The Middleton on Sea Coastal Alliance
LEVY ON OIL AND GAS FIRMS WINDFALL PROFITS EXTENDED TO RENEWABLES.
“Wind and solar Farms have windfall tax imposed on them for the first time in bid to save £450 off typical household bills”.
“Energy producers have been targeted with taxes aimed at raising £54 billion by 2028 from what the Chancellor said were “windfall profits”
“The government says 35% windfall tax on the North Sea should raise more than £40 billion by 2028, while the levy on electricity generators should raise £14 billion for the same period……”.
Extracts from article by Rachel Millard and Matt Oliver: Telegraph 18/11/2022” Ends.
Largely due to pressure from the public, having been made aware by us and organisations such as ours and others, of the obscenely vast profits being made by Power Generators at the expense of decent ordinary people, we believe our new Chancellor of the Exchequer Mr Jeremy Hunt has listened.
In his Autumn Statement he increased ‘Energy Profits Tax’ from 25% to 35% and imposed a new Tax of 45% on Enterprises Generating Electricity from Renewables such as Wind, Solar, Biomass and Nuclear Energy. In effect a form of a Windfall Tax. Hopefully, the result will be lower energy costs for all.
We fully support our Government’s ambition to be carbon neutral as early as possible and their efforts to encourage Power Generating Enterprises to bring this about.
Since we have been campaigning for well over a year now for a “Cap” on the profits that energy companies are permitted to make which have made the cost of energy much higher for Consumers, we of course welcome this long-awaited move that vindicates our longstanding efforts.
We understand electricity from Renewables and Nuclear, unlike North Sea Oil and Gas Enterprises, will not be allowed to reduce their tax by offsetting profits against investments. Unfortunately, as usual, these details are not intended for the public eye and so are buried in other information to the point of being shrouded in secrecy.
Political Uncertainty; Pressure mounts to tax excess profits by renewables industry; RWE/Rampion 2 cable route consultation; and more… Click to read our Newsletter below
Our local MP Nick Gibb, MP for Bognor Regis & Littlehampton; Andrew Griffith, MP for Arundel & South Downs; and Sir Peter Bottomley, MP for Worthing have all publicly stated to the effect ‘that this stretch of West Sussex Coastline is an inappropriate location for such a large Wind Farm’ and ‘There are far better alternatives for wind farm expansion, for example at Dogger Bank in the North Sea’ (where the winds are stronger and more consistent). Equally importantly our Middleton on Sea Parish Council objected at the Parish Council on 1st September 2021 to the Rampion 2 proposals
Conservative
Representing Bognor Regis and Littlehampton
“The visual impact of the turbines on our outstanding seascape would be hugely damaging, particularly to tourism, which is an important employer in Bognor Regis and Littlehampton.”
“I support the Government’s aim for the UK to be a world leader in renewable energy”
“This stretch of the West Sussex coastline is an inappropriate location for such a large wind farm.”
Conservative
Representing Worthing West
“We can unite in supporting renewable energy but share in concern at inappropriate projects with adverse impacts. I echo the concerns shared by Andrew Griffith MP for Arundel and the South Downs and Nick Gibb MP for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, in saying that the location for the project isn’t the right one.”
Conservative
Representing Arundel and South Downs
“Offshore wind power is already playing a valuable role in our journey to Net Zero.”
“However, with plenty of capacity available at sites with more reliable wind in the North Sea, I am unconvinced that West Sussex is the best place for such a large wind farm expansion.”
“Badly planned wind farms have the potential to cause unnecessary onshore and offshore harm and damage the local economies of seaside towns along the South coast.”
Fact: – Public distrust.
Reality:- There were a number of irregularities that went either unnoticed or ignored by RWE/Rampion2 during the original Consultation. These were initially exposed by shocked attendees at a public meeting organised by Middleton on Sea Parish Council (MOSPC) on August 25 2021 and latterly by ourselves Middleton on Sea Coastal Alliance (MOSCA) as well as other partner organisations affiliated to Protect Coastal England. https://www.protectcoastalengland.org/#action
It should be noted that on 31 January 2022, over 6 months later, the Planning Inspectorate were formally notified by ourselves and other local organisations that the RWE/Rampion2 Consultation was flawed, supported by irrefutable evidence to substantiate our claim with a request that they do not consider the impending application for a Development Control Order ‘DCO’ acceptance – it allows local authority scrutiny to be by-passed – as well as to order a new Consultation. Just 7 days later they re-opened their Consultation.
