Energy sapping

For those of us concerned about the future wealth of our country, the report by the National Audit Office (“Families face big energy bill rises for 17 years”, 13 November) makes depressing reading.

There is a direct relationship ­between electricity price, demand, economic activity, employment and trade.

These predictions consign us to future decay and ultimate ruin.

Most will not know that our electricity-generating agenda is driven solely by the 2008 Climate Change Act and the 20/20/20 policy of the European Union that demands decarbonisation above the safety and security of supply.

And the NAO’s report is based on those constraints. Already we have prematurely closed power stations in deference to these requirements and placed our security of electricity supply at high risk.

It is the ultimate folly to progressively ruin our own economy, to think it noble to sacrifice our children’s future on the altar of a reactionary, green ideology that the rest of the world ignores and refuses to join.

This country needs redirection, a policy that places the premium on cheap, reliable electricity, not those technologies so favoured by some in Westminster and Holyrood that instead provide the opposite.

(Prof) Tony Trewavas

Scientific Alliance Scotland

North St David Street

Edinburgh

The National Audit Office (NAO) said that household gas and electricity bills are set to rise faster than inflation and wages for the next 17 years .

“Green taxes” and wind subsidies are increasing energy bills, and there is worse to come.

Dozens of new Scottish wind farms are being completed long before the essential upgrade of power lines needed to take their electricity to the national grid and this will add an extra £10 billion on to Britain’s energy bills.

Under legislation introduced by the coalition in 2010, energy companies sign “connect and manage” agreements for new projects.

If these wind farms are operational before the national grid can cope, then the developers are paid to keep their turbines switched off. This could be for seven years in southern Scotland and five years in the north.

Between April and July this cost £17.2 million and ended up on our energy bills.

Householders are, therefore, paying for the same power twice, for the power they use and the unwanted power they subsidise.

First Minister Alex Salmond’s fixation with wind is completely destabilising the running of the national grid.

The absurdity of the SNP’s renewables energy policy has now been revealed.

Clark Cross

Springfield Road

Linlithgow