Electric concerns
Once again, for almost all of this past week, renewables have been failing us and the UK and Scotland on several days were heavily importing electricity to keep the lights on and infrastructure running.
At breakfast this morning (Thursday 08.20) gas was providing the UK with 25GW which was 57 per cent of demand, equivalent to the previous output of 10 Longannets,
Six of our ten ageing nuclear reactors are shutdown, four due to steam valve failure and related testing and those will not restart until the end of January, early February.
We have been running coal 24/7 for all of the week.
Wind generation had almost collapsed for the umpteenth time this past week providing only 13.8 per cent today from an installed capacity equivalent to 75 per cent of this morning's demand with Europe's entire offshore generation, including the UK, only meeting 2.5 per cent of European demand.
Solar was producing 0 per cent as it is a late riser and generally unable, through much of the year, to support daily UK industry start-up.
Almost all UK gas generating stations are owned by overseas companies with Uniper of Germany who own seven, last year reporting a €40 billion net loss.
14 per cent of our gas comes from Qatar who today confirmed shipments will cease via the Suez Canal implying that deliveries will be delayed. The UK has the lowest gas storage capability of the major European countries at only a few days compared to Germany at 89 days, France at 103 and the Netherlands at 123.
Yes the UK last week issued the “Civils Nuclear Roadmap 2050” with the ambition of providing 25GW of nuclear generation in support of Net Zero while stabilising the renewables weakened grid. Bearing in mind that EDF will be retiring all of the present UK nuclear reactors bar one by 2030 and that the Chinese are believed to be withholding recent payments on their Hinckley Point C joint venture, this looks a very challenging road indeed.
As a chartered electrical engineer I remain dismayed but unsurprised to find a prominent website bearing the word "green" this morning advising the general public "the UK government has set a goal to quadruple offshore windtoproduce40,000mwby by 2030 from 2020 production levels. This would sufficiently power every UK home with offshore wind in 2030".
What absolute nonsense, as clearly demonstrated by this week's figures: a situation that occurs regularly throughout the year.
The UK wind industry claim on the one hand that the UK dominates the offshore wind market owning a quarter of the present total global portfolio but appears to have successfully convinced our technologically illiterate politicians to increase Contracts for Difference in the recent fifth round of renewables auction by 66 per cent – having first, collectively, refused to bid for any.
DB Watson Cumbernauld