A bit of a departure, this one. And certainly not what I advertised last Saturday. Though that element does figure in this bigger picture.
Rather than focus exclusively on Bute’s windfarm plans in Wales, the infiltration of the Welsh political class (especially, but not exclusively, the Labour party), or alleged links to those who sent the tanks into Tianmen Square, I’m going to look into a possibility suggested to me by someone with a keen interest in Bute and associated companies.
In this piece, after the first section, I’m going to look into the companies named as being involved with a new venture at Port Talbot in this press release from Catapult Offshore Renewable Energy. Which seems to tie in with the ‘Celtic Freeport‘, split between Port Talbot and the Haven Waterway.
From one angle, the plan we’re going to look at seems to be, make wind turbine body parts in the electric arc furnaces promised for Port Talbot, from scrap metal, then put them together in Pembrokeshire before mooring them offshore.
That might be the assumption to make, but the press release from Catapult Offshore Renewable Energy clearly states “onshore wind turbines“.
Which might suggest confusion.
Whatever, the companies named in the Catapult press release are Tata Steel UK, RWE, Bute Energy, Hutchinson Engineering, and Ledwood. So I’ll deal with them in the order they’re mentioned.
But let’s start with Catapult itself.
◊
OFFSHORE RENEWABLE ENERGY (ORE) CATAPULT
This outfit, the one apparently pulling it all together, looks to be an extension of Innovate UK, a government-funded body. Google AI says this:
Innovate UK provides substantial funding to ORE Catapult to drive offshore renewable energy innovation, including a recent £85.6 million capital investment for testing facilities.
Note, again: “offshore renewable energy“, yet as we’ve seen, the statement from Catapult clearly says “onshore wind turbines“.
That said, Catapult claims a presence in Pembroke Dock. In a building otherwise known as the Bridge Innovation Centre.
There’s not much more to tell about ORE Catapult, so we’ll move on.
◊
TATA STEEL UK
Indian company Tata Steel is the owner of Port Talbot steelworks. The coal-based blast furnaces have closed and it’s promised they’ll be replaced with a £1.25 billion electric arc furnace. Due to be fully operational by the end of next year.
The project has already received £500 million in UK government funding.
Which means that Tata’s role seems fairly clear. It will produce the steel needed for the onshore and offshore wind turbines, from scrap, much of which will be sourced abroad, as will be explained in the section about Ledwood.
UPDATE 20.04.2026: This article on the feasibility of scrap metal electric arc furnaces appeared in the Western Mail, taken from The Conversation. The authors seems to argue that the supply chain for scrap steel doesn’t exist, and UK electricity prices might make the whole project unviable.
◊
RWE
As many of you will know, RWE is a huge German company involved in ‘renewable’ energy. Let’s also remember that RWE is a big player in Wales.
RWE is the largest power producer and renewable energy generator in Wales, with more than 3GW of energy across 12 sites. Brechfa Forest West Wind Farm comprises of 28 turbines – enough to power 40,000 homes. The site has produced over 1.05TWh of energy since it was commissioned in 2018.
RWE’s Head of Onshore Development: Wales & England is Eleri Davies. She also sits on the UK government’s Onshore Wind Industry Taskforce. As we are reminded in this press release from her company:
As a member of the Government’s newly created Onshore Wind Industry Taskforce, it was incredibly valuable to show the Prime Minister and First Minister how RWE works with and for local communities, harnessing homegrown talent and supporting local communities.
UK Operational Manager for RWE is Nia Griffiths. So there’s a definite Welsh flavour to RWE. At least in senior staff. Of course the money goes back to Germany.
And it seems RWE already has a presence in Port Talbot at the Baglan Innovation Centre. While in 2022 it struck a deal with Associated British Ports, owners of Port Talbot docks, an agreement that also covers Milford Haven.
◊
BUTE ENERGY
Bute Energy appears for obvious reasons. First, wanting to plaster rural Wales with wind turbines and pylons. Second, because this company has bought up ‘Welsh’ Labour and is not without influence within the party at UK level.
But for the purposes of this piece, I think we should concentrate on warehouses.
I touched on this subject briefly with a post back in August 2024 after receiving information from Scotland. It’s here in Parabola Bute Energy, Scottish Echoes. The Bute Boys, using the company Windward Titan Ltd, bought a huge warehouse (below) near Glasgow, then sold it three years later, for double the price paid, to the Lothian Pension Fund; essentially, Labour-run Edinburgh City Council.
Does Bute getting money from Labour-controlled pension funds sound familiar?
Further information received last month, from a different source, suggested Bute companies – often under the ‘Windward’ label – have quite a few warehouses ” . . . in Wales and Scotland filled to the rafters with BESS and pylon materials“.
These have been bought with the help of private bank Brown Shipley & Co Ltd, ultimately owned by the Al Thani family, which also owns Qatar.
I dealt with this a few weeks back in The Windward-Bute Empire, Fresh Insights.
So the question is, why would Bute need all this space, and why are some of these warehouses chock full of pylon components and other equipment for onshore wind turbine installations?
Also note, the insider who contacted me last month made no mention of the actual turbines. Neither towers nor blades. For which I might have an explanation.
◊
HUTCHINSON ENGINEERING
This company has also appeared on this blog quite recently. In a piece I put out in January. (Skip the first section.)
I started out back then by wondering, in a post on X, why a company in Cornwall called Inyanga Marine Energy Group had received £2,000,000 from our wonderful, and now thankfully departed, ‘Welsh Government’.
The man behind Inyanga, Richard James Parkinson, has other companies named HydroWing and Sangoma. All hoping to generate power from wave energy. Explained in the earlier blog piece I’ve linked to. But there seems to be no money, apart from public funding, and little sign of activity.
Though I did find this piece in the Falmouth Packet, which introduces Hutchinson.
Inyanga Marine Energy Group, based in Penryn, has tasked Hutchinson Engineering with constructing its HydroWing tidal energy device.
The 20 MW HydroWing tidal energy array will be deployed at Morlais, off Anglesey in Wales.
Naturally, my attention then turned to Hutchinson Engineering of Cheshire. Here’s the Companies House entry. You’ll see that ownership rests with Modernuser Ltd. In turn owned by Dean Clark Drinkwater.
And here’s Dean, a fan of both Starmer and Miliband!
What’s more, Drinkwater has also been appointed to the UK Government’s Onshore Wind Industry Taskforce, chaired by ‘Mad Ed’ Miliband.
It would appear that Dean is another who’s well in with the Labour party.
◊
LEDWOOD
Ledwood Mechanical Engineering Ltd, based in Pembroke Dock, is owned by Ledwood Protective Coatings Ltd, which is in turn owned by Nicholas David Revell, and may rely to a great extent on a loan from the ‘Welsh Government’-controlled Development Bank of Wales.
Another Revell company is Ledwood Holdings Ltd. Revell has a further company, LSM Holdings Ltd. (‘Ledwood Scrap Metals’?)
I suggest that name due to this reference in the LSM accounts, and where it leads.
Nick Revell, also gets a mention in this press release from January 2025 from the Wales Office, not ‘Welsh Government’. Again, the “Celtic Freeport” is mentioned.
Bluecap Resources Ltd, highlighted in the clip above, is based in Newport. But with its R&D in Penryn, Cornwall where, you’ve just read, we also find Inyanga, builder of wave energy machines, and beneficiary of ‘Welsh Government’ largesse.
The company is owned by:
. . . a consortium of European shareholders from the natural resources industry, both corporate and individual, including two publicly-quoted companies . . .
(Here are the Bluecap Resources shareholders.)
Yet the website tells us very little. But if we turn to the filings with Companies House we see big share issues in recent years – all in US dollars.
Bluecap is in the business of “extraction and recovery“. That it uses US dollars suggests to me it conducts much of its business outside of the UK. A belief reinforced by the company Bluecap Poland Ltd, formerly known as Bluecap Turkey Ltd.
◊
THE THEORY
Someone who’s given the consortium some thought has suggested to me a theory. Which, after doing some research of my own, I find both elegant and plausible.
It all hinges on the electric arc furnace at Port Talbot. On it being built, and then on that furnace using scrap material. This explains Tata Steel’s presence in the consortium.
The scrap will be provided by Ledwood-Bluecap. And will almost certainly come from outside of the UK. That’s why they’re involved.
That scrap material will be smelted at Port Talbot, a magical process to transform it into the “UK Steel” promised in the headline of the Energy-pedia article.
Next, it will be knocked into the shapes and sections desired for 250 metre tall wind turbines by Hutchinson Engineering of Cheshire, who might set up an operation in Wales, or co-operate with a locally-based company.
If my Bute source is correct about the warehouses being “filled to the rafters with BESS and pylon materials”, then Windward-Bute can supply pylons and the Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). This is one reason why Bute is involved.
RWE might provide the motors and other mechanisms required by the wind turbines. Then again, as a major player, RWE may be thinking ahead to replacing its clapped-out turbines, even erecting new ones.
Alternatively, the blades might come from somewhere else.
For the largest manufacturer of turbine blades in Europe is Danish company Vestas. A director of Vestas is former Danish PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt. Her alter ego is Mrs Kinnock, for she’s married to Stephen Kinnock MP, in whose Aberafan Maesteg constituency we find Port Talbot steelworks.
Furthermore, Vestas has a 25% stake in Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), which seems to be Bute Energy’s main financial backer.
◊
CONCLUSION
Let’s start by remembering that in the Ore Catapult press release we read that the consortium involved is “largely based in Wales“.
Yet Tata Steel is an Indian company. RWE German. Bute Energy is Scottish. Hutchinson Engineering is an English company. Ledwood and Bluecap have addresses in Newport, but source their scrap metal from God knows where.
Pushing this lot as Welsh is like describing the German army in September 1939 as Polish because it was “largely based in Poland“.
And as if that idiocy wasn’t enough, remember that almost all the electricity that’ll be generated will go to England!
If the theory is correct, or only partly correct, we can clearly see who’s going to benefit from turning scrap metal into wind turbine parts, and who’ll make money from supplying whatever else is needed.
It’ll be the same faces that have been ripping Wales off for too long.
There might be a few hundred jobs at Port Talbot, small compensation for the thousands lost. A few hauliers might get contracts. The turbines and pylons will be erected by specialist crews brought in from outside.
But let’s not forget – it might keep Kinnock Jnr in a job.
Yet we’ll have to put up with the ugly bloody turbines and pylons, and you can bet your sweet life that whatever the colour of the ‘Welsh Government’ after May 7 – we’ll be paying out plenty in public money.
All done so that demented individuals in Plaid Cymru, for whom politics is all gestures, who prefer ‘positions’ over policies that would benefit the long-suffering Welsh people, can claim that Wales is a “world leader” – in being exploited.
For God’s sake, don’t vote for these clowns!
♦ end ♦
© Royston Jones 2026
Comments are closed on this post. Too many have deviated from the substance of the piece, and now some of the comments are getting very personal.
Jac o’ the North’s rcent BLOG COMMENTS
Jac o’ the North’s BLOG was quite a sensation some years ago when it first appeared, exposing lots of the seedy side of Welsh Politics particularly the extensive moral corruption down in ‘The Bay’. It was well researched and well read and Jac had oviously built up a lot of useful contacts and whistle blowers and did considerble research himself.
