New Nukes
Prime Minister David Cameron pays lip service to renewables but cannot compare with, for instance, Germany, which has pushed up its share of renewable energy production from 3.6 per cent of electricity generation in 1990 to 25 per cent by this year. Denmark has been even more impressive, with renewable energy production hitting 40 per cent of power generation this year. Cameron speaks with forked tongue, declaring "passionate" support for renewables, while undermining the case for them by insisting that they must be "financially sustainable," which would prove an insurmountable hurdle for nuclear power. Politicians should move beyond the unpredictability and danger of the nuclear age and embrace fully the case for renewables.
Morning Star 31st Oct 2012 more >>
Environmentalists clashed with unions yesterday following Japanese engineering giant Hitachi’s announcement that it has signed a £700 million deal to build the next generation of nuclear power plants. Unions hailed the deal as evidence of continued confidence in Britain’s nuclear programme and a potential source of thousands of new jobs. But environmentalists warned that Hitachi’s role in designing the disaster-stricken Fukushima power plant in Japan should convince the government to abandon nuclear power for good. The goal of re-establishing a substantial and exportable UK civil nuclear industry came a step closer yesterday as British companies were placed at the heart of a deal to build up to six new power stations.
Morning Star 31st Oct 2012 more >>
The goal of re-establishing a substantial and exportable UK civil nuclear industry came a step closer yesterday as British companies were placed at the heart of a deal to build up to six new power stations.
Engineer 31st Oct 2012 more >>
ONR
A report published today by the Office for Nuclear Regulation confirms that UK industry and other stakeholders have responded well to the lessons learned from Fukushima Dai-ichi, but there is always more work to do. The independent nuclear safety and civil nuclear security regulator has conducted a thorough review of progress made in responding to the recommendations made by the UK chief nuclear inspector, Mike Weightman, in his report to Government, and to the outcomes of ‘stress tests’ reviews.
ONR 31st Oct 2012 more >>
The graphite moderator of the UK’s gas-cooled reactors fulfils key safety functions. For the advanced gas-cooled reactors operating in the UK, its continued use presents a challenge for both the nuclear industry and the regulator. Laurence Poulter, a nuclear inspector at the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), explains why it’s vital to monitor the continued use of graphite as reactors reach the end of their planned operation.
ONR 31st Oct 2012 more >>
The Office for Nuclear Regulation today issued new security guidance to the civil nuclear industry in a move which Adrian Freer, the ONR Deputy Chief Inspector responsible for civil nuclear security regulation, describes as a ‘new chapter’ for the industry.
ONR 29th Oct 2012 more >>
The Office for Nuclear Regulation has published notes of a public meeting between ONR and communities neighbouring Hinkley Point A, B and the proposed C nuclear power stations.
ONR 29th Oct 2012 more >>
Radwaste
The All Party Committee of Cumbrian MPs announced today that they expect to be hearing evidence on the implications for nuclear repository in Cumbria in November. The committee consists of Rory Stewart MP, John Stephenson MP, Tim Farron MP, John Woodcock MP, Jamie Reed MP and Tony Cunningham MP. Rory Stewart MP said: "Very large numbers of constituents have raised concerns about safety and safety is paramount. Equally the nuclear industry is the backbone of the West Cumbrian economy and so we are keen to support. We would therefore like to invite representatives from both sides of the argument and have the opportunity to hear about the geology and safety of repositories and plans for nuclear expansion."
Cumbria 24, 24th Oct 2012 more >>
A letter to Tim Farron has been sent asking who called for the all party Committee of MPs to look into nuclear waste. Jamie Reed MP accusingly suggests that opposing voices are funded from outside Cumbria. There is NO “outside funding” for opposition groups, the scientists who are blowing the whistle are not being funded by the taxpayer but out of their own purse and from those ordinary people in Cumbria who do not want to be poisoned. It is of increasing concern that those bodies such as Cumbria Tourism, Friends of the Lake District and the Lake District National Park who should not only be funding but leading the opposition, are going along with the plan. The only concerns being raised are how to protect the brand! For goodness sake, protecting Cumbria would be a good start.
Radiation Free Lakeland 31st Oct 2012 more >>
Lawrence Willams’ appointment as chair of CoRWM starts today. As well as the chair seven other members of CoRWM are stepping down. New members are expected to be appointed soon. In the meantime no plenary meetings have been scheduled yet.
