Thursday, August 31, 2006

Battle for Drax

As widely reported today some 600 protestors have descended upon the Drax powerstation. I wonder how many of them are either responsible for paying the electric bills at home, or work in industries for whom the cost of power is becoming a burden on profitability?

Drax is a key part of the UK power infrastructure and contributes some 7% of our electricity generation. The immediate or imminent closure of Drax could not be replaced in the short term by any UK based alternative. Maybe however the “eco-morons” who are trying to get Drax closed would rather we bring in more oil, pushing petrol prices higher, or shut down swathes of industry and throw thousands of people out of work. Of course none of the protestors will work in industry so it’s unlikely they care.

UK manufacturing and the goods they make and export are “key” to our economic future and our ability to provide the social services (Education, Health etc.). We are fast losing our manufacturing base to the rising economies of the east, that benefit from low wages and low energy costs. The world dominating manufacturing base that is China is opening new “coal powered” power station at an incredibly fast rate to feed their expanding needs as they continue to capture all our markets.

Maybe when the last UK facory gate shuts, we can put the eco-friendly “windmills” in reverse in an attempt to blow the nasty C02 back East, because we won’t have to worry about power generation any more as UK PLC will have closed!

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