BNFL Privatisation
Energy Solutions, a US nuclear decommissioning group, will be named today as the buyer of British Nuclear Group’s contract to clean up the UK’s ageing Magnox reactors. BNG is being broken up as part of the government’s privatisation of its nuclear assets. BNG’s Reactor Sites Management division, which owns the 10 Magnox reactors and contracts for the early phase of their clean-up, is understood to have selected Utah-based Energy Solutions as the winning bidder over Jacobs Engineering, also of the US. Only two of the UK’s Magnox reactors – Oldbury in Gloucestershire and Wylfa in Wales – are still generating power. It has been estimated that the contract to shut down these reactors and clean up the 10 Magnox sites is worth up to £350m.
FT 7th June 2007
More info on Energy Solutions
NuclearSpin.org
Opinion Polls
The debate over how to meet Britain’s future energy needs has heightened confusion about nuclear power – reducing support for new reactors, research published yesterday suggests. At 35 per cent, support for building new atomic power stations to replace those being phased out continues to outweigh opposition (29 per cent), but has fallen from 41 per cent in 2004.
FT 7th June 2007
Iran
Iran has not yet crossed the threshold of being able to make nuclear weapons but might be no more than two years away, an Israeli ambassador said.
Channel 4 News 6th June 2007
Guardian website 6th June 2007
Russia
Russia is planning a central authority to control the movement of radioactive materials.
World Nuclear News 6th June 2007
Finland
A consortium of energy and industrial companies will establish a consortium to build another reactor in Finland. To be known as Fennovoima, the consortium will include Eon.
World Nuclear News 6th June 2007
EDF Energy
EDF Energy says it plans to reduce its UK CO2 emissions by 60%. Its plans include building a new reactor.
World Nuclear News 5th June 2007
Bulgaria
Italian utility, Enel SpA said it has made a non-binding offer to buy a stake of up to 49 pct of the nuclear power plant facility at Belene in Bulgaria. The company said it is interested in becoming a strategic partner in the plant. The Bulgarian government, which controls the country’s national electric company NEK, has already said it is ready to sell up to 49 pct of the Belene nuclear power plant.
Forbes 6th June 2007
More info about Enel
NuclearSpin.org
British Energy
British Energy’s call for potential partners to build new nuclear plants in Britain has drawn interest from a number of companies running into double figures, Chief Executive Bill Coley said on Wednesday. Coley also told Reuters on the sidelines of the Nuclear Industry Forum that he was “very pleased” with the condition of the Hinkley Point power station that the company is in the process of restarting after months of maintenance.
Reuters 6th June 2007
Climate
George Bush was coming under strong pressure from the European Union and Japan last night to sign up to a G8 target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions after the White House’s pledge to work through the United Nations on climate change failed to satisfy its summit partners.
Guardian 7th June 2007
Tony Blair’s hopes of securing a landmark deal on climate change at his last G8 summit faded yesterday when the United States rejected any binding targets for reducing greenhouse gases.
Telegraph 7th June 2007
The wrangling in Germany is depressing. While Tony Blair and Angela Merkel stick doggedly to their proposal that EU members should set binding targets to cut their carbon emissions by 50 per cent by 2050 from 1990 levels, George Bush has shambled up with an offer to host a parallel set of meetings aimed only at securing voluntary targets.
Times 7th June 2007
