Are Labour going to freeze FIT Payments?

The_Green_Hornet

With Labour's recent announcement that they are going to force the energy companies to freeze prices for 20 months if they win the next general election, will this mean that FIT payments, which are funded through our energy bills, will also be frozen?

EricMears

The_Green_Hornet wrote: »

With Labour's recent announcement that they are going to force the energy companies to freeze prices for 20 months if they win the next general election, will this mean that FIT payments, which are funded through our energy bills, will also be frozen?

Did I spot a teensy weensy little 'if' in that question ?

It's the party conference season; all sorts of mad ideas will be floated - mainly to see if any of them attract support. Why not wait until 2015 and see what makes it into the manifestos.

Note I said manifestos : Any of the parties are equally capable of spotting the idea for themselves.

However, I'm quietly confident that a unilateral amendment of FIT contracts would very likely spawn a Judicial Review case. Given that the actual application costs for JR are quite modest and that there are very likely to be solicitors & barristers (neither gang featuring prominently on the breadlines) with a strong interest in offering their services to the cause and thousands of people who could afford the initial ten grand or so and who might be prepared to chip in a few hundred I'm sure the action would achieve huge support.


But "freezing energy prices" ? Are we to assume that all energy company employees & shareholders will have their wages & dividends frozen ? Will the energy companies be expected to pick up the tab when covert nuclear subsidies are withdrawn ? Can we afford to halt all investment in new generation capacity. Don't hold your breath till it all happens :rotfl:

Martyn1981

The_Green_Hornet wrote: »

With Labour's recent announcement that they are going to force the energy companies to freeze prices for 20 months if they win the next general election, will this mean that FIT payments, which are funded through our energy bills, will also be frozen?

If they get in, and if this is possible, then FiT rates may get frozen simply as a consequence, since a large part of inflation is energy price inflation (mainly from rising gas prices).

Did you also notice that they plan for zero carbon energy by 2030. I assume they mean leccy, can't envisage zero carbon transport and heating in 17 years time.

http://www.solarpowerportal.co.uk/news/labour_pledges_to_freeze_energy_prices_till_2017_5647

The labour leader also pledged to “take all carbon out of energy by 2030”.

Mart.

EricMears

Martyn1981 wrote: »

The labour leader also pledged to “take all carbon out of energy by 2030” QUOTE]

An interesting concept ! One assumes the guy isn't a chemist !

Carbon-free energy sources are of course possible - but he's only given himself 15 years to overcome the habits of the last 15000 !

He may have been advised to say that all energy would be from carbon-neutral processes but that's a long way from being carbon-free.

You can't really count solar panels as carbon-free : how are you going to manufacture or deliver them without using some carbon based fuels ? All lorries to be electric powered within 15 years ?

We could build a lot of dams and install HEP generators - whoops, mightn't we need some concrete to build the dams ?

Even more wind turbines ? But presumably without the massive concrete foundations they usually have !