Energy Bill
Newly released documents about the Draft UK Energy Bill.
Energy Webwatch 22nd May 2012 more >>
Written Ministerial Statement.
DECC 22nd May 2012 more >>
Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Simon Hughes MP, recently told the House of Commons that the Liberal Democrats remained opposed to nuclear power, and that the policy of not subsidising new reactors meant it will not happen because it has always needed to be subsidised. But that rather depends on Liberal Democrat Ministers telling the truth and calling a subsidy a subsidy. Surely the time has come for a Liberal Democrat rebellion.
Spinwatch 22nd May 2012 more >>
There seems to be a consensus, particularly among environmental groups, that the bill will largely favour the nuclear and gas industries, with the new long-term contracts known as “contracts for difference” disadvantaging the smaller renewables companies.
Guardian 22nd May 2012 more >>
Energy Secretary Ed Davey was pressed by Today presenter John Humphries as to whether the changes amounted to a subsidy for new nuclear. “There is going to be no public subsidy for new nuclear,” he said. “What we want is a market structure that makes sure we keep the lights on. “Unless nuclear can be price competitive – as the industry says it can be – these nuclear projects won’t proceed”.
BBC 22nd May 2012 more >>
The simple fact is that low carbon energy investment will not really begin to flow until the government confirms the strike price at which CfDs will be offered for different technologies. That is why the row over renewables vs nuclear is currently so much hot air. Green campaigners suspect the government will tilt the various strike prices in favour of nuclear, but they have no way of knowing which technology will deliver the most attractive returns to investors until the actual strike prices and the duration of all CfDs is confirmed. It is the prospect of this two year investment hiatus that has prompted the government to take the remarkable decision to try and give the Secretary of State the unprecedented power to offer wonderfully named “letters of comfort” to selected low carbon developers, reassuring them that they will be guaranteed returns ahead of the launch of the CfD programme. Leaving aside the fact these letters could in fact prove worthless given they are entirely dependent on the EU granting state aid approval for the new regime, they look like a staggeringly direct intervention from the government as ministers desperately try to get new low carbon projects underway.
Business Green 22nd May 2012 more >>
The government has insisted its energy bill was not a “blank cheque for nuclear”, rejecting claims that its support for a new wave of low-carbon power generation would push up household electricity bills and amount to a public subsidy. The bill, published on Tuesday, contains sweeping reforms of Britain’s electricity market designed to attract the £110bn in investment needed over the next decade to keep the lights on and ensure that the UK meets its ambitious carbon reduction targets. It does this by guaranteeing prices for low-carbon electricity, providing a stable return for companies making big investments in expensive energy projects like new nuclear power stations and offshore wind farms. But the bill faced criticism from some environmental groups which wanted different support mechanisms for renewables, rather than a catch-all scheme for all low-carbon technologies. “As it is, it looks like the process has been rigged for nuclear,” said Nick Molho, head of energy policy at conservation group WWF-UK. While industry figures broadly welcomed the bill, some said the timetable was too slow and that many details remained unresolved. Matt Bonass, climate change lawyer at Bird & Bird, said the bill did “little to provide investors with the certainty they are looking for”.
FT 23rd May 2012 more >>
The draft energy bill plans major changes to the market, causing concern that consumers’ bills could rise and renewable energy is being neglected. Green groups and some renewable energy companies also attacked the draft bill, accusing ministers of breaking promises not to subsidise nuclear power, because the “contracts for difference” by which low-carbon power generators will be guaranteed a price for their electricity will favour the nuclear industry. Davey denied the charge, and said the plans would encourage all forms of low-carbon generation, helping the UK to meet its climate-change targets. Bridget Woodman, of the energy policy group at the University of Exeter, said: “Rarely can an energy measure have attracted such universal condemnation. The key players renewable generators, most energy companies, consumer groups and commentators all recognise that contracts for difference won’t deliver a sustainable energy future … The government is in a hole and needs to stop digging before it’s too late to put the UK on a path to a sustainable energy future.”
Guardian 22nd May 2012 more >>
Simon Jenkins: The government’s decision to direct resources to nuclear and wind is typical of an institution befuddled and beset by lobbyists. Anyone who claims to understand energy policy is either mad or subsidised. Last week I wrote that politics is seldom rational. It is more often based on intuition and tribal prejudice. This week we have a thundering example: the government’s new policy on nuclear energy.
