Featured Posts
Time to accept that wind farm costs are not falling
There has been a consistent narrative that the cost of building new wind farms is falling, with falling subsidy [...]
Windfall tax harms oil and gas production and must be cut
In May last year, the UK Government introduced a windfall tax on the profits of oil and gas companies [...]
Why Norway’s views on energy security should ring alarm bells across Europe
Norway's energy security would appear to be a done deal, yet the past couple of years have been very [...]
Addressing the high real cost of renewable generation
Over the past few months we have been inundated with claims from interested parties that more renewables are the [...]
Recent Posts
Access SCR: network connections to be cheaper and more flexible
In my previous post I looked at Ofgem’s network charging reforms. Here I will summarise the conclusion of the Significant Code Review into network access (now known as the “Access SCR”), which was originally part of a wider review [...]
Network charging reform: six years and counting
One night last week I had a dream that hydro-power isn’t generated by water, but by a mouse called Lucy which is getting tired, with dire consequences for the market. The dream made more sense than the tangle which [...]
Ofgem’s failures laid bare: time for serious regulatory reform
If anyone had any residual doubts as to Ofgem’s performance in regulating the retail energy market, or whether BEIS was able to exert any sort of positive influence, they were dispelled this week when first former CEO Dermot Dolan [...]
Nuclear power is important: we need a credible strategy to secure it
EDF's nuclear worries continue In an update this week the came as a shock to exactly nobody, EDF announced a further cost over-run and delay at it's new nuclear plant at Hinkley Point C. When the project was first [...]
More tinkering with the retail price cap…
On Monday, Ofgem issued yet another set of consultations into the retail price cap. The key proposals are to review the price cap every three months rather than the current six months, and make a small reduction in the [...]
Gas price developments in the UK and Europe
Gas prices have been continuing on their volatile journey as they respond to the global imbalances resulting from the pandemic, as well as the developments around the war in Ukraine. As the chart shows, UK gas prices have been [...]
Worries over security of supply for the electricity market next winter
Ever since I began my blog I have been warning about falling winter capacity margins and the risks to security of supply in the British electricity market. There are compelling reasons why this winter may see these concerns crystallise [...]
More trouble in the Californian energy market
The Californian energy market has been in the news recently: first there was the much heralded announcement that the state had managed to meet 100% of electricity demand with renewable energy sources. This magnificent feat lasted for almost 15 [...]
An International Review of Energy Delivery System Policy & Regulation
On 21 April, the Canadian Gas Association and Electricity Canada released a flagship report, Net Zero: An International Review of Energy Delivery System Policy and Regulation for Canadian Energy Decision Makers which presents international case studies and a roadmap [...]
Sleepwalking into disaster
My blog is 6 years old today! Looking back over the past couple of years makes me wonder what the next year will bring...after a pandemic we now have a war, and while we in Britain may not be [...]
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