A recent example is that though the Leaflet seems to seek to assist it does leave much unsaid. Two virtual ‘public meetings’ were held, the first on 12 February just 5 days after the opening of the Consultation and the second on the 28 February. No mention of either made in the Leaflet, or advertised in the press. Only those monitoring the RWE/Rampion2 website regularly will have had the opportunity to join the ‘virtual public meetings’. It was difficult to find the option to join – hidden within their website. These meetings were held just with questions from the public posted only to and seen by the panel of 4 Rampion consultants. There was no rebuttal ability or further clarification. We have proof that at least 4 questions were not addressed well within the time frame – the meeting finished 30 minutes earlier. No further meetings virtual or otherwise are planned.
Claim:- Harm to Marine, Bird, Wildlife and the Sea beds has been fully mitigated.
Reality: – The effects to many species of Marine, Bird and Wildlife as well as the Inshore Ecosystems have been greatly “Underplayed”.
In fact many highly respected Conservationist Groups have expressed Serious Concerns that the Surveys used in rampion 2’s “Scoping Report” are wholly inadequate as they have been substituted with desktop Surveys- as opposed to actual Surveys. In addition, some being totally outdated having been commissioned and published as long ago as 9th September 2010 for the Rampion 1 application.
These highly respected groups have unequivocally stated that is not possible for them to raise their concerns in detail until up-to-date surveys can be studied.
Given that the protection on of Marine, Bird and Wildlife is placed high in the decision-making process to attain ‘Development Control Order(DCO ) acceptance this oversight should to be raised with the Planning Inspectorate.
Many could be forgiven for thinking RWE/Rampion 2 took advantage of the government’s lockdown procedures to protect public lives from the deadly virus as a cynical excuse to:-
* Save themselves the huge expense of having to commission fully researched studies.
* Organise “virtual” presentations instead of “real presentations” which would have allowed the public the opportunity to examine in detail the Rampion 2 proposals and given people the right to raise matters of concern face-to-face with Rampion 2 representatives. Thus allowing the public to make informed choices.
Many conservationists are concerned about the tremendous harm which would be caused to so much Wildlife by the proposed Gigantic Wind Farm which cannot even connect to the National Grid via any existing cable connections.
“The area within the Scoping Boundary of the proposed Wind Farm as well the cable route to the substation) supports a wide range of supposedly Protected and notable species which would suffer detrimentally. These include various Species of Dolphins; Whales, Harbour Porpoises, Seals, and other Marine Species, as well as Sea Birds and Wildlife such as Hedgehogs; Badgers; Bat Species, Hazel Dormice; Sand Lizards, Great Crested Newts, Reptiles, Butterflies & more.
Sussex Wildlife Trust- have expressed concerns that impacts on Protected Species have not been given due consideration. For example, the Nationally important Black Bream; Sea horses and Herring. They are also concerned that vulnerable Birds such as Nightingale and Turtle Dove have not been specifically considered. Nor has the effect on migrating non-seabirds etc.
Similarly, they are concerned about damage to Hedgerows which sadly still has gaps from when Rampion 1 was installed causing fragmentation and loss of habitat to numerous Species. They are also particularly concerned over the potential proximity to two designated Marine Conservation Zones (Kingmere and Offshore Overfalls) and the effect the construction may have on the protected features of these sites.
* The proposed wind farm would be detrimental to our Sussex Kelp forests’ which Sir David Attenborough recently supported the campaign to protect. Kelp is amongst the most biodiverse habitats on the planet, supporting a wealth of Marine Life and importantly absorbs huge amounts of carbon.
* Besides the noise that will be generated from the piling and construction of the wind farm which will kill, harm and/or drive much Marine life away from the area; various organisations are concerned about damage to the Seabed and water quality, for example sediment increases causing lobster and crab not to breed. In addition, damage to nationally important chalk and mussel reefs, and native oyster beds. They are also concerns about harm from EMF currents to fish, elasmobranchs, shellfish, and benthic ecology.
