Radiation and Health
The autobiography of a former director of British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) is likely to reignite fears about the safety of nuclear power, as Britain prepares for a new generation of reactors, by exposing the panic that rocked the industry two decades ago when a link was suggested between radiation and childhood leukaemia. At its height, workers at Sellafield were advised not to have children, while bosses at the Cumbrian nuclear complex even proposed establishing a sperm bank or calling for “radiation volunteers” from among older workers in order to reduce levels of exposure for workers of child-bearing age. more recently the issue has again been raised by government-funded research, known as the KiKK study, which appeared to show an increased risk of cancer in children under five years living near nuclear power plants in Germany. Janine Allis-Smith, one of the women who took BNFL to court after her son contracted leukaemia, said last night the Bolter book and the KiKK study demanded a wider debate in Britain.
Guardian 8th Mar 2010 more >>
EPR
The French Network for Nuclear Phase-out (R seau “Sortir du nucl aire”) reveals confidential documents disclosed by an anonymous insider from EDF. These documents show that the design of the EPR presents a serious risk of a major nuclear accident – a risk deliberately taken by EDF to increase its profitability. Because it is potentially vulnerable to a situation which could have uncontrollable consequences, the EPR reactor is extremely dangerous.
Sortir du Nucleaire 8th Mar 2010 more >>
French anti-nuclear campaigners claim a new power plant being built in Normandy carries an accident risk of “Chernobyl proportions”. Sortir du Nucl aire, a protest network, says leaked confidential documents show that tests on the third-generation pressurised water reactor present a potentially catastrophic scenario. The network has eight internal papers showing the results of tests on the European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) that, it claims, reveal defects in the mechanism that controls the nuclear reaction. These defects, it says, could cause an explosion sending a massive cloud of radiation into the atmosphere.
Guardian 8th Mar 2010 more >>
Areva
She has been ranked by Forbes as one of the world’s ten most powerful women, ahead of Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton and the Queen, but Anne Lauvergeon looks puzzled by the idea. “I don’t really know what that means,” the chief executive of Areva says. “My six-year-old son thinks it means I must have very big muscles.” In terms of industrial muscle, he is not wrong. Since the creation of Areva in 2001 from a disparate jumble of French state-owned industrial assets, “Atomic Anne” has forged the world’s biggest builder of nuclear reactors, a global powerhouse with more than 75,000 staff and an order book worth more than 43 billion.
Times 8th Mar 2010 more >>
Energy Investment
Up to 50bn of investment in energy infrastructure needed to secure power supplies is at risk from uncertainty over regulation after the election, a report backed by a leading energy supplier has warned. Ernst & Young, the professional services firm, says that in the next three years energy companies must commit to 35bn-50bn of investment in power stations, wind farms and gas storage, to hit government objectives for cutting carbon dioxide emissions while guaranteeing reliable electricity supplies. Uncertainty over energy policy and the regulatory framework, the firm argues, could cause an “investment hiatus” that would lead to strain on the electricity system later in the decade. Its conclusions are set out in a report commissioned by Scottish & Southern Energy, one of the “big six” energy suppliers. Investment decisions must be taken quickly because of the long lead times for energy projects, particularly the new wave of nuclear power stations, which account for almost half the possible spending. About a third of Britain’s electricity generation capacity is scheduled to shut during the next decade.
FT 8th Mar 2010 more >>
Cumbria
The National Trust has fired a powerful broadside against proposed nuclear new build in west Cumbria. They have announced that in their view the National Policy Statement on Nuclear is ‘not fit for purpose.’ Serious reservations have been expressed about new build at Sellafield and they say that Braystones and Kirksanton should be removed from the list. The Trust is a significant landowner in the Lake District National Park,
which is adjacent to this proposed site at Braystones. In a report the Trust says it is very concerned about this proposal particularly in relation to the inevitability of impacts on landscape and on likely impacts of transmission lines needed to connect the site.
Get Noticed Online 7th Mar 2010 more >>
Korea
North Korea said on Sunday it was abandoning efforts towards nuclear disarmament in response to US-South Korean military exercises and would be free to build up its nuclear forces.
Yahoo 7th Mar 2010 more >>
Energy Efficiency
Forty-two million energy-saving lightbulbs were sent out by utilities companies in the three months before Christmas under the government’s £3bn energy-efficiency scheme, even though many are unlikely to be used. Since the scheme began less than two years ago, 224m bulbs have been distributed – almost 10 for each household. According to a survey by the Energy Saving Trust last year, the average home had six unused bulbs lying in drawers.
Guardian 8th Mar 2010 more >>
UAE
South Korea hopes to build an additional four nuclear reactors in the United Arab Emirates, the country’s ambassador said on Monday. In December, the UAE awarded a South Korean group a deal to build and operate four initial nuclear reactors in the Gulf Arab state.
Reuters 8th Mar 2010 more >>
Renewables
Letter: While the increase in solar photovoltaic (PV) tariffs that we called for has now brought this technology within reach of social landlords, much more must be done to ensure that low-income groups benefit from the reduced electricity bills local renewable energy can bring. The scheme must also be reformed to give other technologies the welcome support it will deliver to small-scale solar PV and wind power. Anaerobic digestion, community wind projects, sustainable biomass generation and river hydro schemes all deserve a better deal. Greater support for small-scale renewable energy is vital, but so is a huge increase in the resources for domestic energy-efficiency measures. Both are essential to deliver energy security, cut carbon emissions and tackle fuel poverty.Based on our experience, solar electricity offers a far more effective and constructive solution to the problems of global warming and finite fossil-fuel resources than the hugely expensive and environmentally harmful nuclear option Monbiot appears to favour.
Guardian 8th Mar 2010 more >>
The man who oversaw the sale of British Energy to France’s EDF has launched a new venture to build small wind farms near to heavy industrial users of electricity.
Telegraph 8th Mar 2010 more >>
Red tape is strangling a scheme designed to encourage millions of families to generate their own green electricity with home-mounted solar panels, wind turbines and heat pumps, according to the UK’s biggest manufacturer of central heating equipment. Starting next month, Britain’s 26 million households will be able to collect a fixed fee of up to 41p a kilowatt hour for electricity they generate from roof-mounted solar panels and sell on to the grid. Up to 34 p a kilowatt hour is available for home-mounted windmills. But Worcester Bosch says that the scheme, which seeks to kick-start a boom in so-called microgeneration, is being hobbled by a chronic shortage of certified engineers who must fit the equipment for consumers to qualify for the payments.
Times 8th Mar 2010 more >>