As I saw it, there was one big problem – most of the people of Wales would read it and mutter “tutt, tutt” but do nothing themselves in protest. In other words it made fascinating reading, but its revelations were frustratingly never followed up by its readers.
The public should have changed donkey voting habits and expressed outrage to their own Senedd Members and referred queries to Auditors and Ombudsmen and Standards Committees quoting Jac’s revelations, but they cowardly did not.
The Welsh electorate continued to vote in to power the same old Tafia.
At last the 7th of May’s election may see some changes in ‘The Bay’ – changes of faces, but probably not changes for the better. Hopefully due to Jac. Well done Jac.
Possibly we will get a self centered Coalition instead of old Labour will emerge.
What fascinates me now, is the current furious debate on Renewable Energy in the ‘COMMENTS’ Section of jac o’ the North’s Blog. Who avidly reads all these COMMENTS? I guess nobody! These comments are between two factions over Renewable Energy. the participants might as well just write direct to each other as nobody is reading them. Will anyone read this?
Does Jac himslf have any system within his BLOG to check how many reader hits his Comments Section gets? If so publish it Jac. If it’s a minute number, it’s futile, then stop wasting everyone’s time and write to Senedd Candidates directly and after the 7th May bombard the winners whoever they are.
I’m amazed by a small group that insults and criticises everyone else – then wonders why they have no support. Why no one listens to them.
That note from Ioan Richards was also circulated on a blind-copy email list to an unknown number of recipients [including myself]. I responded with the note copied below.
Ioan
In reply to your message.
Have the backbone to place your comments in the public domain on Jac’s blog not on a blind-copy list on email – a communication system in the private domain – with the identity of recipients known only to yourself. If you insist on using a private communication system have the courtesy to follow established etiquette as set out in the simple set of rules below.
Wynne
Email etiquette
This blog piece was about the promised electric arc furnace at Port Talbot, and the consortium linked to it. Bute was mentioned as a named member of that consortium.
But the comments got hijacked by people who wanted to focus exclusively on Bute, and wind turbines. Quite frankly, obsessives. And it’s the same message all the time – ‘You must write a letter to the editor at the Llanfair Caereinion Pig Breeders’ Monthly Newsletter‘ (Circulation 37, in a good month.) As if that wasn’t bad enough, their ‘comments’ here tend to be copies of their letters to the media, or things they’ve earlier put out in emails.
Tomorrow there’s a High Court hearing in Cardiff against Bute, by people directly affected by Bute’s activities, who’ve retained a lawyer. The right decision here will achieve more than any amount of letters to the august publication previously mentioned.
And those of whom I speak seem unaware that I write about many other issues, but they only appear in my comments when they think they have an opportunity to rant a bit and expose their obsession. (As if we weren’t already aware!)
They’re becoming rather tiresome.
Just occurred to me … are Bute looking for a power purchase agreement whereby the entire output of their “energy parks” is sold to Tata for a fixed, low price. Long term contract, maybe longer than a CfD
Please, I beg you, don’t encourage them onto email
The new electric arc furnace will require a new substation (Margam B) which will be 400 kV, so there will need to be new pylons from the 400 kV line a few miles to the north
And as is traditional now, new substations attract solar farms, like this 350 MW one at Caegarw Farm. At that size it will not be consented by Welsh Ministers but by the Secretary of State (currently Ed Miliband)
Do any Llanelli ‘Turks’ or serious sincere Academic Metalurgists read this BLOG of yours Jac? If so can they publicly answer this series of serious questions:-
Is the Trostre Works Llanelli the last working Tinplate works in the UK? Is it still an important employer and a serious part of the Llanelli greater area economy? How many work there now? Does it still pay good wages to its blue collar shift workers? Does it still work at capacity producing weekly about 10,000 tonnes of tinplate food packaging material? Is Trostre still an important customer of Port Talbot’s hot mill? Does tinplate for food cans stlll require base steel sheet of high quality free of inclusions? Most importantly, will steel produced from mixed scrap metal, in an electric arc furnace, meet the strict traditional quality needs for tinplate?
On a lighter note – how many Welsh rugby internationals ever worked at Trostre and who was their most favourite Manager and least favourite Manager – they so varied over the past 75 years? Do you think Wales deserves a national Tinplate Museum?
Steady strong nuclear or erratic weak wind power?
What bemuses me is how Plaid Cymru wants to make Wales the world leader in Renewable Energy particularly via erratic Wind Turbines but not on Yhys Mon, which is Rhun ap Iorwerth’s constituency, which itself is now to have a new Nuclear Power Station, providing many long term real jobs and reliable steady energy, but not part of Plaid Cymru’s wish list of energy produucing systems.
Those who support erratic weak Wind Turbines generally oppose strong steady Nuclear Power citing the Chernobyl nuclear disaster that happened 26th April 1086 forty years ago from next week.
On 26 April 1986, reactor no. 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power disaster, located near Pripyat, Ukrainian SSR, under the then dictatorship of the Soviet Union (later to become Ukraine) exploded. With dozens of direct casualties and thousands of health complications stemming from the disaster, This was due to a ridiculous Russian dictatorship inspired experiment, far from Moscow, using the plant to operate ramping up and down to reflect demand as opposed to its intended safe steady output.
We in the UK today safely use about 14% of our power from safe steady well managed nuclear power stations. This new plant at Anglesey – Ynys Mon will add to that considerably and safely.
BBC NEWS on 13th April 2026 (last week) announced that work is to begin building a new nuclear power station that will bring 8,000 new jobs has been approved, the UK government has announced.
Ministers have chosen Wylfa on Anglesey as the site after signing a £2.5bn partnership with Rolls-Royce to build it last year.
The company claimed that the project will create 3,000 jobs local to the Wylfa site and an additional 5,000 jobs nationally.
Tom Greatrex, Nuclear Industry Association chief executive, said the move would pave the way for three small modular reactors – the UK’s first – to be built at the site.
It is claimed the three units will supply enough steady reliable electricity to power the equivalent of about 3 million homes for more than 60 years. It will be under 100 miles from its nearest big city Liverpool and over 300 miles from London.
Those who oppose Nuclear Power choose to ignore the fact that France has 56 major nuclear Power Stations of which several are quite near to London. The largest one at Gravesline France is less than 120 miles from the heart of London as the crow flies and none of the ‘UK Greens’ protested against that quoting Chernobyl !
Graveslines France
Gravelines is a historic fortified commune in the Nord department of northern France, situated at the mouth of the river Aa between Calais and Dunkirk. While it is celebrated for its well-preserved Vauban fortifications, today it is internationally recognized as the home of the Gravelines Nuclear Power Station.
Graveslines Nuclear Power Station: Is the largest nuclear power plant in Western Europe and the second-largest in Europe. It operates six 900 MW reactors, supplying approximately 70% of the electricity for the Hauts-de-France region. In 2010, it became the first plant in the world to deliver 1,000 billion kilowatt-hours (one petawatt-hour) of electricity. At just 120 miles from London.
What is desperately needed is for our Government, via all of our political parties, to collaborate with our closest allied countries (not USA today) to perfect and invest massively in controlled nuclear fussion instead of the current nuclear fission that creates long term radioactive unwanted waste for generations.
The consultation responses for Future Wales (back in 2019) include that from the MOD who objected to any turbines on Ynys Môn higher than those currently here, due to the low fly training area and military radar interference
…..and the fact that “THE THREE NIMBYS” Jonathan Dean of CPRW , Rhun ap Iorwerth and Plaid Cymru’s Baroness Smith of Llanfaes [what a joke!] …WHO WORKS FOR BUTE ENERGY…….all live on Anglesey!!!
You only have a FEW little spinners on Anglesey!!
What about Police helicopters, air ambulances and low-flying jets…….in the rest of Wales????
How can we have 820 ft spinning monsters on 1500 ft mountains???
I can’t resist posting this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upg5Pj5PW8k
He gets it wrong at the beginning with: “ . . . napper from your dapper to your feet“. Should be: ‘. . . dapper (smart) from your napper (head) to your feet’.
The warehouses full of pylon and turbine parts – does anyone know who owns the material in the warehouses as it is unlikely to be Windward
I’m hoping to find out.
Not turbine parts. BESS.
There has been massive over proposal of BESS and NESO have knocked back loads for another ten years
I understood that currently the majority of U.K. produced scrap steel has to be exported as there is insufficient reprocessing capacity. This is part of the business case for EAF at Port Talbot as there is so much raw material for them to process
I forget exactly where I read this
One of the recently licensed Celtic Sea wind farms will bring the power ashore at Baglan (see the NESO report “Beyond 2030 – The Celtic Sea”)
Let’s hope you’re right. But at the moment Ledwood seems to be operating outside the UK. And even if the electric arc furnace is built, I bet it’ll still be cheaper to bring in foreign scrap.
I think Newport Docks was exporting much of UK’s scrap. Check that. Maybe the trade will reverse now?
I assume scrap steel is just a traded commodity so we will import and export to match demand and processing capacity, or even toll process scrap owned by others, so the material itself may never be owned in the U.K. It’s not an industry I’ve ever had anything to do with, but toll processing can be very tax advantageous and happens a lot in other industries
Can you,or anyone, explain that in simple terms to the international big brothers of ‘Steptoe & Son’ – as at https://www.ulbrich.com/blog/what-is-toll-processing/ as this scrap process will become a very integral part of Port Talbot steel’s successful survival use of its giant new electric arc furnace.
What that describes is one take on it, but it becomes tax advantageous if a supply chain is structured to use it creatively
I know of several companies that do the following …
set up a supply chain company in eg Switzerland
switzerland buys raw materials and has them delivered to their own factory in another country
Switzerland pays the factory a tolling fee to produce products
products are delivered to customers anywhere
customer pays Switzerland
All profit is made in Switzerland and pays low corporation tax
The factories and sales organisations are paid just enough such they are not trading illegally, so pay minimal tax in the countries they are based in
Very popular with US corporations who are always taxed in the US as well as overseas, so want to minimise overseas tax. But can be done by absolutely any company
Switzerland allows each canton to negotiate their own corporate tax rate with each company, but Ireland is also a popular location and Belgium, depending in industry
I know of U.K. chemical companies that toll in Belgium but take all profit in the U.K.
It all hinges on who owns the materials and which tax jurisdiction they are owned in
Copied below in an AI generated response to the question:
Does Rishi Sunak have any direct ownership in Tata Group companies?
There is no evidence that Rishi Sunak has any direct ownership in Tata Group companies.
The relationship between Sunak and the Tata Group is defined by his role as Prime Minister, where he has facilitated and publicly championed major investments by the Indian conglomerate in the UK. This includes a £1.25 billion deal to modernize Tata Steel’s Port Talbot plant and a separate £4 billion investment by Tata to build an electric vehicle battery gigafactory.
Sunak, who is of Indian heritage, has hailed these deals as a “huge vote of confidence” in the UK economy.
