they break away from the UK. Scotland would have to spend billions to fund projects such as offshore wind farms and tidal devices on their own, as they would lose all financial support from the UK government. 

Alex Salmond's plans for a 100% renewable-powered Scotland may have to be put on hold

(Image source - Telegraph)

Academics from universities in Cardiff, Birmingham, Robert Gordan and Queens in Belfast, who worked on the report, titled ‘Delivering Renewable Energy Under Devolution’, believe that this increased cost will result in the target either being postponed to a later date or being scrapped completely. ‘Gaining greater control over energy policy is likely to be an inferior option as far as getting renewables funded is concerned, in comparison with the prospect of achieving a scheme organised by Westminster in which the costs are shared across the UK’, states their report, to be published this week in the journal Political Quarterly. ‘This is because, in practice, funding a significant expansion of Scottish-based off-shore renewables under independence would lead to considerable increases in Scottish electricity prices, something that a Scottish government would find hard to sustain politically’.

For Scotland to meet their energy target requirements, they would have to replace the amount of energy generated from fossil fuels and nuclear power, which is currently 50% of the country’s total energy output. They will also have to deal with the higher costs of developing off-shore wind farms in Scotland, as seas are rougher and deeper, making it harder to build, as well as the fact that off-shore wind farms in England and Wales are cheaper and already more advanced. Also, Scotland will likely lose business from the UK, as the UK will be unlikely to continue to support Scotland’s renewable energy projects with subsidies if they gain independence, as there are cheaper energy alternatives in Ireland.

Sellafield faces prosecution for dumping radioactive waste

Group claim computer error resulted was cause

Nuclear energy company Sellafield has pleaded guilty to charges of dumping radioactive waste in a landfill.

In April 2010, the group disposed of four bags containing contaminated materials including tissues and clothing in the Lillyhall landfill site in Workington, Cumbria, when they should have been sent to the low level waste repository at Drigg. Sellafield Ltd claim this error occurred due to a computer fault, which accidently labelled the bags as general waste. All four bags were retrieved as soon as the error was discovered and disposed of correctly, and no contamination was discovered in the landfill afterwards.

Sellafield Ltd blames the error on a new computer monitor

(Image source - The Guardian)

Ian Parker, nuclear regulation manager for the Environment Agency, said, ‘Our overriding aim in regulating the nuclear industry is to protect people and the environment from the release of radioactive wastes into the environment. We have carried out a thorough investigation in partnership with the Office for Nuclear Regulation and have already required Sellafield Ltd to take action to ensure this does not happen again’.

Sellafield will discover its fate on 8th March, when sentencing will take place at Carlisle Crown Court.

Britain exporting gas cheaper than it is importing it

Ofgem warns of UK energy security being 'undermined'

There are fears that household bills may continue to be inflated because of the fact that Britain is exporting gas that is fetching lower prices abroad and is importing gas from Qatar that is more expensive.

An analysis by the Guardian, conducted jointly with Greenpeace, revealed these figures, which Ofgem, the energy watchdog, believe may be undermining UK energy security because of this distortion in the market. The analysis examined the gas interconnector between the UK and Belgium; a major part of the country’s gas infrastructure, as it has the capacity to carry a fifth of the UK’s gas in winter. However, the report discovered that on over 40% of the days between December 2011 and October 2012, the gas was being exported to the continent despite the wholesale gas price in the UK being higher. Over this period, it is estimated that Britain exported over 15 times more gas than it imported.

Prices may continued to rise if market distortion isn't resolved, warn Ofgem

(Image source - www.offshoreenergytoday.com)

Analysis on monthly government data from Revenue and Customs showed that the UK was importing large amounts of Qatari gas, despite it costing up to 5% more than gas exported to the continent. Ofgem said ‘It is vital that gas on these links flows in line with market signals, to ensure security of supply for customers. However, initial analysis suggests the links are not always being used efficiently. On behalf of consumers, we are looking at all the evidence to establish the facts’. 

