Dounreay
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has said it has been “open and direct” about its proposals to move radioactive material by rail. Tonnes of breeder material could be moved from Dounreay in Caithness to Sellafield in Cumbria for reprocessing. BBC Scotland online reported last month that this was preferred to handling it at Dounreay. Highland Council has asked the NDA to consult directly with communities along the Far North Line. SNP MSP Rob Gibson said a decision on the fuel should not be taken until the outcome of a bidding competition to take-over the running of Dounreay was known later this year. NDA spokesman Bill Hamilton said the plan to move the material by rail had been in the public domain and was open to consultation.
BBC 2nd Sept 2011 more >>
Wylfa
Plans for accommodating 6,000 construction workers on Anglesey if the Wylfa B nuclear power station goes ahead have been unveiled. Experts warned in July there might not be enough homes on the island if the proposals were given the green light. Anglesey council said it favoured a mix of purpose-built, rented and tourist accommodation to cater for the influx.
BBC 2nd Sept 2011 more >>
Sizewell
EDF Energy which was given the green light for a multi-million pound building to store highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel at Sizewell, is making available an initial £100,000, plus £20,000 a year for 60 years, a total of £1.3million for improving the nationally designated Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), within which the Sizewell nuclear site stands. The new Accessibility and Amenity Fund will be administered by EDF, Suffolk Coastal District Council and Suffolk County Council in consultation with the AONB unit. However, concern was expressed at the quarterly meeting of the Sizewell Stakeholder Group set up to improve the flow of information between the nuclear site, its regulators and the local community that there had been no local consultation and communities were being neglected at the expense of wildlife.
East Anglian Daily Times 3rd Sept 2011 more >>
Two 630-megawatt (MW) reactors at EDF Energy’s Sizewell B nuclear plant in Britain were reducing available capacity on Friday to start a planned outage.
Reuters 2nd Sept 2011 more >>
US
The risk that an earthquake would cause a severe accident at a U.S. nuclear plant is greater than previously thought, 24 times as high in one case, according to an Associated Press analysis of preliminary government data. The nation’s nuclear regulator believes a quarter of America’s reactors may need modifications to make them safer.
San Francisco Chronicle 2nd Sept 2011 more >>
Dominion Resources Inc does not expect to be required to make any modifications to its earthquake-hit North Anna nuclear plant before restarting it, a senior official told reporters on Friday.
Reuters 2nd Sept 2011 more >>
Japan
Fukushima Update 26th – 29th August.
GPI 1st Sept 2011 more >>
Japan’s new prime minister, Yoshihiko Noda, promised on Friday to keep Japan on its path of phasing out nuclear power, saying it was unrealistic to build any new reactors in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear crisis or to extend those at the end of their life spans.
New York Times 2nd Sept 2011 more >>
The prime minister called for other nuclear plants that are currently idled to be restarted, but only after local communities could be assured of their safety. He made clear that he expected a gradual abandonment of nuclear power in Japan, saying it would be difficult to build new plants, while the government would decommission those that reached the end of their design life rather than seeking to extend their use.
FT 2nd Sept 2011 more >>
The costs of generating electricity using nuclear power plants in Japan, even taking into account the compensation costs related to the Fukushima Daiichi accident, still remain likely to be less than using fossil fuels, according to a new study.
World Nuclear News 2nd Sept 2011 more >>
Iran
The United Nations’ nuclear agency says it is “increasingly concerned” that Iran has conducted experimental work to develop nuclear weapons, in particular on warheads to deliver nuclear payloads.
Wall Street Journal 3rd Sept 2011 more >>
Independent 3rd Sept 2011 more >>
Scotsman 3rd Sept 2011 more >>
Telegraph 2nd Sept 2011 more >>
BBC 2nd Sept 2011 more >>
The U.N. nuclear agency wants to hold rare talks about the volatile Middle East and efforts to rid the world of atomic bombs. The International Atomic Energy (IAEA) has invited all of its members including Israel, the Arab states and Iran to attend the proposed forum in November. Israel and some Arab nations indicated readiness to take part, but Iran said it saw no justification for such a meeting now.
Engineering & Technology 2nd Sept 2011 more >>
Renewables
This weeks Micro Power News: North Tyneside joins ranks of councils planning to fit solar to council houses and public buildings, West Lothian College has installed 204 photovoltaic panels worth £140k on its roof with a £60k grant from EST; Boris sets up £100m efficiency fund for London; More than a third of farmers want to install renewable.
Microgeneration Scotland 2nd September 2011 more >>
