CAMPAIGNERS fear a nuclear power station located on the Welsh border could suffer a Chernobyl-style meltdown because it has not been fitted with an important safety system. Censored documents released under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act to the Stop Oldbury campaign, reveal a one-in-1,000 risk of a fire at Oldbury nuclear power station, located around five miles from Chepstow.
Western Mail 25th June 2007 http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/tm_headline=row-over-oldbury-nuclear-safety%26method=full%26objectid=19350287%26siteid=50082-name_page.html
Disarmament
Gordon Brown, the incoming British prime minister, is to put a new focus on the need to secure global nuclear disarmament, amid signs that he is determined to make the issue a strong foreign policy priority. In a speech in Washington, Margaret Beckett, the UK foreign secretary, will on Monday spell out details of how Britain wants to become a “disarmament laboratory”, unveiling concrete steps to champion multilateral nuclear reductions.
FT 25th June 2007 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/cd5fa1c0-227a-11dc-ac53-000b5df10621,_i_rssPage=34c8a8a6-2f7b-11da-8b51-00000e2511c8.html
North Korea
North Korea said on Monday that the standoff over frozen funds had been resolved and it would now start implementing a nuclear disarmament deal struck in February.
Reuters 25th June 2007 http://africa.reuters.com/world/news/usnL2486596.html
North Korea has confirmed it has received some $25m (£12.5m) of its funds following a row that had hindered progress on a nuclear disarmament deal.
BBC 25th June 2007 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6236026.stm
US
President Bush said as many as 30 new reactors could be built in the US with construction starting around 2010.
Mathaba 25th June 2007 http://mathaba.net/rss/?x=556351
IAEA
The United Nations nuclear watchdog is so poorly financed that it might be unable to deal with an atomic accident and no longer has top-grade equipment to detect secret weapons programmes, its director has warned. “If an accident were to happen tomorrow, we would be hard-pressed to carry out core functions. This is a reality,” Mohamed ElBaradei told a meeting of the governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Telegraph 25th June 2007 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/06/25/wiaea125.xml
Companies
CLYDE Pumps, the former Weir Pumps which was bought by Jim McColl’s Clyde Blowers group just six weeks ago, has won a £19.5m contract to supply two Chinese nuclear power stations and had Weir’s Chinese contracts “novated” in record time.
Herald 25th June 2007 http://www.theherald.co.uk/business/news/display.var.1494738.0.0.php
Energy
The world is blinding itself to the reality of its energy problems, ignoring the scale of growth in demand from developing countries and placing too much faith in renewable sources of power, according to two leaders of the global energy industry. The chief executive of Royal Dutch Shell today calls for a “reality check”. Writing in The Times, Jeroen van der Veer takes issue with the widespread public opinion that green energy can replace fossil fuels. Shell’s chief gives warning that supplies of conventional oil and gas will struggle to keep pace with rising energy demand and he calls for greater investment in energy efficiency. Instead of a great conversion to wind power and solar power, Mr van der Veer predicts, the world will be forced into greater use of coal and much higher CO2 emissions, “possibly to levels we deem unacceptable”.
Times 25th June 2007 http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/natural_resources/article1980407.ece
Article by Jeroen van der Veer. When it comes to the future of energy, the world needs a reality check. Contrary to public perceptions, renewable energy is not the silver bullet that will soon solve all our problems. Indeed, in the decades ahead, three hard truths will generate turbulence in the global energy system.
Times 25th June 2007 http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/natural_resources/article1980585.ece
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