Ireland
The ESB has indicated its interest in entering the nuclear power market. The company’s chairman told the Sunday Business Post they would consider a joint venture with one of the bigger European energy companies. The government is currently opposed to nuclear power, however Tadhg O’Donoghue says he believes their stance will have to change over the next number of years.
Belfast Telegraph 18th Feb 2007
New nukes
Lovelock says: What an incredible mistake Greenpeace made when it took the government to court in an attempt to delay the building of new nuclear power stations. By so doing it increases the burden of carbon dioxide (C02) the Earth has to bear; nuclear is the only large-scale energy source that is emissions free.
Sunday Times 18th Feb 2007
The owner of Hinkley Point B, British Energy, is inviting partners to help build new nuclear plants in the UK. This could be the first step towards a third station being built next to Hinkley Point.
Bridgwater Times 17th Feb 2007
THE NEWS that the energy white paper will now be delayed following a legal challenge on the government’s plans to build a new generation of nuclear energy plants by environmental campaigners Greenpeace will fill those involved in the energy sector with dread. The judge ruled that the consultation exercise was “misleading”, “seriously flawed” and “procedurally unfair”. Trade and industry secretary Alastair Darling admitted that the government had got it wrong and would now “go back to the drawing board”.The DTI will now launch a fresh consultation on key areas of its energy review. How this will impact on decisions on other energy technologies awaiting decisions from the government is anyone’s guess. It will certainly leave potential investors in the industry rolling their eyes.
Sunday Herald 18th Feb 2007
“Back to the drawing board” was Green-peace’s message to the Government on Thursday, after a High Court judge ruled that the consultation process before last year’s nuclear energy proposals had been “procedurally unfair”.
Sunday Telegraph 18th Feb 2007
Consider two examples from the past week: on nuclear power and on road pricing, ministers engaged in synthetic consultation exercises, and then made clear that they would disregard the results. Whereas Labour used to quiver before public opinion, it now engages in the farce of inviting views (and building up a handy email database for future use) without the slightest intention of heeding them. Voters understandably feel that this is worse than not having been asked at all. No wonder confidence in the political system is vaporising. No wonder turnout is at its lowest since universal suffrage.
Sunday Telegraph 18th Feb 2007
I was struck by the madness of a remark Blair made last week. It was just as the High Court ruled that the government’s recent consultation with the public over what our future energy policy should be wasn’t consultative enough, and that he and his ministers would have to consult us on the policy again. Asked if this would put on hold his plans to build more nuclear power stations, he said: ‘No. This won’t affect the policy at all. It’ll affect the process of consultation, but not the policy.’ Take a good hard look at that quote again. It’s mad. It’s based either on a belief in the possession of psychic powers so discriminating they can predict the outcome of a consultation before it happens (which is mad) or they’re based on the belief that words have no meaning other than the meaning one chooses to give them and that this meaning can change at any particular moment (which is at least three times as mad as the first example of madness).
Observer 18th Feb 2007
Iran
Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gave his unequivocal backing to Iran’s nuclear programme Saturday, saying it was the “future and destiny” for a country whose fossil fuels would one day run out. Khamanei also lashed out at “superficial and narrow-minded” critics who have warned the drive could come at too great a cost for Iran, saying such comments only served to encourage the enemy.
Middle East Online 17th Feb 2007
