Nuclear Subsidy
Business Secretary Lord Mandelson and Chancellor Alistair Darling will visit South Yorkshire tomorrow, announcing substantial Government investment in civil nuclear manufacturing in Yorkshire and the North West that will build national civil nuclear manufacturing capacity. Ministers will also tour the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), part of Sheffield University’s partnership with industry, and meet representatives of civil nuclear industry and research institutions. The AMRC is a collaboration between university and industrial research where visitors will see advanced manufacturing of components, meet researchers and apprentices and see 3D computer modelling for manufacturing.
Dept for Business Innovation & Skills Dept 2nd Dec 2009 more >>
Lord Mandelson and Alistair Darling are announcing on Thursday a £25m ($41m) engineering centre in Sheffield to co-ordinate work on new materials and components to boost the UK’s nuclear industry. The joint initiative by the business secretary and the chancellor is intended to underline the government’s belief that encouraging “advanced manufacturing” can help the economy.
FT 3rd Dec 2009 more >>
New Nukes
Contractors are facing uncertainty about the Government’s £40 billion nuclear programme after blows to both the decommissioning and new build programmes this week. The body in charge of decommissioning toxic sites revealed it may have to defer some work as part of a Government cost-cutting drive, while the safety regulator admitted there was still a significant number of flaws to be ironed out in the newbuild reactor designs before work could progress.
Construction News 3rd Dec 2009 more >>
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has cast doubts over the UK’s nuclear future by warning of its wide-ranging concerns over the safety of the proposed designs for new reactors. The HSE must approve the designs before they can be constructed but, in view of its concerns, it has said that it cannot recommend the plans.
Croner 2nd Dec 2009 more >>
With low carbon prices, spiralling construction costs and the glacial pace of the UK planning regime, Britain’s nuclear industry already has plenty of things to worry about. But now it is facing opposition from an unexpected and formidable force: British women, who remain stubbornly opposed to the construction of new nuclear power plants, according to a report due to be unveiled today by the Nuclear Industry Association (NIA). Twenty-five years after Greenham Common, the figures show the split in attitudes to nuclear energy between the sexes remains acute in Britain, and the industry is sufficiently worried by the trend to have commissioned a detailed study of female attitudes by Ipsos Mori.
Times 3rd Dec 2009 more >>
DAVID Cameron’s green adviser last night threw more doubt on where the party stands over nuclear power after declaring no new stations would be built under a Tory government. Zac Goldsmith, the Tory candidate for Richmond, and one of Mr Cameron’s closest advisers on the environment, insisted no new nuclear power stations would be built if the Tories were to win the next general election. He said Tory policy “was to give a green light to nuclear power as long as there is no call on the taxpayer, not just in terms of building, but maintenance, security and disposal of waste. In the history of nuclear power there has never been a station built without huge use of taxpayers’ subsidy.”
NW Evening Mail 2nd Dec 2009 more >>
AP1000
The AP1000 reactor is battling it out with its French counterpart Areva, with its EPR reactor, to become the facility of choice in 2011. Three out of four “steps” have now been carried out on both reactors over the past year. And a progress report has revealed the AP1000 has sailed through its design process and is on its way to a licensing review, which could see it being used as part of the new generation of power stations. However, it faces stiff competition from the EPR, which is already in use across the Channel.
Blackpool Gazette 2nd Dec 2009 more >>
Nuclear Waste
While the fate of America’s Yucca Mountain appears to be sealed, Finnish company Posiva is moving forward with a cutting-edge nuclear waste storage facility that it claims will safely store radioactive waste in drums deep in the ground for 100,000 years. While challenges abound, a green light from the Finnish government expected by 2012 will make the site on Finland’s Olkiluoto Island the first permanent nuclear waste repository in the world, opening the door for more to follow.
popsci 2nd Dec 2009 more >>
Gas Supplies
A glut in global supplies of natural gas threatens to undermine British investment in low-carbon sources of electricity, including nuclear and wind power, according to the chief executive of Britain’s biggest energy supplier.
