An Empty Shell
Lost for words
Posted on 10 Sep 24
by Mark Hodgson
I write, not of our oxymoronically-named Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, but of his very expensive plaything, Great British Energy (sic). Already there is a website produced by the Labour Party ahead of the general election in July this year. Take a look, to see just how truly banal it is. It claims that it will reduce energy bills while also promising to invest in very expensive sources of energy, such as floating offshore wind and hydrogen, and quotes some very credulous electors who obligingly parrot the claim that it will “end the struggle between heating and eating.” That last claim is attributed to Gary, a pensioner from Dudley. I wonder if he is one of those who is now wondering what he has done. Is he one of the millions of pensioners who will be losing their winter fuel allowance?
The new Labour government has already appointed Juergen Maier CBE chair of Great British Energy. You can find out some more about him at his own website. As for the job he has been tasked with, it does seem to be a pretty ineffectual one. The government’s press release of 25th July 2024 tells us that the organisation won’t actually do very much. Rather it is to be given £8.3 Billion of taxpayers’ money to nudge and keep its fingers crossed:
Great British Energy will have five key functions
Project development – leading projects through development stages to speed up their delivery, whilst capturing more value for the British public
Project investment – investing in energy projects alongside the private sector, helping get them off the ground
Local Power Plan – supporting local energy generation projects through working with local authorities, combined authorities and communities
Supply chains – building supply chains across the UK, boosting energy independence and creating jobs
Great British Nuclear – exploring how Great British Energy and Great British Nuclear will work together, including considering how Great British Nuclear functions will fit with Great British Energy
https://cliscep.com/2024/09/10/an-empty-shell/