* Sussex Ornithological Society – have expressed concerns about not only the impacts on birds from the wind farm itself but also the new 37Km cable route that the 50m-wide cable trench will take to the Cowfold/Bolney area where Rampion 2 would link into the national grid. In addition, the cable will come ashore at Climping SSSI which is a major site for birds in Sussex (particularly for migrant birds). Potential impacts include barrier effects, disturbance and displacement, collision risk and changes in habitat, plus changes in prey supply.
* The RSPB have also raised concerns but stated more detailed surveys/information is needed from Rampion for them to fully detail their concerns.
* The South Downs National Park are concerned about the damage from unnecessary disturbance to ancient woodland and internationally rare chalk grassland (and the wildflower meadows which grow there- which many rare & vulnerable species depend upon).Sussex Bat group- Are concerned about the effects on migrating bats in the Channel and the damage to their habitat and other important habitats on land due to the new cable route.
* The proposed cable route crosses the River Adur, plus protected SSSI’ (Sites of specific scientific interest) of nationally designated nature conservation and parcels of Ancient woodlands. Therefore, there is potential to result in significant impacts on habitats and numerous species.
* It is significant that the Rampion 2 project is not in a region where it can connect to the National Grid’s Offshore Transmission Network (OTN) and so will need its own new onshore cable connection.
An equivalent wind farm in the North Sea, for example, could be connected to the OTN and thus avoid all the harm which would be caused by the new 37KM cable route.
In the face of articles appearing in the National Press under headlines such as “Price of offshore Wind Power at new low in boost for green push. (Telegraph 08/07) with similar articles appearing in other media do Energy Bill just keep rising exponentially with never a reduction in energy bills.
‘Britain’s energy price cap is never designed to keep Gas and electricity prices affordable. In a “nutshell” it only prevents energy supply companies from making excessive profits and places no restrictions on the production and wholesale parts of the industry.
Reality: – Probably the largest driver behind ever escalating energy prices lies in the mystery as to why the price paid by consumers for their electricity has been “Pegged” to the international wholesale price for Natural Gas that has shot up more than an astounding 700% over just 12 months and keeps rising when simultaneously the cost of generating electricity from renewable such as Wind has plummeted dramatically.
The upshot being Power Generators under tight contracts negotiated for themselves get to keep the vast difference between the actual cost of producing electricity from ‘free wind and other renewables that had plummeted dramatically and the ‘Skyrocketed’ inflated price of Natural Gas on the International wholesale market. The negative effects for Consumers can be seen in the submissions below:
* Wind Farm operators such as RWE/Rampion2 are paid the same price for their Intermittent Supply as the International wholesale Gas Price.
* On top of The Gas determined Wholesale Price Wind Turbines enjoy Guaranteed Payments, if there is no wind or even too much wind during which they are unable to work just as with void periods during which they are being serviced, undergoing repairs etc., via ‘Take or Pay Contracts’.
* Plus, they also receive a multitude of other direct and hidden energy subsidies in the form of levies, bonuses, and the ETS scheme.
* Sadly, that goes to make higher UK electricity tariffs for all. (Not lower) that tragically translates into UK energy poverty forcing many having to face ‘Heat or Eat Choices; and makes a non- competitive UK economy.
* Worse still Massive “Windfall” profits inflated by generous contracts and improved efficiency in unit production costs flow to the wind industry and into offshore bank accounts mostly on the continent including RWE’s Bank Accounts in Germany.
Author Credit: Lawrence Hass – East Beach Residents Association.
NETZERO WATCH is an influential Think Tank organisation having 24 prominent parliamentarians including Sir Ian Douglas Smith MP, Esther McVey MP, and the former Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, Lord Frost.
It has been an interesting year for Ormonde, a small offshore windfarm in the Irish Sea, just off Barrow-in-Furness. The chief excitement was that during last summer, replacement blades being installed on one of its machines fell into the sea. It was lucky that there were no injuries as a result.
