Articles by
Dave Toke
Pro-nuclear analyst calls for Hinkley C to be abandoned
By
Dave Toke
Chris Goodall, one of those pro-nuclear greens who saw the radioactive light a few years ago but who didn't notice the sheer uneconomic nature of nuclear power has now realised that the Hinkley C project is such a shambles that it ought to be abandoned.
Hinkley C deal likely to wipe out UK renewables spending
By
Dave Toke
A comparison of the payments schedule for Hinkley C and government projections of renewable energy spending plans suggests that from 2023 spending on first Hinkley C, and later other nuclear power stations, will obliterate spending on renewable energy.
How more nuclear will waste wind power
By
Dave Toke
The big waste comes with the nuclear investment. The problem with the ability of the electricity system to absorb more variable wind power supplies lies with the inability, and unwillingness, of nuclear operators to turn down their production when there is more wind power than can be absorbed by the grid. So obviously building more nuclear power stations (which are more expensive, MWh for MWh anyway than onshore wind for example) will only make the situation worse - more wind power will be wasted than will otherwise be the case without the nuclear power.
European Commission issues smokescreen ‘protection’ to hide consumer exposure over Hinkley C
By
Dave Toke
Observers might be forgiven for imagining that the 35 year contract for Hinkley C, underpinned by £10 billion of state loan guarantees paying higher premium prices (£92.50) than privately built onshore windfarms receive for only 15 year contracts, will give EDF and their Chinese partners big profits.
Is there a disinformation campaign to paint nuclear as ‘green’?
By
Dave Toke
Green groups in the UK are now being subjected to a withering assault on their anti-nuclear position, which is amounting at worst to a campaign of disinformation or at best wishful thinking by the pro-nuclear establishment.
Onshore wind much more popular among public than nuclear or shale gas says DECC survey
By
Dave Toke
. . . support for onshore wind among the public is 67 per cent, with just 11 per cent opposed. Solar power is the most popular renewable fuel (82 per cent support) with offshore wind a bit ahead of onshore wind in popularity. By contrast support and opposition for shale gas is tied at 24 per cent and nuclear power is supported by 36 per cent compared to 24 per cent opposed.
Nuclear power: will it continue to fail as ‘baseload’ plant?
By
Dave Toke
In Britain nuclear's recent record for availability is not outstanding - 65 per cent according to the Digest of UK Energy Statistics for the year 2008-2012. Remember this is for a technology that is supposed to be on for as much as the time as is possible, and the bulk of the downtime on the figures is accounted for by unplanned, often sudden, outages that jeopardise electricity grid stability. At least you can usually make a reasonable prediction about wind output for particular windfarm, but you cannot predict sudden unplanned outages from nuclear. But we are told that nuclear is necessary as a 'baseload' plant. Well I suppose it is baseload as much as it operates some of the time, but not really if it often does not work when you want it to!
One cheer for the UK Government’s community energy strategy
By
Dave Toke
The Government has launched a discussion document aimed at ensuring that local people have the opportunity to gain shares or income from renewable energy developments, but in typically British centralising fashion it is ironic that this discussion seems to focussed on what the electricity majors want or are prepared to allow.
DECC survey reveals massive support for onshore wind compared to nuclear and fracking
By
Dave Toke
As detailed below, the Government's survey shows that the public is much more supportive of onshore wind - the technology they are determined to curb - compared to the technologies to which they want to give incentives, namely nuclear power and shale gas.
How Hinkley C deal will cut consumption of solar pv not fossil fuels
By
Dave Toke
The Hinkley C nuclear power plant deal that gives the nuclear developers a £92.50 per MWh premium price for 35 years will give nuclear power a clear competitive advantage over solar pv in what will be a growing electricity for motor vehicles market.
UK taxpayer now even more likely to bail out Hinkley C
By
Dave Toke
As construction delays for the French and Finnish EPR nuclear power schemes lengthen, the odds that the British taxpayer will end up bailing out the EPR planned for Hinkley C in Somerset are rising higher and higher. Put simply, if the British scheme experiences similar delays, then the British taxpayer is bound to pick up the tab, over and above the already high price that we will be paying for the plant's construction. Reports from Reuters indicate that the EPR being built in Finland will now take at least 13 years to build, and also the reactor being built in France is becoming more and more behind schedule.
Does Caroline Flint need lessons in arithmetic over nuclear and renewable costs?
By
Dave Toke
In a remarkable piece of double-think Caroline Flint, Labour's energy spokesperson, has declared that nuclear power in the shape of Hinkley C is 'cheaper than other forms of renewable energy'. This assertion flies in the face of the numbers. She rules out the possibility of a Labour Government renegotiating the Hinkley C contract.