While some media reports have noted that Sunak’s political party has received donations from a company (Bowmer and Kirkland) linked to the land for the Tata gigafactory, and critics have accused him of favoritism, there are no credible reports suggesting Sunak holds any personal shares or financial stake in Tata Group or its subsidiaries.
Your piece reads like a supply chain has been or will be put together and all it now needs is the green light. However one or more of those participants might elect to back off or get bumped out. With likes of RWE and TATA in the picture they may end up wanting yet more big internationally recognised “brands” in the chain.
Even in its present configuration it smacks of an extractive model with profits getting taken back to a corporate owner/ultimate holding company far from Wales, even far from London. Yet again the prospect of smaller clusters of turbines owned by businesses with deep roots in Welsh communities will be absent from this arrangement. Colonialism will thrive with Mad Ed and his corporate mates steering the extraction and enrichment programme.
What I also find worrying is the possibility that if the scrap is foreign sourced, then once it passes through the electric arc furnace it becomes somehow ‘naturalised’, and we’ll be asked to forget the environmentally unfriendly methods of perhaps extracting, and certainly transporting it to Port Talbot.
It’s someone else’s problem in some country which Mad Ed will regard as laggards in the fight to save the world while he will be basking in the glory of being a world leading Net Zero twat.
This just flashed up online.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/uk-energy-firm-collapses-into-administration-after-5-4million-loss-all-staff-made-redundant/ar-AA20WDxt?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=69e11de2494c46939d6efc6972b76e6c&ei=19
Seems like anyone investing in “green” is opting for cheaper stuff with possibly huge polluting freight milage attached which is the kiss of death for locally manufactured kit.
That’s how they get away with it. “Look at these lovely green, clean, non-polluting wind turbines/solar panels – but don’t look into their backgrounds“.
Fair enough, Jac. Thanks for putting my comments here.
It’s a crying shame that your subscribers do not ALSO write to newspapers like the Western Mail, Liverpool Daily Post, Cambrian News, County Times [Newtown] , Brecon and Radnor Express, Tivyside, South Wales Echo and Western Telegraph.
Think of the people they’d reach!! TENS OF THOUSANDS in total…..because each sold copy may be read by 4 or 5….plus people see the papers online and in libraries.
We need to REACH MORE VOTERS!!
By the way, shame you are not given a column in the Cambrian News, Jac !
Have you offered your services to Irish Editor , Mick O’Reilly??..
Has my comment been scrapped? Why?
For God’s sake, Lyn! They don’t go up automatically.
Excellent piece of research.
What we need in Wales though is for DOZENS more to protest openly about this desecration of Wales….in as many newspapers as possible!!
Also, why not send this report to Guy Adams , chief investigative journalist of the Daily Mail? Do you know that Guy Adams lives somewhere in Gwent?
The other thing about Stephen Kinnock MP is that he made a written OBJECTION to PEDW, the Welsh Govt inquiry, regarding the 820 ft wind turbines of Bryn Wind Farm above Maesteg and Port Talbot in his own constituency.
His objections included
[a] Shadow-flicker ;[b] Horrendous noise ; [c] TV signal interference [d] Having to bury the 260 ft fibre-glass blades in land-fill after about 25 years usage because they can’t be re-cycled.
I believe that the local MPs objection had a HUGE influence on the Planning Inspector….and of course, on Rebecca Evans , Labour Environment Minister scrapped Bryn Wind Farm ASAP [ AS I HAD PREDICTED!!]. Too many Labour votes for Stephen Kinnock MP at risk in a Labour heartland!! Real NIMBYS!!
What sheer HYPOCRISY!! Mrs Kinnock, as Jac says, is a Director of Vestas Wind Turbines, and Vestas will be supplying Bute Energy at around 20 huge Welsh wind farms……..with massive wind turbines up to 820 ft high…….SIMILAR TO THOSE FROM IRELAND THAT HER HUBBY HAD OBJECTED TO AT BRYN WIND FARM !!
How can she be selling wind turbines after the slagging that her MP husband, Stephen Kinnock, has given them??
Is it because, Bute Energy is largely putting them in NON-LABOUR areas of rural Wales?
Why don’t others send that information to the Press everywhere? How can a Labour Cabinet Minister be allowed to behave in such a contradictory manner?
Why are you ALL not going to the Press everywhere , over this ludicrous situation? We need FAR MORE VOICES in the Press , please!!!
These FACTS need FAR MORE publicity !!
Dont get me going on PEDW…they overturn every objection that Local Councils put in for planning and on a more personal level HMOs on feeble excuses…Its pretty much like CADW sorry but this used to be a good organisation but now its just another sub of the corrupt Welsh Govt…roll on May…
Why not say these things IN THE PRESS too? If you can string a sentence or two together, you can get into 10 newspapers in 30 minutes!!
Say it all OUT LOUD!!
Because they dont understand how the system works. Sorry no offence to the new Gen z or whatever but they are totally clueless because we live in a world, well in the UK anyway where its all done for us and we live in a totally disposable society – by that I mean we throw things away as its easy come easy go…for most!!…I work in IT and a few other things and ppl dont know how to sort their computer systems out, their phones etc and so after 2 years dump them…we throw away what others in the world would and do kill for…so how do you expect people to report this to the press when its not occurred to them…ppl do not understand how the internet works…they just use it…its only when it comes tumbling down that they start to question. Our knowledge is General and not specific..we are a collective and our knowledge is held collectively…so..not my problem…if that makes sense lol..
I agree but one of the problems is that if it doesnt directly affect you today, no one is interested and my experience is we are a nation of moaners not doers…eg. We had a rat problem and I tried to get our village to do something about it…but no one would…so I decided to hold a council meeting in our pub..and I said…hi everyone…I got rats…and everyone then said so have we…because they were embarassed…so we got pest control in and it was sorted…but the old thing about NIMBY is true too and sadly also today there are a lot of younger ppl out there who just dont know and are not interested as its part of the culture we live in..not my problem, till it falls on their heads…
RWE has just pulled out of a huge Solar Farm outside of Wrexham because it cant link it up to the National Grid. I know I keep ranting on about this but simple fact is that most of these as Jac rightly says are scams because you cant link them up to the Grid so its money for old rope or old grid – joke – which ever way you want to play it. The Nat Grid is not fit for purpose so most of these proposals are pie in the sky and its all about making money…not for what they produce but for the grant money they get and other income from other sources….
The connection problems goes a long way to explaining why Bute wants to erect so many pylons. They’re to connect with the grid.
I believe Hendy wind farm – constructed years ago following planning permission – still has no connection to the national grid. I believe they are in breach of planning control, but no enforcement action has been taken by the local authority to require the developers to remove the structures: now a blot on the landscape.
It might be too embarrassing for too many people to re-visit that decision. Lesley Griffiths overturned an inspector’s ruling so a single turbine could meet a funding deadline. And local sources told me the shysters involved knew of that decision well in advance, because they started work some time before the decision was made public.
And then, the guy involved in Hendy (and a couple of other projects) got involved with Bute!
Wrexham still has no Development Plan…nothing so its a total farce…I think its the only County Council in the whole of the UK..incl Scot, NI not to have one…so planning here has no control and no boundaries…nightmare…
Ah Blot on the Landscape…did you ever watch it…Tom Sharpes…so funny…that was about planning and they were going to build a motorway through a stately home..David Suchet was in it as Blot…anyway to the point!!..I need a new brain and Aldis are not on sale yet!!…its a huge problem and its the whole con…Trecwn in Pembs the old MOD site has been the subject of endless PAs to create a power source, bio etc…but they couldnt get the wood pellets there and on and on it went…and I have no idea where they are upto atm..I honestly dont bother because until they start construction you just get on with your lives…
We’ve always known that.
No grid connection via Bute’s Green Gen Cymru pylons = No Bute wind turbines in Wales…….They are all intended to be linked via Pont Abraham, then Swansea to the existing Pembroke pylon line to England!!
Power will be lost every mile of the way through seepage……….and the pylons link back to Nant Mithil….a massive Bute wind Farm on Radnor Forest, Powys……only 7 miles from England?????
Why the long pylon line loop from Powys to Carms and Swansea? ? So Bute Energy can build even more future wind farms en route, in Ceredigion and Carms.!
Wake up Wales!! This is only a start !
You might have always known it Lyn but you may be an exception and I am quite sure if I told this to my 30yr old neighbour they wouldnt have a clue. I had a conversation a few months ago with a 30 something, lol…who had never heard of Chernobyl…life carries on…we remember it because in 86 we were here in Wales and the Min of Ag and fish…as was DEFRA then were testing our sheep..lol…
Yes, imo. But also a big issue is that the Grids software hasnt really been updated in a very long time and is very hackable!…
Another problem is that the turbines are built a long way from where the power is needed. The grid in central Wales was adequate for the area’s needs. The problem is the turbines. A comment to this post from a certain Mr Jenkins alludes to “seepage“, which is a further problem.
There’s a plan to link turbines off the west coast of Scotland, first undersea to somewhere near Bangor, then by pylons to Swansea North, to connect with the line from Pembroke to England. How much will be lost in transmission?
This is a problem that’s always overlooked.
Well there were plans to build off the St Davids Peninsula and nothings happened. Its like George Orwells Animal Farm…the 2 year plan and 4 year plan and on and on it goes…
Sorry you’re wrong!! This pylon line down the MIDDLE OF WALES IS COMING……….because the Welsh are too sleepy and scared to OPPOSE it!!
It is cheaper to bring the electricity overland.down through Wales than by sea around it.
However, the Scottish electricity should be fed straight into Liverpool instead. There are about 10 million people ….plus…. between North West England[ Lancs, Liverpool, Manchester, Cheshire etc] ,, the Potteries [ Stoke-on-Trent ] , the Black Country [Wolverhampton / Dudley ] and Birmingham.
Take the Scottish electricity to THOSE MILLIONS !!
Why destroy the beauty of Wales to take it to southern England?
There is NO CHANCE they will put these monsters on the precious Cotswolds, Malverns, Chilterns….is there???
If one is powering Southern England with this sporadic rubbish……….THAT is where they SHOULD go !!
Are u talking about the one from Newtown through Welshpool? This has been planned since 2000..I could be wrong and if so I apologise..in Pembrokeshire I dealt mostly with the Marine aspects…
Here u are explains it better than I could…I did try to photo it and upload it before…well maybe…scanner now working so here it is…and explains very clearly what happened last year to the Grid in Spain Port and France…ooops
Having read the final report by the Spanish grid operator, there is no single event that triggered the blackout, but lack of inertia contributed to the event propagating and then all the usual safety systems shut the grid down. They had been advised to install more inertia six years previously but had failed to do it
The GB grid does not have this problem as gas generation will still be used for at least a decade, nuclear will always be present, and extra inertia is being installed such as the synchronous condenser project at Cilfynydd substation at Llanfabon and the existing one at Rhigos
My client would disagree with you…but thanks for the information. We will see!.
