National Policy Statements
Within EN-6, consultees were asked whether they agreed that of eleven sites nominated as potential new nuclear power stations, ten were suitable and one (Dungeness) was not. The numbers of responses on each site were interesting: Kirksanton far outweighed all the others, while the other site that was dropped in this new consultation round (Braystones) did not get that many responses. The government has issued two response documents – one for the response the the public consultation and one to the Parliamentary scrutiny of the NPSs. The government has gone into careful detail on the responses to the public consultation in its 300-page report. The Parliamentary response document has addressed each of the Commons select committee’s thirty recommendations and has responded to what it considers were the main issues raised in the Grand Committee debates in the House of Lords, and also the five motions that were debated on the floor of the House albeit withdrawn following the debate. The response to recommendation 17 says that the NPS has been revised so that on-site ‘temporary’ storage of nuclear waste is not stated to be for as long as 160 years (although if as it says the permanent storage facility is not ready until 2130 and the first new power station comes online in 2018, that would be 112 years of onsite storage). The report also states that the long-term geological storage project is likely itself to be a project that comes under the Planning Act. The NPSs have not actually changed that much – the main changes are to the Appraisals of Sustainability, where the way alternatives have been dealt with has been changed significantly. This issue was the main complaint of many environmental organisations, and the changes will go a long way towards addressing their concerns (although they still probably won’t like the conclusions reached).
Bircham Dyson & Bell 22nd Oct 2010 more >>
Climate Change
Today, 4.6 million households are officially defined as living in fuel poverty. The prevailing policies make it inevitable that fuel poverty will rise for as far as the eye can see. By 2020, our energy prices will be between 30 and 40 per cent higher than they would have been without them. Although the Royal Society clearly believe that climate change is real and risky, and is aggravated by human activity, they also emphasise uncertainties – about cause, effect, timing, modelling and the accuracy of data. In my admittedly untutored reading, it looks as if, by the Society’s own account, only about a third of the science is settled.
Telegraph 23rd Oct 2010 more >>
Hinkley
Fresh fears about the health effects of Hinkley Point power station on people loiving in the Burnham-on-sea area have been raised this week.
Burnham-on-sea.com 21st Oct 2010 more >>
Electricit de France (EdF) has launched a tender for the supply and construction of turbine halls for proposed new EPR-based nuclear power plants in France and the UK. According to the tender announcement, “The contract is to cover the studies, the procurement, the manufacture, the transport, the on-site supervision, the commissioning and possibly the erection on site of the equipment and systems that constitute the turbine hall of nuclear power plants.” Under the contract, one turbine hall is to be supplied for the proposed new Penly EPR plant in France and two turbine halls for the proposed two-unit Hinkley Point C plant in Somerset. In addition, the contract may be extended to other potential new plants in the UK.
Utility Week 22nd Oct 2010 more >>
Sizewell
Stephen Foster – a new reactore proposed for suffolk
BBC Radio Suffolk 22nd Oct 2010 more >>
Nuclear Transport
Russia, Ukraine and Slovakia have signed an intergovernmental agreement on the transportation of nuclear materials between Russia and Slovakia via Ukraine. The agreement enables the continued shipment of Russian fuel through Ukraine to Slovakia’s power reactors.
World Nuclear News 22nd Oct 2010 more >>
Submarines (just a selection)
A nuclear-powered submarine which spent 10 hours grounded on a shingle bank off the isle of Skye is to be assessed to see if its rudder was damaged.
HMS Astute was towed free by a tug on Friday evening and taken to deep water where a survey will be carried out.
BBC 23rd Oct 2010 more >>
Scotsman (Video) 22nd Oct 2010 more >>
Sky News 23rd Oct 2010 more >>
BBC 23rd Oct 2010 more >>
Guardian 23rd Oct 2010 more >>
Independent 23rd Oct 2010 more >>
Telegraph 22nd Oct 2010 more >>
People are quite anxious as it’s nuclear.
Scotsman 23rd Oct 2010 more >>
Anti-nuclear campaigners on Friday called for an end to “dangerous and unnecessary” Trident submarine patrols after one of the vessels ran aground off the coast of a Scottish island.
The incident involving HMS Astute happened near the Isle of Skye. It is the fifth incident of British submarines hitting static obstacles in recent years.
Morning Star 22nd Oct 2010 more >>
Nuclear Weapons
Making sense of the Strategic Defence Review. Video Blog
Nuclear Information Service 23rd Oct 2010 more >>
Trident
Letter from David Lowry: I agree with Kate Hudson that “changing Labour Party policy” on rearming and and renewing the Trident nuclear WMD system “is vital.” Instead of attending the TUC London rally against job cuts on October 19, which he had promised to attend, Labour leader Ed Miliband chose to be in the House of Commons to respond to David Cameron’s unveiling of the so-called Strategic Defence and Security Review. Here is, verbatim, one of his responses: “There will be concerns that the review has failed to address strategically the important questions about the future of our nuclear deterrent. All parts of the house support the retention of the nuclear deterrent” Why, at a time of massive welfare cuts, is Ed Miliband, like his nuclear-loving brother before him, backing replacement of such a militarily useless but financially voracious (£76bn) nuclear WMD system?
Morning Star 23rd Oct 2010 more >>
