Rosatom
The UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) is reviewing its initial agreement with Russian state-owned nuclear company Rosatom because of the continuing political situation in Ukraine. UK energy minister Michael Fallon signed the initial deal with Rosatom in September 2013, to study the possibilities of agreeing nuclear “commercial co-operation” that would involve Rosatom building and maintaining nuclear power plants in the UK. Rosatom has since agreed to progress its UK nuclear plans in a joint venture with Finnish utility Fortum and UK engineering firm Rolls Royce. But the agreement is now “under consideration in the light of recent developments in Ukraine”, Decc said today.
Argus Media 24th March 2014 read more »
Hinkley
Story re Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment and House of Commons Environment Audit Committee letter to European Commission.
Burnham-on-sea 24th March 2014 read more »
Electricity Market Reform
The government is seeking views on proposed regulations that will cover the process by which the Secretary of State can direct the CfD Counterparty to offer a CfD. EMR will create a new mechanism to provide long-term revenue stabilisation to incentivise investment in low-carbon generation – Contracts for Difference (CfDs). CfDs will help to ensure that low carbon and reliable electricity generation is an attractive investment opportunity.
DECC 24th March 2014 read more »
Utilities
The big six energy companies have begun a pre-emptive fightback before a likely competition inquiry into their dominance of the gas and electricity market. Energy UK, the industry trade body, claimed that competition is more intense than it has been for a decade. An independent report commissioned by Energy UK said there are 18 suppliers selling gas and electricity to households – the highest number since 2005. “Competition in the energy market is increasing and the pace of change is on the up,” an Energy UK spokesman said. “Around a quarter of a million shop around for a new energy deal every month and they now have many more suppliers to choose from.” However, the report, by consultants Cornwall Energy, indicates that the big six – Centrica’s British Gas, EDF Energy, RWE Npower, SSE, E.ON and Scottish Power – still supply 94.6% of all household electricity and control 94.9% of the household gas market. “The other suppliers have a small but notably growing share of the market,” the report said.
Guardian 24th March 2014 read more »
The risk of blackouts will be increased by a two-year probe into the energy market that will deter companies from building new power plants, a leading analyst has warned. Regulator Ofgem is this week expected to announce it is referring the market for a full Competition and Markets Authority investigation, amid calls for the Big Six energy giants to be broken up. Peter Atherton, energy expert at Liberum Capital, said that a full CMA investigation would take at least two years, during which time it was “pretty inconceivable” that the companies would invest in new power plants needed to keep the lights on.
Telegraph 24th March 2014 read more »
Nuclear Security
Japan announced on Monday that it would hand over hundreds of kilogrammes of weapons-grade plutonium and uranium to the United States for dilution and disposal, at the start of a global summit aimed at reducing the threat of nuclear terrorism. Belgium and Italy also announced agreements with the US on the removal of surplus fissile material, as part of a continuing Washington-led effort to reduce global stockpiles and the number of sites around the world where they are stored. Under the agreement, Japan will ship more than 300kg of plutonium and 200kg of highly enriched uranium (HEU) from its nuclear research site. The material would be enough to build about 40 nuclear warheads. The summit was focused on how to lock up the world’s nuclear materials more securely so they would not be so easy for terrorists to steal, but inevitably this long-term goal was partly overshadowed by short-term concerns over Ukraine. A 2013 deadline “to secure all vulnerable nuclear material around the world within four years” has been missed. Since 2010, when the first of three nuclear security summits was held in Washington, 10 countries have rid themselves completely of plutonium and HEU: Chile, Serbia, Turkey, Austria, Mexico, Sweden, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Vietnam. The deadline was extended with the announcement there would be a fourth summit in Washington in 2016.
Guardian 24th March 2014 read more »
FT 24th March 2014 read more »
Japan has agreed at a nuclear summit in The Hague to turn over hundreds of kilos of nuclear material to the United States. President Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the plutonium and highly enriched uranium would be disposed of in the US. The nuclear fuel could potentially be used to make some 50 nuclear weapons.
BBC 24th March 2014 read more »
Reuters 24th March 2014 read more »
With the bi-annual Global Nuclear summit opening in the Hague today, ministers do not see their policies as promoting nuclear proliferation, and probably would be vociferous in rejecting this grave charge. But proliferators they are, just as ministers in the predecessor Labour Government were. It is part of the problem that under-informed ministers do not recognise the impact of their promotional policies. But they urgently need to do so. Perhaps ministers are suffering from acute cognitive dissonance when pursuing their twin-track policies of nuclear promotion and nuclear controls. What do I mean by this? “Social psychologists refer to cognitive dissonanceas the presence of incongruent relations among cognitions (thought and understanding) that frequently results in excessive mental stress and discomfort. Ultimately, individuals who hold two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas and/or values frequently experience cognitive dissonance.”
David Lowry 24th March 2014 read more »
Obama and Xi hail importance of U.S.-China ties ahead of two-day nuclear summit in the Netherlands.
