Unthreaded
This, shows he is not dumb - he does however have to say the 'right' thing in public.. Ie he knows he wants nuclear, but deflects not closing nuclear onto saving the planet from CO2..(as to not upset the greens too much) and a little dig at merkel.
“What did the Germans do when they shut all their nuclear in one go?,” Macron said.
“They developed a lot of renewables but they also massively reopened thermal and coal. They worsened their CO2 footprint, it wasn’t good for the planet. So I won’t do that.”
Barry Woods
Barry Woods
imho Macron is wholly owned by banking interests. He would be nowhere - really - without his old employer arranging several lottery wins for him.
You say he isn't dumb - yet he appoints a sanctimonious green eejit like Hulot to in part oversee energy... He has apparently been infected by the belief that anything green and CO2 reducing is unassailable politically and that doing down nuclear will keep his lefty chums happy..
Electricity was too cheap in France - as far as the bankers and left were concerned - so they're setting about adjusting that and dressing it up with eco-piety.
Importing climate science refugees from Trump's America and stupid solar roadways and offshore wind farms and much else... If Macron sends power prices up past German levels things will get interesting.
tomo
Macron isn't dumb.. he knows he has no oil reserves, he also knows closing nuclear is dumb..
so his oil announcement is to distract from his other announcement..
https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-france-macron-nuclear/nuclear-renewables-to-help-french-co2-reduction-goals-macron-says-idUKKBN1EB0TZ
Nuclear, renewables to help French CO2 reduction goals, Macron says
Reuters Staff
2 MIN READ
PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday he would not follow Germany’s example by phasing out nuclear energy in France because his priority was to cut carbon emissions and shut down polluting coal-fired production.
French President Emmanuel Macron gives a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel after the EU summit in Brussels, Belgium, December 15, 2017. REUTERS/Eric Vidal
“I don’t idolize nuclear energy at all. But I think you have to pick your battle. My priority in France, Europe and internationally is CO2 emissions and (global) warming,” he told France 2 television in an interview.
Macron, who has worked to establish his role as a global leader since his election win in May, presided over a climate summit in Paris last week to breathe new life into a collective effort to fight climate change.
But renewable energy only amounts to a tiny share of French electricity production, which is dominated by nuclear for 75 percent of it.
“Nuclear is not bad for carbon emissions, it’s even the most carbon-free way to produce electricity with renewables,” Macron said.
The 39-year old, who has sought to forge strong ties with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, did not show any enthusiasm for her decision to phase out nuclear energy, one of her landmark policies.
“What did the Germans do when they shut all their nuclear in one go?,” Macron said.
“They developed a lot of renewables but they also massively reopened thermal and coal. They worsened their CO2 footprint, it wasn’t good for the planet. So I won’t do that.”
Barry Woods
Caution - might induce queasiness
No surprise - but - really quite outstanding gooey unctuous eco-drivel in The Guardian - quite why globe trotting Philip Hoare doesn't sport a tonsure, habit and dog collar is a mystery.
bleugh.... less appetising than a bowl of rotting Brussel sprouts
tomo
So lets see, if we had a PM with balls we would be talking to America about a magnificent trading agreement.
If we had a PM with balls we would also be talking to Poland about them leaving the EU.
Sadly we have a group of politicians who are only interested in feathering their own beds and staying within the EU as a vassal state.
Mailman
At last some detail about the solar effects on climate.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-017-02082-2
Ross Lea
Tesla Trucks/Semis
Confirmed: what I said when launched
Tesla semi-truck orders are a marketing tool for corporations
Logical thinking exposes emotional irrational thinking :)
Pcar
Remoaner Resigns - no comment on accusations
Mrs May, Lord Peter Lilley is available.
.
EU Vindictive Behaviour
Frans Timmermans insisted that use of Article 7 against Poland — which could see the country stripped of its EU voting rights but still subject to the bloc’s decrees — is a necessary response to the conservative Law and Justice Party government’s attempts to reform what it sees as a corrupt judicial system.
b. EU Triggers "Unprecedented Nuclear Option" Against Poland; Sanctions May Follow
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Merkel's RoPs
EU begone to Hades
Pcar
As far as French energy policy is concerned Macron has surpassed Hollande in the stupid sweepstakes by a fair margin.
His Twitter announcement of the new policy (assume it was him - but you never know) was full of lame/daft English hashtags.
His "energy" man Hulot is simply bonkers even by French standards.
It could all end with flaming fossil fuel lit nighttime pitchfork processions and the hiss - thud thing they were fond of a while back.
tomo
Barry Woods
From some sporadic France watching I think that the political knives are out for French nuclear - the banks want some safe RoI from new infrastructure projects and the left establishment is ideologically wedded to anti nuclear. I've been peripherally involved with some French offshore wind and the perception I got from that is that corporates see it as a developing revenue opportunity reliant on shrinking nuclear generation. A significant slice of establishment players are on board the renewables bandwagon / mania.
I'd like to believe that Macron is cynically playing - I don't think that's the case. In the last several years French nuclear companies have made some mistakes and these have been pounced on and the regime of rules, inspections and bureaucracy governing operations has ratcheted up with the left in particular taking the lead in being deliberately obstructive - in many cases far beyond any justifiable engineering rationales. Stations have been shut down where they could sensibly have increased inspection and monitoring.
From what I can see an anti nuclear mindset / groupthink has developed in a large part of the French political establishment and the utility market is going to be manipulated from "too cheap to meter" to a ransom arrangement.
Watching Macron defy gravity and slide up the greasy pole neatly acquiring palatable stances makes me think that he's a blank screen which has other folks creations projected onto it.
But hey-ho neither of us is going to have any effect on what they do! I just wish I could get a wager placed on the outcome.