Comments on: The battle for control of Iceland’s energy http://icelandweatherreport.com/2009/11/the-battle-for-control-of-icelands-energy.html Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:07:04 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Bromley86 http://icelandweatherreport.com/2009/11/the-battle-for-control-of-icelands-energy.html/comment-page-1#comment-10606 Bromley86 Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:00:32 +0000 http://icelandweatherreport.com/?p=2810#comment-10606 >The EU needs both Iceland, the Faroes and Greenland to get a significant place at the Arctic Warming Table. Russia, Canada and the USA will want to carve it up between them. Not convinced that this is true. The EU needs Norway and Demark (for the moment, may change to Greenland in the future), but Iceland and the Faroes are pretty-much not involved as far as the Arctic goes. Link to a pdf map showing why this appears to me to be the case: http://www.dur.ac.uk/resources/ibru/arctic.pdf >The EU needs both Iceland, the Faroes and Greenland to get a significant place at the Arctic Warming Table. Russia, Canada and the USA will want to carve it up between them.

Not convinced that this is true. The EU needs Norway and Demark (for the moment, may change to Greenland in the future), but Iceland and the Faroes are pretty-much not involved as far as the Arctic goes.

Link to a pdf map showing why this appears to me to be the case:
http://www.dur.ac.uk/resources/ibru/arctic.pdf

]]> By: alda http://icelandweatherreport.com/2009/11/the-battle-for-control-of-icelands-energy.html/comment-page-1#comment-10604 alda Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:03:20 +0000 http://icelandweatherreport.com/?p=2810#comment-10604 James for mayor!!! James for mayor!!!

]]> By: James http://icelandweatherreport.com/2009/11/the-battle-for-control-of-icelands-energy.html/comment-page-1#comment-10603 James Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:52:29 +0000 http://icelandweatherreport.com/?p=2810#comment-10603 Having read the comments, there is an obvious solution: Reykjavik City Council should approve a bold new programme of nuclear power stations! Far greener (from a climate-perspective) than carbon-releasing fuels, an isolated location (useful in event of China Syndrome), and side-products that rogue states would purchase (in your currency of choice). To fund construction, shares could be offered to Iranian children, with Iceland's geothermal energy resources naturally providing collateral for the loans to purchase those shares. A win-win-win solution. Having read the comments, there is an obvious solution: Reykjavik City Council should approve a bold new programme of nuclear power stations! Far greener (from a climate-perspective) than carbon-releasing fuels, an isolated location (useful in event of China Syndrome), and side-products that rogue states would purchase (in your currency of choice). To fund construction, shares could be offered to Iranian children, with Iceland’s geothermal energy resources naturally providing collateral for the loans to purchase those shares. A win-win-win solution.

]]> By: Flygill http://icelandweatherreport.com/2009/11/the-battle-for-control-of-icelands-energy.html/comment-page-1#comment-10602 Flygill Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:56:29 +0000 http://icelandweatherreport.com/?p=2810#comment-10602 The report was by Sigmundur Einarsson, a geologist, and originally published at smugan.is, "Hinar miklu orkulindir Íslands" (sarcastic title). You can read a summary here: http://eyjan.is/blog/2009/10/02/er-stori-sannleikurinn-um-hinar-miklu-orkulindir-islands-tomt-plat/ ("Is the great truth about the great energy resources of Iceland empty chatter?") Warning: this is rather depressing news, if you're an Icelander. One of the amazing things about the Great Icelandic Swindle was how complete the theft was -- anything of any value was stripped, stolen and carried off, like insects stripping a carcass. All the companies and real estate and fish quotas were leveraged up the neck, with the money disappearing mysteriously to the Caymans and elsewhere. The last hope of Iceland was its oil-field and geo-hydro energy - and now those two sources appear to offer no hope for relief. The report was by Sigmundur Einarsson, a geologist, and originally published at smugan.is, “Hinar miklu orkulindir Íslands” (sarcastic title).
You can read a summary here:
http://eyjan.is/blog/2009/10/02/er-stori-sannleikurinn-um-hinar-miklu-orkulindir-islands-tomt-plat/
(“Is the great truth about the great energy resources of Iceland empty chatter?”)
Warning: this is rather depressing news, if you’re an Icelander.
One of the amazing things about the Great Icelandic Swindle was how complete the theft was — anything of any value was stripped, stolen and carried off, like insects stripping a carcass. All the companies and real estate and fish quotas were leveraged up the neck, with the money disappearing mysteriously to the Caymans and elsewhere. The last hope of Iceland was its oil-field and geo-hydro energy – and now those two sources appear to offer no hope for relief.

]]> By: Eliza http://icelandweatherreport.com/2009/11/the-battle-for-control-of-icelands-energy.html/comment-page-1#comment-10601 Eliza Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:45:31 +0000 http://icelandweatherreport.com/?p=2810#comment-10601 "green energy would – and will – become ever-more valuable in the future", yes of course, but green energy needs quite a lot of capital in order to be able to make new investments. With Iceland short of money, privatisation was the logical thing to do, at least someone will be able to make the investments. “green energy would – and will – become ever-more valuable in the future”, yes of course, but green energy needs quite a lot of capital in order to be able to make new investments. With Iceland short of money, privatisation was the logical thing to do, at least someone will be able to make the investments.