Guardian 22nd May 2012 more >>
Electricity bills are set to double over the next 20 years after the Government revealed plans to intervene in the energy market to kick-start £110 billion of investment in low-carbon power generation. The Department of Energy and Climate Change hopes that a draft Bill laid before Parliament yesterday will herald a new fleet of nuclear power plants, more giant offshore wind turbines and other renewable energy projects. Consumers, both households and businesses, are bracing for the worst as the DECC said it would press on with plans for guaranteed high prices for electricity generated from clean energy and taxes that will raise the cost of power produced from coal and gas.
Times 23rd May 2012 more >>
Mr Davey unveiled the draft energy bill on Tuesday, with policies intended to attract investors to build new nuclear and renewable power plants. Britain needs £110bn of investment to keep the lights on and meet green targets. The policies will see annual household electricity bills rise by about £100 by 2030, ministers said, arguing the proposals used the cheapest model available and would actually save consumers £100 compared with not implementing them. However, suppliers such as RWE npower and SSE have argued that parts of the proposals risk unnecessary price rises. RWE said the proposed system to encou rage gas fired plants – designed to ensure security of supply – “would make the British energy sector highly inefficient, costing consumers many billions in unnecessary cost”. Mr Davey said: “In this business there are lots of vested interests and some of them want a particular approach because it suits them best.” If everyone in the industry had been pleased by the proposals, bill-payers “should be worried”, he said.
Telegraph 23rd May 2012 more >>
Domestic power bills will be 2.4pc higher between 2016 and 2020 than if the government did not pursue the policies it unveiled today, the impact assessment for the draft energy bill shows. Ministers claim that Electricity Market Reforms will “keep the lights on, bills down and air clean”. They argue that ultimately their policies provide the cheapest way to incentivise investment in low-carbon nuclear and renewable technologies needed to replace old and polluting power stations. “With or without reform, household electricity bills are likely to increase over time, driven primarily by rising fossil fuel prices,” the Department of Energy and Climate Change said. “However, electricity market reforms will help to reduce the amount that bills will increase. As a result of these reforms, electricity bills are estimated to be, on average, 4pc lower over the next two decades than they would otherwise have been. “Average bills for businesses and energy intensive industries will also be lower than without reform.”
Telegraph 22nd May 2012 more >>
The draft Energy Bill, published today, will do nothing to help energy efficiency or make it easier for new renewable energy companies to enter the market place. It is too complicated, biased towards the Big Six, gas and nuclear, and still contains many uncertainties.
Low Carbon Kid 22nd May 2012 more >>
Ed Davey: The coalition agreement makes clear that new nuclear will only be built if it is without public subsidy – a commitment originally lifted from the Conservative manifesto. I have been very clear since taking over as Secretary of State that that is a non-negotiable. If nuclear reactors are not cost competitive with other forms of low carbon power generation they will not be built. But our existing electricity market makes it more difficult for such low carbon technologies to develop and deploy, because they all have much higher upfront capital costs than unabated fossil fuel competitors like gas. Raising the carbon floor price, introduced as part of our green tax switch policies, will help but by itself will be insufficient. We need electricity market reform to reduce the risk and cost of capital for all these low carbon technologies. The challenge is to move from where we are now, to where we want to be by the middle of the next decade. Our reforms are ambitious and far-reaching and cannot be done in a big bang. Yet we need to give investors the strongest possible signals now, locking into law the transparency, predictability and stability they seek. That is why we are proposing a phased approach.
Conservative Home 22nd May 2012 more >>
Britain announced plans Tuesday to finance a new generation of nuclear power plants and renewable energy facilities in a move that illustrates divergent energy policies within the European Union as it grapples with the challenge of reconciling economic and environmental objectives.
New York Times 22nd May 2012 more >>
The British government proposed an overhaul of the countrys electricity market in a bid to lure the 110 billion pounds of investment needed to replace aging power plants and expand renewable energy. The draft law, published today, lays out plans to guarantee prices for low-carbon electricity and pay producers for providing back-up supply when wind power falls short, according to the Department of Energy and Climate Change. Its aimed at securing commitments from utilities to fund new atomic reactors and clean-power projects, curbing reliance on gas-fed plants.