CoRWM Bulletin 31st Oct 2012 more >>
Westinghouse
FYLDE nuclear workers have been dealt a blow after missing out on a £700m deal. But bosses at the Springfields at Salwick have vowed to fight on after the contract to build and run two new power stations, known as the Horizon Nuclear Power project, went to a rival firm. Hitachi of Japan beat Springfields’ owners Westinghouse to the deal and will be in charge of the power stations at Wylfa, Anglesey and Oldbury in Glocestershire.
Blackpool Gazette 31st Oct 2012 more >>
Wylfa
Officials from Japanese firm Hitachi have visited Anglesey after taking on a project to build a new nuclear power station on the island. The Horizon development aims to build a £8bn replacement for the Wylfa plant. Up to 6,000 jobs could be created while the new reactors are built. The officials met local groups and politicians in Llangefni after the announcement of the £700m deal which includes a plan to build a nuclear station at Oldbury, Gloucestershire.
BBC 31st Oct 2012 more >>
North Wales Chronicle 31st Oct 2012 more >>
President of Hitachi, Hirokai Nakanishi, said the move to build the new station on Anglesey marked the beginning of a 100-year commitment by the Japanese company to the UK. Hitachi will also build a new nuclear power station at Oldbury in Gloucestershire, just four miles from Chepstow, which will also create up to 7,000 jobs.
Power Engineering 31st Oct 2012 more >>
Hinkley
More than 1,000 Somerset businesses have now signed up as potential suppliers to the multi-billion pound power station project planned at Hinkley Point.
Western Daily Press 1st Nov 2012 more >>
Thorium
Thorium, the "other" nuclear fuel, could be the basis of an entirely new nuclear industry that is clean, green, low-cost, and intrinsically resistant to the production of nuclear weapons. Such is the bold claim made by many of thorium’s committed band of advocates. But following my own examination of the technology, I am forced to the very opposite conclusion: LFTRs could be used as highly efficient factories for very pure fissile material eminently suitable for bomb making. Furthermore, it is my belief—based on the facts set out here—that funding may have been cut because the widespread deployment of LFTRs would create an enormous proliferation hazard.
WMD Junction 31st Oct 2012 more >>
Nuclear R&D
Sheffield University’s Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (Nuclear AMRC) has received a Regional Growth Fund award of £37.1m to support its large-scale programme of supplier development and manufacturing research.
Engineer 1st Nov 2012 more >>
Europe
In the first evidence session of their new inquiry, the House of Lords Agriculture, Fisheries, Environment and Energy EU Sub-Committee will be speaking to EU climate and energy policy experts on Wednesday 31 October: Mr Stephen Tindale, Associate Fellow, Centre for European Reform; Herr Karsten Neuhoff, Head of Climate Policy at the German Institute for Economic Research, DIW Berlin
House of Lords 31st Oct 2012 more >>
Finland
EON AG’s plan to pull out of a joint venture that’s building a nuclear reactor in Finland increases the risk that the project may fail, thwarting the government’s plans to cut reliance on energy imports. EON, Germany’s biggest utility, is seeking to sell its 34 percent stake in Fennovoima Oy by the first quarter and focus on operations in Sweden and Denmark, it said on Oct. 24. Fennovoima is preparing to start construction on the reactor, with a capacity of 1,600 to 1,800 megawatts, at Pyhaejoki in northern Finland in late 2016.
Bloomberg 1st Nov 2012 more >>
Aldermaston
Britain’s nuclear weapons factory at Aldermaston in Berkshire has admitted to another safety incident involving the local fire service. On 16 August a problem during an acid experiment resulted in Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue being called to the site, which helps maintain the nuclear warheads for Trident missiles carried by Royal Naval submarines. The Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE), a group of three private companies that runs Aldermaston for the Ministry of Defence (MoD), has previously said that there have been 50 fires at Aldermaston and at the nearby Burghfield site in the last two years. But in a parliamentary answer earlier this month to the Green MP, Caroline Lucas, the MoD revealed that there had been an additional incident on 16 August 2012. It occurred during “a routine experiment” with acid samples, according to an AWE spokeswoman.
Rob Edwards 29th Oct 2012 more >>
Trident
Labour must make the counter arguments for rejection.
