Say what you will about Britain’s “race” to net zero, it is giving the rest of the world a useful demonstration of how unsustainable so much of the sustainable is turning out to be.
An “environmentally sustainable” freight train company is on the brink of collapse because of high electricity prices.
Varamis Rail, which promotes itself as helping to “decarbonise” high-speed rail parcel deliveries using electric trains, has ceased all operations until mid-September.
An one-off for Varamis?
Let’s see:
News of Varamis’s difficulties comes after Royal Mail abandoned its centuries-old mail trains last year, saying its electric rail fleet had become too expensive to operate.
Oh.
And:
Varamis is not the only freight train company affected by rising rail electricity prices. DB Cargo UK retired its fleet of Class 90 electric locomotives in favour of diesel-engined alternatives last year.
Industrial electricity costs in Britain have skyrocketed after successive Governments pledged to meet a target of the entire country’s net carbon dioxide emissions being zero by the year 2050.
Attempts to meet this self-imposed target have included swingeing taxes on North Sea oil and gas production which have prompted companies there to start closing down their operations.
All coal-fired power stations in Britain have shut down over the last few years, while this week energy secretary Ed Miliband’s officials offered “eye-watering” wholesale electricity prices to wind farm developers who have been holding out for ever greater sums of money.
But wind energy is so cheap, practically free, etc. . .