New nukes
The Government has begun negotiations with nuclear generator British Energy, French energy firm EDF and its German rival, RWE, about setting up a decommissioning liabilities fund to pay for the storage of waste from the next generation of reactors. This is despite a High Court judgment last month which ruled that the initial consultation for the Government’s energy review was “seriously flawed”, “misleading” and “manifestly inadequate” because it did not include proper information on the disposal of waste and the economics of building new reactors. Separate consultations on these two issues are now expected to be published in May – about 18 months after the initial consultation – beside the rest of the energy review. But the Government is still pressing ahead with detailed planning on how new reactors are to be funded.
Independent on Sunday 18th March 2007
Trident
Four anti-nuclear protesters from Spain who covered themselves in red paint outside Faslane naval base have been arrested.
BBC 17th March 2007
BNFL will seek considerably more than £100m for its Aldermaston contract following the Trident vote.
Sunday Express 18th March 2007
Ten things you need to know about Trident.
Sunday Herald 18th March 2007
A collapse of Labour support in the Scottish elections in May could be the beginning of the end for Labour in the UK. The party has been piling up the negatives as if determined to alienate as many Scottish voters as possible. Trident is another nail in the coffin. Renewal of the submarines, which will be based on the Clyde, was rejected by a clear majority of Scottish MPs – something the SNP will not let Labour forget. As we report today, one poll suggests that two-thirds of Scots believe it is unacceptable to station Trident here given the opposition from Scottish MPs. The Blairites want to blame Brown for any Scottish disaster, and the Brownites want to blame Blair – but they are both likely to get a kicking. Labour’s electoral credibility will be the first casualty. Following the Trident vote, there is nothing to stop the dissidents from dissing the party establishment.
Sunday Herald 18th March 2007
A GENERATION of scientists will be diverted from fighting climate change because the Trident weapons system is being replaced, an expert has warned. Thousands of highly trained scientists and engineers will be required to develop a new nuclear deterrent after a majority of MPs last week backed the government’s controversial plans to renew the UK’s ageing Trident missiles.
Sunday Herald 18th March 2007
France
Tens of thousands of people filled the streets of five French cities Saturday to protest plans to build the next generation of nuclear reactors. The simultaneous protests organized by Get Out Of Nuclear, a collective made up of hundreds of associations, was intended to raise the prominence of the issue in the run-up to April-May presidential elections. Smaller-party candidates resolutely opposed to the construction of new facilities called European pressurized-water reactors joined the protesters.
AP 17th March 2007
TWO of the three front-runners in the race for next month’s French Presidential elections have called for a delay in the construction of the new EPR nuclear power generator at Flamanville. Socialist candidate Ségolene Royal and the centrist UDF candidate Francois Bayrou said in separate statements that they considered that the views of the French public had been ignored on the 3.5 billion euro project due to be given the final go-ahead this summer.
Jersey Evening Post 17th Mar 2007
North Korea
North Korea has stated to delegates at international nuclear talks on Saturday that it is preparing to shut its nuclear facility.
Belfast Telegraph 17th Mar 2007
Sellafield
Safety alarms have been routinely ignored, operating instructions flouted, and safety equipment left broken at the controversial Sellafield nuclear plant, a devastating official inquiry has found. The inquiry report – one of the most damning ever on a British nuclear installation – condemns “an alarm-tolerant culture”, “long-standing failings in some key safety arrangements” and a “failure to learn from previous events” at the Cumbrian complex. Dr Mike Weightman, HM Chief Inspector of Nuclear Installations, says that the investigation found “a significant prolonged reduction in attention to the high standards demanded for the unique nature of nuclear operations, something we are not prepared to tolerate.”
Independent on Sunday 18th Mar 2007
Urenco
Urenco, the nuclear fuel company, is set to reveal record profits this week on the back of soaring uranium prices. The company, which enriches uranium for power stations, is expected to confirm a burgeoning order book when it announces its annual results on Tuesday.
Sunday Telegraph 18th Mar 2007