This news is the latest in a series of recent reports looking into the ‘dark and murky world’ (as described by Leila Dean of Greenpeace), of the UK’s gas market. In November, there were suggestions that, following the price hikes by the major energy companies, that gas prices were purposely being manipulated.

'Green Deal' won't work, experts warn

Flagship scheme ‘not guaranteed’ to save consumers money

The government’s ‘Green Deal’ home insulation project that launched today has faced criticism from experts who believe the scheme won’t achieve its goal of getting people out of fuel poverty.

Despite reassurance from government officials that the savings that will come with lower energy usage will outweigh the cost of the ‘green’ loans needed to install the energy-saving features, many experts believe that factors such as the interest rate of the loans (set at just under 7%), along with the cost of initial assessments of the property, set-up fees and operating charges, will put people off investing in the scheme. There are also worries that potential clients will be put off by the fact that the loan repayments are left with the house, meaning that someone moving into a property that has had energy-saving work done to it will have to take over the loan repayments.

The government's energy-saving scheme has been heavily criticised by experts

(Image source - www.bbacerts.co.uk)

Alan Milstein, chairman of the Residential Property Surveyors Association, said ‘For many consumers, taking on a green deal loan may not be the most cost-effective mechanism to fund any green improvements to their property. With early repayment penalties and the uncertainty surrounding how having a green deal loan attached to your property will impact on its future saleability, for many homeowners it may be advisable to look at alternative ways to fund energy efficiency measures’.

This news has put a dampener on the launch of the ‘Green Deal’, although according to a poll published last week, over 80% of people had never heard of the scheme.

'Green Deal? What's that then?'

Over 80% of people haven't heard of new government energy-saving scheme

Just days before a new scheme designed to help people deal with energy costs launches, a poll has discovered that 4 out of 5 people have never heard of it.

The ‘green deal’ works by offering loans to pay for home improvements such as roof insulation, new boilers and draught-proofing, which will help lower the overall cost of energy bills. However, a YouGov poll of 5,071 UK energy customers found that 81% hadn’t heard of the new scheme, with 51% citing that the initial cost of upfront ‘assessment fees’ of between £85 to £150 was a major obstacle for them.

The cost of things like roof insulation is putting people off making their homes energy-efficient

(Image source - solar-renewable-energy.co.uk)

The climate minister, Greg Barker, isn’t worried about the findings, as the scheme is still in its infancy, so people shouldn’t expect a ‘big bang’. He said, ‘We're right at the beginning of the green deal journey, and the report is right to identify there is relatively low consumer understanding around the green deal. It's as you'd expect, as it's yet to be rolled out. I expect that to change over the coming year’.

However, the shadow climate minister, Luciana Berger, has slammed the Coalition’s handling of the scheme, saying ‘It's very worrying that so few people have heard of the green deal just days before it finally goes live’. She added that the interest rates on the loans will leave people paying back more than twice the upfront cost of the measures they have installed, which she thinks will leave many people saying ‘no deal’ to the ‘green deal’.

Why can't Britain deal with snow?

We all knew it was coming, so why couldn't we handle it?

If you live in the UK, you would have experienced (or at least heard about) the recent snowfall that has left many areas with up to 8 inches of snow. Warnings were issued, roads were gritted and shoppers panic-bought, with a Tesco store in Aberdare, South Wales selling out of bread and milk the night before. But despite all of the preparations and heads-up that the snow was coming, when it actually came the country came to a virtual stand-still. But why? Why after all these years of getting snow during the winter can Britain not seem to cope with it?

Bread, milk, fruit and fresh meat all sold out in stores across South Wales

(Image source - ITV)

Services

In the days before the snowfall gritters across the country were out in force, making sure all of the main roads were clear. But it seems that’s where they stopped; the main roads. It’s understandable that main roads are made a priority and that budgets mean smaller roads can’t be gritted as much, but in many cases there is no attempt to do anything about these smaller roads and the side-streets. It’s all well and good to make sure the major roads are cleared for traffic, but if the traffic can’t get from the smaller roads to the main ones then what’s the point?

