13 June 2010

New Nukes

There will be more contentious issues ahead, not least the question of nuclear energy, which threatens to cause early friction within the Coalition. Huhne insists that he has never been “an ideological ayatollah” on the subject, but he is no friend of the industry and he has already confirmed that there will be no government subsidy for it. “If people want to invest in it then there will be new nuclear power stations [but] no public subsidy: on that we’re agreed,” he said. “That’s a highly credible commitment given the state of the public finances.” And, while he looks forward to a “green tax shift” in future budgets, he accepts that his chances of tackling global warming are threatened by the naysayers with whom he now shares the government benches. “There are climate-change sceptics on the Conservative benches and I am aware that I have to work hard to keep them on board,” he said. “The key point is that they are also receptive to the arguments about energy security.”

Independent on Sunday 13th June 2010 more >>

Sizewell

The UK’s only PWR will remain offline for at least the rest of June, according to British Energy. The 1250MW Sizewell B station was taken offline on 17 March because of high moisture levels in the containment building.

Nuclear Engineering International 11th June 2010 more >>

Supply Chain

Steel sales into the nuclear power generation market are poised to grow in the next decade with a select group of North American distributors standing to capitalize as certified suppliers.

Metal Bulletin 12th June 2010 more >>

France

A French wine that shared its name with a nearby problem-plagued nuclear power plant on Wednesday won the right to change its designation. The Tricastin wines of southern France will now be known as the Grignan-Les Adhemar, according to a ruling from the powerful INAO agency tasked with regulating French agricultural products.

Independent on Sunday 13th June 2010 more >>