New nukes
The nuclear lobby yesterday stepped up its rhetoric in favour of new plants by urging the government to proceed with pre-licensing of power station designs despite Greenpeace’s court victory forcing more consultation on the government’s energy white paper. The latest offensive – launched by the UK’s second largest electricity provider, Eon – came as uranium prices came close to hitting $100 (£51) per pound on the back of heavy demand from a new generation of atomic power facilities that are being built all over the world.
Guardian 28th March 2007
Reuters 27th March 2007
New nuclear power stations should only be built in Britain with public acceptance, an executive of Europe’s largest nuclear generator said on Tuesday. Britain urgently needs to replace its ageing fleet of nuclear and coal-fired power with plants that emit little carbon dioxide, Vicent de Rivaz, chief executive EDF Energy, the UK arm of the French nuclear power giant, told a conference in London. Public fear of nuclear power must be allayed not ignored, said de Rivaz, whose company has been leading the push to build more reactors in Britain.
Reuters 27th March 2007
Environment ministers from Austria, Iceland, Ireland and Norway said Monday that nuclear power was not the solution to global warming.
Sustainable Development Internatonal 27th March 2007
Finland
Finnish energy provider Fortum Corporation is to carry out an environment impact assessment process with regards to a new nuclear power unit at its Loviisa nuclear power plant in Finland. The company said that the unit is still in the planning stages but that it will possibly be built adjacent to the plant’s existing two units. An environmental impact assessment (EIA) is required by the Finnish Nuclear Energy Act before an application for a decision-in-principle can be submitted.
Energy Business Review 28th March 2007
Uranium
Uranium prices are closing in on $100 a pound — a 10-fold increase in five years — and prices could climb sharply higher yet as more governments embrace atomic energy despite dwindling supplies of yellow cake to power the reactors.
Reuters 27th March 2007
France
SIX protest groups are fighting a last-ditch battle in French courts to block the building of the new nuclear plant at Flamanville before it gets final government approval from this summer. Anti-nuclear groups, including Greenpeace, CRILAN and the powerful farmers’ association Confederation Paysanne, are to lodge an appeal in Nantes calling for annulment of a building permit granted to Electricité de France for preliminary groundwork which began last summer.
Jersey Evening Post 28th March 2007
Trident Eleven anti-nuclear protesters from Germany have been arrested outside the Faslane naval base. Around 25 demonstrators staged a blockade of the main route to the Clyde base, home of the UK’s nuclear deterrent.
ICScotland 28th March 2007
Protesters from Derby are to join a year-long blockade at a naval base in Scotland. Members of Derby Churches Justice and Peace are travelling to Faslane, near Glasgow, where the UK’s trident nuclear weapons submarine system is based. They are being joined by demonstrators from Nottingham. The East Midlands protesters will number about 60.
Derbyshire Evening Telegraph 27th March 2007
North Korea
Central Intelligence Agency director Michael Hayden said the US does not recognize North Korea as a nuclear power because its first atomic test last October was a failure, the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper.
Interactive Investor 28th March 2007
Reuters 28th March 2007
US and North Korean officials held a second day of meetings on Tuesday to try to bring about the transfer of $25m, stuck in a Macao bank blacklisted by Washington, to a Pyongyang account so that stalled nuclear talks could resume.
FT 28th March 2007
Iran
The Iranian government has rejected United Nations Security Council conditions that it suspend its uranium enrichment in return for talks on its nuclear programme.
Interactive Investor 27th March 2007
Decentralised Energy
Radical proposals to switch electricity production to Combined Heat and Power (CHP) has been unveiled by the Scottish Liberal Democrats. Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Nicol Stephen has set the pace on renewable energy with a bold commitment to produce 100% of Scotland’s electricity from renewable sources by 2050. Switching to a decentralised system of energy production is a key milestone to reach that goal.
Scottish Liberal Democrats Press Release 26th March 2007
