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
Forgotten Christmas traditions
In days past, Christmas looked very different to what it does today. Many modern Christmas traditions originated in the Victorian era, but some had their origins in older traditions, legends and superstitions. In fact, most of what we think [...]
Extensive power grid upgrades and expansion threaten the energy transition
People are becoming increasingly concerned about the mineral requirements for the energy transition and how these will be met. In October, the International Energy Agency (“IEA”) published a report entitled Electricity Grids and Secure Energy Transitions in which it [...]
Cost of energy debts may be added to price cap
Today Ofgem has launched a couple of new price cap consultations (wholesale costs review and additional debt costs review consultation) which both close on 17 January. The debt costs review in particular has hit the headlines and is widely [...]
Grangemouth closure has echoes of Rough gas storage
Eighteen months ago I wrote a blog entitled: Cakism in energy policy begins to bite which gained a lot of attention, in which I pointed out that policy-makers tend to want to have their cake and eat it when [...]
New report: Prospects for nuclear energy in the UK
This week my nuclear paper for the Global Warming Policy Foundation (“GWPF”) was published: Prospects for nuclear energy in the UK. The GWPF has taken a somewhat more negative interpretation of my report than I expected – yes, we [...]
More harm than good: scope 3 emissions disclosures risk being too broad
The other evening, I was a panellist at an event bringing together energy companies, investors, bankers and other interested parties, to discuss the ways in which companies and investors communicate on issues relating to the energy transition. We discussed [...]
Middle Eastern conflicts often lead to high oil prices and recessions
Since the appalling attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists on 7 October, oil prices have been volatile. Historically, conflicts in the Middle East have had a major impact on oil prices, from the price shocks of the 1970s to [...]
Hostile political attitude to North Sea oil and gas threatens energy security
Despite the recent high-profile approval of the Rosebank oil field in the North Sea, the picture for domestic oil and gas production remains bleak. The Conservative Government has recently spied an opportunity for re-election by deferring the costs of [...]
Major headwinds threaten off-shore wind targets
The pervasive narratives about off-shore wind in recent years have been that costs are falling, and that wind power is cheap. But as I noted in a previous blog, and in my latest article for The Telegraph, things are [...]
Heavy industry is hard to de-carbonise – small-scale nuclear could be the answer
In my latest article for The Telegraph, I discuss the latest US Department of Energy (“DoE”) de-carbonisation liftoff report covering eight industrial sectors: chemicals, refining, iron & steel, food & beverage processing, pulp & paper, cement, aluminium, and glass. [...]
Recent Comments