UK energy

[roubaixtuesday]

Further on the (lack of) potential for the North Sea to reduce bills

“The idea that draining the North Sea would make the UK more energy secure or significantly save on household bills is sheer fantasy,” says Dr Anupama Sen, co-author and Head of Policy Engagement at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment. “We show that regardless of the remaining lifetime of North Sea oil and gas, a “drill baby drill” approach to extraction would actually cost households more money versus continuing on our path to clean energy.”

From Oxford uni Smith School

https://www.smithschool.ox.ac.uk/news/d ... nds-oxford

[pete75]

Further on the (lack of) potential for the North Sea to reduce bills

“The idea that draining the North Sea would make the UK more energy secure or significantly save on household bills is sheer fantasy,” says Dr Anupama Sen, co-author and Head of Policy Engagement at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment. “We show that regardless of the remaining lifetime of North Sea oil and gas, a “drill baby drill” approach to extraction would actually cost households more money versus continuing on our path to clean energy.”

From Oxford uni Smith School

https://www.smithschool.ox.ac.uk/news/d ... nds-oxford

Regardless of that, it wouldn't cause any reduction in UK energy prices because the producers of North Sea gas and oil sell it at world market prices, in a similar way to stuff produced anywhere else in the world.

[Carlton green]

Further on the (lack of) potential for the North Sea to reduce bills

“The idea that draining the North Sea would make the UK more energy secure or significantly save on household bills is sheer fantasy,” says Dr Anupama Sen, co-author and Head of Policy Engagement at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment. “We show that regardless of the remaining lifetime of North Sea oil and gas, a “drill baby drill” approach to extraction would actually cost households more money versus continuing on our path to clean energy.”

From Oxford uni Smith School

https://www.smithschool.ox.ac.uk/news/d ... nds-oxford

Regardless of that, it wouldn't cause any reduction in UK energy prices because the producers of North Sea gas and oil sell it at world market prices, in a similar way to stuff produced anywhere else in the world.

Yes, UK oil isn’t necessarily used in the UK but rather traded on international markets. ‘Our Oil’ isn’t ours at all as we sold the rights to it to whoever paid the Government some license fee for extraction. Should we demand that it’s either solely supplied or first offered to the UK for our use? In so far as that can reasonably and practically be done such an arrangement would make sense to me but it would doubtless have unintended consequences too.

The UK’s bigger problem is its whole financial structure; it’s a flawed structure that inadequately props up public spending, is dragged down by servicing historic debt (the Tories sold the family silver and then amassed massive debt), and fails to generate sufficient wealth for the UK.

[pete75]

Further on the (lack of) potential for the North Sea to reduce bills

“The idea that draining the North Sea would make the UK more energy secure or significantly save on household bills is sheer fantasy,” says Dr Anupama Sen, co-author and Head of Policy Engagement at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment. “We show that regardless of the remaining lifetime of North Sea oil and gas, a “drill baby drill” approach to extraction would actually cost households more money versus continuing on our path to clean energy.”

From Oxford uni Smith School

https://www.smithschool.ox.ac.uk/news/d ... nds-oxford

Regardless of that, it wouldn't cause any reduction in UK energy prices because the producers of North Sea gas and oil sell it at world market prices, in a similar way to stuff produced anywhere else in the world.

Yes, UK oil isn’t necessarily used in the UK but rather traded on international markets. ‘Our Oil’ isn’t ours at all as we sold the rights to it to whoever paid the Government some license fee for extraction. Should we demand that it’s either solely supplied or first offered to the UK for our use? In so far as that can reasonably and practically be done such an arrangement would make sense to me but it would doubtless have unintended consequences too.

The UK’s bigger problem is its whole financial structure; it’s a flawed structure that inadequately props up public spending, is dragged down by servicing historic debt (the Tories sold the family silver and then amassed massive debt), and fails to generate sufficient wealth for the UK.

You mean offer it first to Scotland?

[roubaixtuesday]

The UK’s bigger problem is its whole financial structure; it’s a flawed structure that inadequately props up public spending, is dragged down by servicing historic debt (the Tories sold the family silver and then amassed massive debt),

Much as I can enjoy a bit of Tory bashing, I don't think there's much truth in this. Debt shows big spikes in 2008 and 2020. Guess what happened in those years?

https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/governme ... /hf6x/pusf

[Carlton green]

The UK’s bigger problem is its whole financial structure; it’s a flawed structure that inadequately props up public spending, is dragged down by servicing historic debt (the Tories sold the family silver and then amassed massive debt),

Much as I can enjoy a bit of Tory bashing, I don't think there's much truth in this. Debt shows big spikes in 2008 and 2020. Guess what happened in those years?


