New Nukes
GORDON Brown will this weekend urge Saudi Arabia to invest some of the trillions of dollars made out of soaring oil prices in nuclear power and renewable energy projects in the UK.
Manchester Evening News 21st June 2008 more >>
Mr Brown’s proposals also include accelerating the switch to alternative sources of energy, including renewables, and persuading producers to diversify into alternative energy projects, particularly those in Britain.
Telegraph 22nd June 2008 more >>
British Energy
Wicks insists that his support for nuclear power – which results in only low-carbon emissions – does not extend to intervening in the stalled £11bn auction of nuclear generator British Energy. The government owns a 35 per cent stake in the company, whose sites are best to build more reactors. French nuclear giant EDF is the only remaining bidder, but the board of British Energy is demanding that EDF pay more for the company.
Observer 22nd June 2008 more >>
The government will not intervene to revive the stalled £11bn auction of nuclear generator British Energy, energy minister Malcolm Wicks has told The Observer. Two weeks ago British Energy, in which the state holds a 35 per cent stake, announced that the takeover proposals it had received did not value the company highly enough. EDF, the only bidder to table a firm offer for British Energy, is considering whether to make an improved bid. A resolution to the takeover saga is expected soon. But it is understood that EDF is frustrated and surprised that the British government has not put pressure on British Energy to strike a deal. EDF still hopes that the government will make a last-ditch intervention to back its bid.
Observer 22nd June 2008 more >>
Syria
UN nuclear inspectors are beginning a visit to Syria to investigate claims that it was building a nuclear reactor. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) four person team will spend three days examining the al-Kibar site in the desert in northern Syria. The site was bombed by Israeli jets in September 2007. The ruins were bulldozed after the attack.
BBC 22nd June 2008 more >>
Iran
THE UN nuclear watchdog chief warned yesterday that any military strike on Iran could turn the Middle East into a “ball of fire” and lead Iran to a more aggressive stance on its controversial nuclear programme. After US officials said they believed recent large Israeli military exercises may have been meant to show Israel’s ability to hit Iran’s nuclear sites, Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said: “In my opinion, a military strike will be the worst… it will turn the Middle East to a ball of fire.”
Scotland on Sunday 22nd June 2008 more >>
Tehran today denounced Israel as a “threat to global peace” after Israel held a large military exercise in an apparent dress rehearsal for a potential attack on Iranian nuclear facilities. An Iranian government spokesman, Gholam-Hossein Elham, dismissed suggestions of an attack by Israel as “impossible”, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Guardian website 21st June 2008 more >>
A senior Israeli MP has warned that diplomatic measures to halt Iran’s nuclear ambitions are not working and that the world must soon decide on further measures.
Telegraph website 21st June 2008 more >>
UAE
Amec, the British engineering giant run by Samir Brikho, has emerged as a leading contender to manage the £40bn United Arab Emirates nuclear programme. The FTSE-100 company is on a shortlist of nine for the role of managing agent. This would involve overseeing the technical design, construction and operation of around 14 nuclear facilities planned in the Gulf state.
Independent on Sunday 22nd June 2008 more >>
Algeria
France and Algeria have signed an agreement on civil nuclear co-operation during a visit to Algiers by the French Prime Minister, Francois Fillon.
BBC 21st June 2008 more >>
Climate
The majority of the British public is still not convinced that climate change is caused by humans – and many others believe scientists are exaggerating the problem, according to an exclusive poll for The Observer.
Observer 22nd June 2008 more >>
Renewables
The Germans, years ahead of us on renewables, are already enjoying a boom in solar power and exporting their innovations to other countries. This is the future. For those countries that lead us there, it will be a hugely profitable future. It’s been reckoned that the value of the market in new energies is equivalent to all the oil there’s ever been in the North Sea. My guess is that this will ultimately prove to be an underestimate of how much it is worth. The smart politicians will be those who sharpen the incentives to invest in clean energies and increase the penalties on using the dirty stuff that is frying the planet. The clever countries will not be those who resist moving to a low-carbon economy, but those who embrace this revolution and lead it. Green is better than good. It is smart.
Observer 22nd June 2008 more >>
Electric cars could play a major role in the shift to environmentally friendly transport, the government will reveal this week. As part of its long-awaited renewable energy strategy, to be published on Thursday, it will argue that there is massive potential in the UK for plug-in hybrids, for car batteries charged on grid electricity and for vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells.
Observer 22nd June 2008 more >>
Britain will soon have its first national network of charging bays for electric cars as growing numbers of motorists opt for alternative forms of transport. By the end of next year, about 1,000 of the bays are expected to be installed across the country, with 200 in London and smaller networks in other conurbations.
Sunday Times 22nd June 2008 more >>
Homeowners are to be offered extra financial incentives to fit their properties with solar panels and wind turbines in an ambitious green energy programme to reduce the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels. At the heart of the £100 billion renewable energy strategy, due to be unveiled this week, is a proposal to encourage householders to generate their own power. They will be able to sell back surplus electricity at premium prices to the national grid. At present it can be sold only at market rates.
Sunday Times 22nd June 2008 more >>
