News Round-Up
26 July 2024
Government Has Just Declared War on Free Speech
26 July 2024
by Toby Young
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced hundreds of new oil and gas drilling licences in the latest setback for climate activists.
An energy analyst recently estimated that since 2021, Europe has spent $1.1 trillion – yes, trillion – on gas. This helps to explain why household energy bills will remain elevated until at least 2030.
Cutting oil and gas production would be "dangerous and irresponsible", the boss of energy giant Shell has said, pointing to the recent hike in the cost of living globally.
Many households increase their consumption of gas after installing energy efficiency measures such as loft and cavity wall installation, according to an intriguing survey published by two Cambridge economists.
With warnings of high pressure over Europe boding ill for wind and solar, the IEA estimates that to prevent blackouts this winter Europe must reduce gas use by up to 13%, meaning rationing is very much on the cards.
The Government could slash energy bills by £800 and more if only it stopped sending loads of our electricity to Europe and made us an island grid. This would allow us to properly address energy shortages and prices.
With no viable plan for days when there's no sun or wind, and the need for energy security more obvious than ever, it's time to hit pause on Net Zero.
It's been claimed that energy from wind will be vastly cheaper than from gas by the late 2020s, but the projections are based on illusions about the real cost of wind generation and the use of gas as a back-up.
First Russia said they couldn't supply gas without a turbine from Canada. Now they're saying they can't do so because they need parts from the West. Russia is forcing Europe to undermine its own sanctions.
The EU is to approve a gas sharing plan should Russia cut supplies, under which member states will have to share gas as well as ration energy in a way that doesn’t favour those member states with alternative suppliers.
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