Hinkley
One of EDF’s unions has threatened to launch a strike if the French utility decides to go ahead with its project to build two nuclear reactors in Britain. Force Ouvriere (FO), one of EDF’s smaller and more radical unions, said in a statement it would call a strike if EDF management schedules a board meeting to decide on the 18 billion pound (22.3 billion euros) Hinkley Point project before the May 12 EDF annual general shareholders meeting. “If a board meeting is scheduled, we will launch a strike to demand that the Hinkley Point project is delayed,” FO union leader Jacky Chorin told Reuters. Chorin said he did not know whether other unions would follow FO’s lead. “Once the strike is on, I could see CGT and CFE-CGC follow, as they are also against the project,” he said. The CFE-CGC union, which represents managerial staff, has been the most critical of the project. Late last month, Christian Taxil, EDF board member for CFE-CGC, said in a letter to employees he would vote against Hinkley Point. The CGT union, EDF’s most powerful union with three seats on the EDF board, has also asked management to delay the project. EDF’s unions do not have the power to delay or block the project, but their public resistance to Hinkley Point is a stark break with a long consensual tradition at EDF.
Reuters 6th April 2016 read more »
Replacing Hinkley with renewables would save £40bn.
Burnham-on-sea.com 6th April 2016 read more »
Plymouth Herald 5th April 2016 read more »
Dounreay
DAVID Cameron is being urged to come clean on plans to transport dangerous nuclear materials that could be used for nuclear weapons from Scotland to the United States. Dr Paul Monaghan, MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross which includes the Dounreay site, said the Prime Minister had to come clean. He told The National: “Just last week we learned he had authorised the largest ever shipment of highly enriched uranium from Dounreay to the United States, and we know this is going to the Savannah River site in the United States, which was built to refine nuclear materials for deployment in nuclear weapons. “Of particular concern is the elevate d level of importance attached to this shipment by the United States government. Indeed, the Certificate of Compliance clearly states that the shipment is in the interest of US national security. “This is a deeply worrying development and we have to ask ourselves why the United States government recognises these special fuel assemblies as a national security issue, who actually owns this material, why it is that the UK Government appears to have been stalling this particular shipment of what is very specialised structures of uranium, and of course why, perhaps more generally, highly dangerous nuclear material that is considered to be in the interest of US national security is being held at a civil nuclear site in Scotland.” Monaghan said the US government would not extend such certificates without careful consideration and planning.
The National 6th April 2016 read more »
Anger flares on both sides of the Atlantic at Dounreay agreement over enriched uranium from Georgia. MORE than 5kg of enriched uranium and spent nuclear fuel from a now defunct reactor in a former Soviet republic is among materials stored at the Dounreay facility in Caithness that could be destined for export to the US, under an deal announced days ago by David Cameron. He told a nuclear security summit in Washington that 700kg (1540lbs) of highly enriched uranium (HEU) would be transported to the US from the Caithness facility. In return America would send a different type of used uranium back to Europe where it would be converted into isotopes to help diagnose cancer. The nuclear fuel originated at Tbilisi in Georgia and was transported to Scotland in 1998. According to an environmental assessment from the US Department of Energy, the intention was that none of it wou ld be returned to the USA. The United Kingdom assumed responsibility for the material once it landed here. A pressure group has now spoken out against the transportation and said the “prime terrorist material” should remain in the UK. Cumbrians Opposed to a Nuclear Environment (Core) claimed the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) had performed a U-turn over its transportation. Core said a plan previously agreed with stakeholders to manage the “exotic” fuel at Sellafield, in Cumbria, was ditched without consultation, in a deal “rushed through with government” to meet the Washington summit deadline. Martin Forwood, Core’s campaign co-ordinator, said yeste rday: “Never mind the win-win deal for the UK and US as it was described by government, this is no more than a wink-wink, nudge-nudge agreement hatched by two governments who clearly have little regard for the security of nuclear weapons-usable materials. “How can the threat of nuclear terrorism possibly be curbed – an action demanded by the Washington summit – when UK and US leaders, with the connivance of the NDA, are prepared to deliberately expose this weapons-useable HEU to the obvious and very real dangers of transatlantic shipment and terrorist threat. Campaigners in the United States have reacted with fury at the prospect of these exotics being shipped to a private-sector facility based in Erwin in Tennessee. The Savannah River site in South Carolina was built in the 1950s to refine nuclear materials for use in nuclear weapons, and Tom Clements, director of Savannah River Site Watch, has argued that managing the materials is the sole responsibility of the UK. He said the deal amounted to nothing more than waste dumping on the US, and that in non-proliferation terms the HEU should be left in the UK. Core said the NDA first hinted that HEU from Dounreay could be transferred to a third party in January, but that there was no suggestion of US involvement.
