Hinkley
There is a “very good prospect” of a decision to build Britain’s first new nuclear plant finally being taken later this year, Amber Rudd, the energy secretary has said. Despite mounting doubts about EDF’s proposed Hinkley Point power station, Ms Rudd told MPs on Tuesday she believed it was “essential” that the project go ahead. The French energy giant originally hoped to take a final investment decision on the Somerset project by the end of 2012 but it has been subject to repeated delays and setbacks. Ms Rudd told MPs on the energy select committee: “We hope the decision will be made later on this year. We are very committed as a government to making sure that we build new nuclear and Hink ley Point will be the first of those. “Old nuclear is coming off and I think we need as much investment as we can procure in order to support new nuclear.” Protracted negotiations between EDF and Government over subsidies for Hinkley resulted in a headline deal in October 2013 but details are still being ironed out, while investments from Chinese nuclear partners are yet to be finalised and financial turmoil at reactor-maker Areva has caused further problems. Ms Rudd said: “I haven’t got the scars of the past three to four years, or two and half years, as my permanent secretary may have in terms of taking forward that negotiation, but I have met the parties involved in the past 10 weeks and it looks to me like there is a very good prospect of it reaching a happy conclusion later this year.”
Telegraph 21st July 2015 read more »
The requirement for nuclear is essential in backing up “unreliable renewables” as part of the energy mix “until we get storage right”, energy secretary Amber Rudd has insisted. Speaking at an Energy and Climate Change select committee hearing on Tuesday, Rudd emphasised the importance of nuclear power in the UK’s energy mix to provide “a secure baseload” supply of electricity. She told MPs: “The requirement for nuclear is absolute if we want to have renewables as part of the mix because, until we get storage right, renewables are unreliable.” Rudd also told the committee that although storage is “a fantastic opportunity in the future” and a “really exciting development”, it is “not yet a really essential part of delivering electricity”.
Utility Week 21st July 2015 read more »
An alliance of green energy providers and municipal utilities in Germany and Austria has lodged a complaint with the European Court of Justice (ECJ) over subsidies for the planned British nuclear power station Hinkley Point C.
H&V News 20th July 2015 read more »
Toshiba
The total amount of operating profits Toshiba Corp. booked through inappropriate accounting in the five years through March 2014 is believed to have reached around ¥160 billion, sources have said. The third-party panel investigating the electronic giant’s accounting scandal discovered that the padded amount is more than three times the ¥50 billion initially uncovered via Toshiba’s internal probe, but less than the rumored ¥200 billion. The panel has confirmed that Toshiba President Hisao Tanaka and his direct predecessor, Norio Sasaki, now Toshiba vice chairman, effectively allowed losses to be carried over, as the company set ambitious profit targets for its mainstay businesses, including the infrastructure construction, semiconductor and personal computer divisions, the sources said Saturday. The panel believes Toshiba cooked its books partly because of clouded prospects for its nuclear power business after the March 2011 disasters sparked a triple meltdown crisis at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima No. 1 atomic plant.
Japan Times 19th July 2015 read more »
Toshiba’s chief executive and president Hisao Tanaka has resigned after the company said it had overstated its profits for the past six years. He will be succeeded by chairman Masashi Muromachi, with vice-chairman Norio Sasaki also stepping down. On Monday, an independent panel appointed by Toshiba said the firm had overstated its operating profit by a total of 151.8bn yen ($1.22bn, £780m). The overstatement was roughly triple an initial estimate by Toshiba. The company’s business empire stretches from home electronics to nuclear power stations.
BBC 21st July 2015 read more »
Infrastructure
The government has published its latest National Infrastructure Plan (NIP) factsheet which includes work worth more than £270 billion across the energy and water sectors. Energy is the largest sector featured in NIP. It is worth £245 billion, according to government, and accounts for 60 per cent of the national pipeline’s total value. There are 56 programmes and 102 energy projects outlined as part of the NIP, including the winners from the contracts for difference auctions in February. This includes Neart na Gaoithe offshore windfarm and the Dorenell onshore windfarm, both in Scotland.
Utility Week 21st July 2015 read more »
Radwaste
The DISTINCTIVE consortiuim (taken from Decommissioning, Immobilisation and Storage Solutions for Nuclear Waste Inventories) is a group of PhD and post-doctoral researchers from universities. They are working with industrial advisors and academics on research into themes relevant to decommissioning the nuclear legacy.
