New Nukes
The government’s much-vaunted “low-carbon industrial strategy” is set to receive a boost on Wednesday with the announcement of a long-awaited £170m funding package for the British nuclear manufacturer, Sheffield Forgemasters. The company, which has been in funding negotiations for more than six months, has secured the last remaining £20m from bank loans, the Guardian has learnt. It means Sheffield Forgemasters will be able to build a 15,000-tonne press to make large forgings used in modern reactors being built in the UK and overseas.
Guardian 16th March 2010 more >>
Energy Policy
Big investments into UK smart grids, offshore wind farms under the Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROC) scheme and nuclear power are on the agenda for both the Labour and Conservative parties in the run-up to the UK elections, as the country looks to increase energy security, says investment bank Nomura.
Risk net 15th March 2010 more >>
Scotland Energy Policy
Climate activists are predicting a campaign of direct action against a new coal-fired power station that could be the UK’s first to fit carbon-capture technology. Campaigners say that if the proposed 1.6GW station in Ayrshire is approved, it will be the “new Kingsnorth”, a reference to E.ON’s controversial coal-fired plant in Kent that sparked battles between protesters and police before E.ON finally shelved it. The warnings from Friends of the Earth (FoE) Scotland, WWF Scotland and the World Development Movement came as Ayrshire Power today took the first formal step towards applying for planning permission for the new station, at Hunterston on the Firth of Clyde. The dispute also focuses attention on the Scottish government’s determination to abandon nuclear power, which generates at least 26% of Scotland’s electricity, by increasing coal-fired production. The proposed station is near to Hunterston B nuclear station, which is due to close down in 2016; Scotland’s other nuclear station, at Torness, will shut down in 2023.
Guardian 16th March 2010 more >>
Wylfa
No Wylfa B Demo 31st March
Campaigns Cymru 15th Mar 2010 more >>
Germany
Germany’s environment ministry has come under fire after giving the go-ahead to explore the potential of a disused salt mine at Gorleban for a final storage site for nuclear waste. The mine was once used as a temporary repository but a ten-year moratorium was imposed after a scandal revealed the site was unsuitable for the job. Germany’s Environment Minister, Norbert R ttgen has however, agreed to take a second look.
Euronews 16th March 2010 more >>
Germany’s plan to develop a site to store its most dangerous radioactive waste may require 25 more years before a decision can be made, the environment minister said.
Bloomberg 15th March 2010 more >>
India
India’s Congress party-led administration has balked at submitting controversial legislation limiting the liability of foreign nuclear reactor suppliers in case of a nuclear accident. Angry opposition parties had described the draft law as a sell-out to the US. The furore over the legislation highlights the obstacles US energy companies still face as they try to tap lucrative opportunities presented by India’s plans to scale up its civilian nuclear power industry. More than a year ago, a groundbreaking deal with Washington ended India’s status as a global nuclear pariah.
FT 16th March 2010 more >>
New agreements between Russia and India cover cooperation in nuclear power and a roadmap for this year’s work by the two countries. Meanwhile, the Indian government has deferred a bill that could be vital to opening nuclear trade with the USA.
World Nuclear News 15th March 2010 more >>
A robust people’s movement against a major nuclear power project has built up in a cluster of small villages on India’s picturesque Konkan coast.
BBC 16th March 2010 more >>
Iran
Iran attempted to buy nuclear weapons from Pakistan in 1990 but a putative deal was rejected at the last moment by the former head of the Pakistani military, according to an official transcript leaked in Washington.
Telegraph 16th March 2010 more >>
Submarines
HMS Superb was left stricken in the Red Sea after she was steered into a stone pinnacle. A court martial was told that Cdr Steven Drysdale misread its depth as 732 metres when it was only 132.
Telegraph 16th March 2010 more >>
Daily Mail 16th March 2010 more >>
Guardian 16th March 2010 more >>
