Energy Lockdowns, Blackouts and Shortages

[Jingle Bells]

 

There can only be one answer,  bring back Glam Rock.

[That thing you do]

3 hours ago, Boab said:

Not wanting to go off topic but if there was another lockdown, everyone would ignore it.

It won't be the same kind of lockdown. It won't he stay at home or else, it will be restricted hours of electric through scheduled blackouts, fuel rationing, food rationing (eventually as no fuel leads to less food), work from home mandates and restrictions that preserve energy.

It won't be only see one other household, remain physically in your house but expect universities and schools to go remote again also. 

 

At least, if it gets as bad as some predict, thats all kicking off by end of April. 

 

[Dennis Denuto]

We should be preparing some emergency legislation to deal with any potential shortages and price increases.  We might not be a t war but it is going to affect all of us, so some Government control of the energy markets and supply chain might be needed.

Hopefully not but even of the war ends I see prices being high for a long while after.

[The Maroon Jacket]

40 minutes ago, Dennis Denuto said:

We should be preparing some emergency legislation to deal with any potential shortages and price increases.  We might not be a t war but it is going to affect all of us, so some Government control of the energy markets and supply chain might be needed.

Hopefully not but even of the war ends I see prices being high for a long while after.

Government control might be needed , has this not been happening for the last 300 plus year's we're doomed what's the point in worrying about tomorrow it's not a given and the prices are going up regardless in rip off Britain 

[That thing you do]

 

Edited April 1 by That thing you do

[Dennis Denuto]

39 minutes ago, The Maroon Jacket said:

Government control might be needed , has this not been happening for the last 300 plus year's we're doomed what's the point in worrying about tomorrow it's not a given and the prices are going up regardless in rip off Britain 

As I said it might not be needed but rather than wait until it is we should be planning and legislating foe it now, not waiting until it needs rushed through and mistakes are made.  We don't want to see companies profiteering while the rest of us are paying more for everything.

I am not suggesting panic, I am suggesting planning to avoid panic.

[Byyy The Light]

On the plus side. Less biscuits and cakes for the fatties.

 

Obesity crisis might be in for a win. 

[joondalupjambo]

22 hours ago, Boab said:

Regarding holidays, if there’s no improvement, they will cancel them. Can’t see another way round it as they can’t bump up prices for holidays already booked. It’s a contract.

Travel expert in BBC this morning that travel companies can put on up to an 8% surcharge to holidays under certain situations, one of which is an increase in fuel costs.  Consumers can pay it or request a full refund.  I never knew that because I have never gone on a package holiday apart from once 50 years ago. 

 

Also long haul carriers putting up fares and EasyJet saying everything will need to be reviewed with fares likely to go up late summer.   As you say folk might now think about cancelling.

[il Duce McTarkin]

16 hours ago, stevie1874 said:

Sounds easy, wonder why the successive governments haven’t implemented such a plan. 

 

They've been too busy predicting Russia's imminent collapse.

[El Prez]

On 31/03/2026 at 07:51, il Duce McTarkin said:

I wish I could gloat about how shite the UK has it from a cartel- riddled foreign bolt-hole.

Guernsey...?

[Boab]

Reeves has just said energy demand is low in the summer and rises in the autumn ! 🧐

I saw this chancer on the Martin Lewis show and she couldn’t answer some basic fiscal questions.

This is the chancellor, folks !

 

[highlandjambo3]

19 hours ago, Dido of Consequence said:

Looks like I'll be slumming it at centre parcs this year

Get in now with a deposit as they will be hiking their prices up if there is even a hint at flight price increases (as will I 😏).

[highlandjambo3]

17 hours ago, Cade said:

 

Because all they can think about is the next election.

Short-term thinking predominates.

Exactly…..now I’m no politician but, I could easily fix broken Britain, it’s really simple, there’s not enough dosh swilling about to fix stuff so we need to massively hike up taxes……. Now hands up if your going to vote for me.