Instead of cancelling trains in advance, why can't providers do something about snow-covered tracks?

(Image source - Metro)

Another service that is also often affected by the snow is transport. As with cars, if roads aren’t safe for buses to drive along then they can’t run. But trains run on tracks, which are never as badly affected by snow as roads. Yet last week, as the snow hit, many services were either delayed severely or cancelled completely. In some cases, trains were cancelled before the snow had actually hit. Rather than preparing for the snow by cancelling trains, why couldn’t providers actually do something to allow their trains to run in the snow?  


Attitude

Whilst a lot of people hate the way snow disrupts normal-day life, many others embrace it, as it gives them the ‘snow day’. The day where it is ‘impossible’ to get to work so you’ll just have to stay at home. For many people that is true because, as mentioned earlier, a lack of gritting on side-streets means many people can’t safely get to work. And with retail workers, if people can’t get to the store to shop then there’s no reason for the store to open. But in many cases, people can get to work. People with access to main roads can easily drive to their offices and places of work. Those who use public transport can get a train and get to work. And those who walk can, well, walk.

Snow doesn't stop everyone from getting to work, so why do so many take the day off?

(Image source - BBC News)

There is a general feeling across the country that when it snows we can’t do anything. But we can, if we just made the effort, and if transport providers made the effort too.


Media

As has already been said, the newspapers have been talking about the incoming snow for weeks. During the past few days, the reports on the weather during news programmes have featured several stories about the snow and residents trying to deal with it, all of which can be simplified to ‘There’s snow’. There seems to be a media frenzy when it comes to the snow. News outlets all seem to be telling us how bad the snow is and how devastating it has been, leading to public panic and the view that they can’t do anything because of the snow.

Should a bit of snow really be making the front pages?

(Image source - Daily Express)

There are many developed countries across the world who are capable of functioning despite heavy snowfall on a regular basis. Surely Britain can find a way to cope for the handful of days every year it snows, especially when everyone knows about it weeks in advance.

Are politicians really that out of touch with the public?

MPs calling for higher wages despite millions struggling with low pay and rising energy bills

Earlier this week, the results of a survey of 100 MPs were released, showing that 69% thought that their annual wage of £65,738 made them ‘under-paid’, with the majority of them suggesting that their wage should be at least £96,740.

Considering the expenses scandals of recent years, and the fact that millions of people are struggling to afford things like food, housing, energy bills and general living costs, the news that MPs think they are hard done by is just astonishing. It’s not just because of things like their second homes, their expenses and questions about how much they actually do (apart from major events, how often is Parliament completely full?), but because of the simple fact that so many ordinary, hard-working people are having to face higher living costs without any wage increases and are being told by these very MPs that they’ll have to just put up with it because of the UK’s economic situation.

Despite millions of people struggling with living costs, MPs also think they have it rough

These opinions aren’t just held by one party however. 47% of Conservative MPs and 39% of Labour MPs felt they were unpaid. Only 9% of Lib Dems held this view, but they thought that the ideal wage for a politician was around £78,000. Dave Prentis, the general secretary of Unison, Britain’s largest public sector trade union, said ‘The idea MPs believe they deserve a 32 per cent increase is living in cloud cuckoo land’.  Matthew Sinclair, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, agreed, saying, ‘Hiking politicians’ wages at a time of pay freezes, benefit caps and necessary spending cuts would be completely unpalatable to taxpayers.

Some MPs have tried to defend their responses, as one wrote in the anonymous comments of the survey that people have ‘no idea’ of ‘the pressure, breadth of knowledge and social skills that are required to do the job’.  If MPs feel they are unpaid, how do they think they rest of the country feels? Didn’t they think about the reaction of the public to their survey responses? Do MPs seriously believe a family struggling to make ends meet, who are have to face turning off their heating to afford to eat, or a graduate who can’t get a job despite having a first-class degree, would think ‘You’re right, £65,000 isn’t anywhere near enough for a politician’?

