British Energy
ENVIRONMENT campaigners today used a 14ft inflatable white elephant to highlight their opposition to nuclear power. The blow-up animal was part of a demonstration outside Murrayfield Stadium, in Roseburn Street this morning. Protesters wrote the slogans “Nuclear power, no thanks. It’s a white elephant” and “Say no to nuclear power. It’s a white elephant” on it. The protest was timed to co-incide with a BE AGM.
Edinburgh Evening News 20th Sept 2006
Nuclear power generator British Energy yesterday lost nearly £300m from its stock market worth as investors were spooked over delays in repairs to two of its power stations. The company issued a late statement after the market had closed on Monday evening revealing the fresh blow in its battle to improve output at Hunterston B in Ayrshire and Hinkley Point B in Somerset.
Herald 20th Sept 2006
Scotsman 20th Sept 2006
Western Daily Press 20th Sept 2006
Hunterston
POLICE have urged power bosses to let workers picket at the entrance to a nuclear plant. British Energy ordered strikers off its land at the Hunterston power station in Ayrshire after a mass picket last week. But Divisional Commander Hamish Cormack has ruled an alternative demo site on public land is too dangerous because it’s just yards from a busy trunk road.
Glasgow Evening Times 19th Sept 2006
Nuclear Testing
More than 50 nations issued a plea on Wednesday for 10 more countries to ratify a 10-year old treaty banning nuclear tests, a step that would transform an informal moratorium into a binding commitment. Under the treaty’s terms, it will come into force only after it is ratified by the 44 states deemed capable of producing nuclear weapons. To date just 34 of those states have done so. The 10 that have not are the United States, China, Colombia, North Korea, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel and Pakistan.
Reuters 20th Sept 2006
THORP
Britain’s nuclear industry has been hit by further setbacks with the re-opening of the 1.8bn fuel reprocessing plant at Sellafield facing more delays and British Energy warning of difficulties with two reactors. Shares in British Energy slumped 8% to 587p after the company, which produces almost a quarter of the UK’s electricity, said the nuclear stations Hunterston B, in Ayrshire, and Hinkley Point B, Somerset, could need repairs to mend boiler cracks. The Thorp plant has been closed for 17 months following a leak of 83,000 litres of radioactive liquid, which led to BNG being fined 2m for safety lapses. BNG and the Nuclear installations Inspectorate are seeking to complete this [repair] work as quickly as possible but it is likely this will run until the end of December, leading to a restart early 2007.
Guardian 20th September 2006
Iran
Iran has called the West’s bluff on the nuclear stand-off.
Guardian 21st Sept 2006
Wales
Lembit Opik, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, told the Lib Dem conference at Brighton that Wales should have the right to say no to Tony Blair’s nuclear plans. “We now have at least 470,000m3 of hazardous nuclear waste in this country for which we have no disposal plans, enough to fill the Brighton Conference Hall 22 times,” said Mr Opik.
News Wales 20th Sept 2006
Trident
The true cost of replacing and operating the Trident nuclear missile system would be at least £76bn, according to estimates revealed today. Based on official figures, they take into account the initial cost of acquiring new Trident missiles and replacing Britain’s existing nuclear submarines, and the annual running costs of maintaining the system and nuclear warheads over its 30-year life.
Climate Change
George Monbiot: Almost everywhere, climate change denial now looks as stupid and as unacceptable as Holocaust denial. But I’m not celebrating yet. The danger is not that we will stop talking about climate change, or recognising that it presents an existential threat to humankind. The danger is that we will talk ourselves to kingdom come.
Guardian 21st Sept 2006