But 2021 was also interesting because of all the ups and downs in the wind sector: a wind drought lasting for much of the year, and the dramatic surge in market prices for electricity in the autumn. Ormonde is the first offshore unit to report financial results covering those events, so I was keen to see how it has performed.
The net effect is that the windfarm is sitting very pretty indeed. While its output was down around a third (!), its average selling price tripled, from £30 to £99/MWh(!), so its sales income doubled to £34 million. Of course, the surge in market prices only really applied to the final four months of the year, so those figures suggest that the windfarm is currently making over £200/MWh. Which is good going against the £30 they averaged in 2020.
And to make their year even better, on top of that, they have their Renewables Obligations subsidy. Of course, that is based on the number of megawatt hours they produce, so that revenue stream is down sharply, but overall, they earned £75 million on their 350,000 MWh of output, so overall that’s £214/MWh. My estimate of Ormonde’s levelized cost is up slightly, at £154/MWh.
Moreover, you can see that they are going to make an obscene amount of money in 2022, assuming output returns to normal and market prices remain high. Of course, the latter assumption is questionable, given that UK wholesale gas prices have fallen away dramatically, as pipelines struggle to deliver all the LNG that is arriving in the UK to where it is needed (mostly in the EU). However, this is expected to be temporary relief only, after which market prices should return to their previous highs, other things being equal.
That being the case, it is not inconceivable that Ormonde’s sales will hit £100 million in 2022, with £50 million of subsidy on top. That would be around £287/MWh. And because a windfarm’s costs are virtually all fixed, all that extra revenue flows right through to the bottom line. That means operating profits rising from the £13 million that Ormonde has averaged each year in its ten-year life, to perhaps £85 million next year. Quite good for a small windfarm with net assets of £167 million. Yes, they could earn the build cost of the windfarm back in just 2-3 years!
A windfall indeed.
The report above has been reproduced by kind permission of Mr Andrew Montford, The author of the report and The Deputy Editor of NETZEROWATCH .
A new analysis by Net Zero Watch reveals that Net Zero policies are already costing every household over £2000 per year.
Mr Andrew Montford, The author of the report and The Deputy Editor of NETZEROWATCH .
The second part of the answer is that since in the early days to attract Power Generating Companies to establish Wind Farms in the UK our government offered extremely generous Subsidies; Grants and Guaranteed Price Security to Energy Generators (mostly foreign) who based on this negotiated lucrative totally risk-free Contracts for themselves. These so far as we are aware subsist and remains the practice.
Big business in order to survive and thrive pay meticulous attention to detail when negotiating contracts and expect others to do likewise. Consequently, they do not habitually give up anything they gain from altered circumstances that benefit them. They argue that conversely had circumstances moved against them, they would have to honour the contract and deliver.
What’s more when confronted with the prospect of a “Windfall Tax”, they will argue that that thus far the Chancellor of the Exchequer has failed to reduce VAT equal to the additional revenue generated from the minimum price increase of 54% that came into force from April 2022; the astronomical extra windfall profits derived to the Crown Estates from the sale of leases and receipts of ongoing royalties; and the excess profits made by others to indicate some of this windfall wealth is being passed down stream into lowering energy costs for pressed consumers.
Mr KWASI KWARTENG is planning a crackdown on wind and solar energy profits as a new forecast predicted that the energy price cap will reach £6000 next April.
The Sunday Telegraph has disclose that the business secretary is also preparing to intervene in the energy market in an attempt to stabilise the “crazy” profits of renewable firms.
Around third of wind and solar producers are on inflexible long-term contracts, which have earned them billions of pounds from the high price of electricity during the energy crisis.
Ministers are under pressure from Tory MPs who argued that renewable firms have made enormous profits from the price of electricity because they can produce it at a cheaper rate.
Danny Kruger, who was among those lobby Mr Kwarteng to end the renewable obligation (RO) contracts, said they were “the biggest of avoidable driver of inflation we have” and called on ministers to “move as fast as possible to change the rules”. Source The Sunday Telegraph dated Sunday, 21 August 2022
Perhaps the Chancellor is unaware of the fact that all the Offshore Wind Farm contracts signed with the likes of RWE are on a similar basis and should also be reviewed. All these contracts should be subject to English Law and as such should be reviewed by the English Courts as to whether they can any longer be deemed equitable.
