Centrica Energy And Whitecap Enter Long-Term Natural Gas Supply Agreement
The title of this post, is the same as that of this news item from Centrica.
This is the sub-heading.
Centrica Energy is pleased to announce signing of a long-term natural gas purchase agreement with Whitecap Resources Inc., a leading Canadian producer dedicated to the responsible development of oil and gas resources across the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.
These first three paragraphs add more detail to the story.
Starting in April 2028, Whitecap will deliver 50,000 MMBtu of natural gas per day to Centrica Energy for a period of ten years – equivalent to roughly five LNG cargoes each year. The supply will be priced against the Title Transfer Facility (TTF), the benchmark for European gas markets.
This agreement advances Centrica’s strategy of managing market price exposure across its LNG portfolio by linking feed gas costs to European price signals. For Whitecap, the agreement provides access to international LNG-linked pricing, supporting the company’s natural gas price diversification strategy.
“Entering into this innovative agreement with Whitecap underlines our focus on building a balanced LNG portfolio through strategic partnerships across the globe allowing us to deliver reliable energy solutions to global markets” said Chris O’Shea, Group Chief Executive at Centrica.
I have some thoughts.
This Is The Seventh Deal Of This Type By Centrica In A Few Months
Note.
- All are marked with a tag of Natural Gas Trading.
- None of the deals appear to be in the Middle East.
- All appear to be fairly long term deals, with three stretching until 2037.
Hopefully, with luck we’ll have enough gas for the next few years.
Grain LNG Terminal Is Very Flexible
Consider.
- It is Europe’s largest LNG Terminal
- It can import, export and store gas.
- It has plenty of space for expansion, which could include new technologies.
- Centrica have said bunkering facilities will be added, which will be able to handle the latest low-carbon fuels.
I can certainly see, why Centrica acquired the terminal.
Polanski And Farage Don’t Agree. But They Have More In Common Than You Might Think
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC, by Laura Kuenssberg.
It is very much a must read article comparing two of the most controversial party leaders in the UK.
This is the sub-heading.
One is a former stockbroker from the south who, by his own proud admission, loves smoking, drinking and women. The other’s a proud vegan, gay, northern former actor, who told me he’d never drunk a drop.
These first three paragraphs add detail to the story.
But the jubilant Zack Polanski and Nigel Farage have rather a lot in common.
Before you scream, burst out laughing, or think I have lost my marbles, of course, there are very big differences between them.
The Greens talk about a climate emergency. Reform UK calls the government green plans, “net stupid zero”.
This is Laura’s summing up of the Terrible Twins.
Their views on the cause of Britain’s pain vary wildly.
The Greens might point the finger at the super-rich, the “donor billionaires” they often cite. Reform often blames immigration, which they controversially characterise as an “invasion” of people arriving in the UK without permission.
But both parties feed off and stir up sentiment that’s felt by lots of the public: that Britain doesn’t work any more.
Whether it’s the new Green MP saying “working hard used to get you something” in her victory speech, or Nigel Farage repeatedly telling us “Britain is broken”, the same argument flows from both: that the country is in such a dreadful state that only new political saviours can fix it.
And both Reform and the Greens are willing to push the conventions of what traditional UK politicians would find acceptable – or what they believe would make them electable.
That’s not just about their image or the unstuffy ways they court publicity – Nigel Farage willingly going into the I’m A Celebrity jungle, or Zack Polanski being seen on a dance floor in campaign videos – but how they choose to focus on sensitive issues, where others might not choose to tread.
I would disagree that Britain is broken, but that it needs someone with sensible policies that everybody can get behind.
The Greens policies on the super-rich would drive anybody with ambition and money from this country and already countries like Canada are advertising for migrants.
With two immigrant lines, Farage is everything my father thought was bad about Oswald Mosley and his fascists in the 1930s. If a Reform UK Government started rounding up illegal immigrants on the streets, the violence would probable be enormous.
