Energy: Good News and Bad News

Good news: Labour set to go ahead with new nuclear build programme.  David Cameron has said that when Labour get something right, we should have the courage to say so.  The government is right to press ahead with a new investment programme for nuclear capacity, and I salute them for it.  It will save massive CO2 emissions (if you think that’s important), and it’s vital for our economy and for energy security.
 
Bad news: New off-shore wind farms.  These new wind-farms will deliv­er an unreliable trickle of very expensive energy.  They will require conven­tional back-up on stand-by for when the wind drops, so the CO2 savings will be small.  But the higher costs to consumers and industry will be very damaging.  The Danes are already cutting back on development of wind-power because the variations in wind levels unbalance their electricity grid.
 
Wind turbines are garden ornaments, not power stations.  They don’t save the planet.  They just ease the consciences of the middle classes.