UK consumers set to pick up £4.7 billion National Grid tab
As the UK authorities look to put in motion a plan to hook up an array of wind farms and new nuclear power installations to the national grid over the next decade, it seems that UK consumers will eventually foot the bill. A report commissioned by the UK government has suggested a significant expansion of the current National Grid with 1000 km of extra cable required to bring new energy sources on board.
Historically the UK government would have been expected to foot part of this bill but under the current economic conditions the government appears to have washed its hands of any significant investment. While nobody has confirmed the likely outcome, it seems inevitable that UK energy companies will foot the bill in the short term and then pass on this significant investment cost to energy customers in the UK.
This expansion of the National Grid also takes into account the UK government's "green policy" of future energy production and will annoy many consumers who are again being hit by an indirect "green tax". Every time the authorities suggest a policy which is "friendly to the environment" it always seems to be the UK consumer that eventually foots the bill for these ever-increasing costs.
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