How Much Renewable Energy Will The UK Be Generating By 2030?
I have to admit, that whether you like the Tories or not, they have developed an energy generation policy and an energy relationship with Germany, that appears to be working and is allowing the current Government to do a bit of spending on defence and other needs.
I asked Google AI, the question in the title of this section and received this reply.
The UK government has set an ambitious target to reach 95% low-carbon electricity generation by 2030, aiming for a system driven by 43-50 GW of offshore wind, 27-29 GW of onshore wind, and 45-47 GW of solar power. This plan aims to dramatically reduce fossil fuel reliance, supported by 23-27 GW of battery capacity.
Key 2030 Renewable Energy Projections & Targets:
Total Clean Power Goal: The goal is 95% of electricity from low-carbon sources (renewables and nuclear) by 2030, up from roughly 74% in 2024.
Offshore Wind: Target of 43-50 GW, deemed crucial to powering the grid.
Onshore Wind: Target of 27-29 GW, with recent policy changes lifting bans to accelerate development.
Solar Power: Target of 45-47 GW, aiming to triple current capacity.
Flexibility: 23-27 GW of battery capacity and 4-6 GW of long-duration storage are needed to manage intermittency.
Challenges and Forecasts:
Shortfall Risks: While the government target is high, some projections suggest wind and solar may only account for 44% of generation by 2030, requiring significant acceleration to reach the 95% clean goal.
Investment Needs: Achieving these goals requires an estimated £48 billion in additional investment, on top of planned projects.
Progress: In 2024, renewable sources already hit a record of over 50% in certain quarters, with low-carbon sources overall (including nuclear) providing nearly 70% of generation.
My Thoughts
I will add some of my thoughts.
Electricity Demand: As I write, according to National Grid: Live it is 33.3 GW, which is met by with Production of 27.1 GW and Transfers of 6.2 GW.
Electricity Production: In 2030, I believe that if the UK has long-term battery capacity of something like 4 GW/40 GWh, that total UK electricity production could be upwards of 125 GW.
Hinckley Point C Power Station: This should add 1.6 GW in 2030 and 2031 to further boost UK electricity production.
Pumped Storage Hydro: In How Much Pumped Storage Hydro Will Be Operational In The UK By 2030?, I estimate that the Bank of England standard of energy storage, will add 5 GW of electricity production.
Highview Power: Highview Power are developing long duration liquid-air energy storage and have identified locations for sixteen 300 MW/3.2 GWh monsters.
Excess Electricity Production: This will be exported, either as electricity or after conversion to hydrogen. It will be a Magic Money Forest for the victor of the General Election in 2029.
If Hinckley Point C, the pumped storage hydro and Highview Power’s batteries work as their engineers hope, then the result of the next General Election will be predictable.
It is certainly, Kier Starmer’s to win, by getting the energy right!
Highview Power And The 2029 General Election
Every extra GWh added to energy storage has the following affect.
It will mean that more wind farms will not have to be switched in times of high wind and over production, as the electricity can be stored.
At the present time, there are four ways of storing energy.
- Turn it into hydrogen. But the Hindenberg did a good PR job for not using hydrogen.
- Store it in a pumped storage hydro system, but these have problems with their large land use.
- Store it in a large lithium battery, but these have problems with fire risks and need a large amount of expensive lithium.
- Store it in one of Highview Power’s liquid air batteries.
I believe that Highview Power’s liquid-air long duration batteries, have several advantages.
- They are built from readily available components.
- They can be scaled to the need at the location, where they are installed.
- A small one is 50 MW/300 MWh and a large one is 300 MW/3.2 GWh.
- The batteries come with grid stabilisation and other features.
- The batteries have a lifespan of greater than 50 years
- The energy storage fluid, is captured from the air.
- They are a product, that would be easy to finance in quantity.
- Goldman Sachs is an investor.
- A village with a power problem could fund a Highview Power battery and have a nice little earner, with perhaps a wind turbine on a nearby hill.