The National 7th April 2016 read more »
Radwaste
Britain is shipping 700kg of highly-enriched uranium capable of making scores of nuclear bombs to the US, writes Gordon MacKerron. The move is a symptom of a huge problem that’s afflicting all nuclear nations – what to do with their nuclear wastes? The only real solution is deep geological disposal. But it’s politically fraught, technically challenging, very expensive – and has yet to be done.
Ecologist 6th April 2016 http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/2987510/nuclear_industry_reveals_its_unsolved_problem_waste.html
Sussex Energy Group 6th April 2016 read more »
SMRs
Opinion: UK’s first new reactor could be an SMR. The UK government should re-evaluate its nuclear power strategy and provide more resources to accelerate the development and approval of Small Modular Reactor (SMR) designs so that consumers can benefit from lower costs and the UK’s nuclear renaissance can be cemented. While continuing to back EDF’s 18 billion pound ($25.6 billion) Hinkley point C EPR project, the UK government launched last month phase 1 of its SMR competition to gauge developer and investor interest and plans to publish a roadmap for SMR development later this year. This roadmap must set a clear path towards streamlined Generic Design Assessment (GDA) procedures for SMR plants and provide further clarity on siting, appropriate to the specific safety cases of the new designs. Developers such as NuScale and Westinghouse are already working with UK nuclear firms to prepare a cost–efficient supply chain to support the short build timelines of SMR designs. Investment in UK manufacturing and R&D should create export opportunities.
Nuclear Energy Insider 5th April 2016 read more »
Supply Chain
NUCLEAR power is more valuable to Scotland’s economy than anywhere else in the UK, according to new statistics. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that Scotland the nuclear power sector was worth more than £660m to Scotland’s economy in 2014, and employed around 2000 full-time staff. In Scotland, nuclear power accounts for nearly 12 per cent of all turnover from low-carbon industries – including wind, hydro and solar – compared to 7.5 per cent in England. As a proportion of turnover from all generating low carbon industries, including wind, hydro and solar, nuclear accounts for 11.8 per cent of the turnover – while in England, the proportion is just 7.5 per cent. Scotland also has a higher percentage of its low-carbon industry workforce in the nuclear power sector – 9.3 per cent compared to 6.7 per cent in England.
Herald 7th April 2016 read more »
Tom Greatrex: New nuclear will be vital to secure a low-carbon generation mix across the UK. There has been a highly visible shift in the way in which power is generated in Scotland over the past decade. New wind turbines and a closed Longannet power station highlight the shift towards the lower-carbon mix that has occurred. The official statistics, published towards the end of last year, show that almost three quarters of the power generated in Scotland comes from low-carbon sources: close to a half-and-half mix between renewables and nuclear power. Those complementary ways of producing electricity are helping Scotland reduce emissions while continuing to generate power we all need to live our lives. Yesterday, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) also published, for the first time, details of its low carbon and renewable energy economic survey. These official figures quantify the economic contribution nuclear power generation m akes in Scotland and the comparatively high proportion of turnover from Scottish low-carbon industries that comes from nuclear power. The ONS data shows nuclear power generation contributing more than £660 million to the Scottish economy and supporting more than 2,000 jobs in Scotland. As well as having the highest level of electricity production from low-carbon sources in the UK, Scotland also has a higher proportion of its low-carbon economy coming from nuclear power. In Scotland, 11.8 per cent of the low-carbon economic impact comes from our two nuclear power stations, whereas in England it is much lower at 7.5 per cent. There is a similar picture for employment: 9.3 per cent of the people employed in low-carbon industries in Scotland help generate nuclear power, compared to just 6.7 per cent in England.
Herald 7th April 2016 read more »
The nuclear power sector generated almost £3.5 billion turnover and employed 15,500 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics. Almost a quarter of low carbon electricity group acquisitions of capital assets were in the nuclear power sector. The nuclear power sector accounts for a greater proportion of the low carbon economy in Scotland than in England for both turnover and full-time employees.
Energy Voice 6th April 2016 read more »
China’s nuclear power plant builder China Nuclear Engineering & Construction Corp. (CNECC) agreed for the first time to collaborate with a global engineering consultancy on deployment of high-temperature reactors in the UK and internationally, UK’s Amec Foster Wheeler said Wednesday. According to the British engineering and project management company, the parties signed a “wide-ranging” agreement covering potential collaboration in the nuclear industry. The Sino-British alliance would jointly develop, build, operate and decommission nuclear projects globally.