In the current circumstances the English Courts will have no other course of action but to declare these contracts voidable and unequitable given the current price of gas to which these contracts are tied. A fairer system of payment for energy needs to be found and quickly.
The third part of ever increasing prices has to be the total lack of oversight from the moment of inception of the project when the responsibility of everything related to the project is handed over to the “Stakeholder” – (the Project Proposer) and is akin to handing over the Keys for the Henhouse to the Fox. The logic of this defies beleiif as evidenced by the item below that needs no further explanation.
The system needs to be changed fast if we are to lower consumer energy bills
Claim: – It’s vital in the interest of ‘National Energy Security’ to invest sufficient funds to attain “self-sufficiency” for U.K.’s energy needs at the earliest and support project “NetZero” that aims to attain global carbon neutrality by 2050.
Q1: Having seen many well-intentioned schemes fail there are serious doubts that the untold billions required to Build the high numbers of Wind Farms already approved and/or about to be approved, with the capital cost for Rampion 2 alone reported to be £1.3bn. Plus, financing; operating, maintenance, decommissioning and profit margins for Windfarm Owners and energy suppliers will achieve anywhere near a sufficiently large enough reduction in carbon footprint and generate sufficient energy to justify the vast investment in monetary and human misery terms.
Reality: – Climate Change is as evidenced by natural disasters occurring almost daily across the Globe must be tackled of that there is no doubt. To that extent the world welcomed with open arms the arrival of project “NetZero”.
Unfortunately, since then with nothing positive seen by the Public from the investment of billions to date save the humiliation of thousands upon thousands of decent Families, Pensioners and the and like being unnecessarily driven into energy poverty and having to make “Eat or Heat” choices daily does not bode well for project “NetZero”.
Neither does the breakneck speed with decisions seemingly were made “on the hoof”, without coherent thinking between Nations competing for the same resources on the World Stage inspire public confidence. In addition, unless the lessons learnt from past mistakes fail to be corrected fast and steps are taken to bolster project “NetZero”, it will suffer, of that there is no doubt.
“Global leaders need to come together and apply their economic and political strength to tame those companies that whilst claiming to be a part of the solution are only to maximise their profits no matter how forgetting they live on the same planet as the rest of us.
With nothing more on the horizon except the promises to take the Energy Price Cap for Gas and electricity (having already been increased from £1,277 to £1,971 on 1St April 2022) ready to jump to £3,549 on 1st October and forecasted to reach £4,200/£4,500 by January 2023 and up to £6,000/£6,500 by Mid 2023 raises serious questions over affordability; concerns over ‘National Energy ‘Security’; China’s withdrawal from climate change negotiations with US that together account for about 40% of the World’s Greenhouse emissions; China and India committed to build ever more coal fired power stations to protect their industries; Germany’s Government set to reactivate retired Coal fired power stations; the poor implementation of the project “NetZero”, all combined threatens to derail project “NetZero”.
Not surprising then increasingly Ministers, Local Councillors and the Public now question the validity of project “NetZero” in its present form currently complicated by the lack of Government leadership makes it virtually impossible to give a clear answers to the questions posed below:
Claim: -The high cost of energy is directly due to the general inflation coupled to the changed geopolitical world order and the huge investment necessary to be self-sufficient for UK Energy needs.
This in the face of the vast profits being generated for the Enterprises in Power Generation and Supply Industry (mostly Foreign) with the sole aim to generate maximum profits for themselves. When confronted with the prospect of a ‘Windfall’ Tax most threatened to reconsider their investment in the UK Government’s plans for Green Energy . This is best illustrated by news headlines such as: “German energy company RWE has warned any windfall tax on UK Generators would make the company reconsider £15bn investment plans for renewable energy.” Consequently:
Most now express the view that it is vital for the Government to: –Radically rethink its present policy of entrusting our ‘National Energy Security’ to Countries, (friend, or foe) and/or profit oriented commercial enterprises often foreign owned with the sole purpose of maximizing profits for themselves.Urgently exercise power, in the National Interest, over the natural resources owned by the Nation since time immemorial. And take back the Power Generation and Supply end of Industry into Public Ownership.