Well the early rumours were that it was triggered by a gas power station, which would be ironic, but that’s not what the final report concluded
There are also reports of undamped oscillations across the entire European network that day which may not have helped
Interesting. thx
Not overlooked by me or one or two others. I’ve written in the Press about this matter a few times.. They want to bring Scottish wind energy electricity under the north Irish Sea and ashore in Clwyd…then by pylon for over 120 miles …despoiling Welsh rural valleys….to Swansea …. to then link to the the existing Pembroke/Swansea/England pylon line …..to help power the south of England. The reason it’s coming across land down through Wales is so that they can link NEW WELSH WIND FARMS GALORE into it, to power the massive 57 million population in England!!
Wales is merely a useful dumping ground inhabited by a people who are TOO AFRAID to express an opinion publicly in a newspaper with FULL NAME AND ADDRESS !
THAT is the Welsh problem !!
You’re right, Lyn. I agree with you. Honest!
On 26 Aug 2025 11:49, via FREE PRESS READER :-
We already produce too much electricity[ LETTER TITLE IN DAILY POST]
Western Mail & Daily Post (North Wales) today Tuesday 26 Aug 2025
I totally agree with what u say, but I also believe its an economically unachievable scam. As for ppl of Wales..they are not interested..as I said, lack of interest, will,education, need. All they are interested in are their phones, social media…
RWE own Pembroke
West coast Scotland will come via the Western Link 2 project to Aberdesach then Pentir substation. All HVDC (525 kV) so extremely low transmission losses. Western Link 1 already comes into Deeside. Western Link 3 will come to either Bodelwyddan or Pentir substations
Down the east coast there will be Eastern Link 1-5 coming to a variety of locations from north of the Humber to Kent
The main pinch points are transmission boundary B6 at the England/Scotland border and transmission boundary B9 which runs from Aberystwyth to the Wash and separates the midlands from the south
The north south Wales pylons are to bridge B9. Just a guess, but the route may get announced in June. A series of reports have been held back until after the elections and one due is “tCSNP2” – the second update to the transitional centralised strategic network plan
Current transmission losses for the whole of GB are about 3%, half the amount lost in the lower voltage local distribution lines
If you know all this about the pylon lines coming to Wales, why are you not saying this IN THE PRESS………20 WELSH NEWSPAPERS………RIGHT NOW?
You say :-
” The north south Wales pylons are to bridge B9. Just a guess, but the route may get announced in June. A series of reports have been held back until after the elections and one due is “tCSNP2” – the second update to the transitional centralised strategic network plan”
So how about putting that in PRESS LETTERS, please? You represent CPRW, so why are you ….and they…….not saying FAR MORE in the newspapers of Wales……RIGHT NOW??
You should be really “kicking-up” on behalf of Wales!!
Who first broke the story in nation.cymru three years ago?
I’m not going to write to the press with guesses
And the fact that the tCSNP2 is out in June isn’t news. When it comes out there will be something to say
That is uselessly AFTER the May 7th elections, of course !!!!!
What’s going on Jonathan? Are you being STRAIGHT with us ?
You say you are fighting for WELSH LANDSCAPES through being a CPRW spokesman!
Therefore ,why can’t you be more BLUNT, HONEST, DIRECT and VOCIFEROUS in defence of Welsh scenery….RIGHT NOW!!
WELL BEFORE THE ELECTIONS OF MAY 7TH!!
I hope you are not merely “running with the fox and hunting with the hounds” ??
Don’t beat about the bush….DEFEND WELSH LANDSCAPES!!
THAT IS SURELY THE RAISON D’ETRE OF CPRW !!???
Have you read the CPRW Manifesto? On our website. Sent to every single Senedd candidate. Are you following the daily posts on our Facebook page? Get your mates at the Western Mail to run our press release
Well said Lyn Jenkins. It’s sad that Jonathan Dean, who speaks officially for CPRW, champions erratic Wind Energy, albeit out in the Celtic Sea with the cosequnce of more Pylons and giant Lithium Battery complexes on Welsh land once the ultra costly offshore Wind Energy arrives ashore.
I note he, on behalf of CPRW, has nothing to say about the new Nuclear Power Station that’s proposed near his home on Ynys Mon.
Did you not read the two pieces in nation.cymru about Wylfa?
I don’t “speak officially” for CPRW
We champion offshore wind to keep pylons out of the countryside – thought you would approve of that, but maybe not
Keep an eye out for the NESO publications – it is onshore renewables (wind and solar) that need storage and pylons, offshore wind uses subsea cables to near areas of high demand like Baglan
What’s in Baglan? Only a housing estate! If you mean Port Talbot steelworks, it’s a bit further up the road with an internal power station of sorts. The main issue is, that you Jonathan Dean are legitamizing Wind Power generally, using CPRW to give you a platform. The developers then use your arguements to plaster little Wales with onshore monster Wind Turbines and consequently Pylons and huge Lithium Battery Centres as now advocated for Wales by your Ynys Mon neighbour Rhun ap Iorwerth. Why don’t you attack Bute Energy instead of Lyn Jenkins? Bute Energy are hands in glove with Plaid Cymru.
Another point – all these Canadian Wood Chips for DRAX are hauled vast distances by diesel transport. What’s their final Calorific Value per tonne minus their carbon fuel costs to process the Chips and haul them several thousnd miles to DRAX.
TOTALLY
I have no issue with the technology, just where they are proposed. It is CPRW policy
Developers can say what they like but it a single minister that allows onshore to happen. I’m flattered if you think they use MY arguments. I’ve never noticed it myself
I didn’t see anything see anything in the Plaid manifesto to that effect. Can you tell on which page it appears?
I have NEVER attacked Lyn Jenkins but I have corrected his errors and helpfully advised him where he can get more facts
Try ChatGPT if you want more details on biomass. Challenge it though, it is t always correct
Meanwhile, on today’s BBC site just today …
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2663lxw00o
Baglan has been selected as one of the landing points for the Celtic Sea wind farms
see “Beyond 2030 – The Celtic Sea” from NESO, submitted to Ofgem for approval
Attack Bute Energy?
CPRW and Justice for Wales are in the High Court in Cardiff this coming Tuesday against Green Gen Cymru
Press release is on our website
Best of luck on Tuesday.
Thanks. Depending on the outcome it could apply across the whole U.K.
According to his letter , a few weeks ago, in Exeter’s Western Morning News, Jonathan Dean is also promoting wind turbines on WELSH LAND….not just out at sea.
Does he deny that ?
I find that incredible from a spokesman for CPRW .
News to me!
show me
REPEAT: I am NOT a spokesman for CPRW
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2663lxw00o
Treating the public as fools.
What a corrupt and deluded world we live in when forests are being turned into wood chips, transported thousands of miles across the ocean in dirty polluting diesel engine ships, eventually to be burnt in an atmospheric polluting power station! “Gross exaggeration” the uninformed would cry, but step forward Drax wood pellet generating power station, situated in Selby, North Yorkshire, whose boss could earn nearly £7m this year, with the station receiving around £8bn in so-called green energy tax breaks – and guess who pays dear reader!
But what motivates such madness? It is simply Ed Miliband in his mindless pursuit of Net Zero who has cloth ears to any counter argument, such as the Drax fraudulent plant releasing over 140m tonnes of carbon dioxide between 2013 and 2025, and the wood pellet factory in the town of Gloster, Mississippi, U.S. contributing to health problems for nearby residents.
Environmentalists such as Biofuelwatch have said particulates from Drax were an especially dangerous form of air pollution, and linked it to a number of health problems including cancers, heart disease and stroke. The smaller the particle, the deeper it can penetrate into the lungs and particles of PM2.5, with a diameter less than 2.5 micrometres)and below, can even enter the bloodstream and travel to other organs, causing inflammation, DNA and tissue damage and restriction of blood vessels.
It can only be concluded that Ed Miliband and his incompetent Government regard the general public as deluded fools believing any misinformation they care to dish out! Indeed, Biofuelwatch has criticised Selby District Council for the lack in air quality monitoring, saying it was “appalling” and calling for an end to the foolish biomass subsidies – so much for a local council looking after the wellbeing of the good folk they are supposed to represent then.
Dave Haskell
What is Electrical Seepage?
Electrical seepage refers to the slow movement of electric current through a material that is not intended for conduction. This can occur in various contexts, such as electrical circuits, electronic devices, and power systems. It is often caused by factors like insulation failure, moisture, or defective components. Electrical seepage can lead to energy waste, equipment damage, and safety risks such as electric shock hazards. Understanding and addressing electrical seepage is crucial for ensuring safety, performance, and efficiency in electrical systems.
Power Loss in AC Cables Due to Impedance
Power loss in AC cables due to impedance is primarily caused by resistive heating, which is the conversion of electrical energy into heat as it flows through the conductors. The formula for calculating power loss in resistive heating is given by \(P_{loss} = I\^2 R\), where II is the current flowing through the line in Amps, RR is the resistance in Ohms, and PP is the power loss in Watts. The resistance in the conductors is a fundamental factor in determining the efficiency of power transmission, as it directly affects the amount of energy that is converted into heat rather than reaching its intended destination.
To minimize power loss in AC cables, it is essential to use conductors with low resistance and to maintain high voltage levels to reduce the current flowing through the lines. This approach helps to keep the power loss to a minimum and ensures the efficient transmission of electrical energy over long distances.
Of the two, POWER LOSS is the most important to minimise, and that is why we have an AC grid and not DC.
Really not sure what point you are trying to make here
The point I make is SIMPLE!! We ,in Wales, are generating ENGLAND’S vast share of electricity from wind turbines, because
[a] England has 58 million population and
[b] Wales only has 3 million !
[c] But where are the wind turbines of most of England?
Where are they in Herefordshire, Shropshire, Hampshire, Cotswolds, Malverns, Chilterns etc etc? There are only a FEW in windy Devon…which is a third the area of Wales!
Meanwhile, Pembroke CCGT , gas-fired power station in the FAR WEST of Wales generates 2200MW max whilst Wales ONLY USES 1600MW on average!!
These English areas mentioned above are CLOSE to the English areas of very dense population….and are PART OF ENGLAND!!…of course……!!!
Why should Wales have England’s SHARE of wind energy dumped upon it.??
The other point is that because of POWER LOSSES….electricity should be generated close to the AREA OF CONSUMPTION!!
So English CONSUMED wind generated electricity should be generated IN ENGLAND!!
That is common-sense……..and also reduces transmission losses !!
WHY DOES CPRW NOT SAY THAT LOUD AND CLEAR IN 20 WELSH NEWSPAPERS??
I know, you say that endlessly, and endlessly I have replied
My comment was about the thing you posted on power loss. I have no idea why
You as CPRW should be doing FAR MORE in 20 or 30 Welsh papers…….TO FIGHT ONSHORE WIND IN WALES!!
Why are you not doing so?
Maybe CPRW should. You should raise it at your next branch meeting, get it approved at the AGM and it will happen
Writing to CPRW alone might be enough if the NEC approves it
I’m not sure it’s my single responsibility to do it though. I do send letters when there is something new to say, but your mates at the Western Mail don’t always publish them
It’s also not a great use of time when there are policy consultations to respond to, planning hearings to prepare for and attend, strategic plans to give feedback on, journalists to talk to and campaigns to advise. And we are all volunteers with other things to do
Maybe you should volunteer your time to the local branch?