Kallanish Energy 7th April 2016 read more »
Energy Live News 6th April 2016 read more »
Energy Voice 6th April 2016 read more »
Nuclear Security
Prof Harvey Rutt: Dr David Lowry (Letters, 5 April) presents a highly selective and misleading view of the recent Nuclear Threat Initiative report. Britain does indeed come bottom and below North Korea in the theft rankings – but on one aspect only: the number of sites and quality of material held. As a longtime nuclear weapon state and user of nuclear power, it is hardly surprising that we have a lot in quite a few places. Places like Australia and Argentina will inevitably “win” this category.
Guardian 6th April 2016 read more »
The US Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has outlined its strategic plans for reducing the threat of nuclear proliferation and terrorism, including changes to the USA’s program to dispose of surplus military plutonium. In the report, the NNSA says the US administration’s proposal to pursue a “dilution and disposal” approach to plutonium disposition, instead of converting it into mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel for use in light water reactors, represents a significant change. The USA is required to dispose of 34 tonnes of weapons grade plutonium under a weapons reduction agreement signed with Russia in June 2000, but President Barack Obama’s FY2017 budget submission proposes a “dilution and disposal” approach as enabling the material to be disposed of sooner, at lower cost and with lower technical risks than conversion to MOX.
World Nuclear News 6th April 2016 read more »
Emergency Planning
The Science and Technology Committee is undertaking an inquiry into science advice in relation to planning for and responding to chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) incidents.
Parliament 5th April 2016 read more »
Chernobyl
Thirty years after the world’s worst nuclear catastrophe, thrill-seeking tourists are heading into the radioactive dead zone around the stricken power plant whose Reactor Number 4 exploded in April 1986. Travel guides armed with Geiger counters to measure radioactivity in the poisoned landscape insist travellers are exposed to less radiation than they would get on a transatlantic flight.
Telegraph 6th April 2016 read more »
Germany
A German court has dismissed a claim for damages by utility EnBW after it sued the German government over its surprise move to shut down nuclear reactors in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011. A regional court in Bonn, Germany, ruled on Wednesday that EnBW’s claim for compensation was unsubstantiated because the power utility had not immediately sought a court injunction against the government’s nuclear moratorium.
Deitsche Welle 6th April 2016 read more »
World Nuclear News 6th April 2016 read more »
France
Tesla has “no current plans to open a factory in Europe,” a spokesperson for the company told Ars. But that hasn’t stopped French Energy and Environment Minister Ségolène Royal from saying that her best idea for repurposing an old nuclear power plant in northeastern France is to try to convince Tesla to build a factory there for its electric vehicles.
Ars Technica 7th April 2016 read more »
Japan
A welter of conflicting legal decisions has left Japan’s nuclear reactors in a state of limbo. The reactors are being turned on and off like light switches as activists file lawsuits. The industry received a small boost on Wednesday when a court refused to shut down the only operating reactor at Sendai. But another court shut down the only other operating reactor at Takahama last month.
FT 6th April 2016 read more »
Radioactive wild boars which are ‘breeding like rabbits’ are overwhelming the Fukushima Nuclear disaster zone. The boar population, which has increased by 330 per cent in the four years since the disaster, has been devastating the crops of farms in the area. Around 13,000 of the boars are in the exclusion zone, which stretches in a 12-mile radius from the plant.
Mirror 7th April 2016 read more »
Daily Star 7th April 2016 read more »
A Japanese high court today rejected an appeal by local residents seeking a temporary injunction against the operation of units 1 and 2 of Kyushu Electric Power Company’s Sendai nuclear power plant in Kagoshima prefecture. The units are the only reactors currently in operation in Japan.
World Nuclear News 6th April 2016 read more »
The head of the nuclear regulatory body Wednesday urged Kansai Electric Power Co. to understand the seriousness of a recent incident at one of its reactors, as the case had “a large impact on society” and diminished public trust in the safety of nuclear power operations. The Nuclear Regulation Authority approved Kansai Electric’s report on the cause of the incident and preventive steps to be taken during a regular meeting, but Shunichi Tanaka, chairman of the body, said the utility should reflect on the incident seriously. The No. 4 unit at the company’s Takahama nuclear plant, on the Sea of Japan coast about 380 kilometers west of Tokyo, has been kept offline since it shut down automatically Feb. 29 after problems with a generator and a transformer triggered alarms. The emergency shutdown occurred just three days after the reactor’s restart following the NRA’s approval of resumption of operations. The regulator gave the go-ahead for restart last year based on tougher safety regulations adopted after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Japan Times 6th April 2016 read more »
South Africa
South Africa’s energy department said on Wednesday the process to procure six new nuclear power plants to help overcome chronic electricity shortages had been delayed for more consultations but had not stalled. Africa’s most industrialised economy was expected to finalise some requirements for its nuclear expansion by April, with Russia and China the front-runners to build the new power stations, Reuters reported in February.The opposition Democratic Alliance said earlier that Energy Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson informed a parliamentary committee that an April 1 deadline in the procurement process had not been met, and that no new date had been set.
