Keep It Simple Stupid and Save £50 Billion!

Have you ever seen such a mish-mash, hodge-podge of a dog's-dinner than:  http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/news/emr_oral/emr_oral.aspx

Electricity Market Reform - Oral statement by Chris Huhne

How could we have ended up with such a woolly-minded believer in Renewables, driving through an energy policy, which might hold sway for decades, and cost an unnecessary extra £50 billion into the 'bargain'. And, most confidently, "commend this statement to the House".

Mr Huhne - Let's hope that the late-summer report by the National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) will point out that:   The first-of-a-kind Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor (LFTR) could be up and running in 5 years, at the piddling cost of £300 million. There are half a dozen UK companies that could manufacture this (glorified) hot-salt chemical plant, so 5 years after that, 100 MWe modular LFTRs could be rolling off production lines at one per day, for £150 million each. In 2 years, we could replace all of our coal and gas fired power stations (LFTRs are load-following), at a cost of £30 billion per year for 2 years.

Do the sums and you will see 'keeping it simple' will save you £50 billion of the £110 billion investment you quantified in the Commons. A few pats-on-the-back from colleagues and a few 'eyes to the heavens' and 'thank-goodnesses' from tax payers everywhere.