Dear Editor
Use your vote wisely
It would appear that Dr Jonathan F Dean Llanerchymedd, Anglesey, supports onshore large scale wind generation in the English press, but when writing to the Welsh press it would seem he is against such generation. There is a contradiction here: it is aiding and abetting in ruining the glorious Welsh landscape with gargantuan Wellsian monstrosities and associated miles of ugly pylon routes. It is surely significant and worrying when a spokesperson for the Council for the Protection of Rural Wales, (CPRW), is behaving in such a hypocritical and contradictory manner. His background is in the oil industry, not electrical engineering. I was an engineering manager who worked in and around every power station in Wales. Indeed, I have a book on the market titled, All Smoke and Mirrors, that exposes such misguided spokespeople, and is readily available from Amazon; feedback from readers have commented that the information is extremely useful and truthful giving an insight as to the actions of our so-called leaders!
Dr Dean attempts to claim that National Energy System Operator (NESO) qualified engineers all support the madness of UK large scale wind generation, and yet during my career of 40 years, including retirement, I have yet to meet a single power engineer who would agree with him, quite the opposite. It would seem that Dr Dean has limited knowledge of power generation compounded by his naive faith of putting his trust in the National Energy System Operator (NESO), or in other words, this discredited Labour Government and politicians such as incompetent Ed Miliband, the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero. Energy bills alone stand testament to the truth, and everyone will have the opportunity to express your views in the coming May elections..
Dave Haskell
Brilliant!
Absolutely brilliant!
I really admire the creativity of your invention and attempt to smear me. I hope it gets published as I will be using this for years to come
I can already see where it fits into one of my presentations and I will post it on socials
MAKE SURE YOU SEND THIS TO 20-30 WELSH PAPERS
As Lyn would say
lol
This is what Jonathan Dean wrote in the Western Morning News , Exeter, in January 2026. I had said that 30 million electric cars would need 150,000MW to be AVAILABLE in the National Grid. Joe Public will charge his EV when HE pleases. A small Nissan Leaf has a 40 kWhr battery. So , for 30 million little Nissan Leafs to FULLY charge would need 30 million x 5kW = 150,000MW for 8 HOURS. to drive 150 miles a day .OK, they won’t all do 150 miles, so divide by 4 and say they average 37.5 miles per day each. They would STILL need to charge at 5kW for 2 HOURS…..so we would still need 150,000MW in the Nat Grid, because MOST will charge in the evening. There are only 3 x 2 hour periods between 6pm and midnight. So HOW will the Nat Grid COPE in the evening? There are 43 million vehicles in UK. The Nissan Leaf is one of the SMALLEST!!
Anyway, I had said that in the WMN and then Jon Dean tried to RIDICULE ME with this:-
******************************* >
Western Morning News has a whole page of appropriate letters – one attacking Lyn Jenkins and mentioning Dave Haskell. All these can be read and scanned using FREE Press Reader.
Here is just one example :->>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Transformation will require patience
Western Morning News 20 Jan 2026
Dr Jonathan F Dean Llanerchymedd, Anglesey
POOR Lyn Jenkins (Letters, January 15) really needs to do some research. Why on earth does he think there will be 30 million electric vehicles (EVs) by 2030?
We are aiming for net zero by 2050, so there is no need for all those EVs by 2030. And 150,000 MW available at any time to charge them? Why on earth would we need that?
Luckily the transition plans are being designed by people who currently operate our grid and energy system, rather than holiday park proprietors!
The simple reason why we cannot run totally with clean power right now is because we don’t have enough renewable capacity, but more is being built all the time, and the grid did operate at 97.7% carbon free briefly last year.
We will need a range of technologies and if Mr Jenkins cares to look at the website of the National Energy System Operator he will see how much we currently have, and plan to have in future.
Meanwhile, I totally agree with Dave Haskell (Letters, January 16) when he says we should be investing in new gas power stations – and luckily we are!
If he takes a look at the Planning Inspectorate’s website, he will see there are several going through the planning process, and they will include carbon capture, such as the one at Connah’s Quay, in north Wales. Others will burn hydrogen made using offshore wind, such as the project at Pembroke.
I’m sure he will find in the details if they will be using geothermal heat for feedwater pre-heating. The Clean Power Action Plan details the capacity of gas stations planned. Mr Haskell should check that it meets his approval.
He is wrong, however, to heap his displeasure on Ed Miliband. It was Theresa May who made net zero by 2050 law in 2019, and the current energy strategy dates from Boris Johnson in 2022. Both were hailed as heros at the time.
We have all the technology we need to help achieve net zero, and it is frustratingly slow, but it is a major transformation, so we will need to be patient.
*******************************
lol!
Oh, and court cases to prepare for. High Court Cardiff on Tuesday
Potentially groundbreaking stuff
I only hope, Jonathan, that you are TRULY FIGHTING FOR WELSH LANDSCAPES………AND AGAINST WIND ENERGY……. IN CARDIFF HIGH COURT LATER TODAY!!!
PLEASE DO NOT DEFEND WIND ENERGY COMPANIES !!
THEY ARE ONLY INTERESTED IN PROFITS………NOT WALES OR ITS LANDSCAPES!!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2663lxw00o
The huge solar farm at Wrexham is an idea, not reality. They cannot connect to the grid because NESO have pushed their connection date beyond 2035 as far too many solar farms have applied to connect than are needed. It’s not that the grid cannot cope, it’s speculative developers proposing more generation than the country needs
It’s all part of the connection reform process which is turning a queue of possible projects into a pipeline of needed projects. That solar farm just wasn’t needed
So why go through the lengthy consultation and application process. I am not disagreeing with you but highlights the cash for fantasy projects that many of these companys use.This again is RWE and what do they get out of it…seen to be doing and their share price rises…One company who I dealt with 10 years ago used “great new project bring money into the community” con and their share price rocketed with 5 money making projects in the pipeline, none were actually started because they knew, as did we, they were not viable from the start…and so it goes but the directors did very well thank you very much meanwhile local people invested in new ventures to support the new venture and lost money because of course, it never happened…if that makes sense..lol…
Because the project started before NESO announced the connections queue needed reducing as there were too many projects. In some cases 3/4 of projects have been pushed back there were that many
What is your opinion on Biomass? RWE push this as the clean alternative. A study I read 10 years ago plus regarding Trecwn in Pembrokeshire as local people were very worried about the toxic impact. The study in the US basiscally said..yes its toxic and the stations were located in basically poor and poor black areas…interesting! It never went ahead because 1, they couldnt get the wood pellets to it as the rail link had been let go into such bad disrepair and secondly the Grid infrastructure wasnt suitable as if they did spend millions on building this, its output could only supply Fishgaurd…again thousands in grant money, never to happen…sorry to rattle on..Trecwn was the old MOD storage depot which shut – honestly cant remember exactly when 25 years ago maybe…
The issue with biomass is sourcing the fuel. If they are burning straw or wood pellets from forests that are replanted, or forestry waste, then no problem as it’s all short cycle carbon. If it’s felling virgin forest that isn’t replaced it’s not good. It should be perfectly possible to design the power station to be clean
Apparently, have a Google, it can emit as much if not more than coal…but it depends on your view point imo and who do you believe.
It emits are much CO2 when burnt, but that is CO2 that will be removed again when they grow more, unlike coal, so overall carbon neutral
But this required more to be grown. If that doesn’t happen it’s bad
Thx
What are you talking about ,Jonathan? “Wood pellets from forests that are replanted…..then no problem …..as it’s all short cycle carbon.”
That’s illogical nonsense! A tree for “green” energy…. needs FOSSIL FUEL ENERGY [ in chain-saws etc ] to cut it down; FOSSIL FUEL ENERGY….to haul the tree out of the forest…… and more FOSSIL FUEL ENERGY to chip it into wood pellets ……and FOSSIL FUEL in lorries to bring it from a forest to a port along a road….then FOSSIL FUEL [diesel] IN A SHIP to cart it 3000 miles across the Atlantic…and FOSSIL FUEL in another lorry to cart the wood chips from the English port to DRAX Power station in Yorkshire…….. so it can be burnt in a FLASH to produce a trifling amount of electricity !??
You cannot compare the burning of a tree in a flash…..to ,say, the slow burning of hard BRITISH/WELSH anthracite coal…..which really produces intense heat.
The REPLACEMENT TREE that is then planted, takes about 15 years to 20 years to grow up to the same size as the one that was burnt in somewhere like DRAX power station in less than 2 hours!!
Maybe the tree was burnt up in 20 minutes…….after growing for 20 YEARS!!??
So how on Earth does a tree absorb Carbon Dioxide in this way?
It can grow for years without absorbing much CO2 at all!
It is starting out as a LITTLE SAPLING!!
So how the heck is that EFFICIENT GREEN energy??
How is it even “GREEN”??
It’s farcical !! Yet you are trying to justify it, Jonathan !
It is completely illogical, non-scientific hogwash!!
A child could work all that out….yet you’ve got a PhD, Jonathan. This is plain common-sense! You’re being extremely contradictory.
By the way didn’t you formerly work abroad for international oil companies?
What sort of work were you doing for them? I thought you were now “anti-oil” ?
Yes, I have worked in the oil industry for a number of oil companies, in a number of countries, doing a variety of projects
We will need to use petroleum products for many years otherwise we will not have plastics or pharmaceuticals, so I’ve no idea why you think I am anti oil
However, we will need to stop burning it unabated. In power stations we can use carbon capture and sequestration, a technology developed by the oil industry to enhance recovery. However, this adds significantly to the cost so needs to be used as little as possible. The other big users of oil/gas such as heating and transport can all be electrified
As I have mentioned to you more times than I can remember, I recommend you read Future Energy Scenarios if you want to see the likely use of different technologies and the amount of gas we will use
If you want an argument about biomass I would recommend using X or Threads. That will keep you entertained for hours. Do your life cycle carbon balance first though
Biomass can’t power the UK . Look at the graphs on Gridwatch.co.uk !
How is DRAX acceptable biomass?
They are cutting down HEALTHY North American forests !!
Chopping up the timber and carting it 3000 miles in diesel-powered ships to DRAX, in Yorks!!
Yet they call that “Green”!!!?? What a farce!!
Exactly 🙂
Electricity dependency
You do not have to be the sharpest pencil in the box to perceive that writers who would support the utter nonsense of net zero, and that of weather dependent wind and solar farms, appear to have no experience in the power and associated industries! To be sure, our so-called political representatives being the most lacking in technological and engineering experience and expertise; a prime example being Ed Miliband in his mad pursuance of his mindless energy strategy.
Everyone should recognise that never before in the History of Great Britain has our very existence depended on a single source of energy.
As a small boy growing up in Cardiff in the 1940s I was fully aware of the numerous electricity blackouts, (now known as outages) people had to contend with back then. But this lack of electricity was no more than an irritation, than a real threat to our wellbeing, or society. My parents would simply revert to gas lighting, as the house we lived in had gas installed before electricity. No central heating, double glazing or hot water taps in those days, but an open coal-fire to keep the house warm; my mother cooked on a gas stove and oven over the coal-fire – toast from an open coal-fire was delicious.
