The deal to basically hand over a large chunk of the UK's power production to China and France (EDF Energy), for a vastly inflated guaranteed electricity price is a new low for us as a first world industrial nation. We pioneered Nuclear Power plants post WWII with the first civil nuclear programme in the world, opening a nuclear power station, Calder Hall at Windscale, England, in 1956 and produced some of the most advanced designs in the world.
Indeed one sixth of the United Kingdom's electricity is still produced that way, using 16 British built operational nuclear reactors at nine plants (14 advanced gas-cooled reactors (AGR), one pressurised water reactor (PWR), and one Magnox), as well as a nuclear reprocessing plant at Sellafield.
The peak of nuclear production of electricity was in 1997, when 26% of the nation's electricity was generated from nuclear power, but unlike the French (and Russians, Chinese, Japanese, Indians, and even now Iran), we allowed Greens, NIMBY moaners and CND activists to stop us building, and indeed even just replacing older, nuclear plants. This was a decision (or rather indecision) by Prime Minister Tony Blair, who on this, and as he did on other matters such as Trident, just kicked the matter into the long grass (for party political reasons and against our national interests), when he didn't sanction the renewal of existing nuclear plants (even though the argument for doing so was in my opinion .... overwhelming).
This inaction (and if only he had been so inactive in the Middle East), meant that we lost our nuclear capabilities. In 1998 Westinghouse Electric sold its remaining manufacturing asset (its nuclear energy business to BNFL UK), which in turn was allowed by Mr Blair to sell it to Toshiba (Japan) in 2006. This all but meant all our nuclear power station building expertise and capabilities were lost ..... a massive loss of heavy engineering capabilities, which we now no longer can perform.
So now, we have in effect handed over our power stations to France and China, with both of them set to make billions in forced profits at the UK house owners expense, because the government had to bribe them with a guaranteed fixed price contract (which is double the current market price) .... I have remarked before how much better the French are at this, not only are they the only European manufacturers of Nuclear plants, but also of Space rockets ..... both of which we were superior at in the 1950's and 1960's, but which we have allowed to lapse due to political short sightedness.
It appears that this is an issue which this present government has just proved is still alive and kicking in the UK body politic. We lose once again.
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| UK Electric Prices 2015 .... China And France Skin Us At Hinckley Point. |
Indeed one sixth of the United Kingdom's electricity is still produced that way, using 16 British built operational nuclear reactors at nine plants (14 advanced gas-cooled reactors (AGR), one pressurised water reactor (PWR), and one Magnox), as well as a nuclear reprocessing plant at Sellafield.
The peak of nuclear production of electricity was in 1997, when 26% of the nation's electricity was generated from nuclear power, but unlike the French (and Russians, Chinese, Japanese, Indians, and even now Iran), we allowed Greens, NIMBY moaners and CND activists to stop us building, and indeed even just replacing older, nuclear plants. This was a decision (or rather indecision) by Prime Minister Tony Blair, who on this, and as he did on other matters such as Trident, just kicked the matter into the long grass (for party political reasons and against our national interests), when he didn't sanction the renewal of existing nuclear plants (even though the argument for doing so was in my opinion .... overwhelming).
This inaction (and if only he had been so inactive in the Middle East), meant that we lost our nuclear capabilities. In 1998 Westinghouse Electric sold its remaining manufacturing asset (its nuclear energy business to BNFL UK), which in turn was allowed by Mr Blair to sell it to Toshiba (Japan) in 2006. This all but meant all our nuclear power station building expertise and capabilities were lost ..... a massive loss of heavy engineering capabilities, which we now no longer can perform.
So now, we have in effect handed over our power stations to France and China, with both of them set to make billions in forced profits at the UK house owners expense, because the government had to bribe them with a guaranteed fixed price contract (which is double the current market price) .... I have remarked before how much better the French are at this, not only are they the only European manufacturers of Nuclear plants, but also of Space rockets ..... both of which we were superior at in the 1950's and 1960's, but which we have allowed to lapse due to political short sightedness.
 |
| Brunel Would Turn In His Grave |
It appears that this is an issue which this present government has just proved is still alive and kicking in the UK body politic. We lose once again.
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