Re: Aluminum (aluminium) (was Re: Soups)

[Steve Hayes]

On Sun, 06 Nov 2011 12:47:10 -0800, JRStern <JRS...@foobar.invalid> wrote:

>But most references these days seem to want to hide the totals, they
>only give watt-hrs per kilogram, then you have to multiply by total
>production, and look up total electric generation, etc. They want to
>hide their carbon footprint, although in the US northwest they've
>built entire hydro plants just for the aluminum industry. Mostly the
>references talk about increased efficiency, about 30% better over the
>last twenty years or so.

A few years ago our government tried to entice a Canadian firm to build an
aluminium smelter in Richards Bay, Zululand, with an offer of cheap
electricity. Since most of our electricity is coal generated, green activists
objected, and suggested that they keep it in Canada, where hydro-electricity,
if more expensive, is at least more eco-friendly.

The government was remarkably deaf to these entreaties, which caused some to
suspect that some people in high places had had their pockets lined by the
Canadians.

Fortunately bad planning by the government put the kibosh on the scheme. For
the past 10 years Eskom, the quango responsible for most electricity
generation, had put most of its effort into increasing distribution especially
to poor communities, without increasing generating capacity. The limit was
reached just about the time that the aluminium scheme was due to start, with
rolling blackouts across the country. And so the aluminium scheme was
scrapped. If it hadn't been scrapped, we'd probably now be paying 10 times as
much for an hour of electricity a day to subsidise a Canadian firm.

I'm not sure what such things have to do with English usage, though, other
than the spelling of aluminium/aluminum, so follow-ups set.




--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk