Hinkley
Greece backs Austrian opposition to Hinkley Point. Greece has thrown its support behind Austria’s challenge of the U.K.’s state aid for the Hinkley nuclear power project, saying nuclear poses risks that go beyond national borders.
Politico 3rd Nov 2015 read more »
Last month George Osborne backed a deal with China to build a £24bn nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset. The government claims the new plant will be relied on to deliver 7% of the UK’s electricity while providing a low-cost, low-carbon alternative to fossil fuels. But not everyone agrees, with critics arguing that the plants will be expensive to build and questioning whether nuclear energy represents a safe, clean and cost-effective energy future.
Guardian 3rd Nov 2015 read more »
EDM 619 That this House objects to the Departmental Minute from the Department for Energy and Climate Change, dated 21 October 2015, concerning contingent liabilities relating to the entering into of contracts regarding the Hinkley Point C power station; and directs the Department to ensure a full examination is undertaken of the nature, extent and consequences of the contingent liability which it proposes to incur, including any associated risk to public funds and impacts on energy bills, before proceeding any further with accepting this liability.
Parliament 28th Oct 2015 read more »
Engineering construction workers building the UK’s next fleet of nuclear power plants could be in line for a special “nuclear supplement” to their wages after union members agreed a new three-year pay deal. The deal was confirmed yesterday by the National Joint Council for the Engineering Construction Industry (NJC) and included the introduction of a “new nuclear supplementary payment” which could cover workers at Hinkley Point C and other future nuclear new-builds.
Construction News 3rd Nov 2015 read more »
Bradwell
PROTESTERS against a new nuclear power station are voicing their concerns globally in an online video. The Fight Against Bradwell campaigners are putting together a film for residents to make their views known worldwide. Last month, more than 300 protesters took over the River Blackwater at West Mersea for a peaceful beach protest against plans to build a new nuclear power station at Bradwell-on-sea. Now Mersea town councillor Sophie Weaver has taken the fight a step further, producing a short video of interviews with residents who fear the plans will ruin the island forever.
Essex County Gazette 3rd Nov 2015 read more »
Dungeness
Dungeness Estate, the windswept stretch of shingle coastline where the film-maker Derek Jarman spent his final years, has been bought by EDF Energy, the French company that owns a nearby nuclear power station. The sparsely populated, barren headland on the south Kent coast, home to disused railway coaches and sometimes inaccurately described as “Britain’s only desert”, has been snapped up by EDF for an undisclosed amount after being put up for sale in the summer for £1.5m.
Guardian 3rd Nov 2015 read more »
Telegraph 3rd Nov 2015 read more »
BBC 3rd Nov 2015 read more »
Kent Business 3rd Nov 2015 read more »
Heysham
The Prime Minister has confirmed that a third nuclear power station will be built at Heysham. Speaking in parliament to Morecambe and Lunesdale MP David Morris, David Cameron said the Heysham M6 Link Road would open up the port and help “when we bring in the new nuclear power station”. Mr Morris said it was a case of “when not if” Heysham 3 will come online. A decision on whether to extend the lifetime of Heysham 1 beyond 2019 is expected to be made next year, and Heysham 2 beyond 2023 in 2020. However, EDF said the intention was to extend the lives of the two reactors. “I think that as Hinkley C is nearing the end of its planning stage then the Ministers are starting to look at sites further down the list. “I will be doing everything I can to ensure Heysham 3 is built as soon as possible, as I promised in the General Election period, and I am delighted that the Prime Minister is behind my efforts.”
The Visitor 3rd Nov 2015 read more »
Lancaster Guardian 3rd Nov 2015 read more »
Areva
The French nuclear group announced Monday, November 2 that discussions were underway with the CNNC electrician for a minority stake.
La Croix 2nd Nov 2015 read more »
French President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday that he would welcome Chinese investment in state-owned nuclear group Areva but that the French government was ultimately responsible for the company’s recapitalisation.
