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
Can Norway be the battery of Europe?
In October, the 1,400 MW interconnector between Britain and Norway, known as the North Sea Link, began commercial operations. The €1.6 billion project is a joint venture between National Grid and Norwegian system operator Statnett. Unlike the other markets [...]
EPR: progress at Olkiluoto but Flamanville sees new delays and cost increases
Yesterday EDF announced a further delay to the schedule for its troubled flagship European Pressurised Water Reactor (“EPR”) at Flamanville: fuelling is now expected to start at the end of Q2 next year, delayed from late 2022. The project [...]
After the energy market chaos in 2021…expect more of the same in 2022
A year ago I wrote a post about all the words we used in 2020, and it’s interesting how many of these were forgotten in 2021. Of course, covid was still a key theme of 2021, but it didn’t [...]
LNG diversions see gas prices ease, but the ships can still re-divert
I didn’t really go out on a limb in my last post when I predicted that energy markets would continue to make headlines this year – the last few days have seen a lot of people wondering what on [...]
Accelerated SOLR cost recovery eases pressure on suppliers but will add to bills
Several people have reached out to me today asking me to comment on Ofgem’s announcement about the SOLR cost recovery, so I’m writing this quick blog on the subject. Back in October, Ofgem published a letter setting out its [...]
An alternative Christmas Carol
Had a certain Mr Dickens been around this year, I like to think that his Christmas-themed morality tale might have gone a little differently... It was a cold, dark Christmas eve, and the Prime Minister, like most other souls [...]
Nuclear update: EDF brings forward AGR closures, while progress at Hinkley Point C is under threat
EDF announced this week that it is bringing forward the closure dates of two of its nuclear power stations - Heysham 2 in Lancashire, and Tornesss in East Lothian, are now expected to close in 31 March 2028 instead [...]
Will Ofgem’s plans for prudential regulation in energy pay off?
In recent months there have been increasing calls for the introduction of prudential regulation in the energy markets, in response to the large number of suppliers that has failed this year. Supplier failures are a cause for concern because, [...]
Retail market pressures continue while Ofgem comes under fire in new report
Retail market pressures continue with the news that Ofgem has confirmed this year’s record Renewables Obligation (“RO”) mutualisation of £218 million, and Elexon has confirmed the proposed record Credit Assessment Price level of £305 /MWh. There is also bad [...]
A new approach to energy regulation
Today I was invited to speak at this month's meeting of the Parliamentary Group for Energy Studies on the subject of the current energy crisis, and what should be done about it. Here is my presentation, setting out the [...]
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