[Adrian II]

A sad day for the UK, I reckon, both the last coal-fired power plant AND the last blast furnace at Port Talbot steel works were shut down for the last time today. sacrificed on the altar of our green hysteria.

The steel works is SUPPOSED to be installing an electric furnace, though it we're losing a major contributor to the power grid AND Justin and Tarquin want to charge up more Teslas, where is the electricity for that coming from? Solar panels on 10 Downing Street?

A.

bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c70zxjldqnxo

bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y35qz73n8o

[AzCal Retred]

It'd be a good application for hydrogen. Off peak North Sea wind, commercially available electrolyzers, sub-sea offshore H2 storage in salt domes. Or we could just pretend there are no answers and buy steel from China, right?

[Leofric]

A sad day for the UK, I reckon, both the last coal-fired power plant AND the last blast furnace at Port Talbot steel works were shut down for the last time today. sacrificed on the altar of our green hysteria.

The steel works is SUPPOSED to be installing an electric furnace, though it we're losing a major contributor to the power grid AND Justin and Tarquin want to charge up more Teslas, where is the electricity for that coming from? Solar panels on 10 Downing Street?

A.

bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c70zxjldqnxo

bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y35qz73n8o

It will all end in disaster.

[Leofric]

It'd be a good application for hydrogen. Off peak North Sea wind, commercially available electrolyzers, sub-sea offshore H2 storage in salt domes. Or we could just pretend there are no answers and buy steel from China, right?

Yes, and not a good idea with the way things are going with China. How many coal fired power stations does China have anyway ? They don't seem to be bothered too much about being 'green' !
Still ,when they invade Taiwan and take control of the world's supply of microprocessors  (or whatever it is Taiwan produces ) I don't suppose it will matter much anyway !

[him a layin]

quit complaining. shut up and breed more soldiers, peasants. the ruling class needs more of everything.

[AzCal Retred]

when they invade Taiwan
Taiwan is about 100 miles from China in a shallow ocean. I can't see any real way to stop them without savage Naval losses.

Coal is stored energy. H2 stored in the same salt domes that are currently used for natural gas is also stored energy, except you don't have to mine it and there's no CO2 evolved, just water vapor & hot nitrogen gas.

[Adrian II]

I am told the Chinese steel imports are only cheap while you have your own steel industry, so I hope the electric furnace IS installed and switched on at Port Talbot. I think this will leave Scunthorpe as our last traditional blast-furnace supplied steel mill, plus whatever is left in Sheffield.

Although we're not burning any more compacted dinosaurs for commercial electricity, I think Drax power station up in Yorkshire is still operating, they simply swapped from coal to bio-mass as fuel. Not sure the eco types are too keen on THAT, either. Everybody start saving your pistachio nut shells...

A.

[Richard230]

Meanwhile, today the U.S. East Coast dock workers union went on strike, shutting down the ports along the coast between Massachusetts and Texas. If this strike continues for very long the U.S. economy is really going to take a hit and most imports from other countries are going to be impacted, too. Maybe that is why many U.S. stores already have their Christmas stuff on display. They saw the strike coming and wanted to be ready for the holidays with the latest display of Chinese junk.

So far the West Coast ports remain open, but that could change if those workers hold a sympathy strike in support of the East Coast unions. If that happened, then America's economy would really go into the dumpster. Everything would be in short supply and prices would take off - right before the presidential election!   

[AzCal Retred]

"Everyone but ME should work for Free!"
Pure coincidence that it is happening just before 05 November. Nothing to see here folks, move along...
Gosh, is the Union-Busting crowd the same folks spouting GRU & FSB talking points? Another astounding coincidence as well. Proof Positive that election interference is a hoax.

On the fuel gas front, if you aren't making & storing your own H2 in the NatGas facilities, then you either already have a Texas or you are all good with supporting Vlad's fun & games. Just apply the hardware & tech we already have. The hard part is getting it past the highly influential private energy concern lobbyists.

[Leofric]

I am told the Chinese steel imports are only cheap while you have your own steel industry, so I hope the electric furnace IS installed and switched on at Port Talbot. I think this will leave Scunthorpe as our last traditional blast-furnace supplied steel mill, plus whatever is left in Sheffield.

Although we're not burning any more compacted dinosaurs for commercial electricity, I think Drax power station up in Yorkshire is still operating, they simply swapped from coal to bio-mass as fuel. Not sure the eco types are too keen on THAT, either. Everybody start saving your pistachio nut shells...

A.

It turns out the wood pellets for Drax aren't as ' green  ' a solution as they like to make out .
Eggbrough and Ferrybridge power stations near Selby were shut down leaving just Drax as you say.
ps all 3 power stations were in a line not far from one another and could have been destroyed in one bombing run I used to imagine !

[him a layin]

not impressed by the quality of chinese tool steel lately.

[AzCal Retred]

@ #9: Coastal facilities are extra vulnerable to attack. If they use ocean cooling water tunnels instead of cooling towers it's even moreso. Modern "smart" autonomous undersea vehicles are hard to defend against. Once cooling is gone the power station is dead in the water.

[Leofric]

@ #9: Coastal facilities are extra vulnerable to attack. If they use ocean cooling water tunnels instead of cooling towers it's even moreso. Modern "smart" autonomous undersea vehicles are hard to defend against. Once cooling is gone the power station is dead in the water.

The 3 mentioned in Yorkshire were cooling towers.

[AzCal Retred]

Sabotage to cooling water circulating pump motors puts them out of service for weeks or months, depending on the damage. Surface skimming missiles are hard to detect and stop. Minimal personnel risk, maximum denial of service.

[Adrian II]

The net-zero hysteria is destroying our industrial base (what's left of it) as surely as any missile attack, just takes a little longer.

A.