Matt wrote:
On Mon, 07 Jan 2008 10:33:46 +0000, David Hansen
wrote:

Other arguments that ministers will advance this week are as flawed
as their economics. We will be told that we need the atom to avoid
dangerous dependency on overseas energy � especially Russian gas.
But analysis done for the Government's energy White Paper shows that
by 2020 � the earliest any new reactor could come online � gas
supplies will be more, not less secure, coming from a diversity of
countries.

Bull****, the only secure supplies are those within your own control.
The UK is, as a result of the dip**** four - Thatcher, Parkinson,
Walker and Wakeham forever ****ed in that regard.

And as most gas is used in industrial processes and
heating homes, nuclear power � which produces only electricity � can
do little to replace it.

More bull****, there are very few industrial processes that expressly
require natural gas.

Almost none. Its convenient, but not mandatory.

Heating with arcs and fans is pretty efficient really.


There are a few process that use carbon to reduce things -steelmaking is
one.

But mostly what you want is heat, and gas, oil or coke is cheaper than
electricity..at the moment.


I am not sure that it would really take 13 years to get a new reactor up
and running, if people were prepared to pay more for it.

But 6-8 is certainly a practical minimum.

Which is probably why we may see some coal fired stations being built.

Those of us who remember blackouts and fuel shoratges of the 70's had
best start reminding people.