As a retired telecommunications and electrical engineering manager who has worked in and around every power station in Wales, including Dinorwic during its construction phase, I can assure you that in the 21st Century the UK is now, unlike the 1940s, totally dependent on a safe and secure supply of electrical energy. Unfortunately, large scale wind and solar farms cannot provide such security as they are weather dependent. Today, a prolonged outage will be disastrous for our computerised and technologically based society, culminating in a lack of many services leading to a collapse of society – no banking, supermarkets, petrol stations, telecommunications, etc, and with hospitals in dire straits without any power backup – this is not scaremongering, but fact!
The war in Iran should truly be focussing minds on our current dependability and need for fossil fuels, that is, until meaningful environmentally friendly power generation becomes a reality. If we add to this energy dilemma the parlous state of our armed forces then Armageddon truly awaits us just over the horizon.
Therefore use your vote wisely in future coming local and general elections, for ignoring the truth will be at your peril, and that of future generations.
Dave Haskell
Exactly, and I worked in telecoms too…started in Banking in IT..then Telecoms, then uni did Law and Econ, worked within the CPS but got side tracked into marketing and business development and thats where Ive stayed but Self Employed since 92..eek! Clients in Bespoke Software Solutions..and Ive tried to educate ppl that without elec we are screwed as no internet and disaster and chaos would follow. Todays generation just dont understand but take it all as a given. Wow u had electricity! we didnt as being on a farm it was a generator..I remember us joining the grid and the gas pipelines going under our land as they dug the trenches..and yes it was fun in the power cuts lol..we were young..today im sadly doom and gloom as in todays world of ignorance its difficult to keep positive.
Liz, if you are so experienced and au fait with all this:-
[1] Why don’t you provide your full name?
[2] Why don’t you FIGHT openly in the Western Mail, Liverpool Daily Post, County Times, Western Telegraph and other newspapers of Wales?
Why don’t you back up the many letters by Dave Haskell, Ioan Richard, Terry Breverton and myself,.Lyn Jenkins ,in the newspapers?
Here’s your chance ! Get in the Western Mail and reply to
the article on MYNYDD TRYFAN wind farm near
Llansannan and Bylchau please. That is 8 miles inland from Abergele.
We need FAR MORE people fighting these giant wind farms, not only on Jac’s blog……but in 20 or 30 WELSH NEWSPAPERS AS WELL!!
Why are people hiding behind pseudonyms?
YOU WON’T HIDE FROM THE MONSTER WIND TURBINES!!
Because I have over the years done my bit in the media, the WTele over similar issues in connection with others. You may know of Old Grumpys blogs in Pembrokeshire, hes now retired. He owned the Milford Mercury and was a County Councillor who worked for decades to expose corruption. But, its corruption is what u are up against and brown envelopes and that is the core of this. My last employer in the 90s once said to me that he didnt care if I ran the corridors of the company ranting but I should learn to recognise to rant over what I can change..and ive lived by his words ever since..our demand for electricity ultimately cant be met and we will have to make choices and the current Iran war is a wakeup call.
Liz
For info.
https://jacobwilliams.com/23108/mike-stoddart-1940-2026/
I know Jacob. Mike Stoddard is Old Grumpy. Mike had a sense of humour wrote The Time Lord about fellow CC who was in the same place twice re his expensive. Prob for Jacob is hes up against a brick wall..
You really should read Future Energy Scenarios
Power from space
Tthe brainwashed disciples of Ed Miliband’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ energy policies would have you believe there is absolutely no alternative to wind and solar farms if we are to save the planet. This is scientific, engineering and environmental nonsense! Not surprisingly I have been vilified for my suggestion of generating electricity from space with my critics arguing that even if were technically feasible, it would be far too expensive, and therefore not viable. Well I have news for these uninformed and misguided dinosaurs, and they truly need to get out more often in the 21st Century.
For a start, we have employed the electromagnetic spectrum, space technology and engineering expertise to provide television from space for years now, when satellite television began commercially in the late 1970s, with public access officially starting October 18, 1979.
It also appears my critics are woefully unaware of the thousands of satellites currently in orbit, with many, many more to come. Elon Musk alone has more than 10,000 Starlink satellites with plans for over a million, yes that is correct, over a million! The satellites are in low earth orbit travelling at 27,358 kilometres per hour (17,000mph), and take about 90 minutes to orbit the earth at a height of approximately 563 kilometres (350 miles). All this has been achievable due to the reduction in launch costs due to SpaceX and its reusable rockets, which have cut the of launching a satellites by more than 90 per cent. It is recognised that orbital power stations will be placed in geostationary orbit at a height of 35,786 kilometres (22,236 miles) above the equator, similar to television satellites such as SKY – with a nod to orienting, it is useful to note that all TV satellite dishes point to the equator (south) in the northern hemisphere, and if one is lost in a forest or wood, moss grows predominantly on the north side of tree trunks.
Common sense demands that all it needs is for our so-called political representatives to educate themselves, and have the will and courage to ditch very expensive and weather dependent wind and solar; replacing this medieval engineering with power from space, complimented with a mix of tidal, hydro, geothermal pre-heated water CCGT power stations, and fully geothermal heated power stations such as in Cornwall. That is, until true environmentally friendly means of generation becomes a practical reality, namely nuclear fusion, the Holy Grail of power generation, as recognised by the late Prof Stephen Hawkin.
Dave Haskell
Ed Miliband is funding research into Space Solar
One way of solving our current problems..think about it, lol
Ground source isnt utilised..air source is a waste of space
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/space-based-solar-power-innovation-competition-successful-projects
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/space-based-solar-power-de-risking-the-pathway-to-net-zero
Cat got your tongue Jonathan, and we can all lazily quote links if we feel we are losing the plot! If you wish to opt out of the fission and/or space discussion just say so! Having said that, do you wish more info on fission generation?…I promise I will not just quote a link!
You asked me for them
This whole thread is about scrap steel, not renewables
Correction Jonathan, and you are now being very disingenuous and muddying the waters. I did not ask for your links, but your OWN contribution/thoughts on such things as renewables and fission, as you well know! – read the exchanges and note this is the FIRST time you mention scrap steel, and you fully well know that I have NOT!
If, NOW, after our many exchanges on renewables and fission, you wish to digress to scrap steel, then please consider this posting as an end to our exchanges – you are unbelievable, and you come across as a very slippery eel, and should make a good politician….sooory if you consider that last observation rude, but there we go. Bye, bye.
You asked for details of the budget. I sent all I know
Jac’s blog mentions scrap steel. I mention scrap steel. This is NOT ABOUT RENEWABLES OR FISSION!
I would make a dreadful politician
“For God’s sake, don’t vote for these clowns!“
Well said Jac. I think you have joined the dots with your excellent research.
Thank you. When someone suggested I look into it, it didn’t make sense at first; but once each of those involved is looked into a bit more, the picture becomes clearer. As for Plaid, it’s all about gestures, pats on the head from people who don’t give a toss about about Wales. Displays inferiority.
Be honest, would you ever conclude anything other
A wolf in sheep’s clothing
You have to wonder what game Dr Jonathan F Dean Llanerchymedd, Anglesey, is playing at when he supports onshore large scale wind generation in the English press, but when writing to the Welsh press it would appear he is against such generation. Does this man think the Welsh never cross Offa’s Dyke, and that his devious sins will not be discovered, such as aiding and abetting in ruining the glorious Welsh landscape with gargantuan Wellsian monstrosities and associated miles of ugly pylon routes?
It takes one’s breath away when a so-called spokesperson for the Council for the Protection of Rural Wales, (CPRW), is behaving in such a hypocritical manner. But then I should not be that surprised, as this is a man who would try to teach his granny how to suck eggs. His background is the oil industry and he deems he understands the electricity generating industry more than an engineering manager that has worked in and around every power station in Wales. Indeed, I have a book on the market titled, All Smoke and Mirrors, that exposes such charlatans, and is readily available from Amazon. Dr Dean is truly a wolf in sheep’s clothing
This deluded character would try to claim that National Energy System Operator (NESO) qualified engineers all support the madness of UK large scale wind generation, and yet during my career of 40 years, including retirement, I have yet to meet a single power engineer who would agree with him, quite the opposite.
To be sure, the man has absolutely no experience in the power industry and as such has to rely on the media and what he reads to make a judgement and formulate an opinion. This exposes him to the widely used abbreviation GIGO in the computer world, namely, Garbage In, Garbage Out! He is also naive enough to put his faith in the National Energy System Operator (NESO), or in other words, the Government and politicians such as Ed Miliband, the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, and that dear reader, should tell you all you need to know about the shyster, Dr Jonathan F Dean of Anglesey.
Dave Haskell
lol!
Can you show me where I apparently support onshore in the English press?
Meanwhile, here is a letter of mine the Daily Post chose not to publish …
Dear editor
I must support Dave Haskell’s (“We don’t want their wind generator”, February 12) congratulation of the protestors on the steps of the Senedd
Wales does need much more renewable and low carbon energy, and we have a huge resource in offshore wind that could generate far in excess of what we will need, so as long as the grid in Wales remains integrated into the GB grid, we have no need of the industrial onshore wind farms that cause so much anger and distress in our communities
Projections from the National Energy System Operator (NESO), who operate the electricity system 24/7, show Wales will need just over 40 TWh of electricity by 2050, and will generate just over 70 TWh from offshore wind. Providing there is sufficient storage and flexible generation in the overall grid, Wales will be doing more than enough
Added to that will be the 30 TWh from the eight new nuclear stations on Anglesey, the new 1,000 MW gas station at Connah’s Quay, which will capture carbon and store it in the old gas reservoirs off Rhyl, the two 1,000 MW+ subsea cables from Scotland to Bodelwyddan, the existing 2,000 MW of pumped storage, and in the case of emergencies there is the 2,000 MW gas station at Pembroke being kept as “strategic reserve”
Other parts of the U.K. have nothing like the clean resources Wales has, and we will be helping to “keep the lights on” there without ruining our wonderful countryside only to benefit investors from offshore tax havens
Gyda diolch
Dr Jonathan F Dean
Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales
Good letter devoid of hysteria and ad hominem attacks. It spells out how Wales carries and will continue to carry a disproportionate share of the “burden” of power generation. It would be interesting to learn which regions of the UK, and of England in particular, carry similarly disproportionate shares, and who are seriously in deficit. I suspect I have a broad idea of the answer but having it confirmed would help clear much of the fog surrounding this subject.
This shows the likely outcome for the three main renewables
if you apply typical capacity factors to the Welsh generation (40% offshore, 25% onshore, 10% solar) you get a bit over 70 TWh with 60 TWh from offshore wind (the 70 figure I. The letter should be 60)
This shows supply and demand by region
About 70 TWh supply and 40 TWh demand for Wales
The “electrolyser demand” is a catch all for long term storage and “export” from that region … so the 40 in Wales may not be ultimately destined for Wales
You will see it is SW England that is the main area “deficient”
Wales is well and truly going to have the assets sweated
From both figures, we need 40 and can get 60 from offshore. That should be enough
Thanks for that. I’ll spend a bit of time looking further at both responses
I think you meant to say that the S.E of England is the “deficient” area – to be expected given the nature of that region. Shouldn’t prevent them from using media such as solar cladding on any buildings either for in-house usage or local supply. Those massive towers now used for wind turbines would be a non starter in much of that region but the alternative “low rise” solutions could be adopted/ adapted.
