1 July 2010

New Nukes

Government’s climate watchdog says ‘good progress’ being made towards new nuclear but renewable sector needs major investment if UK is to meet emissions targets. It expects three new nuclear stations by 2022.

Ecologist 30th June 2010 more >>

Faithful+Gould, part of the Atkins engineering design group, has been awarded a professional services consultancy agreement by EDF Energy to support its UK Nuclear New Build Project. The initial three year contract, worth in the region of £3 million, will see Faithful+Gould providing quantity surveyor and contract management support during the project’s procurement.

Atkins 29th June 2010 more >>

New Civil Engineer 30th June 2010 more >>

Decommissioning

Decommissioning work at a nuclear power station could be speeded up if plans are given the go-ahead by the new coalition government in Westminster.

Magnox North is looking at ways to finish removing “legacy” waste early from the former power station at Trawsfynydd, Gwynedd. The aim is to be off the site by 2014 rather than 2022 as currently expected, by switching to 24-hour waste removal. The plan has to pass the UK government’s autumn spending review.

A spokesman for Magnox North scheme said its Trawsfynydd Optimised Plan or Top scheme was based on slowing down non-essential work at other Magnox legacy sites to concentrate on decommissioning work at Trawsfynydd and Bradwell in Essex.

BBC 1st July 2010 more >>

Nuclear Research

A £20M nuclear research centre has been given the go-ahead at Westlakes, creating 40 jobs. Copeland planners approved plans for the centre, by the University of Manchester, at Westlakes Science and Technology Park, near Whitehaven. Building work is expected to start in the autumn on the 2,000 square-metre facility and within 12 months time, 40 staff and postgraduate researchers will move on to the site.

Whitehaven News 30th June 2010 more >>

Carlisle News & Star 30th June 2010 more >>

Proliferation

Shipments of illegal nuclear and weapons-building material have been intercepted in Dubai and other ports in the United Arab Emirates, local authorities have admitted. In the last week, the authorities have staged raids on dozens of firms regarded as fronts for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in Dubai, and frozen 41 Iran-linked bank accounts.

Telegraph 1st July 2010 more >>

Middle East Online 30th June 2010 more >>

Nuclear Submarines

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by the Queen’s Harbour Master Portsmouth that a Nuclear Powered Submarine will visit Portsmouth Harbour between the 5th and the 12th of July 2010

All at Sea 30th June 2010 more >>

US - Yucca Mountain

A three-judge panel at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission revived plans for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump at least temporarily when it rejected the Department of Energy’s request to withdraw the application for the project.

Oil Price 30th June 2010 more >>

America’s two-decade old proposal to store high level nuclear waste in a mountain in Nevada just will not die.

Geologists, local senators, and President Barack Obama have all tried to kybosh plans to build a waste storage facility inside Yucca Mountain. But yesterday three judges from the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board, part of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), ruled that Obama doesn’t have the power to kill the Yucca dream. He cannot overrule the act passed by Congress in 1982 that specified the mountain as the resting place for waste from nuclear power plants across America, they said.

Nature 30th June 2010 more >>

Energy Efficiency

Chris Huhne, the Energy and Climate Change Secretary, said the next period of the CERT scheme, from March 2011 to December 2012, will force energy companies to only use more tried and tested methods. Already the mail out of light bulbs has been banned and he said the promotion of the compact fluorescent (CFLs) in supermarkets would also be ruled out. Most insulation will have to be carried out by professionals, rather than leaving it to households to do it themselves. Mr Huhne said forcing energy companies to be more efficient will ensure 3.5 million homes will be insulated over the next period of CERT.

Telegraph 1st July 2010 more >>

Green Investmnent Bank

With a focus on large, utility scale project financing activity and no mention of energy market reform or the independent small and medium enterprises (SME) sector, the GIB Commission seems in danger of falling into the same traps as previous energy market incentives: thinking big is beautiful and handing over yet more public money to large multi-national utilities.

Telegraph 1st July 2010 more >>