Reuters 3rd Nov 2015 read more »
Areva and China National Nuclear Corp, or CNNC, signed a memorandum of understanding in Beijing Monday involving the “possible” acquisition of a minority stake by CNNC in the French nuclear company’s capital, Areva said in a statement. The MoU is on a “possible partnership” that includes “capital and industrial components,” including a “possible minority stake acquisition by CNNC,” Areva said. The MoU was signed in the presence of China’s President, Xi Jinping, and his French counterpart, Francois Hollande. The French government owns 87% of Areva. CNNC is a Chinese state-owned company.
Platts 2nd Nov 2015 read more »
RWE
RWE could split up its business like peer E.ON if wholesale power prices continue to fall as cost cuts alone may not be enough to get Germany’s largest power producer back on track, its chief executive said. Germany’s worst-performing large-cap company this year, RWE is struggling with nearly 26 billion euros ($28.5 bln) of net debt and has slashed costs and jobs in an attempt to end years of falling profits. German wholesale power prices have nearly halved since early 2012 and currently trade at 29.35 euros per MWh, squeezing margins at the group’s power plants to the point where it becomes more economical to simply shut them down. Larger rival E.ON last year decided it would spin off its ailing gas- and coal-fired power plants into a separate unit as a result, a move that RWE Chief Executive Peter Terium does not rule out if prices slide further.
Reuters 3rd Nov 2015 read more »
Supply Chain
Letter from Labour Councillor: FOLLOWING the announcement of the loss of 1,200 UK jobs, and with 900 to go in Scunthorpe, I would ask our Prime Minister, following his visit by the Chinese PM to confirm that the first UK nuclear plant will be built by 2025 and will British steel be used in the building of this or will it be Chinese made steel? And if not, to paraphrase a popular sitcom quote, surely “we’re doomed”?
Scunthorpe Telegraph 4th Nov 2015 read more »
Radwaste
Fracking has served MANY purposes already, not least to divert activists and NGO groups such as Greenpeace and FoE away from scrutinising what the nuclear mafia are doing right now : dumping radioactive wastes in everything from landfill to pots and pans in order to clear the decks for more nuclear crapola.
Radiation Free Lakeland 3rd Nov 2015 read more »
A revised environmental permit has been issued to LLW Repository Limited allowing the continued disposal of low-level radioactive wastes at the UK’s national repository for such wastes at Drigg in Cumbria. The disposal of waste in metal containers placed in an engineered concrete vault (Vault 8) began in 1988. Vault 8 has a total capacity of 200,000 cubic metres of waste and is almost full. A further Vault 9, with a capacity of 110,000 cubic metres, was officially opened in August 2010 but is currently only used for temporarily storing waste. The UK’s Environment Agency issued the last major revision to the operator’s permit to dispose of radioactive waste at the Drigg site in 2006. This permit allowed LLW Repository Ltd to dispose of waste in only one part of the facility, Vault 8. The permit also required LLW Repository Ltd to submit an updated environmental safety case (ESC) to the Environment Agency in May 2011 that assessed the safety of current and future disposals beyond Vault 8. Between May 2011 and May 2015 the agency completed and published a detailed review of the ESC. In October 2013 LLW Repository Ltd applied to the Environment Agency – supported by the ESC submitted in May 2011 – to vary its permit to allow continued disposal beyond Vault 8, into the more recently constructed Vault 9 and further vaults. The Environment Agency reviewed and consulted on the application before reaching a draft decision, which was then consulted on, along with a draft permit, between May and July this year. On 29 October, the Environment Agency announced that it had published its final decision and issued a varied permit to LLW Repository Ltd allowing the disposal of further radioactive waste at the LLWR, in accordance with limits and conditions of the permit.
World Nuclear News 3rd Nov 2015 read more »
Energy Costs
The cost of wind and solar energy will continue to fall rapidly between now and 2050, but will remain more expensive than gas unless a global carbon price is imposed. That’s according to BP’s inaugural Technology Outlook which considers how technology upgrades will affect the planet’s energy supply. The oil and gas giant said that solar PV generation in North America in 2050 will cost around $107/MWh, with onshore wind at $71/MWh. New gas generation costs will stay steady between 2015 and 2050 at $59/MWh.
