Call for national power savings campaign

This news report says that there are renewed calls for a national power saving campaign. The report states

Record electricity spot prices in May have spurred renewed calls for the Government to launch an immediate national power savings campaign.

You have to ask, What are the incentives here? Isn't it better for you not to save power in the hope that all others will and thus the power crisis is avoided and you don't have to suffer at all. But if all people think like this the call for saving will have no effect at all.

The story goes on to say

MEUG executive director Ralph Matthes said if consumers failed to conserve power now the country faced an increased risk of blackouts this winter as well as "significant" household power price rises.

But if prices rise won't this induce less power usage? The demand for electricity does slope downwards. In fact, price increases will be much more effective at reducing power usage than calls for power savings.

The report then states that Ralph Matthes also

... called on the Government to lift its effective ban on new coal and gas-fired power stations.

Isn't this the real issue, we don't have enough power supply and this is being forced upon us by government policy. We need more power stations, which are not being built because the government will not let them be built. So the only long term answer to the power situation is for the government to change its policy and allow new stations to be built.