National Grid Discussion Board http://www.iii.co.uk/investment/detail?code=cotn:NG-.L&display=discussion http://www.iii.co.uk/icons/logos/uk_logo.gif http://www.iii.co.uk tag:iii.co.uk,2003:tst.9671188 ')" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.fool.co.uk/news/investing/company-comment/2012/05/18/is-this-share-buffetts-next-uk-buy.aspx?source=ufwflwlnk0000001

".......

One to watch
National Grid is virtually guaranteed to maintain its monopoly position in England and Wales and its US business provides attractive diversity and exposure to an alternative market. Although its profits are lower in the US than in the UK, it is closing the gap and expects to make further improvements this year.

I reckon that National Grid could just become a Buffett buy at some point, especially if its share price falls substantially over the next year as the new regulatory pricing regime is confirmed. After all, no one will ever build parallel, competing electricity and gas networks. This means that National Grid should remain a very safe place to put your money."

nk By nk1999 ]]> http://www.iii.co.uk/investment/detail?code=cotn:NG-.L&display=discussion&id=9671188&action=detail Tue, 22 May 2012 23:14:00 GMT nk1999 tag:iii.co.uk,2003:tst.9661576
"Questor in the Telegraph still holds a candle for National Grid , which manages electricity transmission across the UK, while also having interests in the US. The big question is how much the power regulator Ofgem will let it charge its customers in the next regulatory period, but the firm generated profits ahead of expectations in the financial year to the end of March, trades at 12.2 times forward earnings and yields around 6 per cent. Questor says hold until Ofgem's announcement in July (Last IC rating: Hold 17 May)."

nk By nk1999 ]]> http://www.iii.co.uk/investment/detail?code=cotn:NG-.L&display=discussion&id=9661576&action=detail Sat, 19 May 2012 15:41:00 GMT nk1999 tag:iii.co.uk,2003:tst.9650877
So The Rhode Island businesses are not "washing their faces". It has been said several times that NG will have another rights issue in order to finance the build out of the "smart" grid needed for renewables, such as windfarms. This is bribing the shareholders with their own money. By MUFC the best ]]> http://www.iii.co.uk/investment/detail?code=cotn:NG-.L&display=discussion&id=9650877&action=detail Thu, 17 May 2012 08:12:00 GMT MUFC the best tag:iii.co.uk,2003:tst.9650765 Full year dividend up 8% to 39.28p.
Future divi growth set at 4% in new one year policy. By FizzyPop ]]> http://www.iii.co.uk/investment/detail?code=cotn:NG-.L&display=discussion&id=9650765&action=detail Thu, 17 May 2012 07:49:00 GMT FizzyPop tag:iii.co.uk,2003:tst.9561943 http://www.iii.co.uk/investment/detail?code=cotn:NG-.L&display=discussion&id=9561943&action=detail Fri, 20 Apr 2012 19:17:00 GMT foolish learner tag:iii.co.uk,2003:tst.9543071
"Investec Securities reiterated its "sell" recommendation for National Grid (NG.) but with a slightly increased target price of 549p from 547p. The broker forecasts adjusted earnings per share of 49.6p for the year ended 31st March 2012, down 4.1% on last year's performance and added that it may need to raise additional capital by 2015. Investec also noted that the firm's dividend cover is tight, which could lead to a 10% cut in the 2013 financial year to 36.77p. The shares inched up by 3p to 645.5p."

nk By nk1999 ]]> http://www.iii.co.uk/investment/detail?code=cotn:NG-.L&display=discussion&id=9543071&action=detail Mon, 16 Apr 2012 22:53:00 GMT nk1999 tag:iii.co.uk,2003:tst.9503343
The bit that is relevant to this discussion is Offshore wind v Onshore wind.

Offshore costs £10.50b per GW
Onshore costs £2.96b per GW. By Hardboy ]]> http://www.iii.co.uk/investment/detail?code=cotn:NG-.L&display=discussion&id=9503343&action=detail Tue, 03 Apr 2012 14:02:00 GMT Hardboy tag:iii.co.uk,2003:tst.9500432 I'm afraid your understanding of the merits of on and off shore is not great.
Companies are rapidily moving away from onshore because of the massive opposition and compensations claims running into millions. Offshore is more expensive outlay but does not face the opposition and huge costs of compensation. The whole of Anglesey in North Wales is rising up against onshore wind developments and the same in Mid Wales and Scotland.
National Grid is connecting up the new sources of power into the Grid and so makes money whatever the source of power.
Centrica has just signed for a massive offshore development. By turkey10 ]]> http://www.iii.co.uk/investment/detail?code=cotn:NG-.L&display=discussion&id=9500432&action=detail Mon, 02 Apr 2012 18:53:00 GMT turkey10 tag:iii.co.uk,2003:tst.9499428
"It is off-shore wind that is far more expensive than on-shore"

Not sure if that was aimed at me or Turkey but I'm sure that both of us realise that offshore is indeed far more expensive, both in capex and opex terms, than onshore.

The only offshore windmill that would ever have made sense would be if Shell had stuck a windmill on top of Brent Spar in the Northern North Sea and left it there instead of kowtowing to the open-toed sandalled sundried tomato eating Greenpeace brigade and chopping it up into tiny little pieces out Norway way. That was a TOTAL waste of money.