Bloomberg 22nd May 2012 more >>
Proposed investment instruments would give secretary of state power to guarantee prices for renewables and nuclear developers ahead of 2014 electricity market reforms.
Business Green 22nd May 2012 more >>
Electricity bills could rise by up to £200 a year for each home under plans to guarantee high prices for firms building nuclear power stations and wind farms. Details emerged yesterday as the Government unveiled a revolution in the way the nation produces its electricity. Consumers will have to pay more to ensure companies make a profit on their multi-billion-pound investment.
Daily Mail 23rd May 2012 more >>
After years of procrastination, our government has belatedly admitted that unless it urgently addresses Britains energy needs, there is a real risk that the lights will go out across the country over the next decade. It took the departure of Chris Huhne from the Department of Energy and Climate Change for the Coalition to concede that we need a chain of new nuclear power plants – rather than plastering the land with wind turbines. But the idea that £110 billion of new investment in the countrys future energy needs can be found without a government subsidy, as ministers claim, is disgraceful piece of government dissembling.
Daily Mail 22nd May 2012 more >>
When it comes to keeping Britain’s lights on, the Government is between a rock and several rather hard places. A quarter of our ageing power plants will shut by the end of the decade. But demand is set to double as people turn to electricity for heating and to run their cars. And under EU treaty commitments, 30 per cent of our power must be green by 2020. Meanwhile, household fuel bills have trebled since 2004 and 8.5 million people are set to slide into fuel poverty over the next four years. The proposed solution is for private investors to bankroll £110bn-worth of offshore wind farms and new nuclear power stations. There is no alternative to rapidly moving ahead with plans for new nuclear power stations.
Independent 23rd May 2012 more >>
The Scottish Government has welcomed today’s publication of the draft UK Energy Bill but warns against any future support for nuclear power. Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said that the Scottish Government supported the strengthening of market support for renewable electricity as well as carbon capture and storage, but warned that any reform must reflect Scotlands devolved powers, deliver low carbon energy potential and protect consumer interests. And he warned the UK Government that the Scottish Government expects to be a partner in decision making about reform, not a consultee.
Click Green 22nd May 2012 more >>
The SNP accused the Coalition Government of subsidising nuclear power through the back door last night after it published plans to drive millions of pounds of investment into a new generation of power stations. Mike Weir, the party’s energy spokesman, said UK ministers were “obsessed” with the energy source, which they were “plainly subsidising”.
Herald 23rd May 2012 more >>
One big disappointment is that the bill avoids making a firm commitment to banish coal and gas. The Westminster Government’s Climate Change Committee claims the UK can hit its targets only if it decarbonises by 2030. With no clear strategy and energy plans thrown off course by the Government’s failure to strike new deals with nuclear generators, an unintended consequence of the bill could be a new “dash for gas”, which could break CO2 targets and make Britain more dependent on foreign imports. This bill, though good in parts, represents a wasted opportunity. The best and cheapest way to make progress on decarbonisation, security of supply and affordability is to reduce the amount of energy consumed. The omission in the bill of the “Negawatts” strategy to incentivise energy savings is puzzling.
Herald 23rd May 2012 more >>
Brighton Pavilion MP and leader of the Green party, Caroline Lucas, said: “While I welcome efforts to address the UKs dependence on fossil fuels, reduce our exposure to volatile energy prices and boost long term investment in renewables, this draft energy bill is deeply flawed and looks likely to benefit only the industrys most powerful players. “The Government has made a big noise about being technology neutral and not putting all of its eggs in one energy basket, but the Electricity Market Reform proposals expose a clear bias towards nuclear and gas. “We know that subsidising new nuclear would fly in face of the Coalitions promise not to use taxpayers money for nuclear, yet no matter how much Ministers deny it, EMR will gift EDF and other potential nuclear operators with billions of pounds in subsidies over the lifetime of a power station.”
Natural Choices 22nd May 2012 more >>
The Energy Bill will introduce contracts to guarantee profits for firms that invest billions in new nuclear or offshore wind power stations. Reforms to the UKs electricity market will push up consumer bills by £160 a year to pay for new nuclear plants and renewables.
