Herald letters

BEFORE the General Election last year, Ed Miliband said he would freeze energy prices and net zero would cut prices by £300 a year. Since the election prices have, in fact, increased by over 17%. Ofgem said the reason for the new rise in the energy price cap was because of an increase in wholesale gas prices (“Cost of living concerns rise as annual energy bill surges”, The Herald, February 26). Not true.

While gas prices peaked earlier this year because of a cold winter, in Europe they have now dropped back from €58 per megawatt hour to €47. And if President Trump is able to end the Ukraine war and lift sanctions on Russia they will tumble.

One reason for constantly increasing prices is the cost and the increasing use of wind power. Last year, Seagreen offshore wind farm generated 1.36 Twh of electricity. The cost of this including constraint payments when the Grid was unable to take the power was £367 million. Therefore, the cost of its electricity was £270 per megawatt hour. Ninety-eight per cent of UK constraint payments are given to Scottish wind farms because they are so far from centres of demand.

Mr Miliband’s net-zero policy is making energy more expensive, not less.

William Loneskie

Lauder