A fascinating account in the Telegraph of the recent history of British energy policy from the late Seventies to the present day from one of its practitioners, Lord David Howell, Secretary of State for Energy (1979-81).
The themes and obstacles he touches on will be familiar: procrastination and short-termism which have stalked successive governments down the years leading to delays and cancellations, though none so serious as the energy crisis now threatening to engulf us now.
In Politics, he says, the urgent always ousts the important. Will we never learn?
The real importance of the article lies in its conclusions, based as it is on personal experience and an understanding of what works - and what doesn't.
"Some lessons from long ago: The key to a reliable, affordable, clean national energy system, secure in all eventualities, is, and has been all along, balanced diversity and deep resilience along with adequate reserves and storage. Generating 45pc of electricity from gas is not diversity. Closing down adequate storage, whether of gas or hydrogen or any other energy vector, is not diversity, or common sense.
Over-reliance on wind power without adequate back-up when the wind drops is not diversity. Letting low-carbon nuclear run down to few gigawatts is not diversity, nor is putting faith in over-sized, outdated nuclear designs.
Finally, disorderly energy transition, closing down fossil fuels production faster than demand is falling, is neither diversity nor wise management and balance. Nor is fooling ourselves that our own net zero target will halt the rise of global emissions, and protect us uniquely from climate violence.
Much more violent weather is coming and will require huge adaptation. That has not been started either."
His concluding words should echo down the generations:
"Now we are paying the price and it is gigantic, far exceeding any short-term economies in the past. Other “long terms” lie ahead, full of uncertainties, for which utterly resilient plans, national and international, must now be laid, with a lot more wisdom and foresight than in the past, even while we struggle with the appalling outcomes of yesterday’s failures and errors.
Let’s hope democracy, and the leaders it gives us, are up to the task."
The full article can be read below with a link to the original here:
CREDIT: Anaïs De Busscher for The Telegraph
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