Trident
Plans to refurbish the Clyde naval bases to accommodate a replacement for the Trident nuclear weapons system could be stymied by Scottish ministers, according to an internal memo from the Ministry of Defence (MoD). A new dry dock for servicing nuclear submarines would require planning permission, while other developments would be subject to a raft of pollution controls. These are all the responsibility of the Scottish government, not Westminster.
Sunday Herald 14 October 2007 more >>
With Ministry of Defence memo available to download
robedwards.com more >>
Syria
The air raid on Syria conducted by Israel last month reportedly targeted a site that Israeli and US intelligence specialists believe was a partly constructed nuclear reactor that may have been modeled after one in North Korea.
AFP 13th Oct 2007 more >>
Sunday Times 14th Oct 2007 more >>
Guardian website 14th Oct 2007 more >>
France
On a strip of France’s Channel coast, cranes, trucks and cement silos are hard at work preparing the world’s most powerful nuclear reactor and showcase of French atomic savoir-faire. In two months, workers in Flamanville will pour the first concrete for the third-generation EPR, or European Pressurized Reactor, touted as the safest and cleanest addition to France’s network of 58 nuclear reactors. With more than 80 percent of its electricity generated by nuclear plants, France sees itself as a model for successfully putting the atom at work toward producing carbon-free and relatively cheap power.
AFP 14th Oct 2007 more >>
Test Veterans
Eric Everard was serving in the RAF on Christmas Island during nuclear tests in 1958 and believes the death of his son was linked to his own exposure to radiation. Daren, Eric’s son, was only 22-years-old when he died. Now, veterans like Eric have won their battle for a parliamentary inquiry into the events of the Christmas Island tests.
BBC 12th Oct 2007 more >>
Carbon capture & storage
Centrica is considering calling for a judicial review to overturn a government decision which excludes most energy companies from the contest to build the world’s first green coal plant. John Hutton, the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Berr), last week barred most companies’ existing designs by unexpectedly favouring an alternative clean coal technology. Shell, Scottish and Southern Energy, Conoco-Philips and Marathon Oil, plus Centrica, have spent almost £100m developing the now redundant plans.
Observer 14th Oct 2007 more >>
Renewables
Engineers last week unveiled the largest wind turbines ever connected to the UK national grid: two massive generators that tower 300ft over the North Sea 15 miles from the Scottish coast. Now the project’s backers say they are preparing plans to construct 200 of these huge turbines, creating a gigantic wind farm with the capacity to provide power for an entire city.
Observer 14th Oct 2007 more >>
