New Nukes
Building new nuclear power plants could boost the British economy, business secretary and former nuclear sceptic Vince Cable said on Monday.Speaking at a nuclear suppliers’ event organised by EDF Energy, the French company planning to build Britain’s first nuclear plants in decades, Cable said he used to have much “scepticism towards nuclear economics.”
STV 13th Sept 2010 more >>
Construction News 14th Sept 2010 more >>
Hinkley
HINKLEY Point protestors blocked the nuclear plant’s main gates for almost an hour on Sunday during a weekend of action.
Bridgwater Mercury 14th Sept 2010 more >>
Somerset County Gazette 14th Sept 2010 more >>
This is the West Country 14th Sept 2010 more >>
Nuclear Waste
A DESPERATE call has been made for a council to withdraw its interest in housing another nuclear dump in a picturesque part of the North. Coun Joe Sandwith believes that west Cumbria already has its fair share of the nuclear industry without another dump to potentially blight the area. Now he wants Allerdale Council to withdraw its interest in housing the dump and plans to put forward a motion calling on councillors to abandon the idea in principle.
Sunday Sun 12th Sept 2010 more >>
Nuclear Transport
A NEW £30m nuclear freight ship arrived at its home port of Barrow for the first time to begin at least two decades of work. The Pacific Egret yesterday docked into Barrow following its maiden voyage from Japan. And five of the crew on board the Pacific Egret were from the Barrow area. Pacific Egret was ordered by Pacific Nuclear Transport Ltd, which is also part-owned by Japan and France.
NW Evening Mail 14th Sept 2010 more >>
Nuclear Utilities
A number of US and European nuclear power utilities have been included in the latest review of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World), one of the leading international benchmarks for corporate contribution to sustainable development.
World Nuclear News 13th Sept 2010 more >>
Germany
Are Europe’s Greens wavering in their resolve to banish nuclear power? German conservatives may like to think so, but they may be proven wrong this Saturday when campaigners from across Europe plan to converge on Berlin for a massive protest against German plans to extend nuclear reactor lifetimes.
Der Spiegel 14th Sept 2010 more >>
Austrian Environment Minister Nikolaus Berlakovich, discusses his opposition to the German government’s plan to extend the lifespan of its nuclear power plants. Austria has no nuclear plants of its own and its residents are concerned about atomic power facilities on the Austrian-German border.
Der Spiegel 13th Sept 2010 more >>
US
America’s much hyped “reactor renaissance” is facing a quadruple bypass. In actual new construction, proposed projects and overseas sales, soaring costs are killing new nukes. And the old ones are leaking like Dark Age relics on the brink of disaster. As renewables plummet in cost, and private financing stays nil, the nuclear industry is desperate to gouge billions from Congress for loan guarantees to build new reactors. Thus far, citizen activism has stopped them. But the industry is pouring all it has into this fall’s short session, yet again demanding massive new subsides to stay on life support.
Solartopia 13th Sept 2010 more >>
Iran
The reason that the U.S. government — that would not have done a deal like this in the years right after 9/11 — is willing and even a little eager to move ahead with the deal now is that the War on Terror is being overtaken among top U.S. concerns by the advent of a nuclear Iran. Now, you may quibble by pointing out that Iran does not yet have nuclear weapons. But this is a purely academic argument. This deal is the latest example of behavior suggesting that the nuclearization of Iran is all over but for the bomb building in the eyes of U.S. and regional strategists.
Spectator Blog 14th Sept 2010 more >>
France
Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro has said Nicolas Sarkozy is ‘too crazy to be trusted with the launch codes of nuclear bombs’ in a scathing attack on the French president. The ex-communist dictator said a briefcase containing the codes for more than 300 atomic weapons never left Mr Sarkozy’s side.
Daily Mail 15th May 2010 more >>
Trident
Letter from Lord Hannay: Your leading article on September 13 suggested a number of financial arguments in favour of Britain moving away from the “continuous at sea deterrence” doctrine which is our current nuclear posture. But there are wider international arguments than those, derived from the relatively successful outcome of this year’s Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference, which point in the same direction. The agreed conclusions of that conference encouraged the recognised nuclear weapons states, of which Britain is one, to give a less prominent role to the use of nuclear weapons in their defence doctrines.
FT 15th Sept 2010 more >>
Letter from Paul Ingram: Whilst your editorial is welcome in questioning the need to maintain a nuclear submarine at sea at all times, it claims that “savings would not be huge” from abandoning the policy. But there are in fact substantial financial benefits. Not only would the current running costs be reduced, but so too would the total substantial capital costs, and they could be delayed by perhaps a decade. The delays would be possible as the wear and tear on current submarines reduced, and their reliability towards the end of their lives less critical (currently three submarines need to be available to guarantee one out).
FT 15th Sept 2010 more >>
Planned cuts in military spending are so deep they could jeopardise troop operations, MPs warn today, adding that the strategic defence review is being conducted so quickly that serious mistakes will be made. The financial crisis facing the Ministry of Defence is compounded by the likelihood that it will have to shoulder the full initial £20bn cost of a new Trident nuclear missile system, says the Commons defence committee.
Guardian 15th Sept 2010 more >>
Hopes of forging a cross-party campaign to save thousands of threatened defence jobs grew last night after a major climbdown by Alex Salmond. The First Minister agreed to back a joint document urging Defence Secretary Liam Fox to retain Britain’s Trident nuclear deterrent on the Clyde at Faslane. The SNP leader has campaigned for years against nuclear weapons. His move raised hopes of uniting Scotland’s main parties in a fight against swingeing Con-Dem defence cuts.
Daily Record 15th Sept 2010 more >>
The ConDems were accused yesterday of putting Britain’s defence at risk by slashing the country’s fleet of nuclear submarines. Downing Street said it was looking at ending the practice of having a nuclear-armed sub on patrol at sea at all times.
Daily Mirror 14th Sept 2010 more >>
Daily Mail 14th Sept 2010 more >>
Coal
The Treasury is reviewing the government’s £9bn clean coal programme amid growing fears in the energy department that it will be drastically scaled back.Senior sources within the energy department believe the plan for four new clean coal pilot plants – funded by a £9bn levy on consumer electricity bills – are the most vulnerable to cuts. The number of plants could be halved or staggered so that the third and fourth projects are not up and running for more than a decade.
Guardian 15th Sept 2010 more >>