Yes, sorry, the SE. To my mind, if nuclear really is necessary, and no one has proven it is, but probably, the SE of England is the single most sensible place for it, as they need the power, the transmission lines would be shortest and cheapest, and the waste heat (2/3 of the total energy output) could be used for heating densely populated areas. Anywhere else just adds cost to the overall system
For goodness sake, Dafis…….get in the Western Mail, Liverpool Daily Post, South Wales Evening Post and attack Welsh wind farms.
We need more Welsh PRESS WRITERS!!
No-one with one iota of intelligence can look at the UK wind energy graph for 2025 and tell me that wind energy was generating electricity WITHOUT 24/7 BACKING FROM CCGT GAS-FIRED POWER STATIONS!
The wind is like a YO-YO!! Uncontrollable an unpredictable!!
The graph is like a “JAWS” poster….with needle-sharp teeth !!
Speak to Brian Christley in Colwyn Bay. He is from Cardiff and was THE CHIEF TRAINER OF CONCORDE PILOTS FOR YEARS ….so no-one can say he is not technical !!
Mr Christley has constantly pointed out the flaws of wind energy for over 20 years!!
He always says it is not a straightforward process to match UK wind turbine production to feed the National Grid.
He says it is impossible.
The readership of those rags you mention falls well short of a % of our population. I only ever look at Wales on Line to pick up the occasional rugby story and the quality of scribbling in that section has declined over recent years. I suspect that anyone reading Llais Y Sais is either indifferent or part of that bubble that has bought into the green gospel/net zero orthodoxy peddled by media, government and profiteering corporates. I used to write to the Guardian and it was the intensity of the mob on that medium that brought home the message to me that writing into an echo chamber was waste of time. Selectively exchanging information on here and elsewhere even with those with whom I don’t agree on some or most matters works for me. Obviously it doesn’t for you.
Sorry Dafis! That is complete nonsense!
How many people are you reaching on this blog without giving your name?
Jac does a great job…….but are you saying that TENS OF THOUSANDS do not collectively read the 20 main newspapers of Wales?
One sold paper may be read by 4 or 5 people ! PLUS they are BROWSED in Tesco by those too tight to spend money! PLUS they are read online!
Come off it!! Why are you IN HIDING???
Get out there Dafis….PLEASE…….AND SPEAK OPENLY IN VOCIFEROUS DEFENCE OF WALES !!
TRYWERYN WAS TOYTOWN COMPARED TO THIS!! WE ARE TALKING 1000 LIT UP MONSTERS 650 ft to 820 fT HIGH…….EACH VISIBLE FROM 20 MILES!!
CAN’T YOU SEE THAT?? WALES IS ONLY 8015 SQ MILES!!
GET THE MESSAGE OUT THERE!!
NO GOOD CALLING NEWSPAPERS ” RAGS” !! THAT IS MYOPIC IN THE EXTREME!!
THAT’S AN EXCUSE FOR HIDING AWAY BEHIND A PSEUDONYM !
NEWSPAPERS REACH PEOPLE…..VOTERS!!
BLE MAE’R ASGWRN CEFN ??? SIARADWCH MAS YN YR AGORED!!
SAFWN YN Y BWLCH DROS GYMRU FACH !!!
AND BY THE WAY…….IMPOSSIBLE TO SHOUT IN PRINT! THE PRINTED WORD EMITS NO SOUND!
ANYONE WHO DETECTS NOISEIN PRINTED WORDS SHOULD HAVE VISITED SIGMUND FREUD!!
CAPITALS ARE FOR “EMPHASIS” !!
YOU WILL NEVER TELL ME DIFFERENT!!
You are sounding/reading like those who occupy the echo chambers of the Welsh Establishment. Yak, yak, yak. You go your way I’ll go mine.
Jonathan Dean seems incapable of perceiving that lack of working experience in any discipline/industry puts you at a great disadvantage in any debate. It also means you cannot make any forensic analysis of information received, and have to rely on others for any judgement – which I will argue means, being human, you will be biased to your own narrative. He is also naively fond of quoting the National Energy System Operator (NESO), whilst not understanding he is effectively supporting Government policy and the likes of Ed Miliband, need I say more!
Unfortunately Jonathan also projects arrogance in trying to teach his granny how to suck eggs, and has an answer for everything, although with little substance. A prime example being orbital power stations, when he offers that Ed Miliband (of all people) is aware of the technology and has indeed budgeted for it! REALLY! Perhaps Jonathan can offer how much is budgeted and when we can expect lift-off?
He would foolishly surround our island with very costly and difficult to maintain (rough seas etc) offshore weather dependent wind farms, when the money could be more wisely spent on reliable tidal energy, such as the proposed Northern Tidal Power Gateway. If he would care to research this project, then perhaps he could tell us what’s there not to like?
To reiterate, it is very difficult to hold any meaningful dialogue with Jonathan as he is reliant on others, and will obviously ‘cherry pick’ reports etc that support his misguided narrative – such as offshore wind generation – he has absolutely no experience whatsoever to fall back on to make any reasonable engineering argument and/or sound judgement!
Tidal would be wonderful, but as I’m sure you are aware it was considerably set back when the government decided Hinckley C was better value for money
It is also relatively untested at the scales we need. But we will have it one day
I would be interested to know your hands on engineering experience with designing and operating nation wide, low carbon energy systems. I might learn something. Whether you think they are required or not, that is the task in hand, and I’m sure you are used to doing a good job of what you believe is the wrong thing. Everyone has to at some time
Well all know you don’t like wind turbines but there is no need to be petty and rude. It doesn’t advance the discussion
Pot calling the kettle black with his sarcastic LOL….so who is being petty and rude, and indeed hypocritical? But I guess the TRUTH hurts!
Hinkley Point Over BudgetThe Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant project has faced significant challenges, leading to an estimated cost increase to £46 billion and a completion delay to 2031. The project, which includes two 1,630 MW nuclear reactors, was initially estimated at £18 billion and was scheduled to begin operations in 2025. However, the project has encountered delays due to civil construction issues, inflation, labor shortages, and material shortages, as well as disruptions from Covid-19 and Brexit. EDF Energy has outlined three scenarios for the project’s timeline, with the first reactor potentially starting operations in 2029, the second in 2030, and the third in 2031. The additional cost of £1 billion for the third scenario has been added to the overall cost, which is now estimated at £31 billion to £34 billion in 2015 prices. The UK government has announced an extra £1.3 billion to support the construction of Sizewell C, which is expected to be a replica of Hinkley Point C, to ensure that construction work continues ahead of a final investment decision being made later this And as you mention tides Jonathan, where is the sense of building a nuclear plant on a shoreline that has experienced horrendous flooding in the past????????????
I’m well aware, but I have it directly from Charles Hendry that Hinckley C was chosen over tidal as it was seen as better value for money
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/independent-review-into-the-strategic-role-of-tidal-lagoons-in-the-uk-published
I am not surprised that the Daily Post did not print Jonathan Dean’s letter, February 12, as he uses projected figures, which can be anyone’s educated guess, not to mention his claim of 8 new nuclear stations on Anglesey capable of pushing out 30 TWh of power!
REALLY! What new power stations are these to be then Jonathan? Let us know the maximum generation capacity in MW for each station, such that Pembs CCGT station has a max capacity of 2200 MW! Especially bearing in mind the whole of Wales installations only generated 21.77 TWh in 2023, and consumed just 13 TWh. Therefore it begs the question if the extra generation is purely for English consumption? He certainly needs to read the REGEN report (Feb 2026) on behalf of the Welsh Government to join the ‘real’ world and get his facts straight.
In 2024, 90% of Welsh fossil fuel generation came from gas mainly from Pembroke and Connah’s Quay gas fired power stations. Would it be his total lack of any experience in the power industry that he trots out such misleading data – I would respectfully suggest he deals with facts and not projections to suit his narrative, noting Wales is a net exporter of electricity and we do not need a single wind or solar farm, remembering power loss in cables whereby generation should be as close as possible to the consumer, and that is why we have an AC grid rather than a DC version, read the history of the evolution of power generation Jonathan and it will help in your knowledge, seeing you have absolutely no practical experience………and as you say, LOL.
The Rolls Royce SMR is 470 MW
Wylfa was chosen over Oldbury as Wylfa can site 8 whereas Oldbury can only site 5
Starmer is quoted in the press saying words to the effect … the first three by mid 2030’s with as many as eight soon after
Hence about 30 TWh. But obviously this will be for GB use not just Wales
I use the term projected as the demand is that required in 25 years time. “Forecast” is too specific in this circumstance
What do you forecast demand will be in 2050, when we all have heat pumps and EVs?
I deliberately use the NESO projections as I don’t know of any better figures. If you do, please share. They are certainly more detailed than the CCC, and in the same ball park as the Oxford University “renewables only” scenario
As with any design exercise you have to know what you are designing for, so while the Regen report is interesting it doesn’t tell us what demand will be 25 years time
Thank you for the data Jonathan re nuclear plants and I return the gesture with the following regarding information regarding folly of nuclear fission generation:
The world’s first full-scale commercial nuclear power station Calder Hall, west Cumbria, was opened by the Queen in 1956.
When this first nuclear power station was opened the excited media announced that electricity would be so cheap that no one would even bother metering it – how hollow those words sound these days.
The site is now known as the Sellafield plant in west Cumbria. Workington became the first town in the world to receive heat, light, and power from atomic energy. During the working lifetime of Calder Hall it produced relatively little power and far less than the 1,198 MW output of the Sizewell B modern reactor in Suffolk.
The Sellafield site incorporated Britain’s first generation nuclear reactors and associated fuel re-processing facilities at Windscale, and as mentioned above the world’s first nuclear power station to export electricity on a commercial scale to a public grid at Calder Hall. Indeed, Sellafield is a large multi-function nuclear site close to Seascale on the coast of Cumbria, England; the UK’s National Nuclear Laboratory has its Central Laboratory and headquarters at Sellafield. Built as a Royal Ordnance Factory during 1942, where in 1947 was used for the production of plutonium for nuclear weapons, being given the name ‘Windscale Works’. Subsequent key developments included the building of Calder Hall nuclear power station. As of August 2020, activities at Sellafield include nuclear fuel reprocessing, nuclear waste storage and nuclear decommissioning. The licensed site covers an area of 265 hectares, and comprises more than 200 nuclear facilities and more than 1,000 buildings. It is Europe’s largest nuclear site and has the most diverse range of nuclear facilities in the world situated on a single site.
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has said the news that Calder Hall is now empty of nuclear fuel for the first time, which brought the multibillion-pound clean-up operation a major step closer, and the full decommissioning cost is said to be more than an eye watering £70 billion.
To put this astronomical figure into perspective, approximately 70 modern gas-fired power stations could be built from the decommissioning costs alone!