This shift in attitude is illustrated by the outcome of recent public opinion surveys aired on National TV and the press that has confirmed that the Public, by far, prefer the option mentioned above as it secures the Nation’s energy needs; curtails the abuses reported on pages 20 & 21 and above all allows the Government to produce and supply truly green energy to the Nation at affordable prices as exampled by France and it’s energy price cap of just 4%.
This compares with UK’s annual bills capped at £1,971 with EDF’s French customers Bills paying £805 a Year.
Wind Farms produce electricity when the wind blows – however it is not guaranteed. We have to have a guaranteed base load of power which is currently provided by natural gas and nuclear. We produce natural gas in the North Sea however because of the Green Climate Agenda this has been curtailed. Now is the time for Shell and BP with their excess profits to invest in the North Sea and guarantee our Energy Security. This will allow sufficient time for advances in renewable energy storage to take place over the next decade.
At the moment electricity from Wind Farms and Solar can not be stored so that when the wind does not blow or the sun does not shine we need natural gas and nuclear to provide our base load and will do so for many years to come.
If we as a country can subsidise Green Energy then we can certainly subsidise the production of North Sea Gas to guarantee not only its supply but more importantly its price to UK customers.
Many people now conclude the present predicament could have been entirely avoidable had successive UK Governments acted much earlier and invested in producing energy from renewables. Instead, they chose the then ‘in favour route’ of ‘Off Balance Sheet financing” and thus, passing the Power Generation and Supply Industry into Private hands.
Today, the outcome of that momentous decision and the hurry in entering long term contracts that seemingly lack elementary provisions for protection against unforeseen eventualities such as Wars etc., can be felt by the Nation.
“40% of UK Households could be drawn into fuel poverty by soaring prices this winter” (Source: Sky New 28 July 2022).
With nothing more on the horizon except the promises to take the Energy Price Cap for Gas and electricity having already risen from £1,277 to £1,971 in April 2022 and announced to balloon by 80% to £3,549 on 1 October and forecasted to reach £6,000/£6,500 by Spring 2023; Serious concerns over ‘National Energy ‘Security’; China’s withdrawal from climate change negotiations with US that together account for about 40% of the World’s Greenhouse emissions; China and India committed to build ever more coal fired power stations to protect their industries; Germany Government set to reactivate retired Coal fired power stations; and the poor implementation of the project “NetZero”, all combined threatens to derail project “NetZero”.
It is not a surprising that Ministers, Local Councillors and the Public increasingly now question the validity of project “NetZero” in its present form.
In addition, with the middle-income families fearful of the 80% price hike to £3,549 and the ones to follow on their own finances and experiencing ‘déjà vu’ flashbacks.
FAST FORWARD 18 MONTHS FROM COP26 2021 CONFERENCE …
Since the COP 26 conference of November 2021 Russia as we are all aware invaded Ukraine and at a stroke has dramatically changed the Geopolitical and Economic landscape Worldwide.
Russia’s Decision to impose a near complete ban on exports of Russian Oil and Natural Gas to Europe caused acute shortages and fierce competition for deliveries between Nations. This triggered for example a 700% increase in the price of Natural Gas in just 12 months; Oil prices reaching record highs and other commodities trailing not far behind.
The effect has been to drive the economies of Nations without “Own Energy Resources” into recession’ and having to face crises concerns over ‘Energy Security’’.
Divide and conquer has always been the ultimate strategy of Russia for Europe!!!
In addition, the Government has now to deal with the anger expressed by the thousands upon thousands of decent Pensioners, Families and the like needlessly forced into energy poverty and having to decide almost daily between “Eat or Heat” choices. This revealed by TV and press questioning why project “NetZero” had not been funded out of general taxation as with other projects of National Infrastructure Importance.
This occurring at a time “Energy Giants” report record profits on the back of the tragic War in the Ukraine not only threatens to derail Europe’s “NetZero” ambitions but it also raises questions of social responsibility over the keeping of huge excess ‘windfall’ profits from unforeseen declarations of wars and the like in preference to passing back the excess windfall profit to reduce human suffering.
