Green energy subsidies are failing to deliver cheap low carbon power December 18, 2012 TODAY Parliament will debate the Energy Bill. With homes braced for a hike in bills – and nearly 5m in fuel poverty – the government wants to strike an affordable balance between the UK’s environmental credentials and its raw energy needs. If policy is to follow facts not fads, we need a decisive break with [...]
Nuclear blow as Areva fails to bid for site October 3, 2012 BRITISH nuclear power project Horizon has attracted just two bidders, after Areva and China Guangdong Nuclear Power (CGNP) dropped their joint approach, a source said yesterday. Offers rolled in on Friday for Horizon, which was put up for sale by RWE and E.ON in March. But Areva confirmed yesterday that it and CGNP did not [...]
Nuclear blow as Areva fails to bid for site October 3, 2012 BRITISH nuclear power project Horizon has attracted just two bidders, after Areva and China Guangdong Nuclear Power (CGNP) dropped their joint approach, a source said yesterday. Offers rolled in on Friday for Horizon, which was put up for sale by RWE and E.ON in March. But Areva confirmed yesterday that it and CGNP did not [...]
Simpler energy tariffs will lead to higher bills and less competition November 28, 2012 THE Prime Minister has proposed that each energy supplier should put all its customers on the best tariff. The regulator Ofgem has proposed that suppliers should be restricted to four tariffs each. The Department for Energy and Climate Change has proposed putting a mix of these proposals into law. Has no one thought through the [...]
China’s new leaders may struggle to fulfill their immense ambitions November 18, 2012 CHINA has announced its new leadership line-up. It’s a hugely significant event for the world’s second largest economy – indeed. for the world more generally. The new (and old) faces revealed last week will run the country for the next ten years. And their programme is certainly ambitious. On his first day in office, China’s [...]
Ethical investment can be a risky business November 11, 2012 ETHICAL investing is not a new concept. But while, in the 1960s, it was led by the Methodist Church’s decision to avoid stocks in sectors such as alcohol and gambling, nowadays issues such as climate change are the main drivers. As of 30 June 2012, there was approximately £11bn invested in Britain’s green and ethical [...]
Investors warm to UK nuclear plant projects September 23, 2012 THE UK’s next generation of nuclear power plants will come closer to construction this week, as bids roll in for the Horizon project and EDF progresses in talks with potential partners for work at Hinkley Point. Horizon’s future was put in doubt in March, when RWE and E.ON put the £15bn joint venture up for [...]
What the other papers say this morning September 18, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES Greening orders probe into DfiD Justine Greening, the new international development secretary, has commissioned an investigation into her department’s use of consultants, despite assurances from Downing Street that the coalition has already done its best to “bear down” on wasteful aid spending. D&D London receives sales boost London’s fine diners have helped boost [...]
Business group slams plan for energy reform July 23, 2012 BUSINESS leaders and MPs yesterday criticised the government’s draft Energy Bill, saying that in its current form it will fail to provide a secure and affordable supply of energy. “The bill does not bring the clarity and certainty that investors require. This could mean a higher cost of capital and potentially higher bills,” said Corin [...]
Chancellor gives industry £250m to mitigate climate change taxes November 29, 2011 THE GOVERNMENT is handing £250m of compensation to energy-intensive companies, as it seeks to offset the impact of billions of pounds worth of new green taxes, the chancellor announced yesterday. As first revealed in City A.M. last month, George Osborne agreed to hand the compensation to firms who use lots of energy, after they warned [...]