Still, look on the bright side, it was all tax-deductible, so Johnny Taxpayer paid for the vast majority of the cost of humping the wretched thing over to Stavanger.

LKH on the flybridge would have just sunk it in the middle of the oggin and used it as a diving reef for scuba divers, just like the USS Oriskany in this excellent clip FFS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TNK0GM3OvU By LK Hyman ]]> http://www.iii.co.uk/investment/detail?code=cotn:NG-.L&display=discussion&id=9499428&action=detail Mon, 02 Apr 2012 14:11:00 GMT LK Hyman tag:iii.co.uk,2003:tst.9497734
1. It is off-shore wind that is far more expensive than on-shore. It is more expensive because (i) you need an expensive offshore platform to put a (more or less standard) wind turbine on top of it; (ii) you need expensive HV-DC sytems to connect the offshore wind farms to the on-shore grid; (iii) operations and maintenance costs is far more expensive in the middle of the ocean than it is on a hillside. For all these reasons almost no country (outside the North Sea) has a policy based upon off-shore wind. By comparison, almost every country where the wind blows has a policy of encouraging on-shore wind (except in Hurricane Zones!).

2. National Grid does not get to build these expensive off-shore sub-sea connections. They are built by the off-shore wind operators. What National Grid gets to do is rebuild the core on-shore power grid to allow our electricity to now come from Scotland rather than Dungeness. There is many $billions of investment in that piece alone.





By Modernman ]]> http://www.iii.co.uk/investment/detail?code=cotn:NG-.L&display=discussion&id=9497734&action=detail Mon, 02 Apr 2012 07:56:00 GMT Modernman tag:iii.co.uk,2003:tst.9497458
"There is lots of new work for NG."

It's a bit depressing that that new work is, essentially, a waste of time if the onshore is uneconomic.

I suspect that the offshore will prove permanently uneconomic as well, since the huge capital cost, combined with the engineering difficulties of stopping the foundations of the windmills crumbling away under the assault of the oggin, will combine to mean that only vast amounts of the taxpayers' shilling will enable the whole farrago to continue.

Fingers crossed that NG is charging full price for the cost of whatever it's doing to hook up its cables to the base of the windmills. I may be paying as a taxpayer, but I want my pound of flesh from the divis as an NG shareholder.

LKH on the flybridge By LK Hyman ]]> http://www.iii.co.uk/investment/detail?code=cotn:NG-.L&display=discussion&id=9497458&action=detail Mon, 02 Apr 2012 07:05:00 GMT LK Hyman tag:iii.co.uk,2003:tst.9497040 http://www.iii.co.uk/investment/detail?code=cotn:NG-.L&display=discussion&id=9497040&action=detail Sun, 01 Apr 2012 21:44:00 GMT turkey10 tag:iii.co.uk,2003:tst.9496393
This week’s announcement by RWE and EON to abandon a £15 Billion investment in new nuclear power plants in the UK is huge. Despite the official explanation it is obvious that what really has happened here is that two major German companies have concluded that they cannot build new nuclear power plants in the UK while German government policy is to close theirs (e.g. this is a decision taken in Berlin). Furthermore, there are rumors that EDF (France) may also pull out of building new nuclear plants in the UK. In other words we have absolutely critical UK energy policy being set in the European capitals.

What does our brave Government do about this? It also choses this week to back down on its central piece of legislation to amend our archaic planning laws that would have allowed new onshore wind farms to be built in the UK. I know that there are many who blog here that wind is not the solution – but don’t confuse onshore wind with offshore wind. The new super-sized wind turbines are becoming increasingly competitive. It is offshore wind that is hideously expensive (at least 2X onshore wind).

None of this would matter if we were building new coal fired generation – but the government has signed up for EU treaties to prevent that. Alternatively, we could follow the lead of the US and deploy new fracking technologies to recover shale gas - but, of course, our government are sat on the fence on that one. So what are we left with? An energy policy based upon importing natural gas from Russia (better keep quiet about Russians being assassinated in London) and LNG from Libya (fingers crossed on that one).

However – it is an ill wind etc. I have now become relaxed about National Grid’s UK regulatory review this year. With all this chaos going on in the energy sector – and now, for the very first time – the real prospect of brownouts in our future - Ofgem (and the Government) surely cannot also choose this time to pick an unnecessary flight with National Grid (who are now our only national champion in the sector). Hold on to the National Grid shares – the Government is going to depend on the company to keep the lights on more than ever. By Modernman ]]> http://www.iii.co.uk/investment/detail?code=cotn:NG-.L&display=discussion&id=9496393&action=detail Sun, 01 Apr 2012 15:28:00 GMT Modernman tag:iii.co.uk,2003:tst.9471968 http://www.iii.co.uk/investment/detail?code=cotn:NG-.L&display=discussion&id=9471968&action=detail Sat, 24 Mar 2012 12:28:00 GMT wolfman-99 tag:iii.co.uk,2003:tst.9465615
By Modernman ]]> http://www.iii.co.uk/investment/detail?code=cotn:NG-.L&display=discussion&id=9465615&action=detail Thu, 22 Mar 2012 15:43:00 GMT Modernman