tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32841798.post4852904010641984771..comments2024-03-28T09:55:42.123+00:00Comments on Capitalists@Work: Gas, Gazprom, Putin and ChinaCityUnslickerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15929544047783163175noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32841798.post-29908018434145229202012-02-09T13:15:45.066+00:002012-02-09T13:15:45.066+00:00Until we develop indigenous Shale Gas all we have ...Until we develop indigenous Shale Gas all we have is (imported) Gas, (imported) Coal and Nuclear. Frankly Wind is fatuous, and without the CO2 hoax would not be an issue.<br /><br />Wind is roughly twice the cost of Gas (Offshore Wind ~3x) because of the (Gas) backup. Dependency on Wind (grossly polluting via rare-earths) is reverting to the intermittency provided for us in the past via the NUM. So Wind is very expensive and not secure.<br /><br />A massive increase in storage of Gas will not come cheap, is potentially very unsafe, and still leaves the supply dependent on stable friendly countries and no war. In fact Gas can only be secure if the sources were our own and defendable, unless you are thinking of storing 5+ years worth.<br /><br />Ditto for Coal. Nuclear on the other hand is cheaper than Coal (OECD 2010 study), and with the potential to store a decade or more of fuel as secure as any generating station can be.Budgienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32841798.post-15354354903506333622012-02-09T09:54:28.704+00:002012-02-09T09:54:28.704+00:00I am all in favour of diversification, Budgie, it&...I am all in favour of diversification, <b>Budgie</b>, it's a basic principle<br /><br />but not at any cost<br /><br />cheaper than nukes for security would be wind + new coal + gas + big increase in strategic gas storage: gas use would be for wind-balancing, (<i>inter alia</i>) <br /><br />hydro would be great too but chances are the UK will never really have enough to do the balancing (and Norway can't balance the whole of Europe)<br /><br />the (only) good thing about wind as a 'strategically secure' source is that one day there will be an efficient means of storing intermittently-generated power: and in the meantime gas balancing will have to doNick Drewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13670594203660051701noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32841798.post-90283447444150899112012-02-09T09:32:30.365+00:002012-02-09T09:32:30.365+00:00"we should actively diversify our LNG sources..."we should actively diversify our LNG sources (of which there are a lot)"<br /><br />Why ever not, ND?<br /><br />It can't be because it makes strategic sense to <i>diversify</i> our energy supplies, can it?<br /><br />Come on over to the Nuclear side, you know it makes sense.Budgienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32841798.post-53501945843442822132012-02-08T18:07:05.099+00:002012-02-08T18:07:05.099+00:00getting gas from Russia is as good idea as Gazprom...getting gas from Russia is as good idea as Gazprom always says (on the right terms, of course, but it can be done)<br /><br />all but 2 of the LNG cargoes reaching the UK last year came from one place - Qatar<br /><br /><a href="http://cityunslicker.blogspot.com/2012/01/remind-me-where-is-qatar.html" rel="nofollow">this is not a good idea</a>: although we still get plenty from the North Sea, Norway + Netherlands, we should actively diversify our LNG sources (of which there are a lot)<br /><br />Nabucco? ... it's really hard to follow all the twists and turns, but yes, it is looking increasingly like an ex-parrot <br /><br />another triumph for EC dirigismeNick Drewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13670594203660051701noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32841798.post-53984997510991792262012-02-08T12:40:00.807+00:002012-02-08T12:40:00.807+00:00Italy has received 89% of Russian gas demanded,and...Italy has received 89% of Russian gas demanded,and topped up with gas from Greenstream from North Africa (we didn't supply all those airfields for nothing) plus some use of its fully-stocked reserves, though now it has fired-up two oil power stations at Livorno and Piombino. <br /><br />It's absolutely freezing (wraps wonderful Russian quilted shawl more tightly round self) any trip outside is likely to be a skating exhibition down the hill, but the power is on and the boilers are firing.<br /><br />I thought Nabucco was a dead duck.hatfield girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12673905475452420002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32841798.post-65426636023058786842012-02-08T10:51:26.571+00:002012-02-08T10:51:26.571+00:00Only a matter of time before China invades Russia ...Only a matter of time before China invades Russia and takes all the territory up to the Urals.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32841798.post-1387789735280809722012-02-08T09:01:58.028+00:002012-02-08T09:01:58.028+00:00Full storage but do not be surprised to see suppli...Full storage but do not be surprised to see supplies being resumed on a preferential basis.<br /><br />Russia grabbed control of the Yamal pipeline in Belarus late last year and is trying to force Ukraine to sell now, giving it total control over supplies to Europe and of course it pushing hard for a rival project to the Nabucco pipeline and trying to keep Azerbijan and states around the Caspian sweet.<br /><br />China is shopping for gas deals amongst the "Stans" but Russia is fighting hard, promising to buy their gas and build infrastructure - from pipelines to building projects as well as usual tricks like cash and yachts for heads of state.<br /><br />Europe's cold snap is expected to last at least another week. Long term forecasts say much of central Europe will be below freezing for the whole of February. I ski today.Swiss Tovaritchnoreply@blogger.com