Powerless to act in face of soaring bills and policy shambles

From: Barrie Frost, Watson’s Lane, Reighton, Filey.

BRITAIN has at least 100 years of energy reserves; we could have energy independence from all foreign suppliers; we could determine our own energy prices, yet our energy policies are a total shambles, so unbelievably flawed they defy all reasonable people’s understanding. Britain has no need to install another imported windmill and we could stop desecrating our countryside and return it to its former glory.

Britain’s gas and electricity is currently supplied by foreign-owned companies who bought them following their privatisation and now we, apparently, have no control over their charges. The expected winter price increases have begun with two suppliers already announcing increases of around 10 per cent, which is many times the rate of inflation.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Ed Davey, the Energy Secretary, following the increase made by British Gas, says we should switch suppliers to, I presume, obtain cheaper rates, but, possibly, Mr Davey doesn’t realise that the remaining suppliers will follow suit and increase their prices in the coming weeks. If we are unable to limit the increases imposed by these foreign-owned energy suppliers, we could reduce the bills by around 10 per cent if we didn’t have to subsidise the useless and the very inefficient renewable energy industry.

Many people are very worried about whether they will be able to afford to keep warm this winter but what doesn’t seem to receive the publicity it warrants is the disgraceful, and should I say underhand way, the less well- off are having to contribute in reducing the energy bills of far wealthier people.

When a landowner receives planning permission to install a windmill(s), his energy bill is reduced by generous subsidies. When home owners are able to install solar panels their energy bill is reduced by generous subsidies. Who pays for these subsidies? Why, the less well-off people; those who cannot afford or haven’t the necessary land or property; those very same people who are afraid they’ll be cold this winter because they cannot pay their own bills but are made to help pay for those of wealthier people. This is Government policy, supported of course by the friendly Greens and to describe it as disgraceful is to make a colossal understatement.

Shouldn’t the Archbishop of Canterbury be raising this, together with the energy price increases?

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Britain produces less than two per cent of the world’s CO2 emissions yet Britain’s coal industry was closed down because coal was a “dirty” fuel that couldn’t be allowed to continue to cause such pollution, and we have already agreed with Europe to impose future unrealistic targets to reduce our CO2 emissions by a further whopping 90 per cent.

Doesn’t anyone in Government understand that if Britain didn’t produce any CO2, it wouldn’t make the slightest difference to that made by the rest of the world? Yet we seem so bloated by our importance we continue with such lunacy when even this CO2 could be stored under the sea without any fears of pollution.

A £3bn “clean coal” power station at Hatfield Colliery, Doncaster which would create 4,000 jobs had seemed doomed after the Government withdrew it from its £1bn funding competition even though it had already won £160m from the EU, who had stated it was the best CCS scheme in Europe, but it is hoped private funding can be found to build it.

Experts in Brussels have concluded that Yorkshire’s CCS would attract billions in investments and now Drax power station could be our only hope of an installed CCS scheme even though £700m has been spent on biomass conversion and 
we are committed to importing 15 million tonnes annually 
of this fuel.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Britain has three billion tonnes of coal reserves which could be used by such advanced schemes but decides not to use it – unbelievable.

From: Terry Duncan, Greame Road, Bridlington, East Yorkshire.

THE UK is a world leader in technology. So, why is it selling off our power station development to the French and the Chinese (Yorkshire Post, October 22)?

The Tory boys who lead this country apparently went to the best of schools where they were presumably taught that their heritage for invention came from their ancestors.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

So, why does Westminster hand over our future to foreign countries? Soon we will be a satellite of the likes of China.

It is a sell out!

From: Brian Ormondroyd, Stanhope Court, Leeds.

A SAD day for Britain. Nuclear power, which we can do well without, A recipe for disaster.

Safety, getting rid of the waste, as with Brown’s famed PFI, paying for ever? How long does it take for nuclear waste to become “safe”?

Where are we going? David Cameron says “switch energy suppliers”. Who are the suppliers who will not raise prices?

Invest in our manufacturing. Without manufactured goods to export, we will be unable to pay future food and other essential imports.