A lot of MPs seriously seem to have no idea what everyday life is like for a lot of people in Britain, and the results of this survey just show how out of touch they are with the British public by not seeing the irony of telling people to accept pay freezes, lower wages and higher energy bills whilst demanding higher pay for themselves. 

Parents turn off heating to feed kids

New figures show how fuel poverty is rising

One in four families are having to turn off their heating to afford to feed their children due to rises in energy bills.

A survey conducted by the Energy Bill Revolution campaign has revealed the startling figure, along with others that highlight just how much fuel poverty in the UK is rising. According to the results, 45% of adults are using blankets and extra layers to keep warm, and nearly half of parents are turning the heating off whilst their children are out. Another shocking figure shows that a fifth of parents claim their children have been getting ill more regularly due to living in a colder house.

The cost of heating is starting to get too much for many families

(Image source - Metro)

The survey was aimed at 1000 members of the Netmums website, with 88% of them stating they more concerned with energy bills now than they were last year. Sally Russell, the founder of Netmums, said 'With almost nine in 10 families now rationing energy use due to spiralling prices, this signals a new winter of discontent for British families.'

Fuel poverty is an issue that has started to affect more and more people and is something Home Reheat has regularly discussed, with recent articles looking at how nearly 300,000 homes will be dragged into fuel poverty this winter and how elderly people will be hit the worst. 

Fuel poverty set to rise

‘Inadequate’ Government policies blamed for increase in households struggling to pay bills

Christmas will be a difficult time for a lot of families as reports suggest another 300,000 households will be plunged into fuel poverty following recent price rises.

The independent Fuel Poverty Advisory Group has warned that nine million homes could be hit by fuel poverty by 2016 and have blamed the Coalition government for doing very little to ‘soften the blow’ of initiatives such as implementing green measures, which could add nearly £100 to the average energy bill, and getting firms to insulate the roofs of poorer customers’ homes, which will add another £100. With these measures, along with the recent price increases from the major energy companies, the average annual energy bill will be around £1,365.

More and more people are struggling to pay the bills to keep their homes warm

(Image source - The Mirror)

A policy announced by the Government which will limit the amount of tariffs energy companies can have and will force companies to offer customers the cheapest tariff has been criticised, as many believe it will actually cause prices to rise because it will effectively end competition for cheap deals and will stop customers switching tariffs regularly.

It has previously been suggested that nearly 90% of people will ‘ration’ their energy this Christmas in an attempt to save money, with elderly people more likely to do so, and more likely to suffer because of it. This Christmas, it is feared that fuel poverty will be directly responsible for over 2000 ‘excess winter deaths’, with that figure looking increasingly likely to rise as winters get colder and prices get higher.

Fracking laws needed says EU

Brussels warns UK about jumping 'headlong' into shale gas

The European parliament has warned it will regulate the shale gas industry as it claims the UK doesn’t know what it is doing with its ‘dash for gas’.

Jo Leinen MEP, a member of the parliament’s environment committee, believes the UK isn’t fully aware of the scale of environmental and health consequences that can occur from large-scale ‘fracking’, the controversial method of blasting rocks with pressurised water, sand and chemicals to force gases from them. Leinen said ‘In Great Britain they give the green light for industrial exploitation but they have to know what they are doing. I don't know if they can be so sure and clear about what they are doing”. 

The Coalition sees shale gas as a great opportunity, but may be ignoring the environmental implications of it

(Image source - The Guardian)

Recent reports on fracking from the European commission warn of the high risk of ground- and surface-water contamination, noxious air emissions, risks to biodiversity and noise pollution. However, just last week the chancellor George Osbourne announced that fracking firms would be offered tax breaks to set up in the UK, whilst energy secretary, Ed Davey, is expected to lift restrictions on a fracking site in Blackpool shortly, after it was closed when it was suggested the process may be triggered earthquakes.

