ELECTRICITY SHORTAGE

Following the news on 27^th June 2013 via the BBC that the UK may well have electricity black outs in the future, I cannot see how anyone is surprised.

Black out

There are a number of reasons why this has come to pass…

1.      Green and CO2 emission regulations. These are required as we want the world still be around for our children to live on.

2.      Increasing use of electricity although this has stalled since 2008.

3.      The privatisation of the electricity industry in the late 1980s led to a lack of coordination and future planning within the system. The result is we are now very dependent on gas for electricity generation within the UK, a source of fuel we no longer have enough of and therefore require to import from countries who are not necessarily our allies. At the time the ‘dash for gas’ occurred in the early 1990s the UK had large gas fields, it was cheap and plentiful and the country was self sufficient in gas production. This made gas irresistible to private companies whose motivation was profit but not long term energy security.

Cause can be laid squarely at the Conservative Party’s door

The original cause of the energy black hole within the UK can therefore be laid squarely at the Conservative Party’s door and Mrs Thatcher. However the subsequent UK Labour Governments did little or nothing about it (as they were in love too with the Thatcher doctrines).

Perfect Storm

Add to this the extortionate bills consumers now have to suffer (so badly in many cases many people require to stay in cold houses and suffer badly each winter) and we have a perfect storm.

Re-nationalisation

I would recommend the immediate re-nationalisation of the electricity and gas companies within the UK. This would ensure energy security comes way before profit. However the likelihood of that happening is virtually zero as all the main London political parties are now no longer interested in anything other than big business. At least in Scotland we have the hope that things may be different if the country becomes independent. Vote Yes!