Public Utilities

[Fisherman Mike]

Honest answers please

[JohnGalway]

Could be worse, you could live in Japan where they build nuclear reactors ON earthquake fault lines to below the predicted quake size safety specs, there's soemthing to keep a body awake at night.

[bbjunkie]

Totally useless...

 

Here in Northern Ireland we pay the highest price in the UK for electricity, and have what must be one of the worst supplies in the UK

 

In the last 10 days alone I have counted 4 power outages

[Verderbt]

Power goes out for a few seconds every couple hours here. I dont even bother setting my microwave or anything anymore.

[roadkill]

all good in the midlands i have no complaints

[Cranfield]

The only public utilities we get are electricity and water.

Both appear on demand and have never caused us any problems, we could do with a bit more water pressure, but we knew that before we moved here.

[Piebob]

I think it probably depends on location. I've recently moved house and we get brief power out in bad weather - but that's because one of my trees has grown into the power lines apparently and should be sorted soon.

 

The main trouble is that there has been little investment in any of our utility infrastructure for decades, although it seems to be happening now. The recent floods have highlighted how fragile the electricity network is. Last winter we were warned to expect power cuts but they didn't happen. The town I have just moved out of had a building embargo on it because the sewer system had no more capacity, and there are loads of town in the same boat. (nice for house prices though ).

 

Not sure about England, but in Scotland the problem is with funding. I used to stay in an SNP area with the next biggest vote being Tory. Labour didn't have a look in. So, when the money got dished out from the Scottish Executive to carry out any upgrades, do you think they gave the money to an SNP run area, or one of the hundreds of Labour areas in the same boat. You probably know the answer

 

Anyway, this is getting too political so I'll shut up now

 

Piebob

[starlight32]

I work directly in the power supply industry.

 

I am afraid the we have suffered a lack of new investment into our power industry, resulting in an already overworked grid system. 20 years ago the UK National grid sytem had a a reserve supply surplus of 30%. We now run at 5%. This is simply not enough to ensure during time of crisis power supplies will not be interupted.People will never know truly how close this country comes to losing all its power on a daily basis.

 

Route cause-There has been no new construction of any plant for over 15 years with the exeption of a few gas turbine units which are a short term resolve.

 

Fossil fuels are not an option for this country- reserves will eventually run out combined with the enviromental issues associated with this method of electricity production.

 

As far as I am concerned Nuclear is the only option of a sustainable electricity supply for this country for the future.

 

Regards

 

starlight32

[Fisherman Mike]

Starlite thats very interesting....

 

I deal with Public utilities on a weekly basis and the most frustrating thing is that there appears to be a great deal of apathy amongst their number.

 

The outcome of allthese floods has illustrated just how fragile the network is and needs massive reinvestment.

 

If this is at the expense of the shareholders dividends so be it.

 

On another note........Gordons injection of 900 million for flood relief is a drop in the ocean ( excuse the analogy) compared to what is actually needed, and only represents Manchester uniteds biannual transfer Budget. A couple of noughts on the end Gordon,would be nearer the mark !

[fiiish1987]

It's ok down here.

 

If I was to be a moaning old sod then:

 

There's no channel 5 (well thats one less channel of tripe)

Yet to get 8mg Broadband (so what)

Water's chalky (damn god for surrounding us with a chalk ridge)

Power cuts when chavs knock out supply box things! (touch the wrong bit and they'll get toasted)

 

lol

[pin]

Problem is in the question "Public Utilities".

 

IMVHO you can't have utilities, rail, post or other essential services operating in the public space.

 

How in the name of christ will the desires of shareholders ever marry up with the need for a consistent level of service standard, quality and delivery?

 

It won't, its corporate "values" which means lowest price for everything, cut costs, cut workforce make a profit (and take millions and millions out of the industry).

[pavman]

Problem is in the question "Public Utilities".

 

 

 

How in the name of christ will the desires of shareholders ever marry up with the need for a consistent level of service standard, quality and delivery?

 

Its pains me Pin but once again I share your thought train

[al4x]

as Pin said our whole problem is privatisation, the idea of a company making money out of people who have to use their services simply won't lead to the required investment. then you get the service run down to such a point where money has to be spent so customers have to cough up even more and somehow everyone forgets the nice profits the companies have made in the meantime.

And as for the railways they are unbelievable, we do a lot of work for Network rail and the organisation is a complete money wasting shambles

[starlight32]

as Pin said our whole problem is privatisation, the idea of a company making money out of people who have to use their services simply won't lead to the required investment. then you get the service run down to such a point where money has to be spent so customers have to cough up even more and somehow everyone forgets the nice profits the companies have made in the meantime.

