Scotland
SCOTLAND’S ENERGY future will be put in great danger if nuclear power stations disappear off the map, it was claimed last night as battle lines were drawn in the debate over the country’s future energy make-up. Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy, Dundee West MP Jim McGovern, and the Nuclear Industry Association joined in calling for Scotland’s future energy policy to include a mix of renewables, nuclear and current energy sources.
Dundee Courier 21st Mar 2009 more >>
Politics
Green Party leader Caroline Lucas is to accuse the government of lying over claims that its policies will help preserve the environment. Opening her party’s spring conference later, she will attack Gordon Brown for backing coal and nuclear energy. She will also say the government has “betrayed” the environment by not “taking the lead”.
BBC 20th Mar 2009 more >>
New Nukes
Letter: Chris Simpson, now living at Skegness, says he would not like to live near a nuclear power plant and refers to the Chernobyl disaster (Mailbox, March 14). But that was the old-fashioned technique and safety measures in the Soviet Union days. Things have progressed since then.
Leicester Mercury 20th Mar 2009 more >>
Dounreay
RESIDENTS near the Dounreay nuclear site have been offered a 4 million community fund as part of plans to build a waste dump close to their homes. But householders who have campaigned against the dump described the offer yesterday as “pathetic”. The Scottish Government decided this week not to call in plans for the 110 million underground low-level radioactive waste store, and formal approval is expected shortly. Up to six shallow storage vaults are proposed for a possible 175,000 cubic metres of low-level waste, made up of material already stored on site and more created during the 2.9 billion decommissioning of the site. The money on offer will be used for social projects in the Dounreay “travel-to-work area”. But residents in Buldoo, Caithness, are concerned that the dump will be created outside Dounreay’s licensed site on farmland. Dounreay says that location is necessary because of a lack of space on site and the threat of coastal erosion. John Webster, a Buldoo resident, said: “Those who live in the Dounreay travel-to-work area will have a fund, although it’s unclear how it will be dispersed. There will be no special recognition for those who stay in Buldoo.”
Scotsman 21st Mar 2009 more >>
Sellafield
Trade union leaders at Sellafield were scheduled to open pay talks today. Representatives from the GMB, Unite and Prospect unions were expected to begin negotiations with management this morning over this year’s pay deal. Last year’s deal led to GMB and Unite members taking industrial action short of a strike before finally accepting a 2.5 per cent rise in basic pay.
Business Gazette 20th Mar 2009 more >>
Iran
Iran has shown world powers they cannot block its nuclear progress, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday, but he made no mention of a new message by U.S. President Barack Obama to his country.
Reuters 20th Mar 2009 more >>
In an unusually swift reaction to Mr Obama’s overture, Aliakbar Javanfekr, an aide to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said Iran welcomed “the interest of the American government to settle differences”. But he said that the US government “should realise its previous mistakes and make an effort to amend them”. In an almost simultaneous announcement, from Iran’s energy minister, Parviz Fattah, said that the country would “finish and operate” its controversial Russian-built Bushehr nuclear plant by the end of the year.
Telegraph 21st Mar 2009 more >>
Guardian 21st Mar 2009 more >>
US
Ever since President Barack Obama promised to significantly scale back the Yucca Mountain budget this year, the question has been a simple one: Now what? Sometimes the question comes as a genuine line of inquiry about the future of nuclear waste. At other times it is loaded with incredulity. Either way, Obama’s proposal has caused a phenomenal shift in thinking that would have seemed unbelievable just a few months ago.
Common Dreams 19th Mar 2009 more >>
Renewables
The renewable power sector has seen share prices hit much harder than others because it is still seen as relatively risky and speculative. Wind and solar projects still rely on government subsidies to keep afloat but the credit crunch and recession have made a difficult situation much worse. Some companies are in trouble, while others are postponing projects, saying they need more subsidies or other changes in legislation to make them more viable.
Guardian 21st Mar 2009 more >>
Green power companies are heading for “crisis” and Britain should no longer rely on them to meet its energy security and climate change obligations, some industry experts are warning. The difficulties – triggered by the credit crunch, recession and a collapse in the carbon price – have led to new demands this weekend to ministers from companies warning that their renewables schemes are at risk without more financial aid.
Guardian 21st Mar 2009 more >>
It was always going to be a big ask for Britain to meet its European target of generating 15% of its ENERGY from renewable sources by 2020. And despite official optimism, government insiders privately admit that the task is hopeless. Britain’s initial response to the proposed European targets, after all, was repeated attempts in Brussels to water them down. Civil servants from three government departments briefed journalists the day before the plan was announced with little enthusiasm. The government’s own clean-energy advisers have warned that Britain could spend £100bn over the next decade and still not hit the target. Not so, say ministers. Britain will lead a green energy revolution, Gordon Brown promised last year when he unveiled the government’s proposals to meet the target, which will be confirmed in a new strategy to be announced in June.
Guardian 21st Mar 2009 more >>
Shell will no longer invest in renewable technologies such as wind, solar and hydro power because they are not economic.
Guardian 17th Mar 2009 more >>
Scottish waters could give the country as big an economic boost as North Sea oil, Alex Salmond, the First Minister, said yesterday. Mr Salmond said the oil industry had brought the country its “first energy windfall”, and that offshore renewables could have a similar impact. The First Minister said: “Today, Scottish waters present a second energy windfall offshore renewables.” Mr Salmond used his speech to the Scottish Council for Development and Industry’s conference in St Andrews to highlight some of the progress being made in the sector including the granting of consent for the one of the world’s largest commercial wave farms off the Western Isles. In addition, more than 40 companies have registered an interest with the Crown Estate to develop wave and tidal energy projects in the Pentland Firth and its surrounding waters. And the Scottish Government’s Saltire Prize 10 million award for innovation in renewable marine energy has attracted 94 registrations of interest from 23 countries.
Scotsman 21st Mar 2009 more >>
Herald 21st Mar 2009 more >>
Letter from Kerr McGregor: The UK government has announced that it is cutting grant assistance for installing photovoltaic (PV) solar systems.Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, has talked of the need to invest in the low carbon infrastructure. The PV support system did just that. So why the cuts?
Herald 21st Mar 2009 more >>