Another criticism of the process is that, according to research, between 2500 and 3500 horizontal wells and 113 million tonnes of water would be needed to produce just 10% of the UK’s gas consumption over the next 20 years, with prompted Christophe McGlade, from the UCL Energy Institute who worked on a report for the European commission on the level of shale in the EU, to say, "Just because the resource is there, it does not mean that it can be produced economically."

UPDATE -

Energy secretary Ed Davey has now lifted the restrictions on fracking in the UK, allowing energy company Cuadrilla to resume its operations at the site in Blackpool. Despite protests from anti-fracking campaigners, who believe that this practice of collecting shale gas could be damaging to climate change targets and could potentially contaminate aquifers, Davey sees shale gas as a promising new energy source. Davey stated he has taken all factors into account, saying, "My decision is based on the evidence. It comes after detailed study of the latest scientific research available and advice from leading experts in the field",

Winter is coming!

Temperatures set to hit 100-year low

You may have already noticed when you went to work this morning with three layers on and spent 20 minutes trying to defrost the car, but winter is here.

Temperatures have plummeted this week and are set to drop even further throughout December, with temperatures estimated at minus 3C in many places, and even as low as minus 20C in some northern areas. 

As has been in case during the last few winters, there are fears of snow blizzards closing roads and train lines, causing chaos for travellers during the festive period. Experts have also expressed concerns that the torrential rain, that has devastated many areas of Britain this week, will return early next month, hampering recovery efforts of those who have been flooded.

Snow has already hit mountainous areas, and could be on its way to the rest of us

(Image Source - The Daily Mail)

So, with temperatures dropping, now would be the time to crank up the heating. But many people are set to go without heating for extending periods over winter due to the increases in energy bills. If only there was a way to utilise and make the most of all of the heating you pay for…

Luckily, there is!

Our innovative Home Reheater recycles the warm air in your home (particularly the heat trapped in your ceiling as it naturally rises) and recirculates it back down to the rest of the room. This allows you to turn your heating down to a lower temperature and still stay warm, as the entire room will remain at one constant temperature, instead of the ceiling being the warmest, as is currently the case in homes across the country.

So there are three options this winter; turn your heating up and face the costs in the New Year, turn it off and stay horribly cold all Christmas, or invest in a Home Reheater and stay happily warm, whilst reducing your heating bill at the same time. Surely the answer is obvious?

Go to our website now and look at the 16 different designs available to find the one that suits your home. With its simple installation process your product will be up and running and saving you money in no time. And at a cost of just £39.95 it is a cheaper alternative to paying over the odds for heating that you'll only waste as it rises to the ceiling.

So stay warm and get your own back this Christmas with

Want a good savings investment? Then go green!

Renewable energy investments can offer better returns than banks

In a climate of economic uncertainty across Europe, most people are trying to find the best ways to use their money and are looking for the right places to invest. With stock market returns erratic and inconsistent and savings accounts paying out below-inflation interest rates, there is another way to make money from investments. And it’s green.

Abundance Generation, the FSA-regulated platform for renewable energy investment, are offering people the chance to invest in energy projects that can make returns of up to 8%, whilst supporting local renewable energy schemes at the same time. The first project by Abundance – a community wind turbine in the Forest of Dean – was switched on last week after reaching its minimum funding level recently and is now generating electricity for the community, and generating returns for investors, who include locals as well as others from across the UK. Investors will receive twice-yearly payments from the project, which are their share of the profits made from generating and selling energy created by the turbine.

The turbine at Forest of Dean being constructed

(Source - This is Gloucestershire) 

Bruce Davis, co-founder and joint managing director of Abundance, argues that investing in energy projects is a much better idea than investing money in banks, who have lost a lot of public trust following the banking scandals of recent years, and is available to people of all economic backgrounds. “We are all about democratising finance” said Davis. “Why should the great returns and pleasure of investing in real, worthwhile and ethical assets like renewable energy projects only be available to the very wealthy?” 