“BP’s earnings just mean that the Five Oil Giants have made combined profits of almost $60bn (£50bn) in a single quarter, after Exxon Mobile, Shell, and Chevron all raked up record earnings in Q2. (Source: Business Live/the Guardian)”.
These are exclusive of vast profits made by Owners of Giant corporations producing and supplying energy mostly from renewables such as wind and solar exampled by Eon’s profits of £6bn for the first 6 months and RWE Ag’s £3.65bn 2022 profits.
Nadhim Zahawi, Chancellor of the Exchequer recently announced on a Television interview following a meeting with representatives from :
EDF, RWE, E.ON, DRAX, ORSTED, UNIPER, NATIONAL GRID, SSE, SCOTTISH POWER, CENTRICA, OCTOPUS ENERGY, VITOL, INTERGEN, GREENCOAT CAPITAL, ENERGY UK.
The importance of investing in North Sea oil and gas, renewables, biomass and nuclear to strengthen our domestic energy security. He also expressed surprise to the Reporter that he had just discovered that the cost of nuclear power is tied to the price of gas and that this needs to be changed. This was followed by a lead article under the heading “Energy cap to hit £6,000 as Kwarteng targets wind profits,” – (The Sunday Telegraph: 28/02/2022).
Climate change is with us. It’s an undeniable fact the planet is warming up at an unsustainable rate and if left unchecked, will have disastrous consequences for our fragile planet, not just human!
Most therefore embrace energy from renewable resources including Wind Farms and stand ready to make sacrifices to avoid shortages and natural disasters of all kinds, falling on our fragile planet and protect our way of life for the future generations to come.
In fact, such is the strength of the positive opinion for green power that, anyone showing anything but total commitment, is defined as a climate change denier and a nimby. Notwithstanding we have conducted an in-depth assessment of the Rampion 2 Wind Farm proposals taking into consideration the Governments recently published National Policy (Energy) Statement and the ground-breaking advances in wind turbine technology, and other pertinent matters.
In fact it’s true to say were it not for the painstaking and exhaustive investigations of organisations such as ourselves- the murky long hidden facts relating to the price of electricity being linked to the price of natural gas (that has risen by in excess of 700% since Russia invaded the Ukraine) being the price consumers were allowed to be charged by mostly foreign enterprises when no gas is used in generating electricity from renewables and/or the other dubious tactics employed by some generators to maximize their profits at our expense as reported elsewhere on this site.
At long last due to pressure from Consumers and the like the Government has indicated their intension to place a price cap on profits from renewables. This will translate in reduction of cost of electricity to consumers.
We are supported by the strength of the 2,781 votes registered against the Rampion 2 Wind Farm proposals during the Government’ Rampion 2 Petition that closed in February 2022 and the encouragement of the many thousands more who posted ‘thumbs-up’ signals to signify support during our recent Media campaign
Saving the planet starts with the realisation of how our footprint changes things so what is the value of saving the planet – if what you save is destructive to the environment and is devoid of natural beauty?
Ticking the green box is not enough. It is also important to balance efficiency and impact of what we do now for generations to come.
RAMPION 2 IF APPROVED WILL CHANGE FOREVER THE VISTA AND THE ENVIRONMENT OF TOWNS AND VILLAGES IN THE SUSSEX BAY AREA FOR THE PRESENT AND FUTURE GENERATIONS TO COME. IT IS THEREFORE INCUMBENT ON EACH OF US TO EXAMINE CLOSELY RWE AG’S PROPOSALS FOR RAMPION 2 WIND FARM. PLEASE TAKE A FEW MOMENTS TO REFLECT ON THE QUESTIONS RAISED IN THE SUBMISSION BELOW:
Some say 60% of the Worlds Richest Nations attending the COP 26 2021 Conference pledged US$ 414 million to the most Vulnerable Nations for the extra burden that will placed on their economies by moving away from fossil fuels. With not a cent paid to date; Families and Pensioners forced into energy poverty and nothing tangible to be seen from the billions spent, many now suspect this to be to be biggest heist ever perpetrated in the History of Mankind to secure for themselves the valuable Wind Resources that belong to all from time immemorial.