EDF buys British Energy

Taken from BBC.

French energy firm EDF has unveiled plans to build four new nuclear reactors in the UK after it agreed to buy British Energy in a £12.5bn deal.
Subject to shareholder and regulatory approval, EDF - 85% owned by the French government - will take over British Energy's eight UK nuclear power plants.
In addition, British Gas owner Centrica said it was in talks to take 25% of the power generated by the enlarged group.

British Energy power plants generate about one sixth of UK energy supply.

A chart showing the ownership of Britain's generating industry is shown below.

Government meddling

Gordon Brown has agreed a £910m package of measures with the big energy companies aimed at helping people with soaring gas and electricity bills.

It includes half price insulation for all households and a freeze on this year's bills for the poorest families.

The package includes:

• 
  Free cavity wall and loft insulation for pensioners and poor households
• 
  50% off cost of insulation for all households
• 
  Freeze on this year's bills for half a million poor consumers
• 
  Partial reversal of cut to warm front programme giving free central heating to poorest pensioners
• 
  Cold weather payments to go up from £8.50 a week to £25 a week for pensioners, disabled people and unemployed families with children under five - if temperatures drop below zero for seven consecutive days

My question for the government is - what are you doing to reduce energy prices for business users? - Nothing!

What about working people, who do not have children and people who already have taken measures to reduce their bills ?- it appears these people will be subsidising the money given to other groups and unless the energy companies foot all of the bill, will probably have to pay more!

First blog

My website designer says I should have a blog. I want to put loads of information on my new website but he won't let me! - I know about utilities and energy and must confess to not knowing much about websites, so I'll bow to his superior knowledge - for now!

Until my new website becomes live you can view my mini webpage at http://www.thebestof.co.uk/newcastle/23285/1/1/the_best_of.aspx