The sad decline of the country continues.
Now the warnings of potential blackouts are coming thick and fast.
How have we sunk so low?
There are claims that the public aren’t being told the truth about how close the country has already come to a complete energy crisis.
The Tory-Labour policy of Net Zero has clearly created serious problems and greatly weakened the UK’s energy independence.
We know that the cost of energy has also being ramping up and up and up - despite supporters of Net Zero having long insisted that their plan would cut bills.
When’s that happening then? Because the situation is now out of control.
Indeed one forecast is that the energy price cap could rise by 16% in January.
Meanwhile the Government have issued advice for a potential emergency in the future.
This is what the new guidance issued has said:
“Households are being encouraged to take a few simple steps to stay prepared if everyday services are temporarily disrupted, under updated advice published today.
“The advice is the first stage of a three-year campaign to help households across the UK feel better prepared for events such as severe weather, which can occasionally affect services including power, water, phones and the internet.
“The campaign focuses on straightforward things people can do in advance, including signing up to the Priority Services Register - a service that helps gas, water, and electricity companies identify customers that may need extra support in an emergency - and keep a small supply of non-perishable food and bottled water at home.”
This guidance seems to be in relation to weather, war and cyber attacks.
But the fact is that the UK’s damaging Net Zero experiment has had a dire impact.
I think it is worth highlighting what independent energy consultant, Kathryn Porter, recently had to say:
“Fix the broken understanding of how the gas market works. Policymakers should recognise that British gas production is not sold on global markets at a global price. The GB gas market uses marginal pricing and additional domestic production displaces more expensive LNG imports, thereby reducing British gas prices. The report argues that claims that additional UK production cannot affect domestic prices are simply wrong.
Increase UK Continental Shelf gas production. Domestic gas should be preferred to imports wherever possible. UKCS gas is both cheaper and cleaner than imported LNG and provides a secure source of supply directly connected to the British gas network.
Reduce reliance on electricity imports. Britain is increasingly depending on electricity imports during periods of low domestic renewable generation. However, highly correlated weather patterns mean low wind generation in Britain can coincide with shortages elsewhere. The report warns that Norway and France cannot be assumed to provide unlimited electricity to their neighbours during periods of stress.
Model gas and electricity security together. The gas grid transports far more energy than the electricity network. Electrifying heating will take decades while gas-fired generation will remain critical to electricity security for years to come. The report argues that planning should recognise the interdependencies of gas and electricity to a greater extent.
Focus on cheap energy. Rapidly rising network costs are overtaking fuel costs as the main driver of energy bills. The report calls for tighter control of network expenditure and for the suspension of the Connect & Manage regime, arguing that consumers should not be required to fund expensive infrastructure whose output is frequently constrained or wasted.
Treat energy security as national security. The government should subject energy policy to an explicit national-security test, prioritising resilience, diversity of supply, sufficient domestic energy capacity and the preservation of strategically important industrial capability alongside affordability and sustainability.”
As to what comes next?
I fear unless we urgently change course away from Net Zero, we’re facing even higher bills and potential blackouts.
And the public are clear: a majority support more licences for oil and gas in the future. Just 24% are now opposed.
National security and cutting bills must now be the priority.