Reuters 24th March 2014 read more »
The Prime Minister is attending the summit to demonstrate the UK’s commitment to preventing nuclear terrorism by working closely with allies. This is the third international nuclear security summit (following summits in Washington in 2010 and Seoul in 2012).
No.10 Downing Street 24th March 2014 read more »
Thorium
Thorium technology is in principal based on nuclear fission and therefore keeps fission’s inherent problems. While it partially addresses some of the downsides of current commercial reactors based on uranium (plutonium) fuel, such as limited reserves of uranium and unwanted production of plutonium and transuranic isotopes, it still has significant issues related to fuel mining and fabrication, reactor safety, production of dangerous waste, and the hazards of the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Let’s look more closely at some of the hopeful claims around thorium. Safer reactors? The risks inherent in nuclear reactors are due to the massive concentrations of radioactive materials and the huge amount of heat they produce (which is actually needed to generate electricity). No matter if the fuel is based on uranium or thorium, if it’s solid or liquid, this characteristic alone will inevitably continue to be the Achilles heel of any nuclear reactor. As you can read in the Union of Concerned Scientists’ briefing on this issue, the truth is that the U.S. Department of Energy concluded in 2009 after a review that “the choice between uranium-based fuel and thorium-based fuel is seen basically as one of preference, with no fundamental difference in addressing the nuclear power issues [of waste management, proliferation risk, safety, security, economics, and sustainability].”
Greenpeace 24th March 2014 read more »
Scotland – carbon emissions
Scotland has continued to make “good progress” on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the body which advises the UK government on the issue has said. The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) said emissions in Scotland fell by 9.9% in 2011. The drop for the UK as a whole was 6.9%. Much of the reduction was due to the weather and a switch from coal fired electricity generation to nuclear and renewable sources. The CCC said the reduction also reflected good progress investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency, however it said more must be done in order to meet future targets.
BBC 25th March 2014 read more »
Germany – Energiewende
One common question from pro-nuclear Energiewende critics is what Germany would look like today if it had not switched off 40 percent of its nuclear capacity in 2011. In recent weeks, we have gotten a taste of the answer: massive voluntary shutdowns of coal and nuclear. Craig Morris investigates.
Renew Economy 25th March 2014 read more »
Japan – Fukushima
A busy playground beams with hope and echoes with giggles. It was in this safe place, three months after the disaster, that I heard infectious ripples of laughter from children going back and forth on swings and slipping down slides, bringing my daughter’s smile to the forefront of my mind. The little boys and girls here were like any others in one of the world’s many playgrounds. But something was missing: they were not wearing masks, when the strange thing was, they should have been. I was in Fukushima. At that time, a Greenpeace investigation into the radiation levels in Fukushima showed they were at dangerously high levels and that the decontamination work being done was not enough. Many of these radiation hot spots were found near schools, however the government and local prefecture had not provided enough information about the contamination risks.Information is power and for these children and their parents, it was crucial. But it was lacking then, it is now and it will continue like this as the Japanese government enacted a controversial state secrets law in December toughening penalties on those who leak information and at its worst, acts as a cover for governmental misdeeds. Japan should not be a playground where politicians toy with nuclear energy. Three years on from Fukushima, Japan needs an Energy Revolution and is best placed to have one, in the interest of all its children.
Greenpeace 24th March 2014 read more »
Nuclear Weapons
US President Barack Obama touches down in the Netherlands this week to participate in the Nuclear Security Summit. Much vaunted as a crucial means of dealing with the threat of nuclear terrorism, this is the third in a series of such summits, kicked off by Obama’s iconic Prague speech in June 2009. The NSS initiative has had some modest successes in securing highly-enriched uranium (HEU) and plutonium, and in establishing means to combat illicit trafficking of nuclear materials. Yet it is sadly the exception that proves the rule when it comes to the list of what Obama hoped to achieve – that this very limited development is more or less all that remains of Obama’s great vision on that glory day. Few who heard Obama’s words that day could fail to have been moved – he spoke of freedom, peace and our common humanity. Perhaps the greatest message that people took away was the president’s vision of a nuclear weapons-free world.
Al Jazeera 24th March 2014 read more »
It has not taken long for the Ukraine crisis to be seized on by vested interests in the west. Nato commanders and British generals, as well as those lobbying for a new Trident nuclear missile fleet, are warning about the potential dangers of a resurgent Russia. Whatever their motives, the messages behind this strategic rhetoric are clear enough: Nato forces may be pulling out of Afghanistan but the alliance still has a role; cuts in the British army should be restored; and the UK’s nuclear arsenal will deter Russia in a new cold war.
Guardian 24th March 2014 read more »
Renewables – solar
We’ve been writing “grid parity is coming,” ”grid parity is coming,” ”grid parity is coming,” for so long that it’s sometimes surprising when new regions cross over to grid parity. Some of the latest additions to the grid parity pie are the commercial sectors in Italy, Spain, & Germany.