In addition to Nuclear power stations incurring astronomical building costs with fission plants costing up to 30 times more than a natural gas-fired (CCGT) power station, nuclear power stations, as mentioned above, have horrendous de-commissioning, waste storage and disposal costs. There is not a single nuclear power plant anywhere on the planet that has been completely and safely decommissioned at the time of writing. Lord Marshall after retiring from the then Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB), told a reporter that he always underestimated the costs deliberately to Parliament, as he knew they would never get built if he did. That was when we could design and build them – now that expertise has to be foreign-sourced – the building of the EDF Hinkley Point, in Somerset – a station that has now far exceeded its budget and is now estimated to exceed an eye-watering £46bllion when it eventually is finished – barring floods of course.
Yep, yet to see justification for them
” We all have EVS” ?? You must be joking , Jonathan!!
Where will the electricity come from to power MILLIONS of EV cars after 2030? Not from the wind or sun, for sure!!
The GRAPHS prove that!!
There will be diesel and petrol cars on UK roads in 2050…….make no mistake! But they will all be imported, because UK manufacture is being scrapped by innumerate dick-heads!!
WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON JONATHAN?? YOU ARE FULL OF CONTRADICTIONS!!
For gods sake Lyn pay attention or stop wasting my time
No one mentioned 2030! 2050 is the deadline for net zero, which implies no petrol or diesel cars, so that is the condition that needs designing for
yes there may be fossil cars still around, but there certainly will be if the energy system isn’t designed correctly
As I have said to you countless times, read the FES reports. I am not going to do your googling for you and I’m not going to copy and paste something you are perfectly capable of reading for yourself. I am not going to explain something better explained by others. If you want an answer, put some effort in
and PLEASE … DO NOT witter on about the Nissan Leaf and your half baked assumptions
What a cop out!! You stick to 2050…..BECAUSE YOU KNOW MOST OF US WILL BE DEAD!!
It SUITS politicians, because they can LIE and pick up index-linked pensions for DECADES without having to FINALISE THEIR FALSE PROMISES!!
The Nissan Leaf FACTS don’t suit you….do they Jonathan……because their FACTS prove the lie!!
The Nissan Leaf uses far less electricity than the Mercs, Caravan pullers,lorries, buses and umpteen other BIGGER vehicles in the 43 million of the UK!
How convenient for you……whose pension is paid for by “Big Oil” to now SLAG diesel and petrol engine vehicles!!
I’ll REPEAT. A nissan Leaf has a 40kWhr battery. They claim 150 mile range when fully charged. BUT that cannot be achieved in winter with ANY of the following:-
[a] heater; [b] lights;[c] air con;[d] wipers switched on !
Now, a Nissan Leaf charging at a mere 5kW needs 8 hours to fully charge to 40kWhrs[ 11-plus arithmetic] So 30 million need 150 million kWs or 150,000.MW [ more 11-plus!] .
Of course, you’ll say that 30 million will not travel 150 miles a day!! Well, MOST will do a quarter of that , or 37.5 miles per day …..so each one would have to charge for 2 hours!!
Now, most people will charge in the evening, between 6 pm and Midnight…when there are ONLY THREE 2–hour periods!
So ,how the heck are all these electric cars going to CHARGE FROM THE NATIONAL GRID? They would still need 150,000MW IN THE GRID……..because Joe Public will charge when HE wants to , not when Mad Miliband tells him!!
Now, if we also close fossil fuel power stations after 2030 and rely on wind and sun……..WHERE DOES THE LECCY COME FROM??
We will need about 200,000MW…..FOR ALL ELSE WITHOUT THE EVs !!
The Nat Grid only had 579MW yesterday afternoon, coming from wind turbines.
On a DARK, STILL, WINTER’S NIGHT AFTER 2030, WE’LL HAVE “SWEET FA”!!
I don’t need a PhD to know that the sun does not generate in the dark…..about 17 hours of 24 per day ……and very, very little on a cloudy winter’s day, even at noon!! The sun is too low in the sky!!
It is USELESS in winter cloud!!
I RECORD DAILY FROM MY 26 SOUTH-FACING 320 watt ROOF PANELS!!
Solar is useless in winter.
So if it is cold, frosty and calm with no wind…….WHERE’S YOUR LECCY???
You are talking complete bulsh*t, Jonathan, and your grandiose “title” does not impress me one bit!!
All this needs is COMMON-SENSE!!
The SCIENTIFIC truth is on Gridwatch.co.uk
https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/government-appears-to-leave-door-open-to-gigawatt-scale-nuclear-at-wylfa-20-04-2026/
Lost for words Jonathan? Surely you do trust this appalling Government? I have a lot more info regarding the folly of fission generation….and all fact that can easily be checked by you…..you just simply have to ask. Tip of the day: Do not put your faith in Ed Miliband Jonathan.
No issues with Miliband’s big picture (it’s the same as Boris’) just the detail of how, not what
My father ran Wylfa for 20+ years and I’ve been subjected to the anti nuclear arguments or most of my life
What big picture would that be then…spell it out Jonathan…..what an evasive response…….and is it a case of, like father, like son….do you support fission? You sound non-committal as a wily politician who has found himself stuck in a corner, unable to give a straight and honest answer? To reiterate, do you support nuclear fission? In this case, a simple no or yes will do!
Big picture …
… net zero by 2050 is the right thing to do and clean power by 2030 is a logical first step. No idea if it’s the best first step but a pretty obvious one. Boris wanted 100% carbon free electricity by 2035, Miliband wants 95% by 2030, in practical terms both are essentially the same thing
like father like son???
Do I support fission …
… it has not been proven that we need it for net zero, it is the most expensive way of generating electricity, the public don’t like it, we have no long term solution for the waste … it really doesn’t have a lot going for it. But I don’t actively oppose it
Net zero is NONSENSE!
How on Earth can we have net zero in the UK? It is a COMPLETE LIE and 2050 is beyond our life-spans…….so VERY , VERY CONVENIENT FOR THE LIARS AND SHARKS…..WHO ARE PICKING UP INDEX-LINKED PENSIONS!!
You are a complete hypocrite, Jonathan…BIG OIL pays your fat pension, Jonathan, and you know it!!
You worked abroad for oil companies.
YOU LIVE OFF THEM !! If you are honest, you’ll hand back your pension!!
Are you telling us that wind and sun can power the UK and 43 million vehicles….currently powered by Shell, BP, Esso, Aramco,, Gulf, Texaco et al???
Come off it!! You back “net Zero”, but it’s the oil companies who paid for you to retire young!!
Do you deny that?
So the guy retires young, what the hell is so bad about that? If he got a pension it will be funded by private corporate and personal contributions actuarially modified to reflect early retirement. You and I pay towards a lot of senior exec pensions in the public sector that get drawn down early without an appropriate actuarial adjustment. Perhaps you should write to a collective of “rags” about that if other peoples’ pensions bother you so much.
[1] What are you talking about, Dafis? OIL COMPANIES pay his pension….and now Jonathan Dean is SLAGGING FOSSIL FUEL ENERGY!![DOH!!]
[2] Why aren’t you writing to the UK Press Dafis, giving your NAME ,instead of using a pseudonym to hide on here?
Are you afraid of revealing your REAL identity to Wales?
Calling papers “rags” is a really cheap cop-out!!
FAR, FAR MORE read the Press of Wales than any blog….obviously!!
It depends whether you are really FIGHTING wind energy or just hiding with a few “remarks”.
I was in Carmarthen yesterday, in S4Cs ” Y Ddadl Fawr” , where I managed to raise the topic of wind turbines and PembrokeCCGT’s 2200MW whilst WALES ONLY USES 1600MW!!
I managed to mention it without wind energy being a main topic.The prog was 1.5 hours..LIVE..from “Ye Egin” in Carmarthen. I’m the guy in the second rows wearing a blue pullover. My eyes were down because I had CPRW notes in my lap.
By the way, Wales is a pretty lazy country.on the wole. I still WORK at 79 !!
Perhaps you should have got a job with an oil company then you might have had a pension at 50!. That would have allowed you to carry on working without worrying about other peoples’ earnings. Sadly your remarks stink of envy and spite and thus detract from any value in your factual arguments. I hope you enjoyed your time on camera I shall look out for it on the S4C clic system
Well! Well! Dafis! Why don’t you tell us WHO you are and what YOU did for a living……..or are you too cowardly? I’ve always worked for the Welsh economy as a “wealth creator” in the private sector.
Mostly on 7 day weeks, and still working at 79. You come across as lazy!!
You now back a supreme hypocrite in Jonathan Dean…..who SLAGS fossil fuel energy after retiring young with a pension from working in the oil industry!!
Come on Dafis!! Show some back-bone and stop hiding!! Who are you and who did YOU work for?
You obviously retired young. No wonder the country is almost 3 TRILLION in debt!! Far too many shirkers and not enough WORKERS!!
How could the small number of real workers in Wales, KEEP all these tens of thousands of shirkers we have?
Who are you Dafis? Show some back-bone, man !!!
Well, well ? I don’t think you are well at all. Now obsessing about what I may have done throughout my working life when it’s none of your business old bean. Your assertions are full of errors and omissions. I did not retire young but took my State Pension at 66 and draw pensions from a number of private self employed retirement benefits. That is about as much as you ever need to know. In fact it’s too much.
Blame me for the UK’s National Debt if you are so inclined but it only serves to reinforce the opinion that you are a narrow minded bigot with a growing delusion problem. I formed that opinion when you slagged off Mr Dean’s pension. I may not share many of his views but respect his right have them and I most certainly respect his right to a pension earned from his various employments. I rest my case.
Are you related to Cyfog Dafis?
Hear ! Hear! Dave Haskell !!
Why does Jonathan Dean not put the 2025 UK Wind Energy graph from Gridwatch .co.uk on here?
It PROVES that wind energy will NEVER power the UK because the graph is like a YO-YO!
It resembles a “Jaws” poster!
As for solar energy; check the UK solar energy for any day around Christmas. It’s DARK for almost 17 hours of 24 and if it’s cloudy in the day…..there will be very little UK solar energy!
The solar graph then is like a TINY PIMPLE on a Great White’s back!!
So on a calm , cloudy Christmas Future , we’ll all be chewing on RAW TURKEY!! We won’t even be allowed candles or oil lamps, because they both emit CO2 !! Absolutely crazy !!
CHECK THE SCIENTIFIC GRAPHS ON GRIDWATCH.CO.UK !!
Check Gridwatch.co.uk on 24/4/26.
UK wind energy dropped to a TINY 0.695GW or 695MW at 8 pm !!! HIGH PRESSURE=NO WIND
So how on Earth can Jonathan Dean or anyone else support wind energy to power the UK?
Look at the GRIDWATCH GRAPH!! That graph includes BOTH ONSHORE AND OFFSHORE WIND….IN UK WATERS!!
So how do you power 70 million people and 43 million electric vehicles after 2030???
Morning Jac
I love the line
Pushing this lot as Welsh is like describing the German army in 1939 as Polish because it was “largely based in Poland“.
Best regards John
Yes, I thought it might appeal to a certain ‘mindset’. (Like mine.) Have a good day.