[Cade]

Nae need to hike up taxes, just collect what is owed.

The so-called "tax gap" between what HMRC thinks it should be collecting and what it actually collects runs to about £43billion a year.

So, stop pishing about and aggressively collect it.

No more sweetheart deals with big business, no more gentle requests or pathetic fines.

Get the money in.

 

£23 billion more is housing benefit spending which is nothing more than taxpayer's money being given to Landlords. 

£17.5billion is in subsidies and tax breaks for fossil fuel companies (who have been posting record profits year on year for decades).

 

There's huge amounts of money being shovelled into the pockets of the already rich and a culture of letting them then get away with not paying any tax.

£80billion a year in just these three examples. That's a lot of dosh we could be using for infrastructure, armed forces, policing etc.
There's much more money to be saved in other ways.

The UK is a feckin joke.

[The Mighty Thor]

16 hours ago, The Maroon Jacket said:

So why does the UK buy and import oil and gas from Norway rather drill from their own fields and saving millions of pounds to the taxpayer which sit almost side by side?

 

Norway own their oil fields and have used the 'windfall' wisely.

 

Margaret Thatcher sold of all our energy infrastructure to her sponsors and donors for a quick buck to perpetuate the Billy big baws 'global power Britain' pish which has destroyed the UK since the end of WWII 

[JimmyCant]

On 31/03/2026 at 09:24, Boab said:

Regarding holidays, if there’s no improvement, they will cancel them. Can’t see another way round it as they can’t bump up prices for holidays already booked. It’s a contract.

I’ve got 4 holidays booked between now and the end of the year. (Yeh look at me all retired and thriving 😂) I’m expecting at least 2 of them to be cancelled.

[highlandjambo3]

14 minutes ago, JimmyCant said:

I’ve got 4 holidays booked between now and the end of the year. (Yeh look at me all retired and thriving 😂) I’m expecting at least 2 of them to be cancelled.

Dam….I'm only on 3 starting next week…….will need to ramp it up now 😳

[JimmyCant]

6 minutes ago, highlandjambo3 said:

Dam….I'm only on 3 starting next week…….will need to ramp it up now 😳

Gdańsk at the end of the month - Probably safe enough

Turkey in late June - Highly doubtful

Med Cruise - September (already rumours of cancellation)

Spain in October (hopefully a more normal world by then)

[joondalupjambo]

3 hours ago, JimmyCant said:

I’ve got 4 holidays booked between now and the end of the year. (Yeh look at me all retired and thriving 😂) I’m expecting at least 2 of them to be cancelled.

We have four booked as well, just about five and six.  Nae pockets in a shroud.

[JimmyCant]

22 minutes ago, joondalupjambo said:

We have four booked as well, just about five and six.  Nae pockets in a shroud.

Yeh I get pelters for spending the kids inheritance 😂 Feck em !

[Glasgowben]

21 hours ago, hughesie27 said:

Would you agree that Britain creating it's own energy sources rather than relying on importing it would be much better for the country? 

What part of it is a scam?

Scam/ Lie  same difference.    

 

 

[joondalupjambo]

5 minutes ago, JimmyCant said:

Yeh I get pelters for spending the kids inheritance 😂 Feck em !

Way to appease them is bring all the loose change, foreign currency back and give to to them to cash in🤣

[hughesie27]

8 minutes ago, Glasgowben said:

Scam/ Lie  same difference.    

 

 

Which parts a lie?

[JimmyCant]

5 minutes ago, joondalupjambo said:

Way to appease them is bring all the loose change, foreign currency back and give to to them to cash in🤣

Fridge magnets mate. I’ve bought them loads. never seen a magnet on any of their fridges yet. I think they must bin them In disgust 

[joondalupjambo]

Just now, JimmyCant said:

Fridge magnets mate. I’ve bought them loads. never seen a magnet on any of their fridges yet. I think they must bin them In disgust 

Feck I thought I was giving my one a hard time by flinging him £4.69 in a currency exchange.  Fridge magnets🤣

[Victorian]

The only energy security and insulation from markets turmoil is a range of domestic energy generation that is eventually freed from being handcuffed to fossil fuel wholesale market prices.   There is no scam.   No lie.   