And as for the railways they are unbelievable, we do a lot of work for Network rail and the organisation is a complete money wasting shambles

 

 

All well said and in one word 'Privatization', the sure downfall of any service in industry. Public services must be Gverment controlled to ensure there is no Bias other than needs of the general public.

 

I started life under the banner of the CEGB, which controlled all electricity production in the U.K.

You answered to one boss and cost was never an issue, supply of electricity to the country was top priority.

 

Regards starlight32

[Conygree]

Ah CEGB (+SSEB)- the good old days. I used to work on isolators for 132, 275 & 400kv substations in the 70's most were new builds all over the UK ( plus Brazil etc).

 

Driving around ever since for the last 30 yrs I have hardly ever seen new lines and substations being built, and many from the 50's are still running with few upgrades. Powerstation are built as a package and given a life of say 20+ yrs - by them all the boilers are worn out and all the wiring and contols are obsolete,( its much the same with ships - but they tend to get go to a 'flag' of some unregulated country - then sail back to our waters - loaded with 200,000 tonnes of crude).

So the image of new builds is offset by decom/ing old plants.

 

In the 1998 floods in Banbury the local water t/plant was flooded out- my brother-in-law runs the plant, he told me how it was going be back on line in 2-weeks claiming 'special contractors' I told him to dream on, as I used to be an electical engineer on tankers and - the whole site needs to be cleaned and made safe to work then - all the motors will need rewiring if the can't be dried out- new bearings etc, all the power cables will be 'leaky- low resistance, all the old style control panels will be difficult to repair so need to be redesigned and built as none of the equipment is 'off the shelf', it will take months - it did. We were lucky as we could get water from Oxford.

 

My estimate for the water treatment plant being fully back on-line is the end of the school holidays.

 

Oh - if you think thats too long, don't forget to add defouling and cleaning to drinking water standards the water pipe network for a whole city - its never been undertaken before, and don't forget they need clean water to flush (purge) the pipes and the plant is down ??- I estimate a total of say 20,000 contractors taking all summer - sorry Mike but if you are in the city get out before the infections break out.

[Piebob]

Maybe we should follow the Germans?

 

They have privatised the rail system although the company is goverment owned. It's been a while since I was there, but all the trains I took were clean, fast, on time every time. They seem to be adding new stock all the time, upgrading lines and looking at mag-levs or whatever they are called. Maybe all the profits go straight back into the network?

[kdubya]

as Pin said our whole problem is privatisation, the idea of a company making money out of people who have to use their services simply won't lead to the required investment. then you get the service run down to such a point where money has to be spent so customers have to cough up even more and somehow everyone forgets the nice profits the companies have made in the meantime.

And as for the railways they are unbelievable, we do a lot of work for Network rail and the organisation is a complete money wasting shambles

 

 

All well said and in one word 'Privatization', the sure downfall of any service in industry. Public services must be Gverment controlled to ensure there is no Bias other than needs of the general public.

 

I started life under the banner of the CEGB, which controlled all electricity production in the U.K.

You answered to one boss and cost was never an issue, supply of electricity to the country was top priority.

 

Regards starlight32

 

the CEGB was a totally inept company yes production was always there, and so it should of been we had enough spare capacity, now I was and still am against privatisation, particularly when our family silver is sold to foriegn companies, but we could not go on as we where,whereby cost was not an issue, ie let the taxpayer fork out, and remember the old CEGB /SSEB/NSHEB etc, made some stupid decisions, oil fired power stations,AGR'S etc why? simply because they could as money was not an issue, and proven technology was not needed, when development of perhaps "another way" might be a better seller for the future? and after all the taxpayer will fund the "development" and if it does not work, then oh hum we will build something else, after all the taxpayer will stump up,

 

But of course MAGGIE and National Power scuppered that didn't they and the likes of the under performing AGR'S and mothballed oil stations were suddenly a liability so much so National power dropped them like a hot potato, and we had to go cap in hand back to the government to be bailed out.

 

We now find ourselves in a situation that may eventually work,ie a part state owned but with private investement coming in to build new (but proven plant, you know the kind ran every where else in the world efficiently and profitably) with a long term investment and return aim rather than the old profit plundering ways of the past,

 

interesting for those who complain about the cost of a unit of electricity if you where paying an equivalent amount per unit at your meter , as to the payment the the producers recieve per MW hour, you would not bother opening your bill, so please dont bash the producers bash the distributors you know the french? the germans? and the yanks?

cheers KW