19 May 2010

Coalition

EARLY fears that the Liberal Democrat party will use its newfound influence to abort the next generation of UK nuclear power plants has eased after it signed a deal promising not to collapse the government on the matter.

Chemical Engineer 18th May 2010 more >>

Protest

CAMPAIGNERS from London and SE England Stop Nuclear Power protested outside the Financing Nuclear Power and Nuclear Interim Storage conferences in central London today. They invited delegates to invest in a green future instead of nuclear energy and demanded an end to nuclear waste production.

Stop Nuclear Power 18th May 2010 more >>

Wylfa

Statements from Energy Secretary Chris Huhne on new nuclear build offer lukewarm support for the key Wylfa B project on Anglesey. Following Mr Huhne’s lukewarm remarks it seems as if Wylfa B is still more likely than not to proceed. Asked on BBC Radio 4 about his stance on nuclear, the energy secretary said: “...if it turns out - for the first time in decades - a consortium is prepared to build a nuclear power station without public subsidy, then .....that will, in all probability, go ahead.”

Anglesey Today 18th May 2010 more >>

Energy Supplies

Datamonitor says collective European reliance on external gas supplies will increase to unprecedented levels causing nuclear phase-out to be delayed in many member states. The firm’s research (_Gas and Power Fundamentals Outlook: Europe_) also suggests that Europe’s security of supply hinges to a large extent on the continued expansion of global LNG output and limited competition from the US for deliveries within the Atlantic basin.

Utility Week 18th May 2010 more >>

Low Level Waste

At Lillyhall in Cumbria, there is a landfill site to which no one objected in 2004 when the planning application was for a “composting and material processing area. Following a law quietly passed in 2007 Low Level Waste was re-classified as High Volume Very Low Level Waste suitable for landfill. Lillyhall is now receiving tonnes of radioactive detritus – no planning application needed! Landfill in Cumbria is set to be filled with millions of tonnes of radioactive rubble and soil from Chapel Cross in Scotland and other nuclear installations. While Cumbrians are Reducing, Reusing and Recycling, the nuclear industry is desperate to fill our landfill with contaminated detritus in order to make room for new nuclear build.

Get Noticed Online 18th May 2010 more >>

Proliferation

Some physicists and non-proliferation experts are urging the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to pay more attention to security when considering licence applications, as nuclear technology becomes increasingly small and susceptible to theft by terrorists or rogue states. Their concerns centre especially around the laser enrichment of uranium, a new technology that GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy hopes to commercialise within two years.

FT 18th May 2010 more >>

US

Earlier this year, the Obama administration announced large new federal loan guarantees for the nuclear energy industry - totaling about $54 billion, or more than triple the current level of funding. Philosophically, we abhor government subsidies to any industry, but we also recognize that they’re a fact of life these days, with an inordinate influence on markets. So even though we’d prefer the government didn’t pick industry winners and losers, we must be mindful of what Washington is doing if we expect to reap profits as investors.

Market Oracle 18th May 2010 more >>

Iran

Iran has signed an agreement with Turkey and Brazil in Tehran under which it will ship most of its low enriched uranium to Turkey in exchange for the 20 per cent enriched fuel that it needs for its Tehran reactor.

Morning Star 18th May 2010 more >>

Press & Journal 18th May 2010 more >>

Iran’s agreement this week to swap low-enriched uranium for more highly enriched fuel elements may not prevent UN sanctions. It was originally thought that a swap would remove most of Iran’s LEU, and so ensure it would not be further enriched to weapons-grade. However, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, continued production by Iran’s enrichment plants means that it will still have 1200 kilograms left after the swap.

New Scientist 18th May 2010 more >>

Iran has signed a nuclear fuel swap deal with Turkey and Brazil in a major diplomatic coup that threatens to derail U.S. efforts to strengthen sanctions against Tehran

Daily Mail 18th May 2010 more >>

Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, said that the world’s major powers had agreed “strong draft” United Nations sanctions against Iran.

Telegraph 19th May 2010 more >>

Solar

The United States could position itself as the global leader in producing utility-scale solar power from its vast deserts, with immediate and appropriate government support, a new report from the International Energy Agency says.

Guardian 17th May 2010 more >>