Edie 3rd Nov 2015 read more »
BP predicts the global energy system will remain heavily reliant on fossil fuels for decades to come. However, it also envisages strong growth potential for clean energy systems and supporting technology such as battery storage and electric vehicles. BusinessGreen outlines five key predictions for the clean energy sector from the report.
Business Green 3rd Nov 2015 read more »
Energy Supplies
Britain is set to grant hundreds of millions of pounds in subsidies to highly polluting diesel generators as a way to help solve the energy supply crunch facing the country over the next 15 years. Analysis of publicly available figures shows that companies have registered to build a total of about 1.5 gigawatts of diesel power under a government scheme to encourage back-up energy for the grid. The figures have been analysed by the Financial Times and experts at both the Institute of Public Policy Research and Sandbag, an environmental think-tank. If all of those registered are successful in their bids — which analysts believe is likely — it could cost the taxpayer £436m, provide enough energy to power more than 1m homes and emit several million tonnes of carbon a year.
FT 3rd Nov 2015 read more »
The outgoing head of National Grid has admitted the gap between electricity supply and demand this winter is “tighter than we would like”, but said he was handing over the business in good shape to his successor. The company, which runs the UK’s power networks, announced on Tuesday that it had appointed John Pettigrew, executive director of UK operations, to succeed Steve Holliday, who will retire in March next year. Mr Holliday became chief executive in January 2007, and since then has overseen total shareholder returns of 136 per cent – or 10 per cent a year. He leaves with the company trading 80 per cent higher than when he took over, but also facing one of its toughest challenges in a decade as it looks to guarantee electricity supplies even as power plants are decommissioned. “This winter is a bit tighter than we would like,” he said. “Ther e is a need to build some more generation in the next few years. Hinkley Point [the planned nuclear power station in Somerset] is part of that, but it is some way off.” National Grid is taking an unprecedented level of one-off measures this winter to make sure supply remains uninterrupted, including paying companies to switch off for periods of time. Mr Holliday said: “We have the tools we need to make sure we balance supply and demand in the coldest, darkest hour in the winter.”
FT 3rd Nov 2015 read more »
Protest
Peaceful campaigners branded terrorist threats by Billy Briggs on November 3, 2015. Animal rights, environment and anti-nuclear campaigners are “of concern” according to counter-terrorism training materials produced by Scotland’s largest council, The Ferret can reveal. Using Freedom of Information legislation, The Ferret obtained details of an internal Glasgow City Council (GCC) course entitled Protect Against Terrorism, which was produced to advise the council’s 20,000 employees on potential terrorist threats. In a section entitled What is Terrorism? GCC cited “animal rights”, “environmental” and “anti-nuclear” under a sub-heading Who Are Our Current Threats?
The Ferret 3rd Nov 2015 read more »
NFLA
SDLP South Down MP Margaret Ritchie has addressed the annual meeting of Nuclear Free Local Authorities in Dundalk. Ritchie raised the issue of nuclear submarines in the Irish Sea and the dangers of the Conservative Government’s ‘obsession’ with nuclear energy. She said, “Communities along the east coast of Ireland know all too well the dangers associated with reliance on nuclear technology. We have suffered the fallout when things go wrong and it’s therefore imperative that we continue to press for the government to abandon its fixation with nuclear energy at all costs. “From the rush to renew the Trident nuclear deterrent, little more than a Cold War relic, at a cost of up to £100 Billon to the charm offensive on the Chinese Government to invest billions more in the Hinkley Point station, the British Government is intent on creating a nuclear juggernaut,” she insisted.
Newry Times 4th Nov 2015 read more »
Submarines
At the Nuclear Free Local Authorities (NFLA) All Ireland Forum autumn meeting in Dundalk Town Hall, County Louth, members called for a renewed safety drive after hearing of a long list of collisions and near collisions between fishing trawlers and nuclear powered submarines over the past 20 years.