Screenshot 2026-03-20 095446.png


https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/governme ... /hf6x/pusf

After a long period of relative financial stability under a Labour Government the USA brought downfall on us all with a world wide financial meltdown in 2008, imho Gordon Brown did a magnificent job of restoring order and protecting the UK; unfortunately the electorate turned on him later and the Tories (initially as the leading partner in a coalition and later by themselves) held power until 2024. Covid struck in 2020 and was mismanaged by the Tories and Brexit (a disaster of the Tory Party making) happened in 2020. Debt significantly increased under recent Tory rule.

So what do we learn? Two essential things, I suggest.

First, Labour borrows less than the Conservatives. The data shows that.

And second, Labour has always repaid debt more often than the Conservatives and has always repaid more debt, on average.

https://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/202 ... -spending/

[853]

The UK’s bigger problem is its whole financial structure; it’s a flawed structure that inadequately props up public spending, is dragged down by servicing historic debt (the Tories sold the family silver and then amassed massive debt), and fails to generate sufficient wealth for the UK.

It was Gordon Brown who sold 395 tonnes of UK gold when they were at there lowest levels for 20 years

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999%E2%8 ... d_reserves

After a long period of relative financial stability under a Labour Government the USA brought downfall on us all with a world wide financial meltdown in 2008, imho Gordon Brown did a magnificent job of restoring order and protecting the UK; unfortunately the electorate turned on him later and the Tories (initially as the leading partner in a coalition and later by themselves) held power until 2024. Covid struck in 2020 and was mismanaged by the Tories and Brexit (a disaster of the Tory Party making) happened in 2020. Debt significantly increased under recent Tory rule.

It was Gordon Brown's inadequate financial regulation that led to the UK financial crisis; not all countries fared as badly. The electorate saw that he wasn't even capable of managing the school tuck shop and gave him the boot.

[al_yrpal]

Why some argue cutting costs is the best way to cut carbon - BBC News - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c86ey5n9vx9o

Al

[Carlton green]

Why some argue cutting costs is the best way to cut carbon - BBC News - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c86ey5n9vx9o

Al

I read that article this morning too and was horrified by what I read. As is the norm in the UK the public are paying the price for muddled thinking and doubtless politicians handing their pals blank checks (the vast bulk of which were signed prior to the current Government).

While the cost of renewables plays a part, the principal driver for this is, ironically, gas itself. The UK energy mix at any one moment usually includes plenty of renewables, but some gas is still frequently still needed. The way the market works, generators bid to supply power in half-hour blocks, with the cheapest bid accepted first. But all successful bidders end up being paid the price of the most expensive source needed to meet demand.
In practice, that source is usually gas. So, even when much of the electricity is generated from renewables, which are cheap to produce once you get past the hefty set-up costs, it is often gas-fired power stations that set the price - and therefore what everyone pays.

The nonsense above surely contributes to the UK having highest charges (per unit of electricity) as shown in the graph in the article.

The USA isn’t, imho, a place of perfection but they do do renewables as well as fossil fuel and nuclear. I ask myself why they are paying a small fraction of the UK Kwh price? Indeed why is power in other European countries so much cheaper than here? Surely the only truthful answers can be incompetence and forms of corruption.

[al_yrpal]

Dale Vince: ‘Heat pump evangelists don’t want to hear the truth’

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/994e79d3415c1393

Dale Vince is an anti-capitalist rebel – so why is he paying himself millions?

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/12a2f7f9f76e5978

My Energy supplier is Ecotricity

19.4 p a unit electricity. 5.2p for gas

Pretty cheap until September

Al

[Morzedec]

If we could connect Milli-Twerps mouth to the National Grid, all our problems would be solved.

[geocycle]

I thought the BBC article was a bit disappointing. The link to the price of gas is the well known problem for electricity prices in the UK but it offered no solutions. Seems to me to be an energy security issue, not a net zero issue.

[al_yrpal]

Britain was the workshop of the world. Now factories are fighting for their lives

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/f85849badc28d722

Al

[Cugel]

Britain was the workshop of the world. Now factories are fighting for their lives
Al

Thatcher gave the death-blow to British manufacturing, although ossified and pig-headed "managers" of various British industries had been slowly degrading both the manufacturers (their workers) and the things manufactured (the same old tat made down to a price) for some decades before Thatcher went about with her wrecking ball.

But as you know, its far easier to live on share income milked from the efforts of others than it is to make the efforts oneself. The new-model colonialism, eh? No need for an East India Company army, just buy them foreign places, resources and people then do a stocks & shares on them via international jurisprudence mechs and enforcers.

Of course various foreign rabid financial capitalists are now doing the same to we British. Half the country is owned and damagingly exploited by foreign gharks & hoos of the private equity ilk; and even by foreign governments! Britain is now a virtual colony, although it may soon become the 51st state of the newly would-be-colonising USA in actuality as well as metaphysically.

How much have your oilygasser shares gone up lately?

[al_yrpal]

Whats that Dave? Suggest you Tidy up the drive, looks like a tip...

Al