Waste Transport
A NUCLEAR cargo boat believed to be transporting the first of 21 shipments of radioactive waste to Belgium has left Scrabster. The Atlantic Osprey arrived at the port early on Thursday evening to pick up a consignment of intermediate level-waste from Dounreay for dispatch to the BR2 reactor in Mol. The vessel is heading for Antwerp from where the load will be taken by road to the research reactor. The movements, which has been sanctioned by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, involve 153 tonnes of nuclear waste being shipped to the continent over a four year period. Under the tie-up with the state-owned Belgian research reactor, spent fuel was sent to Dounreay where it was converted into fresh stocks and returned to produce medical isotopes. A total of 123 drums are due to be dispatched as part of the return-to-sender condition. Protestors against the sea transportation of nuclear waste have criticised the Atlantic Osprey claiming it is not fit for purpose to carry out the work.
John O Groat Journal 31st Aug 2012 more >>
A NUCLEAR cargo boat was expected to arrive at Scrabster early yesterday evening on a mission to transport a consignment of nuclear waste from Dounreay to the continent. Special security measures will accompany the loading of the radioactive cargo aboard the Atlantic Osprey at the ports deep-water Queen Elizabeth pier. Protestors also claim that the Atlantic Osprey is unfit for the job of transporting nuclear material as it is not designed to withstand a collision or fend off a terrorist attack. Independent nuclear consultant Shaun Burnie yesterday said the cargo vessel was not designed to carry out the delivery of nuclear waste, describing the ship as a “rustbucket”. In March 2011, the ship suffered a fire in its engine room on the Manchester Ship Canal during sea trials. Mr Burnie also said he was against the movement of nuclear waste by sea, saying that the Belgian waste could easily be stored at Dounreay. “The nuclear industry doesnt seem to know what to do with waste so it dumps it in places such as Dounreay and the justification is for commercial benefit and the waste would go back,” he said. “Some of the waste is going back but some of it will remain at Dounreay forever. “Any transportation at sea involves hazard but the Atlantic Osprey has had a poor record at sea where it has experienced engine failures, fires and cases of drifting at sea. “Two years ago, the French authorities said that they did not want the ship being used for nuclear transport after delivering a cargo of plutonium. “It doesnt mean that there will be an accident but there is a risk and the question is how justified is the transport?” Edinburgh-based Mr Burnie added: “From an environmental aspect, there isnt a disposal facility in Belgium, although there has been research looking into building a facility at Mol.
John O Groat Journal 31st Aug 2012 more >>
EDF
The US nuclear regulator has taken the unusual step of denying a licence to EDF of France to build and operate a new reactor at Calvert Cliffs in Maryland, in the latest blow to hopes of an American nuclear renaissance. The Atomic Safety and Licensing Board, part of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, denied the application on the grounds that foreign companies, such as EDF, are not allowed to control US nuclear plants. That has always been the position under US regulations but EDF, one of a dwindling number of companies still interested in building new reactors in the US, had been hoping to keep its licence application alive on the grounds that it was looking for an American partner in the project.
FT 31st Aug 2012 more >>
Scotland’s two nuclear power stations are opening their doors to the public for the first time since the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US in 2001. A new visitor centre is being opened on Friday at Hunterston B, near West Kilbride, in North Ayrshire. Operator EDF Energy plans to open a similar facility at the Torness plant, in East Lothian, later this year. The Hunterston facility will open daily from 09:00 until 16:00 and offer guided tours and “hands-on” displays. The visitor centre at Hunterston is the first to be opened at EDF Energy’s UK plants.
BBC 31st Aug 2012 more >>
Sellafield
Sellafield is retendering a £1.4bn contract to design and build a large and complex treatment plant for nuclear waste at the Cumbrian site. The Silos Direct Encapsulation Plant (SDEP) mixes nuclear waste with cement to form a material which is safe for storage. In a statement Sellafield said it had carried out a review of the design, construction and cost of the (SDEP) to make sure that our acquisition strategies deliver value for money. Sellafield said that as a result it had decided to re-compete the design, construction and inactive commissioning contracts. Sellafield said the existing contractors, Vinci and Nuvia, would continue to work on preliminary design and other work during the re-competition period.
Building 28th Aug 2012 more >>
Energy Costs
The Government’s green taxes and other energy initiatives have added at least £35 to the average household fuel bill in the last two years, new analysis published this week revealed. The figures have prompted worries that more families will be pushed into fuel poverty and be forced to choose whether they heat or eat this winter. The amount of the average home energy bill set aside for environmental and social supplier obligations has almost doubled from an average of £56.50 a year in February 2010 to £91.50 now, according to Ofgem figures. Mark Todd of Energyhelpline.com said Government policies are a big factor in soaring energy bills and the situation is set to get worse.
Independent 1st September 2012 more >>
Japan
Fukushima Crisis update 28th to 30th Aug 2012.
Greenpeace International 31st August 2012 more >>
Iran
Iran’s first atomic power plant, a symbol of what the Islamic Republic says is its peaceful nuclear ambition, is now operating at full capacity, Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom said on Friday. The Russian-built 1,000-megawatt reactor near the Gulf city of Bushehr, was plugged into Iran’s national grid last September, ending years of delays and suspicions that Moscow was using the project as a diplomatic lever.