]]> By: paulstpancras http://icelandweatherreport.com/2009/11/the-battle-for-control-of-icelands-energy.html/comment-page-1#comment-10600 paulstpancras Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:19:33 +0000 http://icelandweatherreport.com/?p=2810#comment-10600 @flygill Thank you for that. I stand informed. The EU needs both Iceland, the Faroes and Greenland to get a significant place at the Arctic Warming Table. Russia, Canada and the USA will want to carve it up between them. Iceland has a strong negotiating point for EU entry if that is what Icelanders want. Talk to Swedish Trade Unionists and business groups who negotiated Sweden's entry in the early-mid 1990s. @flygill

Thank you for that. I stand informed. The EU needs both Iceland, the Faroes and Greenland to get a significant place at the Arctic Warming Table. Russia, Canada and the USA will want to carve it up between them. Iceland has a strong negotiating point for EU entry if that is what Icelanders want. Talk to Swedish Trade Unionists and business groups who negotiated Sweden’s entry in the early-mid 1990s.

]]> By: Flygill http://icelandweatherreport.com/2009/11/the-battle-for-control-of-icelands-energy.html/comment-page-1#comment-10598 Flygill Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:55:05 +0000 http://icelandweatherreport.com/?p=2810#comment-10598 A lot of people (including Icelanders) seem to think that Iceland has an almost unlimited supply of geothermal and hydroelectric energy that could be easily exploited to make Iceland prosperous at some time in the not-too-distant future. About a month or two ago there was an article on the Eyjan newsite by someone fairly knowledgeable who examined all the current and potential output of these "green" sources in all of the country. His conclusion was that Iceland has very little potential excess capacity -- maybe enough to supply an expansion of one of the large aluminum smelters. Maybe it's possible to argue with the author about the details but the general point is quite clear: Iceland does not have now, nor will it have in the future, anything like what has been imagined as its potential energy. It does not and will not be able to increase energy production by 10 times. Most of the energy has already been tapped. At most it can increase output by 30-50% of current output. I found this author's conclusions well-argued and I can't believe that people still carry on about this dreamland of free and cheap energy - -that's a myth. Of course, it would be the intelligent policy choice for the country to undo the HS Orka deal and socialize the energy sources, such as they are, and increase the rates charged to the aluminum plants. A lot of people (including Icelanders) seem to think that Iceland has an almost unlimited supply of geothermal and hydroelectric energy that could be easily exploited to make Iceland prosperous at some time in the not-too-distant future.
About a month or two ago there was an article on the Eyjan newsite by someone fairly knowledgeable who examined all the current and potential output of these “green” sources in all of the country. His conclusion was that Iceland has very little potential excess capacity — maybe enough to supply an expansion of one of the large aluminum smelters.
Maybe it’s possible to argue with the author about the details but the general point is quite clear: Iceland does not have now, nor will it have in the future, anything like what has been imagined as its potential energy. It does not and will not be able to increase energy production by 10 times. Most of the energy has already been tapped. At most it can increase output by 30-50% of current output.
I found this author’s conclusions well-argued and I can’t believe that people still carry on about this dreamland of free and cheap energy – -that’s a myth.
Of course, it would be the intelligent policy choice for the country to undo the HS Orka deal and socialize the energy sources, such as they are, and increase the rates charged to the aluminum plants.

]]> By: James http://icelandweatherreport.com/2009/11/the-battle-for-control-of-icelands-energy.html/comment-page-1#comment-10597 James Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:54:21 +0000 http://icelandweatherreport.com/?p=2810#comment-10597 Bromley86 - Well, if Iceland doesn't have an independent energy regulator (and leaves such decisions to local councils instead), then its national government should at least force the local councils to be transparent about the bidding process. Or make some of the MPs redundant (an MP per 6000 citizens isn't necessary) and retrain them to perform regulatory roles instead! Bromley86 – Well, if Iceland doesn’t have an independent energy regulator (and leaves such decisions to local councils instead), then its national government should at least force the local councils to be transparent about the bidding process. Or make some of the MPs redundant (an MP per 6000 citizens isn’t necessary) and retrain them to perform regulatory roles instead!

]]> By: Bromley86 http://icelandweatherreport.com/2009/11/the-battle-for-control-of-icelands-energy.html/comment-page-1#comment-10595 Bromley86 Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:20:56 +0000 http://icelandweatherreport.com/?p=2810#comment-10595 >If Iceland’s energy suppliers regulated similarly They won't be. You have to remember that it's a nation of only 300k people. In such a case, there's no need for government to delegate everything, otherwise you'd end up with a massively bloated public sector. Also, if we accept that the Icelandic political system is riddled with nepotism-based corruption, having an "independent" regulator wouldn't change a thing because the regulator would likewise be riddled with nepotism-based corruption. >If Iceland’s energy suppliers regulated similarly

They won’t be. You have to remember that it’s a nation of only 300k people. In such a case, there’s no need for government to delegate everything, otherwise you’d end up with a massively bloated public sector.

Also, if we accept that the Icelandic political system is riddled with nepotism-based corruption, having an “independent” regulator wouldn’t change a thing because the regulator would likewise be riddled with nepotism-based corruption.

]]> By: James http://icelandweatherreport.com/2009/11/the-battle-for-control-of-icelands-energy.html/comment-page-1#comment-10594 James Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:11:38 +0000 http://icelandweatherreport.com/?p=2810#comment-10594 "Wild Wild" -> "Wild West"... “Wild Wild” -> “Wild West”…

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