 

Chosing to continue to import fossil fuels and/or suffering from Stockholm Syndrome by staying chained to a radiator by the wholly bogus construct of renewables being charged at the gas price is the scam and lie.   

[milky_26]

18 hours ago, hughesie27 said:

Yep thats a farce. Need more storage facilities built. Not fewer wind farms.

 

storing electricity large scale i believe is quite difficult.

 

one other solution would be to build something like kimberly clark are doing in barrow. they are going to use wind power to generate and store hydrogen for them to produce steam for their plant. if we as a country could use excess renewable power (similar to a hydro electric plant pumping water to their top reservoir at night) to generate and store hydrogen it would give us a more reliable "instant" power without the greenhouse gases. 

[Cade]

There's all kinds of very interesting energy storage methods being researched and developed.

Since most of our power comes from spinning turbines and the easiest way to do that is steam, thermal storage seems to be the front-running idea.

It's very interesting stuff.
Molten salt reactors FTW.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_energy_storage

[joondalupjambo]

17 minutes ago, Cade said:

There's all kinds of very interesting energy storage methods being researched and developed.

Since most of our power comes from spinning turbines and the easiest way to do that is steam, thermal storage seems to be the front-running idea.

It's very interesting stuff.
Molten salt reactors FTW.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_energy_storage

Agree but why is it an idea?  Not questioning you, more questioning why we are still at the idea stage.  Is this not Denmark's proven solution?  Denmark one of the world leaders in renewable energy usage.  Why cannot we copy and paste a solution or are there reasons as to it why not work?

[Dennis Denuto]

1 hour ago, milky_26 said:

storing electricity large scale i believe is quite difficult.

 

one other solution would be to build something like kimberly clark are doing in barrow. they are going to use wind power to generate and store hydrogen for them to produce steam for their plant. if we as a country could use excess renewable power (similar to a hydro electric plant pumping water to their top reservoir at night) to generate and store hydrogen it would give us a more reliable "instant" power without the greenhouse gases. 

I’m sure a read about a scheme in Eyemouth where they were going to use wind turbines to produce hydrogen to power the town and replace gas. 
 

I think the problem is/was very inefficient and you lose too much power creating the hydrogen compared to what that outputs. 
 

would be a great system if it can be worked out as we are surrounded by the sea which is full of hydrogen if you have enough electricity to extract it. 

[PortyJambo]

On 31/03/2026 at 19:29, The Maroon Jacket said:

So why does the UK buy and import oil and gas from Norway rather drill from their own fields and saving millions of pounds to the taxpayer which sit almost side by side?

 

Because it's Shell and the likes that own the fields (after the UK government sold them) and they then sell the oil and gas on the global market. So no matter how many fields are opened in the North Sea, we're always going to be paying what the global market dictates. The only benefit to the UK would be increased tax revenues, not cheaper oil and gas.

[Glasgowben]

21 hours ago, hughesie27 said:

Which parts a lie?

That we have to use renewables.     We could use a mix,

 

Nothing wrong with nuclear , nothing wrong with using our oil.

 

It's also possible Ed Millibran is a Chinese spy

[Dennis Denuto]

1 hour ago, Glasgowben said:

That we have to use renewables.     We could use a mix,

 

Nothing wrong with nuclear , nothing wrong with using our oil.

 

It's also possible Ed Millibran is a Chinese spy

If you could explain what you mean by our oil? What oil do we have that we do not need to buy on the open markets?

[Glasgowben]

20 minutes ago, Dennis Denuto said:

If you could explain what you mean by our oil? What oil do we have that we do not need to buy on the open markets?

north sea,  like norway do

[Dennis Denuto]

48 minutes ago, Glasgowben said:

north sea,  like norway do

We don't own it, we need to buy it on the open market, we only collect tax on it.