NDA 10th July 2015 read more »
Plutonium
The UK is taking control of more of the foreign-owned separated plutonium it is storing, avoiding the cost and security measures associated with transporting the fuel back to other countries. Minister of State for Energy Michael Fallon said in a written statement to Parliament today that the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has agreed to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) taking ownership of about one tonne – 800 kg and 140 kg, respectively – of material previously owned by a Swedish utility and a German research organisation. The names of the organisations and the value of the agreements were not disclosed.
World Nuclear News 3rd July 2015 read more »
Energy Subsidies
The government has launched its latest attempt to curb subsidy spending on renewable energy in the UK, unveiling new plans to end a key support mechanism for smaller solar farms and make it harder for businesses and public sector bodies to take advantage of the feed-in tariff (FiT) incentive scheme. As had been widely expected the Department of Energy and Climate Change this morning launched a consultation on proposals to stop solar farms with less than 5MW of capacity accessing the Renewables Obligation (RO) subsidy scheme from April next year. The move follows the announcement of the same restriction on solar farms with more than 5MW of capacity and will be seen as a major blow to the solar farm sector, particularly given the government has refused to confirm when its alternative clean energy support scheme, the contract for difference (CfD) price support mechanism, will continue.
Business Green 22nd July 2015 read more »
Renewable Obligation support for solar farms under 5MW will be scrapped after 1 April 2016, under Department of Energy and Climate Change plans outlined today. The government has released a consultation which seeks to remove all renewable obligation support for solar from 1 April 2016 as a reaction to an “over-allocation of renewable subsidies” which has put the Levy Control Framework budget on course for a £1.5 billion overspend.
Solar Portal 22nd July 2015 read more »
New onshore wind farms could be built in the UK without subsidies, according to the energy secretary Amber Rudd. The Conservative government recently moved to block future onshore turbines by removing financial support and giving local communities the final say. Critics said the step would increase energy bills as additional clean energy from more expensive technologies would be needed to replace wind power. But Rudd told the energy and climate change select committee of MPs on Tuesday: “I have had three separate developers interested in developing [onshore] wind farms without subsidies.” She said they were “large” developers, but did not give further details. Rudd was challenged by LibDem committee member Alistair Carmichael over the large subsidies promised to new nuclear power stations. He asked whether her statement that subsidies should only be given while a new industry established itself was contradicted by the 35-year deal offered to a proposed nuclear plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset: “It’s hardly a new technology,” he said. Rudd said: “We have to have secure baseload [electricity] so you should not be surprised that we are prepared to pay for it.” She said she had met recently those involved in the Hinkley Point project, which include French state-controlled company EDF Energy. “There is a very good prospect of reaching a very happy conclusion later this year,” she said. The final decision on Hinkley Point has already been delayed by five years and the earliest it could now open is 2023. Rudd also said that Austria’s “very unwelcome” challenge to the UK’s support for nuclear power – suggesting it is illegal state aid – was unlikely to succeed. “The signal we are getting from the European commission is that the decision is robust,” she said. “We don’t think it will impact on the final investment decision.”
Guardian 21st July 2015 read more »
Ministers are poised to announce plans to rein back subsidies for low-carbon energy amid warnings that they will overshoot the government’s own targets. On Wednesday the government will launch a consultation into tighter caps for certain renewable energy forms such as solar or onshore wind projects. The announcement is expected to be made early in the morning because of the commercial sensitivities surrounding the move. Whitehall officials have warned that plans for £7.6bn of subsidies by 2020 through its “levy control framework” are on track to reach £9bn instead.
FT 21st July 2015 read more »
UK Energy Secretary Amber Rudd has today (21 July) answered crucial questions on the Government’s approach to energy efficiency, fracking, renewable energy subsidies and climate change. Rudd was questioned by the Energy and Climate Change Committee in Parliament this morning, as part of the Committee’s inquiry into DECC’s priorities for 2015.
Edie 21st July 2015 read more »
The renewables industry is braced for a new wave of steep subsidy cuts, potentially as early as tomorrow, after Energy and Climate Change Secretary Amber Rudd used her first appearance before a Commons Select Committee since the election to reiterate her view the sector needs to quickly end its reliance on subsidies. Speculation is mounting ministers will this week provide further details on their trailed “reset” of renewable energy support policies, with the solar industry fearing particularly steep cuts to a range of subsidies. In a wide-ranging hearing with the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee this morning, Rudd reiterated one of the priorities for the department was affordability and as such levies on energy bills to support clean energy needed to be kept under control.
