Sellafield
The Health and Safety Executive is to prosecute nuclear plant operators Sellafield Ltd after two contractors were exposed to radioactive contamination. The criminal proceedings follow an HSE investigation into the July 2007 incident, in which the workers were exposed during the decontamination of an area of concrete floor at the Cumbrian plant. It is alleged that Sellafield failed to discharge its duty under Section 3 of the Health & Safety at Work Act. The initial court date has been fixed for the morning of 24 July at Whitehaven Magistrates’ Court, Cumbria.
Building 22nd May 2009 more >>
An anti-nuclear politician has come under attack from Copeland MP Jamie Reed for releasing “misleading and untrue” claims about Sellafield in Parliament. Newport West MP Paul Flynn has tabled a Commons motion in the commons motion claiming the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has closed Thorp at Sellafield. Part of Sellafield had to be closed because of a fault in one of its reprocessing plants but bosses have insisted it will not lead or has not led to the shutdown of Thorp. One of three evaporators which process spent nuclear fuel was shut after an unexplained rise in radioactivity was discovered last week. It was found during routine checks on equipment that links Sellafield to the Magnox and Thorp facilities. But Mr Flynn’s early day motion is leading MPs to believe Thorp has now been closed.
NW Evening Mail 22nd May 2009 more >>
Scotland
THEIR views may differ on nuclear power, but First Minister Alex Salmond and Iberdrola boss Ignacio Gal n haven’t let that small matter stand in the way of their blossoming friendship. The big bear hugs for which the pair are becoming renowned were on show again this week, when Salmond officially opened Scottish Power’s Whitelee wind farm, Europe’s biggest onshore site.
Scotsman 23rd May 2009 more >>
Wales
Wales today laid out radical plans to make it one of the most energy and resource-efficient countries in the world within a generation. The government development plans, which are legally binding, are far in advance of anything planned for England or Scotland and would see it become energy self-sufficient in using renewable electricity within 20 years and reduce waste to zero by 2050. The proposals would make Wales one of only three countries in the world legally bound to develop “sustainably”. The report sets out a series of ambitious goals including producing more electricity from renewables than the nation consumes within 20 years. Jonathan Porritt, the chair of the UK Sustainable development commission, said: “Wales will set an example for the rest of the world to follow. [Its] government is showing a serious commitment to making Wales a truly sustainable country.”
Guardian 23rd May 2009 more >>
Faslane
Letter from Cllr Euan McLeod: A further two leaks from nuclear submarines have been admitted to by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to add to those disclosed last month (your report, 28 April). These latest revelations bring the total number of leaks over the past 12 years to nine. Although they did not occur at Faslane, the latest two leaks are a particular concern in Scotland now that we know the government intends to make the base home to the UK’s entire fleet of submarines. The old ramshackle nuclear waste facilities at Faslane will now have even more waste to deal with. None of the leaks was a particular threat, but that appears to have been more a matter of luck than design. This all follows an admission by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency that there is very little it can do because it does not have the legal power to force the MoD to behave.
Scotsman 22nd May 2009 more >>
New Nukes
Letter from Pete Roche: Just when we really need our architectural profession to be designing zero-carbon houses and helping to reduce carbon emissions from existing buildings by 80 per cent, Mark Fresson (Opinion, 21 May) wants to design “iconic” nuclear reactors. Such a focus on dangerous, waste-producing, weapons-proliferating technology is diverting attention from what we really need to be doing to tackle climate change.
Scotsman 23rd May 2009 more >>
Companies
Scottish & Southern Energy is in talks with the European Bank of Investment to raise funds for new wind projects in Britain while also admitting it might make a bid for parts of the electricity distribution network and is still interested in possible nuclear sites.
Guardian 21st May 2009 more >>
Scottish and Southern Energy chief executive Ian Marchant said Centrica’s plan to buy a 20% stake in British Energy from EDF could create a monopoly in the UK wholesale energy market.
New Civil Engineer 22nd May 2009 more >>
Heysham
British Energy’s Heysham 2-7 nuclear reactor was restarted on Friday after stopping earlier this month to refuel, a spokeswoman for the EDF-owned company said.
Reuters 22nd May 2009 more >>
Israel
The surprise announcement by Rose Gottemoeller, a US assistant secretary of state, that America would like every nation – including Israel – to sign the NPT has sent shockwaves through Tel Aviv, confirming the fears (or hopes, depending on who you ask) that the Obama administration is initiating a major overhaul of its policy on nuclear proliferation in the Middle East. The Israeli government will certainly challenge the Obama administration on this issue, as Israel is not likely to co-operate, to put it mildly, with the state department’s new logical, fair-minded approach to non-proliferation.
Guardian 22nd May 2009 more >>
Almost a quarter of Israel’s seven million citizens would consider leaving the country if Iran becomes a nuclear military power, according to a new poll. The poll also shows that over 40 per cent of Israelis believe that their military forces should strike Iran’s nuclear installations without waiting to see whether US President Barack Obama’s plans for diplomatic engagement with Tehran work or not.
Independent 23rd May 2009 more >>
Jordan
Russia and Jordan have signed an inter-governmental agreement for cooperation in the field of peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Nuclear Engineering International 22nd May 2009 more >>
Climate
One of the most important thinkers behind New Labour has attacked the government for failing to convince people that radical action on climate change is needed. Lord Anthony Giddens, the former director of the London School of Economics and a key architect of the New Labour project, said that global warming was such vital issue that a political “revolution” is needed to get to grips with it. He acknowledged that New Labour had been slow to develop serious climate change policies and he criticised the government’s current policies on the expansion of Heathrow airport and new coal-fired power stations.
Guardian 23rd May 2009 more >>
The decision to allow a third runway at Heathrow was a mistake, according to one of the government’s most senior advisers on the economics of climate change. Lord Stern said if the decision had been properly considered in light of the UK’s climate targets, he thought it would not have been granted.
Guardian 23rd May 2009 more >>
