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Swansea Bay Lagoon posturing

PostPosted: Thu Oct 15, 2015 11:34 am
by RandomComment
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-sout ... s-34531680

Can't believe this is headline news from BBC Wales - and its just PR/Press Release from the developer.

In effect they're saying "we want subsidised prices" - which gets spread around everyone's power bills. They want more than even the very high prices granted to new nuclear stations.

I think the UK government needs to stand firm. If this project cannot generate power at anywhere near competitive price levels, then it shouldn't go ahead. There are tried and tested technologies out there (offshore wind, onshore wind, tidal and wave power from floating generators) that can generate power cheaper than this.

On the other hand, I think the developers are just playing hard ball hoping they can milk some extra profit out of the system. And set a precedent of higher prices which they'll argue for with their bigger schemes (including a revived Cardiff-Weston barriage). Given costs should fall if this were to be viable technology, they'd then end up earning huge and unjustifiable profits.

So either way the UK government should stand firm on pricing.

Re: Swansea Bay Lagoon posturing

PostPosted: Thu Oct 15, 2015 5:39 pm
by LocalLurker
Brent and natural gas prices are low at the moment as well, follies like this may look nice but do not make financial sense in the current climate. In short, f*ck 'em

Re: Swansea Bay Lagoon posturing

PostPosted: Thu Oct 15, 2015 5:57 pm
by Lyndon
RandomComment wrote:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-34531680

Can't believe this is headline news from BBC Wales - and its just PR/Press Release from the developer.

In effect they're saying "we want subsidised prices" - which gets spread around everyone's power bills. They want more than even the very high prices granted to new nuclear stations.

I think the UK government needs to stand firm. If this project cannot generate power at anywhere near competitive price levels, then it shouldn't go ahead. There are tried and tested technologies out there (offshore wind, onshore wind, tidal and wave power from floating generators) that can generate power cheaper than this.

On the other hand, I think the developers are just playing hard ball hoping they can milk some extra profit out of the system. And set a precedent of higher prices which they'll argue for with their bigger schemes (including a revived Cardiff-Weston barriage). Given costs should fall if this were to be viable technology, they'd then end up earning huge and unjustifiable profits.

So either way the UK government should stand firm on pricing.


It's not going to get built without subsidies, no renewable energy projects are.

If fossil fuel users had to pay the full costs of the externalities of global warming energy would be ten times as expensive as it is now and generating electricity with hamsters and a giant wheel would be economic.

Re: Swansea Bay Lagoon posturing

PostPosted: Fri Oct 16, 2015 11:32 am
by Ash
Lyndon wrote: If fossil fuel users had to pay the full costs of the externalities of global warming energy would be ten times as expensive as it is now and generating electricity with hamsters and a giant wheel would be economic.


You may joke but...

Image

Re: Swansea Bay Lagoon posturing

PostPosted: Fri Oct 16, 2015 4:30 pm
by Zach
Just fancy that
I wonder if anyone realises these two are connected?

Tata Steel 'set to cut 1,200 jobs' due to oversupply and high UK Energy Prices


Agreement on the subsidy for the £1bn Swansea tidal lagoon project is "desperately needed", the Welsh Economy Minister has said.