Business Green 21st July 2015 read more »
There was good news in the promise of full review of how to improve the UK’s energy efficiency strategy, deliver faster progress on renewable heat and seize the opportunity offered by energy storage. Similarly, confirmation CCS remains a priority and the prediction Hinkley Point will reach a ‘happy conclusion’ will be taken as good news by those who believe these projects are crucial to decarbonisation efforts. However, once again some pretty soft lines of questioning (with one or two admirable exceptions) allowed Rudd to suggests there was no contradiction between apparently leading the world in tackling climate change and maximising oil and gas production, opening up a new shale gas industry, watering down energy efficiency standards and increasing taxes on clean energy. Moreover, there was little in the way of reassurance for much of the renewable energy sector, which will now be fearful that the imminent announcement of a subsidy review will feature sharp cuts in support levels. Rudd was adamant that renewables, and in particular onshore wind and solar, should be able to compete on cost before 2020, arguing industry predictions for grid parity in the early 2020s were overly pessimistic.
Business Green 21st July 2015 read more »
China
China’s record on nuclear proliferation is facing congressional criticism as the Obama administration seeks renewal of a 30-year agreement that enables American involvement in the Asian nation’s fast-growing atomic energy industry. It’s a different beast and far less contentious than the new nuclear deal between Iran and the U.S. and other world powers aimed at preventing Tehran from acquiring atomic weapons. China has had the bomb for 50 years and has a stockpile of perhaps 250 weapons. This agreement facilitates the transfer of U.S. technology for civilian use, and blocking or delaying it could complicate already tense U.S.-China relations. In September, President Barack Obama will host Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the White House, amid growing strains over Beijing’s island-building in the South China Sea and alleged cybertheft of U.S. government and trade secrets. There are also major commercial implications. The U.S. nuclear industry is warning it needs swift renewal of the agreement, which expires at the end of this year. Four American-designed reactors worth $8 billion are under construction in China, and dozens more are planned or proposed that, industry advocates say, could support tens of thousands of U.S. jobs.
PBS 19th July 2015 read more »
The UK’s National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) has signed a research contract with a Chinese company. It will cover aspects of reactor design, including consideration of environmental impact, selection of materials and the corrosion properties during usage. The deal with China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) follows a Memorandum of Understanding signed in June 2014 in London.
Energy Live News 22nd July 2015 read more »
Saudi Arabia
One likely Saudi Arabian response to the deal its biggest enemy Iran has struck with world powers is to accelerate its own nuclear power plans, creating an atomic infrastructure it could, one day, seek to weaponise. But while it has recently made moves to advance its nuclear programme, experts say it is uncertain whether it could realistically build an atomic bomb in secret or withstand the political pressure it would face if such plans were revealed.
Middle East Online 21st July 2015 read more »
Submarines
Two workers accidentally sealed inside the ballast tank of a nuclear submarine managed to get a feint mobile phone signal to spark a rescue. Unions described the incident at Devonport Naval Base in Plymouth as “extremely unpleasant”. The pair had been inspecting sonar equipment when they were inadvertently sealed in by colleagues in December.
Western Morning News 22nd July 2015 read more »
Renewables – solar
Energy experts believe a rumoured government plan to cut subsidies to solar could cripple the burgeoning industry just before it is able to stand on its own. Late last week the government issued ambiguous warnings that the solar industry’s days of living off top-ups from bill-payers were numbered. A cabinet source revealed to the BBC that the government view had hardened further towards green subsidies and a “big reset” was coming. After onshore wind (currently the cheapest renewable energy in the country) had its subsidies cut last month, solar looks set to be next on the chopping block. Solar insiders believe the feed-in tariff (F iT), levied from household bills and given to those who buy rooftop panels for their homes, will be severely restricted or abolished.
Guardian 21st July 2015 read more »
Subsidies for ‘small’ solar farms up to the size of 15 football pitches are to be cut, under Government plans to tackle the spiralling cost of green energy projects. Ministers are expected to announce a consultation on proposed changes on Wednesday as they attempt to rein in a projected £1.5 billion overspend on subsidies for wind and solar farms. The move comes after Amber Rudd, the energy secretary, disclosed that onshore wind farm developers have told her they may still be able to build projects without the lucrative consumer-funded subsidies, which the Conservatives are ending. Appearing before MPs on the energy select committee on Tuesday, Ms Rudd confirmed to MPs that the annual bill for green subsidies, paid for by households on their energy bills, was forecast to hit £9.1 billion by 2020-21 – breaching the £7.6 billion spending cap set by the Treasury.