Renew Economy 25th March 2014 read more »
Climate Progress 24th March 2014 read more »
Renewables – offshore wind
The Prime Minister is welcoming the decision by Siemens and Associated British Ports today to invest £310 million in wind turbine production and installation facilities in Yorkshire. Providing a huge boost to the UK’s offshore wind industry and the local area, this investment will create up to 1,000 jobs directly, with additional jobs during construction and indirectly in the supply chain.
No.10 Downing Street 25th March 2014 read more »
Reacting to the announcement by Siemens that it will build wind turbine production and installation facilities at two sites in Yorkshire, investing £160 million, RenewableUK’s Chief Executive Maria McCaffery said:“This is a major coup for the British wind industry – it’s the green-collar jobs game-changer that we’ve been waiting for. Attracting a major international company like Siemens to the UK, creating 1,000 jobs manufacturing turbines at two sites in Yorkshire, proves that we can bring the industrial benefits of offshore wind to Britain. This is just the start – where Siemens are leading, a cascade of others will follow – and we’ll see very significant growth in the UK supply chain.
Renewables UK 25th March 2014 read more »
BBC 25th March 2014 read more »
Times 25th March 2014 read more »
Telegraph 25th March 2014 read more »
FT 24th March 2014 read more »
Finally, Scotland’s offshore wind industry has the news it’s been waiting for: our first commercial offshore wind projects have been granted planning consent by the Scottish Government. The announcements, made last week, were a remarkable milestone for renewables in Scotland. Never before had 1.8GW of capacity been consented on the same day. Between them, the Beatrice and MORL projects – with up to 326 wind turbines – could power the equivalent of almost 1.2 million homes. Already, for every hour Scotland’s lights are turned on, the country’s renewables power 24 minutes. By delivering these offshore projects, that will increase. Climate change remains one of the single biggest threats to the health of our marine environment, and these projects are absolutely central to our transition to a low-carbon future.
Scotsman 25th March 2014 read more »
Microgeneration
£2m upgrade will see solar panels and biomass boiler fitted at St Mary’s secondary school in Dorset. A private girls’ school in Dorset is set to undergo a major green energy transformation, after receiving £2m backing from investment firm Ingenious Clean Energy. The project, being carried out by energy services company Anesco, will demand no upfront costs from the school, with repayments being recouped through the savings that result on its energy bill.
Business Green 24th March 2014 read more »
Energy Efficiency
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, where young leaders hugged huskies and put windmills on their roofs, an MP called Michael Fallon successfully sponsored a private member’s bill, allowing councils to require new buildings to meet higher than normal standards of energy efficiency. Strongly backed by the then chairman of the (“Vote blue, go green”) Conservative Party, one Eric Pickles, it has proved a great success, taken up by most local authorities. This week, however, an earthbound Mr Pickles tabled an amendment to the Deregulation Bill to scrap the provision piloted through by Mr Fallon, now the energy minister. In future, councils will not be allowed to insist on higher standards than the building regulations require, and Mr Pickles is making those much weaker than expected.
Telegraph 21st March 2014 read more »
Climate
Hundreds of governments will convene in Japan tomorrow to discuss a new major UN climate change report. From slowing economic growth to species extinctions to food insecurity, the report reviews climate change’s wide-ranging impacts on humans and the environment. Last September, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released the first part of the report. It covered the physical science, from extreme rainfall to Arctic ice melt.
Carbon Brief 24th March 2014 read more »
BBC 25th March 2014 read more »
No single weather event can prove or disprove climate change, but in its review of 2013 the world’s leading meteorological authority suggests that many of last year’s weather extremes are likely to have been heavily influenced by rising global temperatures. In some ways 2013 was a typical year for the global weather. Heatwaves, cold snaps, violent storms, droughts and floods all played their part in shaping 2013 – as they do every year – but there is growing evidence that human activities are making weather extremes more frequent or extreme, the World Meteorological Authority has concluded.
Independent 24th March 2014 read more »
Guardian 24th March 2014 read more »
Fossil Fuels
The lack of publicly available data on the UK’s onshore oil and gas drilling means there are significant “unknowns” about the safety of future fracking wells, according to a new study. The research also found that public data from the US showed that hundreds of recent shale gas wells in Pennsylvania have suffered failures that could cause water or air pollution. “The research confirms that well failure in hydrocarbon wells is an issue and that publicly available data in Europe on this seems to be sparse,” said Professor Richard Davies of Durham University, and who led the team of academics who undertook the work. “In the UK, wells are monitored by well inspectors but there is no information in the public domain, so we don’t really know the full extent of well failures. There were unknowns we couldn’t get to the bottom of.”
Guardian 25th March 2014 read more »
BBC 25th March 2014 read more »
Telegraph 25th March 2014 read more »
