By Paul Homewood
h/t Philip Bratby
A deal confirmed between the UK government and the wind industry will ensure 30% of electricity comes from offshore wind by 2030.
The move will help the UK towards an aim of securing almost all its power from low-carbon sources by 2030.
It is the latest in a series of agreements with sectors of the economy that are likely to create jobs.
But environmentalists are wondering where the other 70% of the UK’s clean electricity will come from.
That is because, for several years, government economists have foreseen a three-pronged energy policy by 2030.
Civil servants have projected that 30% of electricity would come from offshore wind, 30% from nuclear and 30% from gas power stations fitted with technology to capture their carbon emissions and bury them.
But here is the reality – it is now confirmed that wind will fulfil its part by 2030.
But plans to expand nuclear are foundering; indeed the UK may end up at worst with just one new nuclear station – at Hinkley – instead of the planned six.
As for gas with carbon capture, there is only a single such power plant planned at commercial scale. And that is stuck in the proposal stage.
The government promises it will meet pledges to keep the lights on and cut emissions.
Its commitment is for offshore wind to produce 30 gigawatts (GW) by 2030, creating thousands of so-called “green collar” jobs in the process. Young people are especially attracted to jobs in the environment sector.
But green groups believe much more is needed – probably half as much again (45GW).
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-47476006
Interesting that Harrabin quotes “green groups” and “civil servants”, but can’t be bothered to ask energy experts for their opinions!
As it is, the government announcement of its new Offshore Wind Sector Deal is a bit of a damp squib.
The only real commitment from BEIS is to carry on holding CfD auctions:
In return the industry makes some vague promises:
As the document makes clear, even by 2030 new offshore projects are still likely to need to some subsidy.
The figure of £557m means that CfDs awarded in the period between now and 2030 will eventually add an extra £557m to electricity bills each year, once new projects are built. This is in addition to the cost of contracts already awarded, which I have estimated to be £3.5bn a year.
Nowhere in the document is any mention made of what happens when the wind does not blow.
Or for that matter when there is too much wind. With 13GW of onshore wind capacity already built, 30GW of offshore will give us 43GW of wind capacity in total. This will often be more than system demand can absorb, a problem made more acute in summer when 13GW of solar power is added into the equation.
And that is before we even get to considering Hinkley Point and other potentially new nuclear plants, which will not be economically viable if forced to run intermittently.
As for the promise of all these green jobs,
The best hope for bringing major contracts to Scotland for the building of multi-billion pound offshore wind farms has failed to win a vital order, according to unions.
BiFab is believed to have lost out on an order for offshore platforms to yards in Belgium, Spain and the UAE.
The company has two mothballed fabrication yards in Fife.
Unite and the GMB say the failure to place any of the order for 100 steel jackets in Scotland is a "scandal".
The two unions have been close to the bid talks and are writing to the Scottish government to push for what they call "a level playing field" to compete against foreign companies which have state backing.
However, foreign suppliers dominate the market, and British content in arrays built so far has been well below 50%. The sector deal aims to increase that to 60%.
In a joint statement on Wednesday night, GMB Scotland secretary Gary Smith and Unite Scotland secretary Pat Rafferty said: "Ten years ago we were promised a ‘Saudi Arabia of Renewables’ but today we need political intervention to help level the playing field in Scottish offshore renewables manufacturing.
"The truth is that state funded European energy and engineering firms, backed by Far East finance and Middle East sovereign wealth funds, are carving-up thousands of jobs and billions of pounds from our renewables sector, and firms like BiFab are left fighting for scraps off our own table.
"That 100% of the manufacturing of the turbine jackets for Moray East and five platforms for Kincardine will be done in yards outside of Scotland is an absolute scandal. This cannot continue unchallenged."
"To working-class communities in Burntisland and Methil there’s no ‘just transition’ or ‘green jobs revolution’ here, just a future that looks heavily rigged against their hopes for employment and prosperity. That’s the real cost of long-term political failure at all levels of government."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-47478083
It’s an appropriate reminder that governments cannot create jobs.
via NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT
March 7, 2019 at 06:01AM
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