Telegraph 21st July 2015 read more »
Renewables – tidal
The tidal energy industry has been boosted with a £700,000 award by Innovate UK to two marine projects, one of them involving Scotland’s centres of excellence. The FloWave ocean energy research facility at Edinburgh University and Orkney’s European Marine Energy Centre will work with Cambridge-based Ocean Array Systems and Canadian partners in a project chosen for funding by Innovate UK and the Offshore Energy Research Association of Nova Scotia. The UK signed a memorandum of understanding with Canada’s second-smallest province last year.
Herald 22nd July 2015 read more »
Renewables – onshore wind
The Scottish onshore wind industry is at a critical juncture. Onshore wind is already the cheapest form of renewable energy. Successful deployment of the technology has seen renewables firmly established as the biggest generator of electricity in Scotland; ahead of nuclear, coal and gas. But action by UK government to curtail onshore wind development threatens to derail this progress with disastrous consequences for Scottish businesses, large and small. Simply put, government policies making wind energy harder to deploy, will have the effect of making renewable energy more expensive. A recent UK government report estimated there are 5,400 jobs in the onshore wind sector in Scotland with many more jobs supported or created across rural businesses that have diversified into farm-scale wind.
Scotsman 22nd July 2015 read more »
Renewables – offshore wind
Offshore wind projects going into construction in 2020 could deliver clean power at a cost that is lower than that delivered by new gas-fired power plants. That is the key conclusion from the latest industry-backed study to explore the sharp reduction in offshore wind costs that has been achieved in recent years, as the sector strives to meet a government target of cutting costs to under £100/MWh by the end of the decade. The new report from consultancy BVG Associated was commissioned by renewable energy developer Statkraft and details how the offshore wind sector could comfortably beat the £100/MWh goal. “Real, tangible advances in technology, the supply chain, and policy have combined to drive down the cost of energy for projects about to go into construction in 2015,” the report states. “This downward pressure is expected to continue, with offshore wind projects going into construction in five years that are competitive with new CCGT (combined cycle gas turbine) plant.”
Business Green 21st July 2015 read more »
Renewables – small wind
A coalition of wind turbine manufacturers has written an open letter to Greg Clarke, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), urging the minister to reconsider recent reforms to local planning guidelines for wind farms. The letter, sent yesterday, claims the recent amendments to planning guidance for onshore wind projects have “removed all objectivity and clarity” from the planning process for small-scale wind farms and threaten the livelihoods of many British farmers. It is signed by executives from Endurance Wind Power, EWT and Windflow.
Business Green 21st July 2015 read more »
Island Energy
A wind farm developer is to pay out £3 million to an island community without a single turbine being built. Engie, a French company, is to compensate islanders on Lewis after abandoning plans to build a £200 million wind farm on the Outer Hebrides. The money will be spent instead on a variety of local projects and job creation in the Eishken estate area, to the south of Stornoway. The energy scheme was scrapped after repeated delays to the installation of a subsea cable and interconnector to link the wind farm to the electricity grid on the mainland. The 39-turbine development would have been the largest in the Western Isles with enough electricity to power 100,000 homes, ten times more than required locally. However, without the £750 million energy link cable and associated infrastructure there was no way of exporting the energy. Engie, formerly known as GDF Suez, is still obliged to make payment to the Muaitheabhal Community Wind Farm Trust (MCWFT) under its legal contract and a deal has now been agreed to pay a final £1.92 million after £1 million was paid last year.
Times 22nd July 2015 read more »
SSE has set up a working group with Western Isles Council to break the national grid bottleneck to network connections which is currently preventing new renewables projects from going ahead on the islands .
Scottish Energy News 22nd July 2015 read more »
Local Energy
DOZENS of environmentally friendly mayors from around the world demanded yesterday that their national leaders take bold steps at Paris climate talks this year, which they say may be the last chance to keep the warming of the Earth at levels safe for humanity. Sixty mayors gathered at the Vatican for a two-day climate conference to keep the pressure on world leaders ahead of the Paris negotiations in December and to promote Pope Francis’s environmental encyclical, which denounced the fossil fuel-based world economy. The mayors were expected to sign a declaration that states that “human-induced climate change is a scientific reality and its effective control is a moral imperative for humanity”. New York City mayor Bill de Blasio announced new greenhouse gas emissions targets for the Big Apple and urged other cities to follow suit.
Scotsman 22nd July 2015 read more »
Fusion
The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee is holding a one-off evidence session on 21 July into the prospects for nuclear fusion and the UK’s research and development landscape.
Scottish Energy News 22nd July 2015 read more »
Parliament 17th July 2015 read more »
