4 July 2010

Nuclear Subsidy

THE government’s energy minister has been forced to deny allegations his “prejudice” over nuclear power contributed to the cancellation of an £80m loan to build plant components. The loan to Sheffield Forgemasters to support the civil nuclear supply chain was announced by the former Labour government before the election, but fell victim to the review of spending decisions taken since January.

NW Evening Mail 3rd July 2010 more >>

NDA

The six-figure salaries of 160 bosses of taxpayer-supported quangos were published today in the latest part of a Government transparency drive. Among other sizeable deals enjoyed by the 160 employees named was £369,999 for Tony Fountain, chief executive of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. And that excluded a £70,810 allowance in lieu of pension or £91,000 “assistance with relocation costs”, the Cabinet Office data showed.

Wales Online 2nd July 2010 more >>

Sizewell

ENGINEERS were today starting to assess the damage after a blaze at Sizewell B power station. Six fire crews and two support units well called to the power site at 8.44pm last night after receiving reports that a fire had broken out in a charcoal bed of an extractor plant. On arrival the blaze was found at the 21-metre level of the second floor of the fuel building.

EADT 2nd July 2010 more >>

BBC 3rd July 2010 more >>

A power company could lose tens of millions of pounds if problems at the Sizewell B nuclear power station force it to remain closed until September. Owners EDF Energy have confirmed that the station, which closed at the end of March after higher-than-average moisture levels were recorded in the containment building, is not expected to be up and running until the third quarter of 2010.

Engineers from across the world are working to repair the damage and while EDF has refused to comment on how much money might be lost in electricity sales, it has been suggested that the power station could lose up to £350,000 a day.

Nucbiz 3rd July 2010 more >>

Hinkley

A final demonstration against plans to install overhead high voltage power lines across Somerset up to the outskirts of Bristol has taken place. People living along the proposed route between Hinkley Point and Avonmouth protested outside National Grid’s last public consultation meeting.

BBC 3rd July 2010 more >>

Energy giant EDF will this week unveil plans to create 5,000 jobs in the West Country and generate £500m of investment thanks to Britain’s biggest nuclear plant. At least 500 firms in Somerset are expected to win contracts to help build two huge reactors on the site of an old Magnox nuclear power station. The project at Hinkley Point will employ up to 5,000 on site during construction and will create 900 permanent jobs during its expected 60 years of operation. Two massive 1.6 gigawatt reactors at the site will provide one sixth of Britain’s electricity needs, creating enough power to light up five million homes.

This is Money 3rd July 2010 more >>

Mail on Sunday 4th July 2010 more >>

Green Investment Bank

Now, the only banking he’s interested in is coloured green. Last week, the Green Investment Bank Commission, which Wigley has chaired since December, published a report aimed at finding ways of funding the infrastructure Britain needs if it is to cut 80pc of its carbon emissions by 2050. His report proposes the abolition of nine low-carbon quangos and the creation of a green investment bank to help promote financing for renewable energy projects. Among the initiatives envisaged are green Individual Savings Accounts and green bonds, invested in the debt of carbon reduction infrastructure projects. Wigley, who drives a diesel people carrier, is no eco-warrior, though he’s considering installing a geo-thermal heat generator and photovoltaic panels, which capture solar energy, at his Hampshire home. But he says he’s become passionate about what needs to be done to green up Britain, saying that the £50bn a year the nation needs to spend if it is to meet its carbon reduction targets is 25pc more than its annual education budget and 25pc more than the yearly NHS wage bill.

Sunday Telegraph 4th July 2010 more >>

Chernobyl

Nearly a quarter of a century after the nuclear reactor at Chernobyl in the Ukraine exploded and spewed radioactivity across the world, it has finally stopped making Scottish sheep too hot to eat. For the first time levels of radioactive contamination in sheep on all Scottish farms dropped below safety limits last month, enabling the government’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) to lift restrictions on farmers. Controls on the movement and sale of sheep have been in force since after the accident in 1986.

Sunday Herald, 4 July 2010 more >>

robedwards.com, 4, July 2010 more >>