New Nukes
A NUCLEAR power plant near Millom would leave Cumbria open to “catastrophic accident or terrorist attack”, resulting in huge loss of life and leaving large parts of the county uninhabitable, green campaigners have warned. Political group the Green Party has vowed to block plans to build a new plant a Layriggs Farm in Kirksanton. The defiant stand was announced after a list of 11 potential sites across the country was released by the government. The list also includes land at Braystones, near Egremont, and a plot near Sellafield.
NW Evening Mail 21st Apr 2009 more >>
Letters (1) The claim is that nuclear electricity generation is so cheap but not so cheap that it won’t need metering. Neil Craig claims France is producing it at 1.7p a unit. Flamanville in Normandy is nine months behind schedule and is expected to be in operation in May 2012 with electricity costs of about 5.4p a unit. Allan Wilson seems to believe that the Labour Party in Scotland’s policy of no new nuclear power stations until the long-term storage of highly radioactive waste material has been resolved is met by the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) recommendation that this should be a geological “disposal” facility. (2) To quote costs for the wind power industry (which is technically still in its infancy), which include all of the setting up costs, is disingenuous, to say the least. Wind power is expected to provide no more than a fairly modest (but nevertheless significant) proportion of our future power, so I’m getting a little tired of the continuous attempts by the pro-nuclear lobby to imply that our future energy choice is either nuclear or wind power, while hoping we will not notice we are building and putting into operation highly efficient hydro power stations and are just about to embark on a huge programme of developing tidal and wave power generation. In Scotland, we are already producing enough power, even when our remaining nuclear facilities are down.
Herald 22nd Apr 2009 more >>
NDA
Public servants working in Britain’s nuclear industry are being paid millions of pounds of taxpayer-funded bonuses every year. The finding, which emerged from the response to an inquiry under the Freedom of Information Act, has prompted fresh accusations of government waste as the Chancellor prepares the most austere Budget in decades today. The response from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), the agency responsible for the clean-up of Britain’s nuclear sites, shows that the organisation paid nearly £3.8 million in bonuses to its 315 staff last year.
Times 22nd Apr 2009 more >>
Submarines
China will unveil its nuclear submarines this week at an international fleet review marking the 60th anniversary of its navy, official media reported yesterday.
Guardian 22nd Apr 2009 more >>
Test Veterans
An inquiry is to investigate possible links between severe illnesses suffered by veterans and British nuclear tests. The study comes as the High Court is about to rule on compensation claims made by hundreds of former soldiers. This has led to conjecture that the Ministry of Defence has been forced into action by the possibility of the judgment going against it.
Independent 22nd Apr 2009 more >>
The MOD announced today that it will be conducting an assessment of the health needs of nuclear test veterans and their descendants in a move welcomed by the British Nuclear Test Veterans Association (BNTVA).
MOD Press Release 21st Apr 2009 more >>
NUCLEAR test veteran Louis Holford has died – weeks before discovering if the Government will acknowledge his health problems were caused by atomic fallout. The former RAF clerk, of Oakhill, served on Christmas Island while H-Bomb and A-Bomb tests took place in 1958.
Staffordshire Sentinel 21st Apr 2009 more >>
Iran
Israel has warned Tehran that it is ready to be “the shield” defending Jewish people from a “new Holocaust” threat posed by Iran’s nuclear programme.
Telegraph 22nd Apr 2009 more >>
Korea
Political rivals North and South Korea held rare, brief and acrimonious talks on Tuesday over a joint factory park as global powers tried to prevent Pyongyang from restarting its nuclear arms plant.
Interactive Investor 21st Apr 2009 more >>
FT 22nd Apr 2009 more >>
Jordan
China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC) could join the bidding to build a nuclear power plant in Jordan worth $3.5 billion, Khaled Toukan, chairman of the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC), said on Tuesday.
Yahoo 21st Apr 2009 more >>
Green New Deal
Why is green the right path for Labour? Partly because it would tackle the jobs crisis: insulating Britain’s homes alone would employ tens of thousands of people and do so right away. Partly because it would re-tool the economy for the rest of the 21st century, when low-carbon nations will flourish while the fossil-fuel dinosaurs are left behind. But also, as Ed Miliband likes to say, because it’s very Labour. It’s about fairness, ensuring future generations don’t pay for our folly, and about a task too big to be left to markets or individuals – one that has to be tackled by governments, working together internationally, especially in the European Union.
Guardian 22nd Apr 2009 more >>
Letter from FoE, Greenpeace and others: Today we face three of the greatest challenges of our time, global recession, energy security and the threat of catastrophic climate change. The only solution to this triple crunch is a low-carbon recovery. Millions of jobs could be created around the world, global warming emissions slashed and energy security increased. There is no choice between economic recovery and climate recovery – they are one and the same. But time is running out and we need bold measures at the heart of this year’s budget to build a low-carbon economy, ramp up energy efficiency and provide the renewables industry with urgently needed support to overcome immediate difficulties.
Guardian 22nd Apr 2009 more >>
Coal
Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, is expected to set out rules for more “carbon capture and storage” coal plants, despite industry doubts about whether so-called “clean coal” is cost-effective and questions about the technology involved. Mr Miliband is expected to give the go-ahead for at least one new carbon-capture coal plant, financially supported by the Government to demonstrate the new technology. A new licensing regime for new coal stations will also be set out.
Telegraph 21st Apr 2009 more >>