People can invest in projects with Abundance for as little as £5 with the average investment being for 20 to 25 years. The risks from investing in Abundance projects are very low, meaning that investing in renewable energy isn't just for rich businessmen; you can do it too. And, unlike a bank, you can actually see what your investment is doing for the renewable energy industry and the local community.

Does the Government really care about green energy?

Tory MPs call on PM to publicly back renewable energy investments

David Cameron’s position on the green economy has been questioned by his own party after 20 Conservative MPs sent a letter to Downing Street expressing their concern over what they believe to be attacks on renewable energy and an anti-green sentiment from across the Coalition.

The Prime Minister is set to defend the Government’s policy on the green energy economy following criticism that many figures with the Coalition, such as George Osborne, are attacking the value of the sector, despite it being worth over £120bn and supplying a third of the recent economic growth in the UK. 

Many Conservative MPs, including Peter Aldous, MP for Waveney, who organised the letter, feel that Cameron’s silence on the issue may be putting off companies from investing into renewable energy schemes in the UK, and could see them invest overseas instead. Aldous called on the PM to clearly state what the Coalition’s position on the green economy is so that they can work to ‘encourage and incentivise investment from emerging markets…for our country to be a world leader in renewable energy’. 

David Cameron is currently pushing for investment in Britain’s energy production from the Middle East, and will meet with the heads of three of the biggest sovereign wealth funds in the United Arab Emirates to secure more investment in renewables. But in the eyes of many MPs, this isn’t enough. Cameron and the Coalition must come out and publicly back investments in green energy projects and, in the words of Energy Minister Greg Barker, ‘put its money where its mouth is’.

How safe is nuclear?

With Hitachi investing over $1 billion into two new nuclear power plants in the UK, the issue of nuclear safety is raised once again

This week, Japanese company Hitachi bought the Horizon nuclear power project in the UK for $1.2 billion, which will create two new nuclear power plants in Anglesey, Wales and Oldbury, England, with around 12,000 jobs in constructing the sites and then 2000 permanent jobs once they are completed. Hitachi took over the project from German companies RWE and E.ON after they pulled out following the decision by Angela Merkel to phase out nuclear energy in Germany by 2022. This decision by one of Europe’s leading industrial powers to renounce nuclear energy in favour of renewables was made following the disaster at Fukushima, with fears raised about the safety of nuclear power. Now, with Hitachi opting to invest in this type of energy and start a ‘100 year commitment to the UK’ that question is brought up once again.

A typical nuclear power plant - but is it really that safe?

(Source - http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/NuclearEnergy.php)

Safety is the biggest factor in debates about nuclear power. Anti-nuclear campaigners state that the potential risk of a nuclear disaster (such as a complete nuclear meltdown – a nuclear explosion similar to an atomic bomb is a complete myth, as the uranium isn’t enriched enough in a power plant to explode) outweighs any benefits of nuclear power, as the damage that could be caused by a disaster would be catastrophic. That fear is understandable; a worst-case scenario would be a complete meltdown that contaminates the ground and water supply in the surrounding area, which would cause explosions as a result of radioactive material reacting with water and widespread exposure to radiation that could result in deaths. 

However, in nearly 15,000 cumulative nuclear reactor years, only three major accidents have occurred; Three Mile Island (USA, 1979), Chernobyl (Ukraine, 1986) and Fukushima (Japan, 2011), with only Chernobyl resulting in loss of life. These accidents weren’t caused by the nuclear power process itself, but by a series of specific factors. Three Mile Island was a result of human error, Fukushima was caused by damage from both an earthquake and a tsunami, and Chernobyl was the result of poor reactor design in an environment where safety regulations and security were a low priority. Nuclear energy is so much safer now with security measures and tight safety regulations in place.