Times 3rd Dec 2009 more >>
Dungeness
Letter from Barrie Botley: I wonder how many people knew that had their been a decision to build a new nuclear power station at Dungeness, the site would have accumulated very high level radioactive waste for the lifetime of the reactors. How is it that a large number of councillors denied that radioactive waste would be stored on site when they voted a motion to support the reinstatement of Dungeness to the new build list. I think it is scandalous that this was probably the largest and potentially most dangerous building project they would ever have to decide upon and they were not aware of the most important facts. I wonder if it had anything to do with the fact that at the many nuclear new build presentations held in Shepway British Energy never mentioned anything about this issue.
Hawkings Gazette 1st Dec 2009 more >>
Hinkley
Plans for Hinkley C have been released.
BBC 2nd Dec 2009 more >>
Oldbury
Eon has made a request for ‘Scoping Opinion’ from the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC). This request is accompanied by an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Scoping Report. Consultation on this runs until 31st Dec 2009
Eon website undated
Sizewell
Residents of east Suffolk can find out more about proposals for a new nuclear power station at Sizewell at a three-day exhibition which started in Leiston today.
East Anglian Daily Times 3rd Dec 2009 more >>
Lowestoft Journal 3rd Dec 2009 more >>
Wylfa
FIRST Minister-elect Carwyn Jones last night revealed he hadn’t expected to win the Welsh Labour leadership contest with an overall majority over his two rivals. Referring to his support for a new nuclear power station at Wylfa, Anglesey, the First Minister-elect said: “My position is this. I wouldn’t want to see any new sites outside Wylfa being used for nuclear. I think where you have a situation like Wylfa where the community supports it, where there are 600 jobs and where the skills are present, then I do support a new reactor at Wylfa. But of course we have to make sure that renewable energy is developed further in Wales – we have some fantastic opportunities in the Bristol Channel, for example.”
Western Mail 2nd Dec 2009 more >>
Daily Post 2nd Dec 2009 more >>
RWE has published an EIA scoping report. Consultation runs until 31st Dec 2009.
Bircham, Dyson Bell 2nd Dec 2009 more >>
Nuclear Ships
CHINA Ocean Shipping Group is studying the possibility of nuclear powered merchant ships as it looks for alternatives to fossil fuels in the future.
Lloyds List 3rd Dec 2009 more >>
France
A reactor at a nuclear power plant in southern France was shut down on Tuesday after an error in its cooling system was identified. French energy company EDF said there was no release of radioactivity into the environment.
Mathaba 2nd Dec 2009 more >>
Iran
Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday Iran would enrich uranium to a higher level, in comments likely to heighten tensions over the country’s nuclear ambitions.
Telegraph 3rd Dec 2009 more >>
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has claimed Israel could not do a “damn thing” to stop the Islamic state’s nuclear programme, which the West suspects is a front to build bombs.
Herald 3rd Dec 2009 more >>
India
The United Kingdom is interested to partner with India in order to have a share of trade in the nuclear power plants to be built in India, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported. Many British companies are keen to provide technology and expertise for constructing nuclear power plants in India, according to Deputy High Commissioner Western India, Vicki Treadell.
Energy Business Review 2nd Dec 2009 more >>
Switzerland
ABB has won orders worth $73m (£44m) from Kernkraftwerk Leibstadt (KKL) to refurbish and upgrade the non-safety related operational control and automation system at its 1,220MW Leibstadt nuclear power plant in Switzerland.
The Engineer 2nd Dec 2009 more >>
Fuel Poverty
Tens of thousands of vulnerable households will not receive help to fit insulation and cut their fuel bills this winter after the government’s programme to redress fuel poverty ran out of money. Last week, Eaga, the company which runs the Warm Front programme, warned households who had applied for help that they would have to wait close to six months.
Guardian 2nd Dec 2009 more >>
Test Veterans
AN MP is demanding the Government stop wasting cash fighting nuclear-test veterans in court – and says ministers should instead use the money to compensate them immediately. South Derbyshire MP Mark Todd said the millions the Ministry of Defence was spending on lawyers would be better used settling with veterans.
Derby Telegraph 3rd Nov 2009 more >>
Mayors for Peace
DEPUTY Mayor Nader Fekri has issued a rallying call to councillors to do their bit to help to ban the bomb. He will put a recommendation to tomorrow’s Calderdale Council meeting urging members to express support for the abolition of nuclear weapons. Councillor Fekri (Lib-Dem, Calder) also wants the authority to join the Mayors for Peace programme.
Halifax Evening Courier 2nd Dec 2009 more >>
