Dan Grey
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dangrey.bsky.social
Dan Grey
@dangrey.bsky.social
Energy and transitioning from fossil fuels. Complex issues I try to shine a light on. Ex-UKAEA and Met Office. Occasionally politics

Exeter, UK
Pinned
So Ørsted has canned the Hornsea 4 wind farm project – what does that mean for the pipeline of offshore wind farms between now and 2030?

Not all that much...

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Orsted, majority-owned by the Danish government, has decided to cancel the 2.4 GW Hornsea 4 offshore wind farm. The final investment decision had been expected later this year – they've taken it early, and it's a negative.

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Ørsted discontinues Hornsea 4 offshore wind project
Ørsted has announced it will discontinue construction on its Hornsea 4 offshore wind project in the UK, despite recently securing a Contract for
www.energyvoice.com
Reposted by Dan Grey
I'm in the FT! Fun fact that didn't make the cut. Scrooge lived somewhere near Cornhill so we reckon will, post mansion tax, pay 0.2% of the value of his property from that and CT combined. Tiny Tim rents in Camden in a band D property so will pay 0.4%.
November 29, 2025 at 8:56 AM
@evanhd.bsky.social says the EV road charge is going to be based on entering your mileage into a website once a year.

I guess no-one in government has heard of these things 🤦
mileage-blocker.co.uk
#bbcpm
November 27, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Anyone seen this before?!
Install a heat pump - Clean Energy Homepage
Find out how heat pumps work, what they cost, and the financial support available.
cleanenergy.campaign.gov.uk
November 27, 2025 at 11:43 AM
Am writing a budget thread but just something to note: in real terms the 1 January price cap 'typical bill' is already £250 lower than it was same period two years ago.

Energy prices are going down, not up. Any journalist who says they're going up is wrong.
November 27, 2025 at 10:34 AM
Politicians are afraid to champion policies that reduce carbon emissions because Reform lead the polls and they want to scrap all carbon reduction targets and drill for oil and gas.

Folks, they're on 30%. They're not actually popular in any sense. Stop being frit of them
#r4today
Westminster Voting Intention:

RFM: 30% (=)
LAB: 21% (+1)
CON: 19% (-1)
LDM: 14% (=)
GRN: 10% (-1)
SNP: 3% (=)

Via @moreincommonuk.bsky.social, 22-24 Nov.
Changes w/ 14-17 Nov.
November 27, 2025 at 9:19 AM
Reposted by Dan Grey
It's important not to sugarcoat the govt's decision to scrap ECO. It is the UK's most important scheme to address fuel poverty. It has helped 15 million people over three decades. By scrapping it, E3G calculates that the government is cutting 10,000 skilled jobs in the places that need them the most
November 26, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Reposted by Dan Grey
The good, the bad and the ugly of the Budget:

The bad: the Budget contained no significant tax reforms, and almost nothing in the way of pro-growth measures. The capital allowance change will reduce business investment - it's positively anti-growth.
November 26, 2025 at 4:24 PM
This 1,000x.

Everyone will be worse off from the frozen income tax thresholds (even pensioners on full state pension)

Few are going to benefit enough from the retail policies to be net better off

I've not found any pro-growth reforms yet
I am a literal minded wonk, and so I simply find it confusing how the Chancellor "helps" people with lots of micro-cost of living items like fuel and rail freezes and whatnot, but takes a lot more in income tax threshold freezes. I just think it is finicky and misleading. Just pick one thing.
November 26, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Reposted by Dan Grey
you don't have to squint very hard to see the effect of that Truss interlude on this country. If she was responsible for half of that gap with the G7 average, that turns into tens of billions of debt interest. It could be ... 0.8% of GDP less? £24bn less?
November 26, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Reposted by Dan Grey
Big news on Fuel Duty - the 5p cut will be removed gradually from September. A good way to end this giveaway without pushing up inflation
November 26, 2025 at 12:43 PM
ECO is being scrapped entirely 😯

The Energy Company Obligation streamed money from bill payers to measures that improve the ability of low-income, fuel-poor and vulnerable households to heat their homes.

Not clear if anything is replacing the lost funding
November 26, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Confirmed.