Construction Enquirer 22nd May 2012 more >>
Following this morning’s publication of the Government’s draft Energy Bill, Friends of the Earth Senior Energy Campaigner Paul Steedman said: “The Government needs to stop obsessing over a way to make the sums for nuclear power add up, stop our homes leaking heat and switch the country from dirty gas to clean British energy from wind, sun and water to help hard-pressed households with their bills.” He added: “After 18 months of dithering, this Bill doesn’t even set out a clear purpose, when it should make a simple commitment to decarbonising our electricity supply by 2030. All the Bill contains is a desperate attempt to prop up the dying nuclear industry and a way of letting in dirty gas by the back door, even though soaring gas prices have led to rocketing bills. More gas and new nukes will only add to bill payers’ pain.
Friends of the Earth 22nd May 2012 more >>
Electricity bills will rise £160 a year to fund a push to more renewable energy, the draft Energy Bill will predict today, but officials said the rise would be less than the cost of not acting. MPs have suggested the system will work for nuclear but not for other low-carbon power such as offshore wind, and warned the plans amount to a subsidy for new nuclear reactors. The Government is depending on nuclear power to form an important part of its efforts to keep the lights on with clean electricity, but RWE npower and E.ON announced earlier this year they had decided not to go ahead with developing nuclear power plants at Wylfa in North Wales and Oldbury-on-Severn, Gloucestershire, a move which it was warned threatened the creation of thousands of jobs and undermined UK energy policy.
This is Money 22nd May 2012 more >>
Metro 22nd May 2012 more >>
The long-awaited UK draft energy is expected to favour new gas-fired and nuclear plants over renewables, as the Government is set to introduce new support schemes – including contract for difference – as a price guarantee for power companies. The Government will propose a new draft law later today. “Gas is cheap, has much less carbon than coal and will be the largest single source of our electricity in the coming years. And so the energy secretary will set out our new gas generation strategy in the autumn to secure investment,” George Osborne told MPs in a speech on Wednesday in a parliamentary debate on the draft energy bill.
Gas to Power Journal 22nd May 2012 more >>
In moving ahead with plans to build new nuclear power stations, the UK is increasingly out of step with some of its European neighbours.
FT 23rd May 2012 more >>
ONR
A new regulator will oversee safety when nuclear power stations are under construction. The Office for Nuclear Regulation has functioned as part of the Health and Safety Executive but will become an independent body in charge of all aspects of safety during the construction and operation of the power stations. In the Draft Energy Bill, the ONR is given responsibility to protect against harm from radiation including during the design and construction phases of relevant nuclear installations and associated sites.
Construction News 22nd May 2012 more >>
Hinkley
Energy secretary Ed Davey has confirmed talks have begun between the Department of Energy and Climate Change and EDF Energy/Centrica, to ensure an investment decision on Hinkley Point C is not delayed. with Contracts for Difference rates not set to be finalised until 2013 – and not available to generators until 2014 – the government is now inviting developers with pressing final investment decisions to come forward. It has already opened talks with nuclear developers EDF and Centrica to provide them with some firmer guarantees in order to prevent the plans for Hinkley Point C collapsing. Green Party leader Caroline Lucas blasted the CfD system however, stating it exposed a clear bias towards nuclear and gas. She added: We know that subsidising new nuclear would fly in face of the coalitions promise not to use taxpayers money for nuclear, yet no matter how much Ministers deny it, [electricity market reform] will gift EDF and other potential nuclear operators billions of pounds in subsidies over the lifetime of a power station.
Construction News 22nd May 2012 more >>
Reuters 22nd May 2012 more >>
It now seems clear that the private sector – which is attracted to the Severn barrage – is put off by the enormous decommissioning costs of nuclear and uncertainties about the rate of return. The only way to overcome this would be contracts supported by the government to guarantee a fixed price for electricity from nuclear – some reports suggest this could add £200 a year to household energy bills. Enthusiasm for nuclear has waxed and waned within government – while it seems to fairly strong at the moment, this is mainly because the looming energy gap will have to be plugged in the medium term, and imported gas is too risky. The Severn barrage may yet be a more realistic option after all.
ITV West 22nd May 2012 more >>
Dungeness
MP Damian Collins is to meet David Cameron over hopes of building a third Dungeness nuclear station. A Dungeness C station has been ruled out for more than a decade – but hopes have now been buoyed by a new government bill favouring nuclear power. And there are also new hopes that Dungeness B could carry on producing energy for longer. Folkestone and Hythe MP Mr Collins will discuss the idea at a meeting with the Prime Minister tomorrow.