[Glasgowben]

19 hours ago, Dennis Denuto said:

We don't own it, we need to buy it on the open market, we only collect tax on it.

When did we stop owning it?

[Cade]

When BP was privatised under Thatcher.

 

[The Real Maroonblood]

19 minutes ago, Cade said:

When BP was privatised under Thatcher.

 

She's left a shite legacy. 

[The Mighty Thor]

Wait til he finds out about Norway's sovereign wealth fund of USD 2 trillion. 

 

Thatcher and her type spunked the lot and we've got literally **** all to show for it. 

[Ked]

30 minutes ago, The Mighty Thor said:

Wait til he finds out about Norway's sovereign wealth fund of USD 2 trillion. 

 

Thatcher and her type spunked the lot and we've got literally **** all to show for it. 

Aye there's nae oil left mind.

Scotland has nowt to offer .

Not like we produce enough energy from renewables either.

We need the union ,better together .

 

Robbed ****in blind .

How anyone thinks we are better off not running our ain house I will never know.

 

[PTBCAL]

I’m putting my house on the market in a couple of weeks and this whole fiasco is giving me some doubts. The mortgage market is taking it badly so you wonder if there will be demand for housing out there. 

[Dennis Denuto]

4 minutes ago, PTBCAL said:

I’m putting my house on the market in a couple of weeks and this whole fiasco is giving me some doubts. The mortgage market is taking it badly so you wonder if there will be demand for housing out there. 

Two houses where I live sold in days, I think you are better to get in quickly before it gets any worse 

[Glasgowben]

Drill baby Drill.          I don't see the problem.  We only need to do this till Fusion power is read which is only a few decades away.    There's plenty oil, coal and gas till then

[Victorian]

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/04/new-north-sea-drilling-jackdaw-rosebank-uk-gas-imports

 

Well well.

 

Drill like a *****.   No effect on imported energy.   No big tax take.   No jobs.

 

But why let that stop the political vultures gobbing off about it to fool a few guppies?

[joondalupjambo]

Any petrol in Fife?

Along here in the East Neuk a wee bit scarce with several outlets shut with none available.

 

[Glasgowben]

Hope Ed Milibrain resigns 

[Dennis Denuto]

5 hours ago, Glasgowben said:

Hope Ed Milibrain resigns 

Why would he? For understanding his brief and acting accordingly?

[Watt-Zeefuik]

On 01/04/2026 at 12:29, Cade said:

There's all kinds of very interesting energy storage methods being researched and developed.

Since most of our power comes from spinning turbines and the easiest way to do that is steam, thermal storage seems to be the front-running idea.

It's very interesting stuff.
Molten salt reactors FTW.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_energy_storage

 

One of the best energy storage methods is pumped hydrostorage. The Highlands are almost ideal for it. You need a loch up a hill and a loch down the bottom of a hill nearby. Put some pipes between them with a turbine and a pump, link it up to the grid, and you've got it.

 

Several of these already under way, of course.

Edited April 8 by Watt-Zeefuik

[scottishguy]

4 hours ago, Watt-Zeefuik said:

 

One of the best energy storage methods is pumped hydrostorage. The Highlands are almost ideal for it. You need a loch up a hill and a loch down the bottom of a hill nearby. Put some pipes between them with a turbine and a pump, link it up to the grid, and you've got it.

 

Several of these already under way, of course.

Been doing that for decades at Cruachan power station.

[joondalupjambo]

First bomb dropped petrol immediately goes up within a day or two regardless of the fact that we had a lot in storage and fuel had apparently been pre-purchased.

Ceasefire now but ah sorry will take weeks for the fuel costs to drop back down.

Fuel watch eh, another stoater.  Sorry should not be so negative because that does let you see that if your drive 5 miles to a specific garage that petrol is 1p cheaper a litre there.