"...a new mileage-based charge on electric and plug-in hybrid cars from April 2028 at around half the fuel duty rate paid by drivers of petrol cars (raising £1.4bn)"

Fuel duty on petrol and diesel is currently 52.95p; I actually calculated the EV mileage charge at 26p but rounded down
If the EV road charge is set at 3p per mile tomorrow, that's about the same as adding 25p per litre to fuel duty.

Let that sink in.
This afternoon the government has again been briefing a tax on driving electric vehicles.

Brilliant 🤦.
November 26, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Oh for goodness sake
North Sea exploration rules to be relaxed in new Labour plan
The chancellor will unveil the North Sea Strategy in her Budget speech, the BBC understands.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 26, 2025 at 9:38 AM
A quick budget prediction; a dozen-plus fiddly, complicated half-arsed measures that only make life more complicated for those affected and garner a huge amount of bad publicity for the sums of money raised
November 25, 2025 at 11:23 PM
Reposted by Dan Grey
The map on the left shades constituencies by % of top council tax band properties (Band H in England, Band H and I in Wales)

The map on the right shades by median house prices.

Very different maps. That's the problem with council tax.
November 25, 2025 at 8:58 PM
If the EV road charge is set at 3p per mile tomorrow, that's about the same as adding 25p per litre to fuel duty.

Let that sink in.
November 25, 2025 at 4:30 PM
"The changes - to begin on 1 January 2028"

TWENTY TWENTY-EIGHT. Two years. Two years to make a simple tax change.
Budget live updates: Packaged milkshakes and lattes to be included in sugar tax for first time in UK
The changes mean packaged, sugary milk drinks will get more expensive - unless their sugar content is cut below the threshold.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 25, 2025 at 2:01 PM
'Transport secretary Heidi Alexander rejected a rival proposal from Arora Group, saying Heathrow’s own plans were "the most credible and deliverable option"'

Literally the opposite; as if putting a 12 lane motorway into a tunnel or a tight S bend is easier than building a shorter runway instead
Heidi Alexander chooses larger of two options for Heathrow 3rd runway, requiring part of M25 to be moved - www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
November 25, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Surprise surprise.
Ministers are considering gutting a scheme to restore England’s habitats for wildlife, leading the former environment secretary Lord Gove to accuse Labour of a retreat on protecting nature.

Latest on biodiversity net gain here:
www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...
Michael Gove accuses Labour of ‘profound biodiversity mistake’
The former environment secretary has criticised the government over plans to exempt small plots from biodiversity net gain rules
www.thetimes.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:44 PM
This afternoon the government has again been briefing a tax on driving electric vehicles.

Brilliant 🤦.
Goverment pledges £1.3bn to EV grants but will still tax pay-per-mile
The Chancellor is still expected to announce a controversial pay-per-mile tax on electric vehicles in the Budget on Wednesday.
www.thisismoney.co.uk
November 24, 2025 at 7:15 PM
It's actually at least 18 changes; I missed scaling back/scrapping ECO, which funds insulation and low-carbon technologies for poorer households.

The last person to make such a cut was David Cameron, when he told ministers to "cut the green crap"
So far the government has briefed out to journalists "on background" (and usually subsequently withdrawn) SEVENTEEN tax and spend changes:

–Income tax threshold freeze extension
–Income tax rate rise
–Council tax changes
–Cash ISA allowance reduction
–EV road pricing

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#r4today
November 24, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Nuclear power is expensive because it's *extremely dangerous*. It takes a vast amount of money, resources, time and effort to reduce the risk it poses to a level that our democracies have judged to be safe.

People seem to be slowly forgetting just how unforgiving and devastating nuclear can be.
UK most expensive place to develop nuclear power, report says
Experts criticise “overly complex” rules and call for an overhaul of Britain's nuclear strategy.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 24, 2025 at 4:36 PM
So far the government has briefed out to journalists "on background" (and usually subsequently withdrawn) SEVENTEEN tax and spend changes:

–Income tax threshold freeze extension
–Income tax rate rise
–Council tax changes
–Cash ISA allowance reduction
–EV road pricing

1/

#r4today
November 24, 2025 at 8:53 AM
Exeter is getting a repair cafe for the first time, as far as I know!

The first event will be held in the Digital Maker Space in the Forum library at the university, 11am to 3pm Tuesday 25 November (it's open to everyone)

Clothing repairs, small electrical repairs 👍
November 24, 2025 at 6:22 AM