- Centrica is an investor.
If a politician were to understand it, it could wind them the next General Election.
If President Maduro Is Found Guilty Of The United States Charges Will He Face The Death Penalty?
I asked Google AI the question in the title of this post and received this answer.
Nicolás Maduro has been indicted on several charges in a U.S. federal court, primarily in the Southern District of New York. The potential penalties for these charges are:
- Narco-terrorism conspiracy: This charge has a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 20 years and a maximum of life in prison.
- Cocaine importation conspiracy: This charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison.
- Weapons charges (using and possessing machine guns and destructive devices in furtherance of the conspiracies): These charges carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years and a maximum of life in prison.
The maximum penalty for all charges combined is life imprisonment in a U.S. federal prison, a sentence that has been described as a “de facto life sentence” in the media. The U.S. Attorney General has stated that the goal is for him to face justice in a U.S. court and, if convicted, he could spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Will this be enough for Trump?
Who knows?
But The Lady On The Train may have a say.
Could Artificial Intelligent Judge Cases Without A Jury?
I just had to ask Google AI this question and received this answer.
Artificial intelligence is not currently used to judge cases or issue final verdicts without human oversight in any major legal system, and legal experts believe a full replacement is unlikely in the foreseeable future. The complex nature of law requires human qualities like empathy, moral judgment, and the ability to assess nuance and credibility, which AI currently lacks.
The current role of AI in the judiciary is primarily used as a tool to assist human judges and lawyers, not replace them.
Could Artificial Intelligent Perform Sentencing In Cases?
I just had to ask Google AI this second question and received this answer.
While artificial intelligence (AI) is already used in various legal processes, it cannot perform actual sentencing in legal cases in a legally binding capacity. Legal systems currently maintain that judicial discretion and the final decision-making authority must rest with a human judge to ensure accountability, due process, and fairness.
Does Artificial Intelligence Support A Reduced Role For Juries In Legal Cases?
I just had to ask Google AI this third question and received this answer.
Artificial intelligence is currently being used to support, not replace, human decision-makers in the legal system, with experts highlighting the need for human judgment, empathy, and accountability in jury trials. The debate over AI’s potential to reduce the role of juries is ongoing, with arguments both for and against.
Conclusion
In all these questions, artificial intelligent didn’t appear to act above its station.
Sepp Blatter Eviscerates Gianni Infantino Over Trump, Ronaldo And Saudi Arabia
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Daily Telegraph.
This is the first paragraph.
Sepp Blatter can no longer bring himself to say Gianni Infantino’s name. Instead, the Swiss administrator – who ran Fifa from 1998 to 2015 until he left amid an enormous corruption scandal – refers to Infantino only as “my successor” and “the leader” as he takes his adversary to task ahead of Friday’s World Cup draw.
The article is worth a full read and the video is worth watching.
I’m Watching The World Cup Draw With A Sick Bucket
Here’s the bucket, which is an ideal accompaniment to when Trump appears on television.
Note.
- I have seen a number of American presidents and Trump isn’t even worth rating.
- As Putin and Mohammed bin Salman’s friend and apologist he certainly doesn’t deserve any form of Peace Prize.
- And who was the strumpet in the lizard costume?
- I thought Robbie Williams had more sense than to provide entertainment.
- Who’s this black guy in a red hat?
- Rio Ferdinand seems to be doing a good job.
But then everybody has a realistic price.
I actually suspect, I won’t watch much of the World Cup, as I can find better things too do. I certainly won’t watch any matches, where Trump is present.
A Thought On Trump v The BBC
Nearly twenty years ago, I shared a train journey between Cambridge and London, with a delightful black lady, who was probably in her seventies. It turned out she was a New York State Supreme Court Judge, who was doing a bit of week-end sight-seeing, whilst at a legal conference at Cambridge University.
One of the big regrets in my life, is that I didn’t exchange cards with this wonderful lady, as it would be so revealing to ask her opinion of Trump v. The BBC.
