Energy « The counterfactual

A few words on nuclear power and the Prime Minister…

With colleagues giving evidence to the Trade and Industry Select Committee yesterday, and I finished up with a short exchange with the committee Chairman on whether the Prime Minister is listening to our advice on nuclear power and energy policy – namely that they should design technology-neutral markets structured with incentives to achieve climate-change and [...]

Nuclear fusion

Another solemn cheque-signing [BBC report] and confirmation that, at €10 billion, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (Iter) will be the second most expensive experiment of all time. Fusion scientists are pulling a fast one playing on gullibility and vanity of politicians… in return for hugely expensive and enjoyable research spend they are offering the empty [...]

Don’t rush to nuclear… Blair told

An article in the Independent on Sunday picks up the Environment Agency’s approach to the Energy Review – and uses it to challenge Tony Blair’s pro-nuclear posture. A much better way would be to design a technology-neutral market that properly rewards low-carbon technologies and see which technologies are competitive. Nuclear might be the right answer. [...]

Blair backs nuclear plans – but…

At the CBI dinner, the PM says nuclear power is back with a vengeance. An odd choice of words… like it’s pay-back time and a lot of people are gonna to get hurt.

This determined winner-picking pro-nuclear stance based on the PM’s gut feel and advisers’ hunches shouldn’t really surprise anyone – he’s been [...]

New Statesman energy supplement – May 2006

My contribution to the NS energy supplement, “Wasting assets“) focussed on energy efficiency starts with the remarkable fact that the internal rate of return on the small investment of £2.50 in replacing a conventional lightbulb with a low energy lightbulb is about 400%. Believe it or not ( and understand how sad that is…) I’ve [...]

Nationalise infrastructure?

Was presenting at an interesting Oxera conference today. Amazing suggestion – not quite a proposal – from one famous speaker… when the government stands behind the main networks, as it always will…. electricity, gas, water etc. why does the consumer pay market interest rates (as the government ultimately bears the risks)? In other words, why [...]