Horizon
French nuclear group Areva will make a joint bid with China Guangdong Nuclear Power Corporation Holding (CGNPC) for the UK’s 6-gigawatt Horizon project, its chief executive Luc Oursel said on Saturday.
Reuters 7th July 2012 more >>
FT 7th July 2012 more >>
Hinkley
EDF Energy has come up with a compensation scheme if they struggle to sell or achieve a good price. As the developer of the proposed Hinkley C nuclear power station awaits the outcome of its planning application many residents of five hamlets near the construction site are preparing to leave. Peter Malim, vice-chairman of Stogursey Parish Council, put his home on the market three months ago. He has lived at Wick Pound House, Wick, near Stogursey for 17 years. The existing Hinkley B nuclear power station was already a fixture in the landscape when he moved in. “The problem we have is that we are just so close to the road it’s just 60 metres away,” he said yesterday. “As an area we are not against nuclear power but we don’t welcome the idea of 24-hour working.
Western Daily Press 7th July 2012 more >>
Wylfa
ENERGY Minister Charles Hendry has defended the UK Government against claims it is obsessed with promoting expensive nuclear power. He insisted there was a very compelling case to develop new nuclear at Wylfa as part of a balanced mix of energy. MP Margaret Ritchie said the Fukushima disaster in Japan proved nuclear power could never be made entirely safe, and urged Mr Hendry to focus on helping the millions living in fuel poverty. The Government seem intent on delivering more of the same, especially in their continued obsession with the expensive and ultimately unsafe energy source that is nuclear power, she claimed. Ministers should use the draft Energy Bill to make a difference to the lives of millions struggling to pay their bills and living in fuel poverty, she told the Commons.
Daily Post 7th July 2012 more >>
Dounreay
A SIGNIFICANT acceleration in the clean-up of the Dounreay nuclear plant in Caithness is saving the British taxpayer more than 1 billion, according to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. The authority believes it is now nine years ahead of schedule after re-awarding the site closure contract earlier this year. Chief executive John Clarke, writing in the organisations annual report published yesterday, said the competition for the major decommissioning operation had been a milestone in its mission to clean up the UKs nuclear legacy and bring down the cost. He added: The appointment of a new consortium, the Babcock Dounreay Partnership consisting of Babcock International Group, CH2MHill and URS, and which marks the culmination of a two-year process, will bring forward decommissioning time frames and reduce costs by well over 1bn. The site is now schedu led to reach its interim state, when all major decommissioning work is completed, significantly earlier than originally envisaged, potentially achieving this important milestone in 2023. In 2000 the site restoration was set out in a 60-year plan, costing 4.3bn. This was reduced in 2007 to 2.9bn, with completion in 2032.
Scotsman 7th July 2012 more >>
TWO massive holes are being dug for a £100 million plan to store radioactive waste from Dounreay. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) yesterday published a draft authorisation to govern the disposal of low-level radioactive waste in vaults beside the redundant nuclear plant in Caithness. Around 140,000 metres of rock is being removed to make way for up to six vaults, each covering an area the size of a football pitch and 20 metres deep. Barns will be built over each vault to provide cover during its operation, before each is finally backfilled with grout and capped. They will be buried and landscaped before being fenced off and left for 300 years to allow the radioactivity to reduce, but they will always be monitored. Although it is not required to do so, Sepa will consult the public over the plan, which has been criticised by some nearby residents. A spokesman said: “We recognise the importance of this issue to the local community and, therefore, have published a consultation seeking information relevant to the draft authorisation.” The waste largely consists of paper, rags, tools, glass, concrete and metal which contain small amounts of mostly short-lived radioactivity. It is not dangerous to handle but must be disposed of more carefully than normal industrial waste.
Herald 7th July 2012 more >>
Sizewell
Plans to build a dry fuel store at Sizewell B power station on the north Suffolk coast have reached the next round of the planning process.
Eastern Daily Press 6th July 2012 more >>
Submarines
THIRTY fires have broken out on Britain’s nuclear submarines over the past three years, the Ministry of Defence has admitted. That’s an average of one every 40 days, and brings the total number of fires since 1987 to 266 more than 10 a year. The MoD has also revealed for the first time that 74 of the fires erupted on submarines usually armed with nuclear warheads. The disclosures have prompted accusations that Britain’s nuclear weapons can no longer be regarded as a “credible deterrent”. Fires could too easily knock out the submarines needed to keep patrolling, according to the SNP’s defence spokesman, Angus Robertson MP.
Sunday Herald 8th July 2012 more >>
Robedwards.com 8th July 2012 more >>
Trident
FIRST MINISTER Carwyn Jones has said that the argument over the potential move of nuclear missile submarines from Scotland to Milford Haven is entirely academic. Mr Jones appeared keen to draw a line under the row which began last month when he suddenly told assembly members that the nuclear missile Vanguard-class submarine fleet and the associated jobs would be more than welcome in Milford Haven.
Milford & West Wales Mercury 8th July 2012 more >>
Japan
By claiming the disaster was ‘made in Japan’, an official report reinforces, yet does not explain, unhelpful stereotypes. Bringing out the “made in Japan” argument is not helpful. It panders to the uniqueness idea and does not explain, but rather reinforces, existing stereotypes. Moreover, the supposedly Japanese qualities that the report outlines, such as obedience, reluctance to question authority, “sticking with the programme” and insularity, are not at all unique to Japan, but are universal qualities in all societies. Putting a cultural gloss on the critical investigative report sends a confusing message to the global community particularly when it comes from a country that is a world leader in technological sophistication.
Guardian 6th July 2012 more >>
Shale Gas
A DECISION on Britain’s first shale gas development has been delayed until the autumn as the government struggles to craft a system to police the highly controversial industry. The process has been complicated further by concerns within the Department of Energy and Climate Change over the involvement of Lord Browne of Madingley, the former BP chief executive who was accused of overseeing a poor safety culture at the oil giant. Shale gas drilling has the potential to open up vast new reserves, but it has stirred debate because it uses toxic chemicals and carries the threat of blowouts or other accidents. In America, homeowners have sued oil companies after their drinking water became polluted with methane. In September, Browne was appointed chairman of Cuadrilla Resources, the private company that last year caused a series of small earthquakes whe n it drilled near Blackpool. Cuadrilla claims to have found up to 200 trillion cubic feet of gas – enough to supply Britain for almost 70 years. The company has been barred from drilling since the tremors.
Sunday Times 8th July 2012 more >>