Kent Messenger 22nd May 2012 more >>
Sizewell
The government is setting out its plans for the future of our windfarms and nuclear power stations when the Draft Energy Bill is unveiled in the House of Commons today. Energy Secretary, Edward Davey is announcing – as part of the draft legislation – plans to reform the energy market which the Department of Energy and Climate Change says “will benefit consumers, investors, the environment and economy.” It could be big news for our region, which leads the way in offshore wind energy. There could be scope in the draft legislation for the building of new nuclear power stations at Sizewell in Suffolk and Bradwell in Essex as well. Meanwhile, energy giant, EDF is in talks with the nuclear regulator about extending the life of its power stations, including Sizewell in Suffolk.
ITV 22nd May 2012 more >>
PLEX
EDF will decide whether to extend the lives of its U.K. Hunterston B and Hinkley B plants by 2013 as the government plans to boost clean-energy power generation. The decision will hinge on the commercial viability of the plants and successful reviews by Britains nuclear watchdog, a spokeswoman at EDF said today in response to queries. Extending the lives of our nuclear power stations makes absolute sense in terms of filling a short-term energy need while the country rightly continues toward aggressive decarbonization targets, EDF said in an e-mailed statement. Life extension helps with the very short-term risk but doesnt change the need or urgency of the new nuclear program.
Bloomberg 22nd May 2012 more >>
Energy giant EDF, which runs Torness nuclear power station in East Lothian, is in talks with regulators about extending the life of its UK reactors. The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) today said it was content for the plants to continue to operate as long as they pass safety tests. French-owned EDF, which has eight nuclear power stations in the UK, has previously said it wanted to extend the life of Torness for at least five years beyond the scheduled closure date of 2023. The moves to keep the plants open come after UK Government plans for a new generation of nuclear power stations were thrown into disarray when one of the two leading consortia bidding to build new plants pulled out.
Scotsman 22nd May 2012 more >>
The firm, which runs Sizewell B in Suffolk, is working with the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) regarding the extension of the operational lifetime of their existing fleet of nuclear power reactors. The reactors are due to start decommissioning in 2016, with seven of the eight ceasing generation by 2023, according to the EDF website.
East Anglian Daily Times 22nd May 2012 more >>
Radwaste
Today was the day that the Partnership Patsys were told that there is broad support for a nuclear dump in Cumbria apparently this is the BIG NEWS the media has already whipped into and which will be broadcast far and wide, whilst the democratic and unanimous votes of 75% of Parish Councils are discounted as of little consequence. A representative from Upper Derwent Parish Council asked what independent regulator they could voice concerns to about this and other Partnership failings. The answer The Decision Making Bodies i.e. the same crew who are going along with the whole shebang.
Radiation Free Lakeland 22nd May 2012 more >>
THE results of an opinion survey to find out if people in West Cumbria are in favour of taking part in the Governments search for a suitable site for a nuclear waste repositor have been published today (May 22). Polling company Ipsos MORI surveyed more than 3,000 resident adults in Cumbria on behalf of the West Cumbria Managing Radioactive Waste Safely (MRWS) Partnership. The results show that 51% of people in the area covered by Allerdale Borough Council supported taking part in the search for a suitable site for a deep underground disposal facility for higher activity radioactive waste compared with 37% who were opposed. 4% said they were neutral and 8% said they did not know. In the area covered by Copeland Borough Council 68% of people supported taking part in the search for a suitable site for a deep underground disposal facility for higher activity radioactive waste compared with 23% who were opposed. 4% said they were neutral and 5% said they did not know.
NW Evening Mail 22nd May 2012 more >>
Carlisle News and Star 22nd May 2012 more >>
ITV Border 22nd May 2012 more >>
ITV Border 22nd May 2012 more >>
BBC 22nd May 2012 more >>
Britain has moved a step closer to finding a permanent home for its huge stockpile of nuclear waste after a poll showed residents were in favour of an underground dump in Cumbria. More than half of the people living in the county are prepared to talk to the Government about hosting the UK’s estimated 300,000 tonnes of radioactive waste in a repository buried deep underground. But geologists and some local campaigners fear that the area on the fringes of the Lake District is an unsuitable place to store material which could take many thousands of years to decay. The poll of more than 3,000 people, conducted by Ipsos Mori for the partnership of local authorities behind the proposals, found 51 per cent were in favour of opening negotiations, with 33 per cent against. Professor David Smythe, former chair of geophysics at the University of Glasgow, said the area around Copeland and Allerdale was “one of the worst places geologically in the UK” to store nuclear waste. “In West Cumbria water flows deep underground from hills and comes up near the surface,” he said. “We’ve done technical modelling, showing that the dissolved waste could come back to the surface in a few thousand years. “West Cumbrian geology is very well understood, and we know it is geologically one of the most complicated sites in the world. If Sellafield was not there, it would be passed over immediately.”
