November 26: Folly of plan to end coal power in UK

From: Joshua Wright, Methley, Leeds.

ENERGY Secretary Amber Rudd has announced that she wants to close all of the UK’s coal-fired power stations and replace them with gas-powered. This has been scheduled to happen by 2025 with restrictions placed on coal by 2023.

Firstly, with a background in investment banking, Mrs Rudd obviously has an abundance of experience and knowledge of energy and climate change, which is why she was the perfect candidate for this role.

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Secondly how can replacing one finite non-renewable fuel with another finite non-renewable fuel be either economically or environmentally viable? The idea, in my opinion, is flawed at its very roots.

Considering that 44 per cent of the UK’s gas comes from European and Norwegian supplies, 33 per cent of which is from Russia, we are placing a massive omen on the continuous supply of gas to generate our electricity.

The fact remains however, that we cannot carry on using non-renewable fuels to generate our electricity, we need to be looking at other methods. The UK is the windiest country in the EU, yet we have the fewest wind turbines of all the members. We produce around seven per cent of our electricity from wind compared with 30 per cent in Germany.

If people are so against using wind turbines to generate our electricity, I think it is about time the Government utilised this energy in a more positive way. As they say here in Yorkshire where there’s muck there’s brass!

From: CD Round, Lee Lane East, Horsforth, Leeds.

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IN view of the Energy and Climate Change Secretary’s announcement that coal-fired electricity generation will cease in this country in the next 20 years, perhaps she could explain why Germany and China are building new coal-fired power station as quickly as possible?

It shows how out of touch she is and the rest of the Government are with the real industrial world. Does she not realise that most gas is imported at great cost to the balance of payments?

Why do we pay more for electrical power in the UK than is paid in Europe?

Does the Secretary for Energy not realise that closing the coal industry also has the effect of putting hundreds of other people out of work?

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The solution to the problems in the steel industry are quite simple. Scrap the carbon taxes, reduce business rates by 75 per cent and reduce the cost of electrical supply to 10 per cent below the lowest in the EU.

From: Derek Hollingsworth, Darton, Barnsley.

IN his article on power supply (The Yorkshire Post, November 19), Tony Lodge mentioned that National Grid needed to invoke emergency powers earlier this month to make industrial users reduce electricity consumption because of a reduction in supply.

This happened for several days, starting on November 4. Longannet coal-fired power station in Scotland was brought into operation at full capacity during this period. Longannet is to close at the end of March 2016. I don’t know if Eggborough and Ferrybridge, which are also to close were operating. I suspect they may have been.

The presence of coal-fired capacity saved the UK from extensive power cuts. Readers will doubtless draw appropriate conclusions on the wisdom of the UK government energy policies, from the Blair / Brown / Miliband Climate Change Act, via the coalition, through to the present lot.

Hunt’s job to damage NHS

From: Ian Pawson, Essex Street, Barnoldswick.

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I FOUND your Editorial “Jeremy Hunt on borrowed time” quite amusing (The Yorkshire Post, November 21). I would have thought that Mr Hunt was doing a splendid job for his masters. After all, the Conservatives have never wanted the National Health Service and by the time they have finished we will not have one.

Prior to the 2010 election, the Health Service, while not being as efficient as it could be and too reliant on a management structure where there were more managers than doctors and nurses, was, in fact, getting waiting times down to a sensible level and the general consensus was it was doing alright.

Since 2010 it has had more reviews, re-organisations, contracts where doctors are having to work more and more hours, where there are so few nursing staff that they have to be contracted in from other countries. Changes have seen our trained doctors and nurses leaving, going to other countries themselves or getting jobs within the private sector. Everything that the Conservatives want to happen. That way you will have to take out expensive insurance to line the pockets of more of Dave’s mates in order to be treated.

So you think that Jeremy Hunt is on borrowed time? Don’t make me laugh.

Buy British at Christmas

From: F Henley, Seaton Ross, York.

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PIG farmers are surveying gammon in supermarkets in the run up to Christmas. There is misleading labelling probably to hide imported product. Alarmingly, labels indicate that most is imported but processed here. In my local town with four supermarkets, five packs out of 60 were British. How can the consumer support British farmers when there is so little on offer?