WHILE SCOTLAND LINGERS WITH “DO NOTHING” NICOLA?

Westminster is making off with more of our assets. This time its our natural resources that are being stolen in front of our eyes.

The BBC have just revealed The world’s longest under-sea electricity cable, transferring green power between Norway and the UK, has begun operation.

The 450-mile (725km) cable connects Blyth in Northumberland with the Norwegian village of Kvilldal.

At full 1,400 megawatt capacity it will import enough hydro-power to supply 1.4 million homes, National Grid said.

National Grid Ventures president Cordi O’Hara said it was a “remarkable feat of engineering”.

She added: “We had to go through mountains, fjords and across the North Sea to make this happen.

“North Sea Link (NSL) is also a great example of two countries working together to maximise their renewable energy resources for mutual benefit.”

National Grid said the €1.6bn (£1.37bn) joint venture with Norwegian power operator Statnett would help the UK reduce carbon emissions by 23 million tonnes by 2030.

It has four other power cables running to Belgium, France and the Netherlands and said 90% of energy imported in this way would be from zero carbon sources by 2030.

Hydropower in Norway and wind power in the UK are subject to weather conditions and fluctuations in demand.

Using NSL, renewable power can be exported from the UK when wind generation is high and electricity demand low, or be imported from Norway when demand is high and wind generation low.

Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy minister Greg Hands said NSL enabled both countries to “benefit from the flexibility and energy security that interconnectors provide”.

He added: “This pioneering partnership shows first-hand how crucial international cooperation will be in helping us to deliver on our net zero ambitions.”

The cable took six years to lay. (BBC STORY ENDS)

MY COMMENTS

For those of you with good memories you might remember the constant opposition from Westminster to block any attempts to lay cable to allow two way exchange between Scotland and the rest of Europe of energy generated by renewable sources. This went on for many years, indeed appeals were made to get the EU involved in getting the Westminster blockage to these proposals overturned. They did not want Scottish energy to go anywhere else but to England. They determined to keep our energy resources in a hostage situation to maintain colonial power over our options.

Who knew that Blyth in Northumbria, England’s most northerly county, was the centre for all that Hydro and wind power? No it isn’t. What Blyth had going for it was one thing, it was the nearest point to Norway, without being part of Scotland, that was the big attraction. For me this is all deja vu.

I remember campaigning against all the oil pipelines being run from Scotland’s territories in the North Sea many hundreds of miles south to land our oil in Teesside and other points South. The result of this was that it was Teesside, not Scotland that benefitted from the huge jobs boost that came from Scottish oil and the creation of a new big plastics industry.

Remember this, ENGLAND will never export any energy to Europe or elsewhere. They don’t have any to spare. They could perhaps export SCOTTISH ENERGY although they probably need most of that just to keep their own lights on. What this deal is all about is securing England’s supply while weakening their reliance on Scottish energy in the event Scotland becomes independent. In other words another step in the direction of weakening Scotland’s negotiating position after Independence and keeping our energy cut off from mainland Europe. Compare with independent Norway who have FOUR different cables connecting their power exports to the rest of Europe. You can do this type of thing with Independence. Who knew? Not Scotland’s blind NO VOTERS that’s for sure!

Now for some fun. Have energy producers in Norway been told how much they will be charged to connect to the UK National Grid? Will it be explained to them that this is justified because transferring energy by cable loses power over the distance and therefore the producer, like in Scotland,  must pay for these distribution losses rather than the needy consumer? Last time I looked Norway was considerably further away from London and the South East than Pitlochry?

Consider this, 97% of energy used in Scotland comes from renewable sources yet this Autumn Scottish energy consumers face a 12% tariff increase to cover the increased cost of fossil fuels after Brexit, which will be followed next April with a further 20% increase for the same reasons. So we are expected to subsidise the English fossil energy consumer while Westminster stuffs its pockets with the wealth created from our renewable, non fossil assets. Sound fair to you? Better Together?

So while Norway, a small independent country, who discovered LESS oil than Scotland yet who amassed in the time that has elapsed since that discovery an oil fund in excess of 1 TRILLION POUNDS, while Scotland, with more oil, has grown poverty and food banks over the same period, is now to be “blessed” with a second windfall. This time involving the next big thing, renewables, which will add to the fund that will benefit Norway for many more generations to come. Poor wee Scotland, a rich country, will remain totally exploited by its large neighbour who while poverty stricken in energy terms themselves, are kept afloat by exploiting the resources of their smaller, powerless neighbour. Colonial Scotland, a Westminster possession.

There must be great anger about this in Scotland? You would think so but The information came to me from Willie Hutchison, an Alba member from Dumbartonshire who knowing I had been abroad thought I should know about what he had found out on the BBC Northumbria site! I have yet to hear anything from any senior member of the Scottish Government in protest. Will I?

Meanwhile as our legs are getting sawed off under Scotland daily, our do nothing First Minister and her bunch of incompetent ministers sees no urgency in Scotland’s constitutional position, happy to let the rape of our resources continue unchallenged. I ask do they even know about this or are they going to be angry about this pensioner blogger who publishes and writes about this latest “theft” of our resources? You know, the assets they were elected to defend?

The UK is a total mess, shortages abound, the UK Government rigs everything to suit themselves and their donors. Market forces are abandoned, as is competitive tendering in favour of a pals charter where companies with close links to Government ministers are being favoured with huge contracts at ludicrous public expense. The PPE purchasing scheme where goods valued at £2 billion pounds cost the taxpayer £12 billion. Yes those same rogues who are now cutting £20 a week from the poorest in society because it is “ not affordable” to do otherwise!

Time is not on our side, our position is being undermined each and every day. The people we elected are hopeless, poorly led, hopelessly compromised and sidetracked onto stupid policy distractions that only split and destroy the YES MOVEMENT.

IT MAY NOT BE ALL INCOMPETENCY. IF IT ISN’T THEN IT CAN ONLY BE INTENTIONAL SABOTAGE!

I am, as always

Yours for Scotland.

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