The devastating aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster - but events like these are extremely rare

(Source - Liverpool Echo)

In terms of safety, renewable energy is much better than nuclear, as the only risk of damage or death from a wind turbine is if it fell over, which wouldn’t affect as many people as a nuclear meltdown would. With Germany looking to phase out nuclear power by 2022 in favour of renewable energy, they are showing they are willing to commit and support the development of renewable power (as nuclear energy currently provides a quarter of the country’s energy usage), which is a good thing, as it shows the country is prepared to move forward and is thinking about the future. 

However, nuclear power shouldn’t be ignored completely. There is always the worry that something could go terribly wrong with nuclear and, however safe nuclear energy can be made, the actual process of working with radioactive materials and the science behind it will always carry some level of risk. But with safety measures as tight and important as they currently are, the chances of something bad happening are very low. Nuclear power is still important to the world, as it is very efficient in terms of energy production. An average-size nuclear plant would produce the same amount of energy as around 2000 wind turbines. 2000 turbines would take up an area of land around 60,000 acres, whereas a power plant would take up only 1500 acres.

Hopefully in the future there will be a form of renewable energy so efficient and effective, with absolutely no risks, that nuclear power won’t be needed anymore. But until such a time, nuclear energy is still important, and still necessary. 

Britain doesn't need any more wind farms?

Political row as Tory minister claims UK has 'enough' turbines

The Coalition Government has clashed once again after a Conservative minister claimed that the country doesn’t need any more wind farms.

John Hayes told a newspaper that the country is ‘peppered’ with an ‘extraordinary’ amount of wind turbines which have been ‘imposed on communities’. He intended to include these comments in a speech Tuesday night but was told to remove them by Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat energy secretary, who took control of renewable energy strategy from Hayes earlier this year.

This latest row is yet another in a long line of Lib Dem/Tory confrontations over renewable energy. In February, 101 Tories signed a letter demanding an end to onshore wind farm subsidies, and in the summer Davey had to fight to win a 10% cut in the level of subsidies, as George Osbourne had wanted a 25% cut.

Many people, including leading global wind and nuclear power companies, are worried that the continued in-fighting of the Coalition and political uncertainty could threaten millions of pounds worth of investment in energy projects in the UK.

South West Marine Energy Park announces ambitions

UK's first marine energy park moving forward with business plan

The business plan for a new energy group has been announced. The South West Marine Energy Park, which was unveiled by Climate Change minister Greg Barker in January as the UK’s first marine energy park, has revealed its first plans for the project, which intends to bring the different strands of marine renewables activity in the region together all under one banner.

The main points of the plan include having at least 50 megawatts of wave and tidal projects installed in the near future, creating more commercial-scale wind and wave projects faster by developing a ‘technology pathway’, growing the marine energy supply chain and attracting investment in the South West region to develop infrastructure and ports.

Last week Peter Kydd, director of strategic consulting at Parson Brinckerhoff, was elected by the board as the park’s first chairman and is confident that the park can bring together people and projects that can help the marine energy industry thrive in the region. There have been some concerns that, due to the virtual nature of the park (as it doesn’t have a fixed base of operations), it may struggle to gain the necessary funding to achieve all of its goals. However, following a recent £15,000 allocation from the Plymouth City Council, there is now a revenue pot of funding from private and public sector partners of £100,000, which will allow the business plan to go ahead. 

For the full story please follow this link to This is Cornwall's website.

'Blackout Britain' in three years time?

Millions face ‘heat or eat’ choice as EU orders UK power plants to close

Britain will be hit by widespread blackouts in just three years time as a result of new EU regulations. Plans that mean nine coal-powered plants will have to close by 2015 to meet the EU’s green standards will cause Britain’s spare energy capacity to drop to just four percent, according to a report by energy watchdog Ofgem.

If the findings of the report come true, the country may become dependent on unreliable undersea cables that come from France, which could lead to scenes in Britain similar to the energy crisis of the 1970s, where the Conservative Government introduced a three-day week to conserve electricity.

As a result of these regulations, energy prices in the UK will most likely skyrocket if Britain has to rely on imported energy, which will leave more hard-working Britons out of pocket.

(To read the full story go to the Daily Mail.)