Post by John on Oct 3, 2007 10:31:20 GMT -5
Does it have one? With North Sea oil and gas supplies dwindling and most energy supplies now imported from unstable sources, what direction should the UK be heading with regard to it's energy needs??
Nuclear carries with it huge subsidies coal never had, it has long term waste disposal problems, storage which can be attacked by terrorist organisations, risks of major accidents, remember Murphy's Law? Once the genie escapes, it can never be corked back up in the bottle! Look at Chernobyl and the area around it, sterilized for centuries to come! Imagine a major nuclear accident around a UK power plant!
Energy, natural gas and fuels can only get more expensive in the hands of multi national companies working off shore, so is there a viable future in coal once more??
Both the Germans during WW2 and the South Africans more recently, produced petroleum products from coal, and at competitive prices too! The South Africans were still using steam locos until the end of apartheid too, much improved boiler techniques than the old BR locos though!
Should the UK government be looking towards a "Nationalised" "commercial type" coal industry that has to be competitive with a new coal research facility looking to make coal burning practices both efficient and environmentally friendly?
A lot to ponder!
Nuclear carries with it huge subsidies coal never had, it has long term waste disposal problems, storage which can be attacked by terrorist organisations, risks of major accidents, remember Murphy's Law? Once the genie escapes, it can never be corked back up in the bottle! Look at Chernobyl and the area around it, sterilized for centuries to come! Imagine a major nuclear accident around a UK power plant!
Energy, natural gas and fuels can only get more expensive in the hands of multi national companies working off shore, so is there a viable future in coal once more??
Both the Germans during WW2 and the South Africans more recently, produced petroleum products from coal, and at competitive prices too! The South Africans were still using steam locos until the end of apartheid too, much improved boiler techniques than the old BR locos though!
Should the UK government be looking towards a "Nationalised" "commercial type" coal industry that has to be competitive with a new coal research facility looking to make coal burning practices both efficient and environmentally friendly?
A lot to ponder!
