BORIS JOHNSON’S plans to free the UK from the energy shackles it finds itself in have been torn apart as two major flaws have been exposed.
With the UK and the rest of Europe currently experiencing a severe energy crisis as both prices and demand rise, yet supply falls, urgent measures are needed. Already the situation is set to get worse, with some energy companies suggesting price hikes of 40 percent. The Government has opted to move towards a mix of nuclear and renewable energy sources, with the wind being a major provider
However, two major flaws have been identified by a senior Conservative MP.
Taking to Twitter to reveal why wind will not work Sir John Redwood said: “What other country would refuse to produce its own gas, insisting on importing instead?
“The Government says new wind farms are better, but they stop when the wind drops or when it blows too hard. “
With weather conditions often sporadic in the UK, the MP’s suggestion of changing winds could reduce production.
Boris Johnson suggests the move into such forms of energy are designed for Britain’s security.
The war in Ukraine has brought further huge rises in global fossil fuel prices and exposed countries’ dependence on overseas supplies.
The need for more on- and offshore wind farms is now being talked about within Government as a matter of security, rather than a way of fighting climate change.
Kwasi Kwarteng, the business, energy and industrial strategy secretary, said last week on Twitter: “This is no longer about tackling climate change or reaching net-zero targets.
“Ensuring the UK’s clean energy independence is a matter of national security.
“Putin can set the price of gas, but he can’t directly control the price of renewables and nuclear we generate in the UK.”
Some Tory MPs have called for the lifting of a moratorium on fracking for shale gas to help reduce dependence on imports.
However, rhetoric from the Prime Minister suggests there is no realistic prospect of doing so in the short term until the process had been proved to be demonstrably safe.
Furthermore, environmental groups have raised concerns fracking will cause huge damage to the surroundings, as well adding to climate change problems.
Instead, a majority of cabinet ministers back a big push for more renewables and an expansion of nuclear.
Mr Johnson said last week all oil imports from Russia would be phased out by the end of this year. Read on:
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