Times 23rd May 2012 more >>
Dalgety Bay
The Scottish government has backed moves to extend emergency restrictions preventing fishing in the Dalgety Bay area. The legislation, which needs to be approved by MSPs in the Scottish Parliament next week, will ban the gathering of seafood and bait. There are concerns about radioactive contamination in the area.
BBC 23rd May 2012 more >>
Companies
ENGINEERING group AMEC is looking to bolster its nuclear services business unit with the acquisition of Serco Group’s North West-based Technical Consulting Services business. Both parties issued statements to the stock exchange revealing that they are in talks over a potential deal for the £70m turnover unit, which has its headquarters at Risley, Warrington.
Business Desk 23rd May 2012 more >>
Construction Enquirer 23rd May 2012 more >>
NPT
NFLA Policy Briefing 97, which provides an overview of the nuclear weapons debate, the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Preparatory Conference and meetings of the Mayors for Peace 2020 Vision Campaign Association.
NFLA 21st May 2012 more >>
Japan
Fukushima Crisis Update 18th to 21st May.
Greenpeace 22nd May 2012 more >>
North Korea
North Korea intensified its war of words against the United States on Tuesday, vowing to strengthen its nuclear deterrent after Washington warned Pyongyang of further sanctions if it did not abandon its atomic program.
Reuters 22nd May 2012 more >>
Telegraph 22nd May 2012 more >>
Iran
World powers will test Iran’s readiness under pressure of sanctions to scale back its nuclear programme at talks in Baghdad aimed at easing the decade-old standoff.
Guardian 23rd May 2012 more >>
Guardian 22nd May 2012 more >>
UNITED Nations inspectors are set go back into Iran to investigate whether the country is secretly producing weapons- grade uranium for use in nuclear missiles. In a move which could reduce the tensions in the Middle East, which have grown since the inspectors were forced to leave the country, a deal has been struct to allow the UN nuclear agency back into Iran.
Scotsman 23rd May 2012 more >>
Iran could be allowed to continue with its nuclear programme if it agrees to stop enriching uranium to a critical level from which it could quickly produce a nuclear weapon.
Telegraph 22nd May 2012 more >>
Israel’s Defence minister voiced scepticism yesterday over an agreement by Iran to open up its nuclear facilities to UN inspectors, saying that the Iranians were trying to create a “deception of progress” to stave off international pressure. The cool reception from Ehud Barak signalled that Israel will not ease up pressure on the international community to curb Iran’s nuclear programme.
Independent 23rd May 2012 more >>
Trident
The Liberal Democrats are deeply unhappy with the plans. No “final decision” is supposed to be made until after the next General Election. Yet the Ministry of Defence and the Tories are carrying on regardless. The LibDems see no need, strategic or economic, for “like for like” replacements for the boats, warheads and missiles. As though fighting the good fight in a parallel universe, they are busily examining alternatives. Meanwhile, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond was yesterday announcing £350 million in Trident design contracts.
Herald 23rd May 2012 more >>
The government has awarded contracts worth £350 million to UK companies to design the next generation of nuclear submarines.
Scotsman 23rd May 2012 more >>
CONTRACTS to design the next generation of nuclear submarines – worth £350million – were awarded today. Most of the work will go to BAE systems. It has been claimed the contract will sustain the jobs of 1,000 workers at its site in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. The first Successor submarine is due to delivered in 2028, replacing the Vanguard Class vessels. A decision on the final design and build will not be made until 2016, but the Ministry of Defence said detailed work has to take place now.
Scotsman 22nd May 2012 more >>
Reuters 22nd May 2012 more >>
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) has slammed the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) decision to place £350m worth of design contracts for the next generation of nuclear-armed submarines describing Britain’s nuclear weapons as a ‘bottomless pit’ for spending.
CND 22nd May 2012 more >>
