Tag: climate-change

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Supplying the UK with oil & gas from offshore Scotland or from imports? For the British Labour Party government there is “not a material difference” – apparently!

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By stewartb The head of trade body Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) was moved to write (July 4) in the specialist news website, Energy Voice in order to rebut a Westminster government minister’s evidence to the Scottish Affairs Committee of the Commons. The Committee was taking oral evidence from Michael Shanks MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Energy) at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). Source: Energy Voice, ’Let’s be clear about the value of the North Sea – Offshore Energies UK boss responds to minister’s claims there’s no difference between oil and gas imports and domestic … Continue reading Supplying the UK with oil & gas from offshore Scotland or from imports? For the British Labour Party government there is “not a material difference” – apparently!

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Renewable energy: should maximising electricity from offshore wind be a priority for Scotland in Union given surplus ‘exported’ to England is not a true export?

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By stewartb The headline question is of current relevance as the Scottish Government initiated a public consultation on June 13 (closing August 13) to inform the updating of policy on offshore wind energy. Here are the consultation questions: ‘1) Does “up to 40GW of new offshore wind by 2035-2040” demonstrate an appropriate level of ambition for the Scottish Government?’ ‘2) What additional actions do you believe should be taken by the Scottish Government, UK Government and agencies in order to realise the full potential of Scotland’s offshore wind sector?’ Source: Scottish Government (June 18, 2025) Offshore wind policy statement 2020 … Continue reading Renewable energy: should maximising electricity from offshore wind be a priority for Scotland in Union given surplus ‘exported’ to England is not a true export?

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It may be ‘one of the most important renewable generation centres in Europe’ but does Scotland in Union have the agency to VALORISE its high value resource?

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By stewartb – a long read In what follows, we report credible UK sources stating that Scotland has ‘vast natural resources’; has ‘one of the most important renewable generation centres in Europe’ off its east coast; through just one offshore transmission cable, Scotland has already supplied from surplus enough electricity to ‘power all the homes in Wales’ over a five year period; with five more offshore cables due to be laid with capacity to transmit enough electricity from Scotland to power another 10 million homes (for sources see below).  Given all this, will the economy of energy-rich Scotland in Union … Continue reading It may be ‘one of the most important renewable generation centres in Europe’ but does Scotland in Union have the agency to VALORISE its high value resource?

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Renewables not nuclear fully confirmed in every detail as the intelligent choice for Scotland by two expert impartial sources

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By stewartb I asked both ChatGPT and Grok the following question: ‘Given its actual and potential ability to generate green electricity from onshore wind, offshore wind and tidal power, should Scotland invest in more battery storage and reliable sources like tidal energy or in nuclear generation, mindful of cost and legacy of nuclear waste? ChatGPT concluded: ‘Scotland should prioritize investment in offshore wind, tidal energy, and battery storage. These technologies have the potential to provide a more reliable, clean, and cost-effective energy system while minimizing long-term environmental and financial risks. Nuclear energy could remain a small part of the overall … Continue reading Renewables not nuclear fully confirmed in every detail as the intelligent choice for Scotland by two expert impartial sources

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In current heatwaves, Labour’s new nuclear reactors will be more vulnerable to lower efficiency and productivity

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Professor John Robertson OBA TuS Reader Legerwood commented yesterday under our piece on the widespread corrosion of Frances’s nuclear reactors (https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2025/06/27/reliability-of-nuclear-energy-takes-another-blow-as-france-fears-return-to-2022-when-57-of-all-reactors-were-offline-due-to-corrosion/): It is not just corrosion in its nuclear reactors that France has to worry about. The high temperatures that France now regularly experiences -at the moment 40C or above – affects the nuclear reactors and can lead to them being taken off-line. The high temperatures also heat up river water etc and reduce the water available making it difficult to cool the reactors leading to shut downs. All in all not a good time to go nuclear when the … Continue reading In current heatwaves, Labour’s new nuclear reactors will be more vulnerable to lower efficiency and productivity

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Do Scots have little or no awareness of the scale of value of offshore oil and gas assets in the recent past or now?

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By stewartb I fear that a majority of the electorate in Scotland still have NO IDEA of – (perhaps even conditioned to have no interest in?) – Scotland’s indigenous energy assets and their potential significance for their own lives and those of their children and grandchildren. Little or no awareness of the scale of value of offshore oil & gas assets in the recent past (and still remaining) – Scotland’s great missed opportunity of a generation – and the developing renewable electricity generation assets, their current and realisable potential value – the about to be great missed opportunity of another … Continue reading Do Scots have little or no awareness of the scale of value of offshore oil and gas assets in the recent past or now?

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BBC Scotland’s Environment Correspondent misleads or misunderstands on the relative dangers of two greenhouse gases

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Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to Bob Lamont for alerting me to this, today Up to 100 truckloads of Scotland’s waste will be moved each day to England once a landfill ban comes in at the end of the year, the BBC’s Disclosure has been told. The Scottish government is banning “black bag” waste from being buried in landfill from 31 December but acknowledges that there are not currently enough incinerators to meet the extra demand. Such biodegradable waste breaks down to produce methane, a greenhouse gas that is around 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide. You see what … Continue reading BBC Scotland’s Environment Correspondent misleads or misunderstands on the relative dangers of two greenhouse gases

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Do we need nuclear or Brian Wilson? Nope!

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Bob Lamont and Mills James on yesterday’s Sizewell C announcement millsjames1949 With estimates of (up to ) £40 billion as the ( building ) cost of this one Nuclear Station ( with several Small Nuclear stations to follow ) plus the higher cost of electricity to the consumers to access this power …imagine using this money for : a) proper insulation of existing housing stock to reduce energy consumption b) installing solar panels in existing housing stock to offset energy use from the Grid c) installing heat pumps in existing housing stock to reduce energy consumption …. I know , … Continue reading Do we need nuclear or Brian Wilson? Nope!

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LATEST – ‘Scotland and the largest underwater discovery IN HISTORY: The world has been searching for centuries’ but ‘our’ media prefers an imaginary cancer ‘timebomb’, youth violence, not paying to weld UK nuclear subs and parroting the PM, because the project was SNP Government-funded!

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Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks once more to Dottie for this dramatic alert. From The Diary 24, the above and: A green technology company out of Scotland has come up with an industrial solution for offshore hydrogen bunkering and electric charging. The Oasis Marine technology has massive implications as it makes it far easier for marine vessels to switch from emissions-producing diesel systems to green hydrogen if refueling infrastructure is easier to access. Oasis Marine’s initial product offerings involved small-scale mooring buoys, but it wasn’t long before the renewable energy company branched out into larger, more complex systems. Oasis Marine now … Continue reading LATEST – ‘Scotland and the largest underwater discovery IN HISTORY: The world has been searching for centuries’ but ‘our’ media prefers an imaginary cancer ‘timebomb’, youth violence, not paying to weld UK nuclear subs and parroting the PM, because the project was SNP Government-funded!

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Grangemouth oil refinery – to have “failed” to make a profit at a time of such high oil prices is unimaginable

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By George Caldow In what little coverage (I have given up on expecting proper analysis in Scottish or UK MSM) I have seen or read, it has been about points scoring by Politicians. The truth is not so easily constrained within a soundbite. Ineos’s management is poor. To have “failed” to make a profit at a time of such high oil prices is unimaginable however they state they have. We have had statements of intent regarding introducing new technologies yet they have failed to complete many of the projects announced to much fanfare. They received money from the Scottish Government … Continue reading Grangemouth oil refinery – to have “failed” to make a profit at a time of such high oil prices is unimaginable