Michael Meacher 31st Oct 2012 more >>
Renewables
Plans for a massive hydro scheme in the Highlands’ tourist heartland have won councillors’ backing – despite objectors claiming it would bring years of misery. SSE Renewables’ £800million project at Coire Glas, above Loch Lochy in the Great Glen, would be the largest in Scotland if it gets final approval. It would be the first new pump-storage hydro-electric scheme to be built in the UK for 28 years.
P&J 31st Oct 2012 more >>
Every time you think British energy policy can’t get any more ridiculously disorientating, another curve ball appears. I know it is already a cliché to liken the real-life goings on in Whitehall with the fictitious events of The Thick of It, but John Hayes’ catastrophic intervention on wind farm policy would make even Peter Mannion blush. It now looks increasingly clear that what happened was this: Hayes was due to give a speech to the annual RenewableUK conference in Scotland, but having seen the hostility of his planned comments, energy and climate change secretary Ed Davey ordered him to not be so stupid and pull the section in which he declared "enough is enough" for onshore wind farms. However, somehow the key comments found their way to the Mail and the Telegraph (it is unclear if Hayes had sent them before Davey’s intervention or completely defied his boss and leaked them after he was told not to use them), both of which duly gave them the front page treatment. Having seen two of the UK’s biggest papers trumpet the "death knell of wind farms", Davey went ballistic, Lib Dem sources briefed that Hayes had been very "silly", and a statement was issued reiterating that the government had in no way changed its wind energy policy. Just to ensure his humiliation was complete, it was even made clear that Hayes had been talking absolute cobblers when suggesting DECC’s review of onshore wind would look at impacts on landscape and property prices. Then the prime pinister weighed in at Prime Ministers Questions and made everything as clear as mud once again, insisting there had been no change in wind energy policy, but hinting that things could change once current plans have been delivered.
Business Green 31st Oct 2012 more >>
The fallout from Energy Minister John Hayes’ attack on onshore wind policy has continued with coalition colleagues publicly criticising his declaration that "enough is enough" when it comes to onshore wind farm development. The tensions within the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) over renewable energy policy were laid bare yesterday, as Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey reiterated that he was in charge of renewable energy strategy and Tory PPS Laura Sandys aimed thinly veiled criticism at those colleagues who are guilty of the "vilification" of wind energy. Speaking at the annual meeting of the Parliamentary Renewable and Sustainable Energy Group (PRASEG), Davey responded to questions about Hayes’ comments to the Daily Mail and Telegraph attacking onshore wind farms by stressing that he had specifically taken control of renewable energy strategy following the new Energy Minister’s appointment.
Business Green 1st Nov 2012 more >>
David Cameron has suggested government backing for renewable energy may be up for debate beyond 2020, compounding his Energy Minister’s mixed messages on energy policy.
Business Green 31st Oct 2012 more >>
Telegraph 31st Oct 2012 more >>
Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey has issued a stinging rebuke to junior Energy Minister John Hayes over his declared opposition to the continued expansion of onshore wind farms in the UK.
Business Green 31st Oct 2012 more >>
DECC 31st Oct 2012 more >>
A group of climate change protesters who have shut down the UK’s newest gas plant and scaled the chimneys have this morning responded to comments by Tory energy minister John Hayes. Mr Hayes told newspapers that the Government intends to end onshore wind farm development. Anneka Kelly, one of the campaigners from the group No Dash for Gas who broke into the West Burton plant on Monday, said from the top of a 300ft smokestack: “John Hayes’ outburst make us more determined than ever to stay up here and keep this gas plant closed. If he succeeds in killing the UK wind industry he’ll put people out of work, put carbon emissions up and do nothing to bring down energy bills. It’s becoming clear that Tory ministers are fixated on building gas plants like this one, while destroying a proven clean technology industry. We have to stop them before the UK becomes reliant on a highly-polluting and increasingly expensive fuel for decades to come. Just look at what Hurricane Sandy wrought on America’s east coast. The stakes are high, we can’t let the Tory dinosaurs win.”
No dash for gas 31st Oct 2012 more >>
Lord Heseltine, the Conservative former cabinet minister, has warned that the energy sector cannot gain access to a "wall of money" from investors until the government clarifies its policies after months of indecision and infighting. His comments were made as coalition infighting over onshore wind farms resurfaced after John Hayes, a new Tory energy minister, appeared to signal the end of such projects. David Cameron was forced to defend the coalition’s green record during the weekly prime minister’s questions session, saying it had overseen more new renewable power in two years than Labour had in 13. Mr Hayes had implied an end to new wind power projects, saying "enough is enough" and that it was "extraordinary" that so many turbines had been "peppered" around the country, often against the wishes of locals. Within hours Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat e nergy secretary, had slapped down his junior minister, saying there was no imminent policy change on wind power.
