Cumbria
Claims by a west Cumbrian MP that a Tory Government would not back the building of new nuclear reactors could wreck the area’s chance of getting one, according to a Conservative councillor.
Business Gazette 30th May 2009 more >>
Chapelcross
CHAPELCROSS nuclear power plant near Annan is going green. Currently being defuelled and decommissioned after ceasing production five years ago, many non-hazardous waste materials from the site have been recycled and Chapelcross site director Dave Wilson is keen to promote waste awareness. A Chapelcross Green Forum has been relaunched as a voluntary group aiming to make further environmental improvements on site, and more than 80 members of staff have taken part in four waste awareness training workshops held in partnership with Dumfries and Galloway Council.
Dumfries & Galloway Standards 29th May 2009 more >>
Nuclear Electricity
Nuclear power plants provided 2601 billion kWh during 2008. This lowest figure for five years drops its contribution to world electricity supplies to an estimated about 14% a few years ahead of a new wave of nuclear build. The drop from recent years’ 16% share is due in part to the extended shutdown at Japan’s Kashiwazaki Kariwa plant, the largest in the world which accounts for over 2% of global nuclear capacity alone.
World Nuclear News 29th May 2009 more >>
Scotland
Scottish ministers have come under fire for flying in the face of their commitment to climate-friendly renewable energy by cutting off funding for vital research. Although wind, wave and tidal power companies in England and Wales can apply to the government’s Carbon Trust for research grants of up to £500,000, firms based in Scotland cannot. Money has run out because the Scottish government has refused to come up with the cash. The revelation is embarrassing for ministers, who have often proclaimed their ambition to make Scotland “the Saudi Arabia of renewable energy”. And it has provoked scorn from political opponents. “SNP ministers desperately try to look like they’re funding clean technologies, but the money has run out and the commitment’s simply not there,” said Green MSP Patrick Harvie.
Sunday Herald 31st May 2009 more >>
US
The Republicans want 100 new reactors as Areva admits the cost of a new reactor will be $8bn – double the price offered to Finland.
Climate Progress 30th May 2009 more >>
In a devastating pair of financial reports that might be called “The Emperor Has No Pressure Vessel,” the New York Times has blazed new light on the catastrophic economics of atomic power. The two Business Section specials cover the fiasco of new French construction at Okiluoto, Finland, and the virtual collapse of Atomic Energy of Canada. In a sane world they could comprise an epitaph for the “Peaceful Atom”. But they come simultaneous with Republican demands for up to $700 billion or more in new reactor construction. The Times’ “In Finland, Nuclear Renaissance Runs Into Trouble” by James Kanter is a “cautionary tale” about the “most powerful reactor ever built” whose modular design “was supposed to make it faster and cheaper to build” as well as safer to operate.
Huffington Post 31st May 2009 more >>
North Korea
America has warned it “will not accept” a nuclear-armed North Korea as new intelligence data showed that the secretive state was preparing a fresh missile launch, which could take place in two weeks’ time. The fresh developments increased the tension yet further yesterday in a game of diplomatic brinkmanship that seems destined to put Washington and Pyongyang on a collision course.
Observer 31st May 2009 more >>
Scotland on Sunday 31st May 2009 more >>
A British military aircraft is on its way to North Korea to aid investigations in to the strength of this week’s nuclear bomb test. The underground blast which took place on Monday has received worldwide criticism and increased international tensions with the communist country, with America confirming it would act quickly if a military threat was posed.
Times 30th May 2009 more >>
