Letters | 31 March 2016

Amber warning

Sir: James Forsyth’s interview with Amber Rudd (‘The Amber Express’, 19 March) was very revealing, but also slightly disappointing. She is right about the succession of ‘zealots’ who preceded her in setting British energy policy, but after the billions wasted on wind and solar, paid for by stealth taxes added to our electricity bills, and now providing around 2 per cent of capacity, does she still support the drive towards ‘renewable energy’? Britain now has the most expensive electricity in Europe, hardly an encouragement for business investment.

After years of negotiations, escalating costs and serious questions about EDF’s technology and financing problems, the minister had a very strong case to cancel the proposed nuclear power station at Hinkley Point, if politics had not intervened. Far more promising than Hinkley is Rolls-Royce’s work to develop a fleet of smaller reactors. With a green light, the first one could be operational within ten years at a cost of £1.25