UKCooling on Net ZeroThere was further evidence that the Conservatives are undertaking a major reversal on Net Zero, with shadow minister Andrew Bowie arguing in the Sun that the 2050 target is unachievable. Meanwhile, Kemi Badenoch refused to rule out a renewed push for shale gas, and her energy spokesman in the Lords spoke up too. Ominously for Ed Miliband, Labour appears to be getting nervous about decarbonisation too: the Spring Statement was silent on the subject. Even the maddest seem to be coming to their senses – Just Stop Oil announced that the would end their disruptive protests. Grid grinding to a haltThe parlous state of the UK’s distribution grid was highlighted by a transformer fire at Heathrow, which shut down the whole airport for a day. Kathryn Porter did a detailed analysis of what happened. Replacing existing end-of-life assets seems to be taking a back seat to grid expansion to support Net Zero. Shale wells closedAs the UK’s only shale gas wells were concreted over, Ed Miliband found himself under attack in Parliament. Steelmaking to endIt looks as though British Steel will shut down operations in the next few months, leaving the UK as the only major economy without a blast furnace. Reform’s Richard Tice hit out at ministers in Parliament. OBR says renewables will remain uncompetitiveThe latest OBR forecast on green levies suggests that the renewables fleet will require ongoing subsidies on an extraordinary scale. Paul Homewood reckons the bill for green levies over the next five years will approach £100 billion.
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