Nuclear Sites
EDF Energy has started its process to sell one of its nuclear power sites, as part of its deal with the competition authorities to buy British Energy. Starting on Friday, prospective buyers were being asked to express a formal interest in either land at Heysham, Lancashire, or at Dungeness in Kent.
New Energy Focus 11th May 2009 more >>
British Energy
British Gas owner Centrica has entered the nuclear power sector with a £2.3 billion deal for a 20% stake in generation firm British Energy. Centrica is buying the interest from France’s EDF, which completed a £12.5 billion takeover of British Energy in January.
Leicester Mercury 11th May 2009 more >>
Utility Week 11th May 2009 more >>
Daily Express 11th May 2009 more >>
BBC 10th May 2009 more >>
Centrica has negotiated down the price that it will pay EDF for a stake in British Energy, The Times has learnt. The company will confirm this morning that it has reached agreement with the French power group over its plans to take a stake in the nuclear electricity generator. Instead of paying £3.05 billion for a 25 per cent stake in British Energy, as agreed last September, Centrica is now paying the equivalent of £2.3 billion for a 20 per cent stake, The Times understands. This consists of £1.1 billion in cash and Centrica’s 51 per cent stake in Soci t de Production d’Electricit (SPE), the Belgian power generator, which has been valued at £1.2billion.
Times 11th May 2009 more >>
Guardian 11th May 2009 more >>
FT 11th May 2009 more >>
Scotsman 11th May 2009 more >>
Telegraph 11th May 2009 more >>
New Nukes / Finland
The nuclear regulator governing the go-ahead of the Hinkley C prototype currently being built in Finland has threatened to withhold its approval because it is afraid the safety systems will not work while condemning the ‘lack of professional knowledge’ of those working for the design company. The new crisis has been sparked by a leaked letter from Jukka Laaksonen, STUK’s director general, to Anne Lauvergeon, the chief executive officer of the French nuclear company Areva, which has designed and is building the reactor, to express his “great concern” over “the design of the control and protection systems”.
Stop Hinkley Press Release 10th May 2009 more >>
Commenting on official safety fears which have thrown the UK government’s plans to build a new generation of nuclear power stations into jeopardy, SNP Westminster Energy spokesperson, Mike Weir MP, said the situation underlined why Ministers must concentrate on creating a green energy future rather than the danger, cost and worry of new nuclear stations.
SNP 10th May 2009 more >>
Saudi Arabia
France and Saudi Arabia are close to finalizing a civil nuclear cooperation pact which could lead to the sale of French atomic energy technology, French Economy Minister Christine Lagarde said on Sunday.
Yahoo 10th May 2009 more >>
Climate
A report commissioned by the British government will call today for an overhaul of global institutions to combat climate change. The report, to be published by the Centre on International Co-operation at New York University, recommends the creation of powerful surveillance and enforcement mechanisms similar to those of the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. The new institutions would ensure countries honour their commitments to cut carbon emissions.
Guardian 11th May 2009 more >>
British cities could experience summer temperatures up to 18F (10C) higher than the surrounding countryside by 2100 due to global warming, according to Met Office research. Periods of dangerously hot weather such as that which occurred in August 2003 could also become regarded as “the average” by 2040 and “relatively cool” by 2100. Between August 4 and 13 2003 the day time temperature exceeded 86F (30C) every day.
Telegraph 11th May 2009 more >>
Energy Security
The European Union and Turkey have struck a ground-breaking gas pipeline deal unlocking a potential energy bonanza in the Caspian basin after more than a year of deadlock, according to senior EU officials. The agreement, to be signed in Ankara on 25 June, represents a major boost to the EU’s ill-starred Nabucco pipeline project, which is intended to transport natural gas to Europe from central Asia, the Caucasus and the Middle East, and is the key to breaking the Kremlin’s stranglehold over Europe’s gas imports.
Guardian 11th May 2009 more >>