Daily Mail 6th April 2016 read more »
A court case questioning the legality of the Department of Energy’s (DoE) 9.6GW nuclear procurement programme has caused the department to delay gazetting the request for proposals (RFPs), the Democratic Alliance (DA) said. The DoE said it plans to gazette the RFPs “early in this financial year”, after missing a deadline it set to finalise the process by 31 March.
Fin24 6th April 2016 read more »
South Africa’s energy department said on Wednesday the process to procure six new nuclear power plants to help overcome chronic electricity shortages had been delayed for more consultations but had not stalled.
Reuters 6th April 2016 read more »
US
While some potential legal challenges remain, the approval of the Exelon-Pepco merger by the Washington, D.C. Public Service Commission means that Exelon is now not only the largest nuclear powered utility in the U.S., it is the largest electric utility period. And with that steady stream of regulated, and non-nuclear, Pepco money filling its coffers, you’d think that Exelon’s continuing “threats” to close up to three of its Illinois reactor sites unless it obtains more bailouts from beleaguered Illinois taxpayers and ratepayers would fall on deaf ears. Or maybe Exelon is now trying to achieve “too big to fail” status?
Green World 6th April 2016 read more »
Trident
Kate Hudson: It’s odd that Paul Mason feels he has to articulate a supposed ‘left-wing’ case for nuclear weapons. Presumably he mistakenly believes that opposing Trident would be detrimental to Labour’s electoral chances. He clearly doesn’t realise the scale of opposition to Trident, across society and across the political spectrum. There is no ‘left-wing’ case for nuclear weapons. There is only an ‘irrelevant’ case, an ‘irresponsible’ case, an ‘illegal’ case, an ‘irrational’ case, a ‘money-wasting’ case, a ‘dangerous’ case…
CND 6th April 2016 read more »
Renewables – Scotland
Scotland has managed to meet a key target in its journey to rely more heavily on clean power. The UK Department of Energy and Climate Change has released information that shows that more than half of Scotland’s energy came from renewable sources in 2015. Last year, Scotland aimed to derive no less than 50% of its energy from renewable sources, but has managed to surpass this target by 7.7% using a variety of clean power solutions.
Hydrogen Fuel News 6th April 2016 read more »
Renewables – small hydro
Giant German energy company RWE International has announced expansion plans to take advantage of Scottish natural resources by building a bigger fleet of assets in small-scale hydropower in Scotland – despite the UK Government’s decision to cut support for renewable energy projects.
Scottish Energy News 7th April 2016 read more »
Renewables – small wind
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, will now make use of renewable electricity generated on-site thanks to a new wind turbine installed by green energy supplier Ecotricity.
Edie 6th April 2016 read more »
Renewables – wind
Europe’s wind industry has entered a new era with the election on Wednesday of a senior power utility executive as chairman of its biggest lobby group. The choice of Francesco Venturini from Italy’s Enel power company is a first for the WindEurope trade body, which has often clashed with utilities over the issue of boosting renewable energy support. Mr Venturini, the head of Enel’s renewables arm, told the Financial Times he wanted his industry to recognise that generating electricity from the wind, sun and other renewable sources had become a permanent fixture in the global energy landscape.
FT 6th April 2016 read more »
Island Renewables
Fergus Ewing: Getting Scotland’s Northern and Western Isles connected to the UK grid is absolutely crucial to their economic future, and for some time the Scottish and UK Governments have been working jointly to make this happen. I had thought that the UK Government were as committed as we are. UK Energy Minister Andrea Leadsom attended the Islands Delivery Working Group last autumn, and the Prime Minister personally pledged his own support for the connection of the isles in a letter to Angus Campbell of Western Isles Council. But it now looks as if tawdry political considerations are getting in the way. Not for the first time, the UK Government’s ideological obsession against renewable energy is jeopardising jobs and investment in Scotland.
Scottish Energy News 6th April 2016 read more »
Green Gas
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) called a high level summit with industry representatives this week, to explore plans to “hugely cut carbon emissions overnight” by replacing LPG with biopropane in homes that are off the gas grid. Biopropane is derived from renewable biomass, meaning it can bring about significant reductions in carbon emissions if it is substituted for fossil LPG made from propane. The molecular structure of pure biopropane is identical to that of conventional pure propane produced from hydrocarbons, meaning it can be easily blended into LPG, or sold in pure form.
Utility Week 6th April 2016 read more »
