Oldbury
OLDBURY Power Station has helped to brew more than 100 billion cups of tea in the last 12 months. In the last year the power station, which is owned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, has supplied 2.05TWh (Terawatt Hours) of electricity to the national grid, enough to power 500,000 homes for 12 months.
Gloucestershire Gazette 3rd Jan 2010 more >>
Lithuania
It was at about 8pm on New Year’s eve when technicians started reducing output from the Ignalina nuclear power plant in Lithuania. The bright yellow generating unit in its cavernous turbine hall fell silent for the last time an hour before midnight. Closure of Ignalina was a condition of Lithuania’s entry into the European Union in 2004, amid concern over the safety of its Soviet-era reactors, which are similar to the one involved in the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. But the deadline could hardly have come at a worse time for the Baltic country as it faces the loss of its biggest source of electricity – covering nearly three-quarters of demand – while battling through its deepest recession since breaking from the Soviet Union two decades ago.
FT 3rd Jan 2010 more >>
Iran
The US believes the official intelligence assessment of Iran’s nuclear programme is wrong and Tehran is working on the design of a nuclear weapon, it was reported today. Washington is seeking support for new sanctions against Iran at the UN security council following the expiry of a new year deadline, imposed by the US president, for Tehran to respond to an offer of economic help and improved diplomatic relations in return for curbing its nuclear programme.
Guardian 4th Jan 2009 more >>
The United States is planning to take advantage of domestic unrest in Iran and a slowing of the country’s nuclear programme to introduce tough new sanctions on Tehran.
Telegraph 4th Jan 2010 more >>
Brazil
Two nuclear power stations near a city in southern Brazil hit by deadly landslides may be temporarily shut down, the mayor has said. Mayor Tuca Jordao, of Angra dos Reis, said main roads had been blocked by landslides and could obstruct any evacuation in the case of an emergency. He said the plants – Angra I and Angra II – were not damaged or threatened but should be shut down as a precaution.
BBC 3rd Jan 2010 more >>
Renewables
A £100BILLION project to build up to 5,000 giant wind turbines around Britain’s coast kicks off this week when winning bidders are chosen to build nine offshore wind parks. The Crown Estate, which owns the UK seabed and is administering the auction for the third and largest round of offshore wind licences, is preparing to announce the consortia for the sites. It will pave the way for one of the biggest infrastructure projects for wind energy in the world.
Sunday Express 3rd Jan 2010 more >>
Gordon Brown will this week launch a £100bn programme to build thousands of offshore wind turbines that could power most of Britain’s households during strong winds and are crucial to meeting the country’s renewable targets. The Crown Estate will announce which consortia have been successful in bidding to develop the nine zones, mostly in the North Sea, in the project, which is the most ambitious of its kind in the world. The prime minister is expected to use the event to promote the potential economic benefits of the massive building works.
Guardian 4th Jan 2009 more >>
The manufacturing sector has savaged suggestions from the chancellor, Alistair Darling, that Britain is benefiting from government support for a “green” jobs revolution, warning that the UK was instead in danger of “missing the boat”.The industry body, the EEF, points out that over 90% of the 2bn earmarked for the world’s biggest wind farm in UK waters – the London Array, off Kent – is being spent abroad and ministers must take some of the blame.
Guardian 4th Jan 2010 more >>
It would connect turbines off the wind-lashed north coast of Scotland with Germany’s vast arrays of solar panels, and join the power of waves crashing on to the Belgian and Danish coasts with the hydro-electric dams nestled in Norway’s fjords: Europe’s first electricity grid dedicated to renewable power will become a political reality this month, as nine countries formally draw up plans to link their clean energy projects around the North Sea.
Guardian 4th Jan 2010 more >>
