Energy Realities

Energy Realities


New report: The true affordability of net zero - Special Guest Kathryn Porter

June 02, 2025

This is a massive story about the UK and the EU on the path to Net Zero. We recognize that many energy policies are written based on Net Zero policies, and subsequent patterns emerge. Deindustrialization and fiscal failure. Kathryn Porter is an author for Watt-Logic and has a fantastic report on "The true affordability of net zero."


You will not want to miss this discussion, as the EU and the UK are following many of the same energy policies and are trying to persuade the USA to follow the same path to deindustrialization for the sake of the planet. Join David Blackmon, Tammy Nemeth, Irina Slav, and Stu Turley on this special edition of the Energy Realities Podcast.


Highlights of the Podcast


00:01 – Introductions

02:28 – Why Gas Isn’t the Main Culprit

04:37 – What the £17 Billion Includes

05:08 – Definitions: Marginal Pricing & Capacity Market

07:16 – Contracts for Difference (CFDs) Explained

11:14 – Solar Power's Low Efficiency in the UK

13:20 – Can the UK Afford This Path?

17:39 – Pushback and “Debunking” the Report

19:50 – Is It Incompetence or Ideology?

23:16 – Public Understanding of Energy

24:42 – Net Zero and Deindustrialization

30:27 – Grid Interconnects and National Security

34:23 – Decentralized Grid Management?

38:27 – Aging Infrastructure Risk

41:20 – Conflicting Policy Priorities

43:57 – Fixing the System: 4 Recommendations

45:21 – Could the US Influence UK Policy?

47:15 – How Much Worse Before It Gets Better?

50:53 – Bureaucratic Capture Limits Reform

53:14 – Will Shell and BP Leave the UK?

56:36 – Polluter Pays Narrative Fails the Poor

58:34 – Closing Remarks