The above graphic is everywhere in social media but, for the life of me (!), I can’t locate the actual source document.
‘Leading the Way’ is a National Grid project, so it looks genuine.
The picture is clear. Scotland is supporting the rest of the UK, massively, when it comes to electricity consumption.
Just how massively?
From TuS reader Golfnut, in August 2022, this:
UK gov figures show exports of electricity as being 16 TWH, which just happens to be the same figure for Scotland.
Statista has it as:
In 2021, electricity exports from the United Kingdom amounted to 4.17 terawatt-hours, the third largest figure reported in the 21st century.
The FT has this also modest figure of less than 2 TWh:
So, where are the other TWh going? To homes and businesses across Rumpuk?
And, what’s it worth? Well in 2021, UK electricity imports cost $3.2 billion so, the current exports based on Scottish production are worth several billions. Are they in the GERS figures when the line goes from England to France?
And the trend. See this again:
Talking-up Scotland 
John, I really like your new by-line – no accreditation required !
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I’d already forgotten who I stole from. Just a cad!
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TYPO
John, when you write above “The picture is clear. Scotland is supporting the rest of the UK, massively, when it comes to electricity consumption”, I think you mean “The picture is clear. Scotland is supporting the rest of the UK, massively, when it comes to electricity production”. Or maybe “generation”.
I know I shouldnt talk as I have far more typos than I should. Pax.
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The British colonialist unionist argument is the ‘we are all one country – United Kingdom – and not four separate ones. So, the demand for energy, in their view is a nationwide one and not a regional one. And so, the supply too is considered a nationwide one and the fact that the supply is mainly located in one part of that greater nation is not ‘relevant’, because the part is a piece of the whole.
However, if you ‘choose’ to live where the supply is mainly located, you should of course pay more for the supply because you are distant from where the demand is! It is called ‘inverted logic’, which Jocks, Taffies and Paddies cannot understand. It is part of the ‘pooling and sharing’, which The Bodger tells us ‘makes the UK work for Scotland’.
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I cannot remember where I read it, but it was an honest journalist the likes of HMS James Cook would never employ – He/she highlighted energy exports from the UK hit unprecedented levels after the Ukraine invasion, whilst HMG Ministers were trying to blame the UK’s problems on “Russian Gas” which from vague memory Andrew Marr initiated despite it being a total lie, and suggesting the lights could go out across the UK, puerile propaganda nevertheless.
I’d draw your attention to the figures on the graphic for 2021 to outline some quite distinct oddities –
The North-East of England has purportedly a forward generation capacity of 27TWh in 2021 when it doesn’t generate that and never has, but by 2030 has gone into negative.
Yet equally oddly note how England has gone from -65TWh in 2021 to -158TWh in 2030 ? It makes no sense unless the charlatan Zahawi intends building a wheen of private centrally heated stables across Surrey and fails to charge the bills against parliamentary expenses.
I do take your point Scotland should benefit more than it does when we’re essentially subsidising SE England. But that won’t happen until we recognise and honestly declare deadweights such as DRoss and Sarwar are the problem, and it’s about time we did. VERY LOUDLY.
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They are projecting that London & SE will continue to suck all the business, and need for infrastructure and demand for electricity will soar by 2030 when of course they’ll all be using electric vehicles?
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Hadn’t thought of that, the EV scenario might part explain the drop in NE of England.
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Or maybe continuing decline in businesses and therefore less energy demand in NE England?
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Possible but frankly dubious, energy consumption by business has massively declined over the years to the point catering is now taking a hammering – Bizarre though this is the Tories are destroying their own entrepreneurial support base by playing dogma games over energy and rigged markets, one which the EU may shortly scupper (they adopted the Tory market model until the shit hit the fan).
Whatever the logic behind this prediction, the same problem persists across the south of England, a massive sink for energy provided by others, much as PFI sustained them to the penalty of “others” – Those days are over for Scots..
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Either understating the transfer from Scotland or including in the Northeast imports from elsewhere but if it’s the import scenario why would that stop, and why is the transfer from France/ Europe not shown.
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I strongly suspect european imports are included in the analysis for England, without which their energy deficit would be even worse.
HMG’s energy policy has been myopic to say the least over the past several decades, with attitudes to alternative power bordering on the criminally negligent.
As recent blackout warnings demonstrated, problems in Norway or France can cripple the entire country despite Wales and Scotland running a surplus.
IIRC from a few years ago when Hinkley was in the news again, it was estimated the UK’s domestic power requirements could be satisfied through a nationwide insulation programme in under a year.
And yet what is being promoted is Nuclear. It’s completely barmy.
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“IIRC from a few years ago when Hinkley was in the news again, it was estimated the UK’s domestic power requirements could be satisfied through a nationwide insulation programme in under a year.
And yet what is being promoted is Nuclear. It’s completely barmy.”
Maybe they/their donors or cronies don’t have shares in insulation companies.
(I was never a cynic before I met you lovely people. Thank you!)
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Source Document – National Grid – Future Energy Scenarios 2022 page160
https://www.nationalgrideso.com/future-energy/future-energy-scenarios
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