The UK’s electricity grid came worryingly close to blackouts yesterday – just 580 MW shy of the lights going out – in what independent energy consultant Kathryn Porter described as the “tightest day since 2011 or before”. National Grid ESO had to issue its first Electricity Market Notice of the winter, along with a third Capacity Market Notice, though the latter was quickly binned. No surprise that cold weather means more heating and energy…
A sharp drop in wind output combined with limited electricity imports from Europe left the grid scrambling to keep the lights on. Yet Red Ed is still pushing to fast-track planning permission for a wave of new wind farms — despite the inconvenient truth that these turbines have to be switched off when there’s too much wind and the grid can’t handle it. Meanwhile Labour is ploughing ahead with their plan to make wind and solar the backbone of our energy system to hit 95% renewable energy by 2030. Never mind that they’re effectively useless when the wind doesn’t blow or the sun doesn’t shine…
Starmer’s “reset” with the EU is shaping up look like a one-sided sellout. True to form, Brussels is wasting no time exploiting the PM’s eagerness to cosy up to the bloc at Britain’s expense. According to a document obtained by the FT, the European Commission is advising member states to block the UK from gaining deeper access to EU electricity markets. So much for Starmer’s promises on energy security…
The document setting out policy positions on the upcoming “reset” of EU-UK relations states the EU’s “no cherry-picking” rule remains firmly in place when it comes to the UK and electricity trading:
“The UK’s decision not to rejoin the single market limits the possibilities for other options to be considered, sectoral participation in the EU energy market would not be in the union’s interest and would be contrary to the European Council guidelines.”
Using Starmer’s “reset” to give the UK the cold-shoulder…
As Starmer continues pandering to a bloc that clearly isn’t interested in fair play, his calls for greater “market access” and “trade across the North Sea” are setting off alarm bells for Brexiteers. Meanwhile, since the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement came into force, Britain has been exporting more electricity to the bloc than it imports. Labour’s “businesslike” relationship with the bloc is more give from the UK, and take from EU…
Ofgem has announced this morning that the new energy price cap will rise in the New Year to £1,738 from £1,717 – a 1.2% rise. On top of last round’s hike…
Expectations are that the cap will stay high into next summer. Miliband, who’s stayed quiet on his pre-election promise to cut bills by £300, says the rise will “cause concern for families” and blames the “rollercoaster of global fossil fuel markets.” Labour’s line as usual is that “the Conservatives trashed Britain’s energy security.” No mention of Labour’s “fully costed plan to freeze energy bills“ then…
Andy Haldane, Burnham’s recent adviser on the economy who has not taken up a No10 job, told Andrew Marr on LBC:
“The market now suspects that this is a traditional tax-and-spend socialist government with better TikTok videos…
imposing windfall taxes on oil & gas or on banks or upping capital gains tax would […] repeat the mistake that Rachel made […] The Achilles heel, the fiscal Achilles heel of this government thus far has been its unwillingness and/or inability to cut public spending.”