Reuters 31st Aug 2012 more >>
An Israeli strike would come too late to crush Irans nuclear programme, according to Americas top military chief. General Martin Dempsey said such an attack would clearly delay but probably not destroy Tehrans nuclear ambitions.
Daily Mail 31st Aug 2012 more >>
North Korea
North Korea has made significant progress in the construction of a light water atomic reactor over the past year, a U.N. watchdog report said.
Engineering & Technology Mag 31st Aug 2012 more >>
Trust 31st Aug 2012 more >>
US
Guards at a U.S. government plant for storing weapons-grade uranium failed to spot activists, including an 82-year-old nun, who cut through its fences until they walked up to an officer’s car and surrendered, an official report said on Friday.
Trust 31st Aug 2012 more >>
San Francisco based engineering, construction and project management company, Bechtel has responded to a memo that questioned the company’s ability to safely design the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP), which will treat 56 million gallons of radioactive waste. The facility also known as the Vit (vitrification) Plant will process radioactive waste currently stored in underground tanks in Washington State. The Hanford Waste Treatment Plant is one of the world’s largest and most expensive environmental remediation projects. According to a the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability (ANA) the current plant is the fourth attempt to build a treatment facility to convert radioactive waste into glass at the Hanford site.
Waste Management World 31st Aug 2012 more >>
Pakistan
The Pakistani scientist who sold nuclear secrets to Iran, North Korea and Libya, may try his hand at politics to rescue a country he says has become worse than a banana republic. Abdul Qadeer Khan, still lionised as the father of Pakistan’s atomic bomb despite his fall from grace in 2004, may have some appeal ahead of elections due next year. Many Pakistanis are deeply frustrated with their leaders over everything from chronic power cuts to their strategic ties with the United States, and they might welcome someone seen as a national hero on the political stage.
Trust 31st Aug 2012 more >>
Trident
Letter John Ainslie: Ian Davidson is correct when he says that Trident can’t just be moved to an alternative site in England or Wales. However his suggestion that the fleet could find a new home abroad is misleading (“Nuclear claim over separate Scotland”, The Herald, August 30). The Ministry of Defence might look at some of the last corners of the British empire, such as Diego Garcia. It has its selling points. Adverts showing submariners relaxing on a tropical island could be broadcast to counter the Navy’s recruitment problem. But in practice Diego Garcia is a non-starter. The UK effectively sold the island to the US in exchange for Polaris in 1963. The US was then allowed to expand the airfield in the 1980s, in return for supplying the Trident system to Britain. We could hardly ask for the island back on the grounds that we need it for our nuclear submarines. It is too small to accommodate both a US airbase and a British nuclear depot. In any case, as the 1963 Polaris shortlist shows, remote islands are not suitable locations for a nuclear-armed submarine base. The more closely you look at the options for Trident, the more you become aware of how the future of the British nuclear weapons programme lies in the hands of the people of Scotland.
Herald 1st Sept 2012 more >>
Letter SNP Councillor: I note that Ian Davidson MP shares the CND view that closure of Faslane and Coulport would enforce unilateral nuclear disarmament on England too. The solution is for Scotland to grant England a 49-year lease of Faslane. The Irish Free State gave naval bases to England in 1921. So did Cyprus after independence. Scotland must use Faslane as a key bargaining chip in independence negotiations. A 49-year renewable lease would allow England to remain a nuclear power, thereby retaining her permanent seat on the UN Security Council. This would strengthen our “social union” with England. It would also avoid Scotland clashing with the US, as Washington values the UK vote on the Security Council and the useful political cover of being seen to have allies in foreign policy. For the SNP, strengthened with a pro-Nato policy, renting Faslane would remove pressure from London and Washington in the run up to the referendum. Those who want an independent Scottish state must remember that all states follow interests, rather than principles.
Herald 1st Sept 2012 more >>
Renewables
RenewableUK, the trade and professional body for the wind and marine energy industries, has warmly welcomed the news that EDP Renewables and Repsol’s Moray Firth projects (Telford, Stevenson and MacColl) have entered the planning system. The capacity of these projects, off the north east coast of Scotland, adds up to 1.5GW – enough to power between 800,000 and 1 million homes. These are the first projects in The Crown Estate’s Round Three leases to enter the planning system. RenewableUK expects a further 4.5GW of power to be submitted this year, in line with The Crown Estate’s ambition that Round Three planning applications should start in 2012. It’s expected that first power will being achieved from a Round Three project in 2015.
Renewable UK 31st Aug 2012 more >>
The world’s biggest offshore windfarm could be built off the northern Scottish coast, after a scheme with enough capacity to power 40% of Scottish households was submitted for planning permission. The £4.5bn complex would have 339 turbines covering 300 square kilometres off Caithness, making it 50% bigger than the giant London Array scheme off Kent. It is expected to be the first in a series of deep water schemes under “Round 3” licensing.
Guardian 31st Aug 2012 more >>
BBC 31st Aug 2012 more >>
Microgeneration
This weeks Micro Power News.
Microgen Scotland 31st Aug 2012 more >>
