Windy.

And as well as new developments in coal, Fife could also make further contributions to the development of renewable energy.

"HUNDREDS OF offshore turbines could be installed at three wind farms off the coast of Fife, Dundee and Angus. The sites are among 10 identified in Scottish waters for which a number of companies and consortia are to develop plans. The three sites combined—known as Inch Cape, Bell Rock and Neart na Gaoithe—could have close to 400 turbines capable of generating almost 2000 megawatts of power. A fourth east coast site has been identified further south, off East Lothian, capable of providing a further 415 megawatts. The Crown Estate announced yesterday that it had offered exclusivity agreements to nine companies and consortia for the 10 sites which have a potential combined output of six gigawatts of power, a figure equal to Scotland’s peak electricity consumption."

It all seems to be happening in Fife in energy terms. As long as it doesn't spoil the view of course.

Old King Coal.

It would appear that history is repeating itself in Fife with the Kingdom about to benefit economically from tapping into seams of coal under the Forth and off the coast of Fife.

"THORNTON New Energy was yesterday awarded the UK's first underground coal "gasification" licence by the Coal Authority. Under the scheme, coal buried beneath Fife will be burned and the resulting gases harnessed for use in power stations, industrial heating or for making hydrogen or "ultra clean" diesel. Thornton New Energy – part of BCG Energy – will use directional drilling techniques from the offshore industry to access the unmined coal buried under Fife and the Firth of Forth. Thornton New Energy said the gas could be processed to remove carbon dioxide."

Another example of how no matter how things change they still remain the same in some respects.

Caught Short.

Carnegie doesn't think it can be that difficult to pour a correctly measured drink for someone. Can it?

"DRINKERS IN Fife are not getting a fair deal, a survey of pub measures has revealed, with more than half falling short ... Trading standards officers from Fife Council visited 27 pubs across the region and ordered 54 “samples” to find out if staff were complying with the Weights and Measures Act 1985, which requires spirits including gin, rum, vodka and whisky to be sold in quantities of 25ml or 35ml. A total of 33 of the samples were short of the required amount—some by almost a third. At the other end of the scale, the officers were served 18 over-generous measures. Again, the margin for error reached around 30% in some cases. Only three of the 54 measures tested were correct."

Jobless.

So Fife is not immune from the effects of the economic downturn with increasing numbers of unempoyed in the Kingdom, but also suggestions that perhaps Fife is faring better than many other parts of Scotland. Here's hoping that the downturn is shorter and less damaging than people are currently predicting.

"THE NUMBER of people out of work across Tayside and Fife has grown by more than 3000 in a year, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. A total of 14,214 from the Dundee City, Perth and Kinross, Angus and Fife council areas are claiming jobseeker’s allowance. That’s 3191 more than were registered last year, and 1023 more than at the same time last month. Estimates suggest that the total number of unemployed people across the area—including those not claiming benefits—could be as high as 19,000 ... The claimant count across Fife increased from 6829 in October to 7572 in November, putting Fife’s rate up to 3.4%. Most of those, a total of 5653, were men, with 1919 women said to be on the list. Over half of the claimants were aged 25 to 49, while more than 2200 were aged between 18 and 24, and just over 1200 aged 50 or over."

Let's Party ... in 2010.

Carnegie is all for having a party but is he the only one who questions whether we should be spending £2.4 million on a year of festivals? Couldn't we spend the money better in other ways?

"Fifers are set to celebrate after Councillors backed plans for a year long programme of festivals and events making 2010 a Celebration of Fife. More than 3,500 people in Fife over the period January to June this year, as part of a consultation on developing a Cultural Strategy for Fife, have highlighted the importance of Fife's unique culture and lifestyle and the need to celebrate this particularly at community level whilst raising the profile of Fife in Scotland and the UK. Members of the Housing and Communities Committee agreed to support a year of celebration in 2010 subject to further consideration to secure an additional £1.5M towards a proposed £2.4M of funding as part of the budget setting process for the Council in 2009/10."

And what exactly is the significance of 2010 anyway?