Guest essay by Eric Worrall
h/t JoNova; Britain may be about to pay a heavy price for their mad dash for renewables, and neglect of energy self sufficiency. As Brexit negotiations enter a standoff, France is threatening to embargo desperately needed British imports of dispatchable electricity generated by French nuclear reactors, unless Britain permanently cedes fishing rights in British territorial waters to the EU.
Macron in last-ditch Brexit punishment with threat to devastate UK with energy blockade
By OLI SMITH
PUBLISHED: 00:46, Mon, Oct 19, 2020Emmanuel Macron reacted furiously to Boris Johnson’s claims that trade talks are “over” between the UK and EU. Mr Macron has played hardball in the talks on fisheries, insisting on Thursday that French fishermen would “not be sacrificed” for the sake of a deal. However, if the UK leaves the EU without a deal then French fishermen could faced being banned from British waters.
In response, the French President has signalled the EU would launch a devastating energy embargo against the UK unless Boris Johnson gives in on fisheries.
Following the EU summit in Brussels on Friday, Mr Macron told French radio that if the UK does not allow French fishermen in its waters, the EU would have to block the UK’s energy supplies to the European market.
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Read more: https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1349210/Brexit-news-Emmanuel-Macron-France-fisheries-energy-blockade-threat-EU-punishment-vn/
This vulnerability to French energy blackmail is a disaster of Britain’s own making.
For over a decade British politicians have pandered to radical greens, by penalising British operators of reliable dispatchable generators with carbon taxes and subsidies for renewable investors.
So long as France was willing to prop up Britain’s green charade by sending their electricity to Britain, everyone was happy. But now the green fantasy is unravelling, Britain might be about to learn the hard way why reliable energy is important.
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Incredibly, British company Moltex Energy has a superb Gen 4 molten salt small modular reactors that can be built very quickly and deployed almost anywhere with little or no site preparation required. Power will cost very little – 4 cents per kWhr and these reactors can load follow (handle peak demands)
Moltex Energy had to travel to Canada to get govt support.
How many do they have up and running..
you know..actually providing electricity?
Nobody listens to Macron.
UK needs to start buying diesel generators like California.
HA HA! Time for Drax to burn coal again. More Nuclear. Frack baby Frack! I am ashamed that the Brits can be so $%^&*() stupid.
This is why Texas has a separate grid. Also, they have managed a substantial amount of renewables (and growing), and the vast majority of fossils come from natural gas: drilled in Texas. Texas has 1) Energy security 2) Energy stability (no rolling blackouts or brown outs since they moved to an open market) 3) clean air 4) high renewables penetration 5) low prices. ERCOT is quickly becoming an environmentalist’s wet dream.
Maybe the rest of the world should look at ERCOT and adjust accordingly.
From the article: “In response, the French President has signalled the EU would launch a devastating energy embargo against the UK unless Boris Johnson gives in on fisheries.”
That sounds like a declaration of war.
I wonder if Macron has ever heard of the British Bulldog attitude?
Yes, push Britain into a corner. Britain has been pushed into a corner before, Mr. Macron. Britain is still here, and thanks to their efforts, so are you, Mr. Macron. You should be thanking Britain, not threatening them.
Blame the french: It always work great!
It’s kinda like CO2 which is somehow responsible of all the problems in the world.
By lying to the British public about fake renewable energy, politicians and the media have put the country at risk.
Why doesn’t Britain have nuclear reactors?
In 1971, as a graduate civil engineer, I worked briefly on the construction of the Dungeness B nuclear reactor. It took 23 years to build instead of 5.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeness_Nuclear_Power_Station#Dungeness_B
The British tried to build a multiple of different types of reactors. As a result, each reactor was incredibly expensive and difficult to build. The Russians take a very different approach – and they are very successful.
Frankly, there is too much politics and corruption in the UK. The country is a lost cause.
…and opinion mongering