UKBlackout near missThe UK came perilously close to a blackout. Kathryn Porter gave the technical details on her blog, and also discussed it on Mike Graham’s Talk Radio show. Boiler ban goes, boiler tax staysLabour cancelled plans to ban gas boilers, but will continue with plans to fine heating companies that don’t sell enough heat pumps. Is Miliband under threat?Speculation is growing that Energy Secretary Ed Miliband is starting to be seen as a liability in the higher echelons of the Labour Party. Grid constraints payments riseGrid constraints (paying windfarms to switch off and then dealing with the fallout) increased sharply in 2024. Windfarms can earn more being switched off than from actually generating electricity. Price cap risesThe energy price cap was lifted by 1.25%. The cap has risen consistently since the general election last year, and further rises are expected. Most of the increase can be ascribed to Net Zero policy (see blog posts section below). Lords debate hydrogenThe House of Lords debated the recent Science and Technology Committee report advocating hydrogen. Lord Lilley criticised the lack of a cost-benefit analysis. Lord Moynihan pointed out that the costings in the report were fictional. North Sea output to decline fastA government report warned that North Sea output will decline quickly in the wake of Mr Miliband’s tax changes.
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