But, I also feel it is too late, as my research indicates, that she might be now giving judgments in a higher court.
But if that lady is typical of the quality of US Supreme Court justices, at both Federal and State level, then I am fairly sure, that anybody who appeals to their court will get a fair hearing according to the law.
Could that be a difficulty for someone with Trump’s personality?
Service Of Dedication For The Faculty Of Medicine And Dentistry At Queen Mary University Of London
I was invited to the Service of Dedication for the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at Queen Mary University of London, which was held on the 16th of October in the Church of Great St. Bartholomew in Smithfield.
These are the pictures I took.
Note.
Venezuelan Democracy Activist María Corina Machado Wins Nobel Peace Prize
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub heading.
Machado congratulated by exiled opposition candidate
These are three introductory paragraphs, that add more details.
Edmundo González, who replaced Machado in running for leadership and was then sent into exile, congratulates his ally.
Machado threw her weight behind him during the lead up to last year’s elections.
In a post on X, González writes that the prize is “well-deserved recognition for the long struggle of a woman and of an entire people for our freedom and democracy”.
Reading the rest of the BBC article, she seems a very brave lady, who is summed up by this last paragraph.
She has been continuing to campaign from hiding and has refused to leave the country even though the Maduro government has repeatedly threatened her with arrest.
Let’s help the Nobel Peace Prize galvanises the world to back her against the corrupt dictator; Maduro.
The project management software, that I wrote; Artemis, was big in Venezuela because of the oil industry and I was told some amazing corruption stories about the country.
Conservatives Would Scrap Stamp Duty, Badenoch Announces
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
The next Conservative government would abolish stamp duty on the purchase of main homes, Kemi Badenoch has said, in a surprise announcement at the end of her first conference speech as party leader.
These two introductory paragraphs add more detail.
Badenoch received a standing ovation from Tory activists in Manchester as she declared: “That is how we will help achieve the dream of home ownership for millions.”
She said scrapping stamp duty – a tax paid by home buyers in England and Northern Ireland – will “unlock a fairer and more aspirational society” and help people of all ages.
Note.
- I have a degree in Control Engineering at Liverpool University and graduated in 1968.
- Badenoch has a degree in Systems Engineering at Sussex University and graduated much recently.
Our degrees are both very mathematically-based and probably surprisingly similar.
My feeling as a Control Engineer, is that to selectively remove stamp duty could be a good idea, as you are affecting the derivatives rather than the rates.
Only time will tell, but some thorough mathematical modelling will probably show the validity of the idea.
It is unlikely that I will move, but given the state of the buses, there is a small chance that I might.
- My current house is probably worth about a million.
- If I bought a similarly-priced house, I would pay tax of £43,750.
- But, if I bought a house at double the price, I would pay tax of £153,750.
Given the progressive nature of the tax, I think I’ll be staying put, occupying a three-bedroom family house with a garage, all by myself.
If the tax is removed, I would be more likely to move into a house, that suited me better!
Official Quits After Dispute Over Trump’s Eisenhower Sword Gift To King Charles
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
The director of the Dwight D Eisenhower Presidential Library has stepped down after a dispute with the Trump administration over gifting a sword in its collection to King Charles, according to the BBC’s US partner, CBS News.
These three paragraphs add more detail to the story.
Todd Arrington, the head of the library in Kansas, resigned on Monday after declining to remove an original sword from the library’s collection to give to the King during President Donald Trump’s visit to the United Kingdom last month, CBS reported, citing anonymous sources.
Charles was instead gifted a replica during Trump’s UK visit, Buckingham Palace said at the time.
In an interview with CBS News, Arrington said he was told to “Resign – or be fired”.
Trump had better watch himself, as the United States has armies of lawyers and I’m sure that the unfortunate Mr. Arrington will have some legal offers, he will find great advantage in accepting.
The Anonymous Widower 