Wednesday
8th October
2008
News Archive – June 2005
The
Cost of Nuclear Power
The cost of new nuclear power has been underestimated by almost
a factor of three and the potential of small scale renewables critically
overlooked according to a new report from nef (the new economics foundation), Mirage
and Oasis. Nuclear power has been promoted in the UK and globally as
the answer to climate change and energy insecurity. But, as Mirage and
Oasis reveals, as a response to global warming, nuclear power is too
slow, too expensive and too limited. And, in an age of terrorist threats,
it is more of a security risk than a solution. Instead, renewable energy
offers as safe, secure and climate-friendly energy supply system. It leaves
no toxic legacy and is abundant and cheap to harvest both in the UK and globally.
In the current debate some argue that nuclear power could happily co-exist
with renewables. But there are limited resources available and there is a real
danger, according to most government sources, that nuclear will continue to ‘crowd
out’, more cost effective smaller scale renewable alternatives. But,
says Mirage and Oasis, in order to realise the full benefits of renewable
energy and micro-generation a number of key steps must be taken. The report
calls for a fundamental shift of public support away from fossil fuels and
nuclear power, to renewables and micro-generation – to remove anti-renewable
distortions and enable them to play ‘catch up’.
NEF
Press Release, 29th June 2005
Mirage
and Oasis, full report (pdf, 1.2MB)
Does
he or doesn't he? Blair and nukes
Contradictory predictions appeared in two different newspapers on 28th June 2005 – even though both were reporting the same Prime Minister's monthly Downing Street news conference the day before. The front page of The Scotsman declared that "Blair signals support for new nuclear power stations". The Independent, on the other hand, reported that Britain's nuclear renaissance seems to be on the backburner again.
The
Scotsman 28th June 2005
The
Independent 28th June 2005
BNFL
Privatisation
British Nuclear Fuels plc, the state owned nuclear company, could be about to get broken up and sold off. Now that the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has taken on ownership of the nuclear sites owned by BNFL in the UK, and is expected to take on all of the company's liabilities once the European Competition Commisioner has finished investigating the NDA for the possibility that there has been illegal State Aid.
First to be sold will probably be Westinghouse, BNFL's profitable
US nuclear arm, which owns the design for the AP1000 reactor – the
type which many say is the most likely to be built in the UK, should new
reactors go-ahead. The prospectus for the business is expected to be
published by NM Rothschild - which is organising the sale of Westinghouse
on behalf of BNFL, within the next three weeks.
Independent
on Sunday 26th June 2005
Observer 19th
June 2005
The
Telegraph 19th June 2005
Further down the line, Amec, the UK engineering company, and Fluor
of the US have approached the government about buying the British Nuclear
Group – the subsidiary of BNFL set up to carry out decommissioning
at UK sites and also to operate thec reprocessing plants at Sellafield.
Observer 26th
June 2005
Finally, the Government is said to be keen to sell BNFL's 33% stake in Urenco,
the uranium enrichment group, but the sale is being blocked by the Dutch and
German governments, the two other shareholders in the company.
Sunday
Telegraph 26th June 2005
NEWS EXTRA
THORP leak has serious nuclear proliferation implications
In response to coverage in The Independent, 15th June, on the implications of the leak at the Sellafield Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant (THORP), Environmental policy & research consultant Dr David Lowry argues that there are also serious nuclear proliferation implications which have been overlooked.
Microgeneration
vs nukes
As the energy debate hots up, a new report by Green Alliance
compares the costs of nuclear power and microgeneration and argues for radically
increased investment in small-scale solutions. The report argues that
the billions necessary to construct a new generation of nuclear power plants
couldbe better spent on small-scale energy solutions, combined with greater
investment in energy efficiency and renewable technologies.
Full
report
Green Alliance, 14th June
New
Minister passionate about wind and wave
One of the biggest questions of Labour's third term in office
is "will the Government clear the way for a new generation of nuclear
power stations?" The signals don't look good for the nuclear industry.
Alan Johnson, the new Secretary of State for Trade and Industry stresses
the need to deliver the commitments in the 2003 Energy White Paper. He also draws
attention to problems with waste and public confidence over safety. "I
don't think you can expect a [new energy] White Paper. We had a very good
energy White Paper in 2003," he says. "What I am concerned about
is that we focus on delivery and not churning out analysis all the time.
The Prime Minister has said we will make a decision within the lifetime of
this parliament on whether we go any further down the nuclear road. It would
be a diversion if we moved away from the focus on renewables and energy efficiency."
Johnson is also candid about the impact on the nuclear debate of the official
Nuclear Inspections Inspectorate (NII) report into a serious leak at the Thorp
reprocessing plant in Sellafield. A preliminary report is due to hit ministers'
desks this weekend, and the NII says criminal prosecutions remain a possibility.
If the new Trade Secretary is a mite tight-lipped on nuclear, he is passionate
about wind and wave power, and is quick to point out the investment going into
this area. "The Danes stole a march on us because of the lethargy of previous
governments, but now we've got 8,000 people working in this industry and it's
forecast to rise to 35,000 - last year was our best year for wind."
Alan
Johnson profile
Sellafield
leak casts doubt on nuclear expansion, says minister
Independent on Sunday 12th June
Nirex’s
Secret List
The highly sensitive shortlist of 12 sites where the UK nuclear
industry wanted to dispose of its dangerous radioactive waste has been unveiled
after being kept a closely-guarded state secret for more than 15 years. Nirex
has also released the long list of 537 sites from which tghe 12 was short-listed.
Search the Nirex site for potential nuclear waste dumping sites near you.
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7504
http://www.nirex.co.uk/index/iold_list.htm
New Scientist, 10th June