FT 31st Oct 2012 more >>
Investment in renewable power worth tens of billions of pounds to the UK economy, capable of creating thousands of new jobs, has been thrown into doubt by another coalition dispute over energy policy, ignited by the Tory energy minister’s rejection of new windfarm developments.
Guardian 31st Oct 2012 more >>
Independent 31st Oct 2012 more >>
Telegraph 31st Oct 2012 more >>
At the core of the John Hayes intervention on wind turbines was his claim that "even if a minority of [the onshore wind] in the system is built we are going to reach our 2020 target [on renewable energy, to provide 15% of UK energy from renewable sources]". UK wind energy statistics seem to support this. In its renewables roadmap, the government predicts that onshore wind could provide up to 13GW of peak capacity by 2020. On current trends, that figure will be comfortably exceeded. The UK already has 5GW of onshore wind in addition to 2.1GW under construction, 3.9GW with consent and 7.4GW in planning. These figures suggest that only 27% of what is in planning needs to be built to meet the projection – which should be easil y achievable, given that consents for wind farms over the past year are at record highs, according to the trade body RenewableUK. But the 13GW figure for wind is only a projection, not a target or cap. Ed Davey emphasised this in his clarification on Wednesday, stating: "There are no targets – or caps – for individual renewable technologies such as onshore wind." This is important because it means that if the projections for onshore wind are exceeded that will create slack in other areas such as offshore wind, marine energy, biomass and solar, all of which are included in the 2020 renewables target. If the UK ends up with more onshore wind and less of other renewable energy sources, that will save money. A series of recent reports have shown that onshore wind turbines are far cheaper than other mature renewable power sources – and indeed cheaper than nuclear. (Wind is still more expensive than gas, but the gap is closing.) It implies that the more onshore wind is b uilt, the lower the overall bill.
Guardian 31st Oct 2012 more >>
Though the Tory energy minister John Hayes caused controversy today by saying ‘enough is enough’ with wind power in the UK, Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond has signalled that Scotland will be keeping at the ‘forefront of the [green] sector’ by working towards an ‘interim’ target of producing 50 per cent of its electricity from renewable power by 2015. Speaking at the RenewableUK conference in Glasgow yesterday (30 October), Salmond revealed that the 2020 Renewables Routemap has been revised to include an ‘interim’ target for 50 per cent of Scotland’s electricity demand to be met from green power by 2015. It is hoped that this new target will encourage the sector to meet the 100 per cent target by 2020. The announcement comes after the Department of Energy and Climate Change found that Scotland met 35 per cent of its electricity demand from renewable ener gy in 2011, surpassing the original interim target for 2011 by four per cent.
Resource 31st Oct 2012 more >>
Utility Week 31st Oct 2012 more >>
Renewable Energy Magazine 31st Oct 2012 more >>
Herald 1st Nov 2012 more >>
Green Deal
Jenny Holland of the Association for Conservation of Energy points out the curious case of the disappearing carbon savings from Green Deal. Last year DECC added a new line in the annual ‘updated energy and emissions projections,’ relating to domestic ECO and Green Deal. This was the first year the line had appeared in the ‘non-traded savings from policy measures’ table, and a pretty sturdy new entrant it was. Savings will start in the second carbon budget at 3.0 megatonnes of CO2, rising to 9.5 mt in the third and 11.4 in the fourth budget, from 2023-2027. A mighty impressive total of 23.9 mts saved over three carbon budgets, and certainly a ringing endorsement of what might be projected as a worthwhile target for saving. But the 2012 projections show: 2013-17 budget; 1.5 mt CO2: 2018-22 budget 3.5 nt saving, and 2023 -27 4.9 mts. A not so impressive 9.9 mts overall. Not targets, but downgrading the non-targets by 70% in one year seems a little harsh, bearing in mind that, as of this moment nothing has actually happened on Green Deal yet. So maybe the scribes know something that we (and Greg Barker) don’t know.
Alan Whitehead MP 31st Oct 2012 more >>
