From:
Jane Collins, Ukip MEP for Yorkshire.
WITH the closure of Ferrybridge Power Station, Kellingley Colliery and
now steel industry plants across the region, the unions need to focus on the
reasons behind companies losing money rather than just asking Government to
spend more.
The EU directive on renewable energy has had a huge impact on power
generation and the cost of electricity and gas. Because power generation is
expensive and inefficient, huge subsidies are needed to keep these wind turbines
and solar farms going – and that’s been lumped on top of energy
bills.
When Tata Steel announced the closure of their Rotherham site in July,
they specifically mentioned the high cost of electricity. Now we hear that
another 1,000 jobs are set to go in Scunthorpe, a devastating loss for the local
community.
Of course there are other factors such as the strength of the pound – but
who’d invest in the euro when it’s a doomed political currency? A study for the
British government put the lifetime cost of meeting the renewables target at up
to €351.7bn (£290bn) for the whole EU, including a bill of €93.1bn for the UK.
Most of that cost burden has been picked up by consumers, contributing to a
marked rise in the cost of living. We must protect our industry.
Read
more: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/debate/letters/letters-october-22-steel-collapse-link-to-electricity-costs-and-eu-1-7528898#ixzz3pHjPKZyW
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