On Sep 19, 10:56 pm, Tony Polson  wrote:
> Stimpy  wrote:
> >On Thu, 18 Sep 2008 22:43:41 퍝, Tony Polson wrote
> >> Stimpy  wrote:
>
> >>> On Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:18:59 퍝, Roland Perry wrote
>
> >>>>>> Remembering also that in the medium term centralised generating capacity
> >>>>>> will be the scare resource, not coal.
>
> >>>>> Alledgedly.
>
> >>>> What are you expecting to take up the slack, when all the nuclear plants
> >>>> become life-expired?
>
> >>> Prof. Ian Fells was making exactly this point on R4 yesterday morning. He
> >>> suggested that we need to start building more generating capacity *now* to
> >>> replace the plants becoming life-expired in the next 5 years
>
> >> The situation is now desperate.  The Engineering Institutions have
> >> been giving strong warnings to the Government about this for at least
> >> the last four years.  New Labour has decided to do absolutely nothing,
> >> a position not helped by their abolition of the Department of Trade
> >> and Industry which was also responsible for energy.  
>
> >> The DTI's toothless successor has only a watching brief, if that, and
> >> the Government no longer has a credible energy policy.   Of course the
> >> method of privatisation is also to blame; the industry was split into
> >> three, with generation, the national grid and local distribution and
> >> billing all done by a plethora of private firms with no overall
> >> co-ordination or control.  Most important of all, none of these
> >> organisations has been given the most important responsibility the
> >> CEGB had, which was to ensure security of supply.
>
> >That was pretty much the gist of what Prof Fells had to say.  The only
> >practical option in the short-term (short in power generation terms, natch)
> >is to build more gas and coal stations - get the gas ones on stream ASAP to
> >buy time until the coal ones are ready.
>
> >This all assumes that these are built without any concern for environmental
> >issues.  Adding that into the equation adds time.
>
> >Prof. Fells suggestion was people have to decide now if they want security of
> >electricity supply for the next 20 years or power shortages whilst nuclear
> >and/or renewable sources are built and/or developed to provide the required
> >generating capacity.
>
> >So, which of the mainstream political parties will fight the next election on
> >the platform of:
>
> >"We're so green that we're deliberately not going to invest in widespread
> >building of environmentally unfriendly power stations in order to protect the
> >environment, at the cost to you, Mr Voter, of significant electricity
> >shortages over the next 20 years"?   :-)
>
> Vote Labour and they will do nothing for the next ten years, just as
> they have done nothing for the last ten.  Vote Conservative and they
> will do what is needed.  ;-)- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Says the man who allegedly helped to get Tony Bliar (speeling mistook
deliberette) elected in the first place, and who I therefore hold
solely responsible for the mess we now find ourselves in.

Harsh, but fair.

Rich