NFLA 3rd Nov 2015 read more »
Germany
According to a new figures, renewable energy is set to cover around 33% of Germany’s gross energy demands this year, or 193 billion kWh, up a fifth on 2014. PV and wind are the main contributors.
Renew Economy 4th Nov 2015 read more »
China
China is now leading the world when it comes to fighting climate change – handily beating the US’s efforts under Barack Obama to move to a clean energy economy, the United Nations climate chief said on Tuesday. In a swipe at the US president, who has embraced the fight against climate change as his legacy, Christiana Figueres, the UN’s leading climate official, said that when it came to getting off fossil fuels America was still relegated to an also-ran.
Guardian 3rd Nov 2015 read more »
Canada
Canada’s Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) has completed the first phase of a preliminary assessment for the Municipality of Central Huron. The Ontario municipality has been added to the list of communities interested in hosting a deep geological repository for the nation’s used nuclear fuel that have been selected for further study.
World Nuclear News 3rd Nov 2015 read more »
Japan – Renewables
Following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, a major investment is being made into finding a renewable energy option that relies on the power of offshore technology. One of the major focus areas is wind power, and since Japan is a crowded and mountainous country, the search for sites has moved offshore, with floating turbines the main option in the deep waters off the rugged coastline.
Maritime Journal 3rd Nov 2015 read more »
Renewables – solar
HE electricity bills of tenants in 350 council homes in Taunton Deane are set to drop by an average £220 a year after having solar panels installed on their roofs. And the £1.5million cost of the Taunton Deane Council initiative won’t fall on the council taxpayer as any excess energy generated and not used will be sold back to the National Grid.
This is the West Country 3rd Nov 2015 read more »
Renewable Finance
The world’s first 100% renewable energy pension – a peer-to-peer self- invested personal pension (SIPP) has been launched in the UK by Abundance, the ethical investment platform. The move follows the recent series of controversial cuts in subsidies by the UK government for renewable industries. The recent ‘Positive Pensions’ survey conducted by Abundance shows that 34% of ‘Millenials’ would open a pension invested entirely in renewable energy if it was available – twice as many people in older pre-millennium generations.
Scottish Energy News 4th Nov 2015 read more »
Energy Storage
Scottish battery technology company Dukosi has secured an additional £1.2 million of funding to accelerate the development and commercialisation of its smart battery technology for high efficiency automotive, renewable, grid and local energy storage. The latest investment round for Dukosi – based at the Bush Technopole, near Edinburgh – follows a £1 million investment last year from existing shareholders, led by the venture capitalist IP Group, with Par Equity and the Scottish Investment Bank. Dukosi is a pioneer in battery cell intelligence for high-performance, large battery applications including battery-powered vehicles (BPVs), grid, renewables and local energy storage.
Scottish Energy News 4th Nov 2015 read more »
Climate
Contrary to most of the noise from the campaign groups, there are now very few climate deniers left in the industry. Many will say that the science remains uncertain and provisional but most would say that the broad promises to be made in Paris are inadequate to meet the stated goals. Almost none will claim that climate change is anything other than a real and serious risk and that precautionary action is necessary. Most, after all, are engineers and scientists who can read the evidence in detail. Strategically most of the companies are playing for time. Decarbonisation on this view will be a very long term process, especially in the absence of a carbon price that is sufficient to change behaviour. In the meantime, which amounts to at least the next 40 years, oil, gas and coal will still be needed in increasing volumes. The latest projections from the International Energy Agency suggest that in 2040, even on positive assumptions, the world will still depend on hydrocarbons for 74 per cent of its total energy needs. In those circumstances there is still much business to be done. There is now sufficient progress on costs and technology to justify the creation of some large global renewables businesses centred on wind and solar. Solar in particular has seen dramatic reductions in costs in the past two years. There are also possibilities to create business opportunities out of improvements in efficiency and energy management. To that base can be added a strong research component focused on areas such as advanced materials and storage technology.
FT 1st Nov 2015 read more »
