Nuclear Research
The Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre has signed a lease for two units at the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham. Operations director for the Nuclear AMRC Steve Court has signed a lease with the UK Strategic Partnership for two units of a total area of 16,000sq ft at the AMP near Rotherham. The deal includes a 13,500sq ft workshop unit in the AMP’s Evolution development, and a 3,000sq ft office and research and development suite within the AMP Technology Centre, both of which Nuclear AMRC hopes to move in to and fit out as soon as possible. R&D work will focus on precision machining, welding and inspection processes for the nuclear new build industry. The Nuclear AMRC, a joint initiative between the University of Sheffield, the University of Manchester and industrial partners, hopes to employ 25 people in the first few months of operations, while the total final headcount should approach 100. Initial work has begun on a 80,000sq ft purpose-built home for the Nuclear AMRC on the AMP, due to complete in late 2011.
The Manufacturer 9th Apr 2010 more >>
Sizewell
Repair work is still continuing at Sizewell B nuclear power station following a fault that caused it to be taken off line. Sizewell B, near Leiston in Suffolk, carried out a controlled manual shutdown last month when higher than normal moisture levels were detected in a containment building. It remains shut down but EDF Energy, which runs the facility, said they are pleased with the progress so far.
Eastern Daily Press 8th Apr 2010 more >>
Hinkley
ENERGY giant EDF will take on 10,000 employees as it prepares for the nuclear power station building revolution, it recently revealed. Over the next five years the French company plans to embark on a major recruitment drive, taking on thousands of scientists, engineers and technicians as it builds two new reactors at Hinkley Point in West Somerset and two more at Sizewell, Suffolk. EDF, formerly Electricite de France, hopes Hinkley Point will be producing power by 2017-18, followed by Sizewell two years later.
Somerset County Gazette 9th Apr 2010 more >>
Bradwell
The three main candidates campaigning to represent Maldon in Essex are all in favour of redeveloping the site of a disused power station if a new round of nuclear reactors are built.
BBC 9th Apr 2010 more >>
EPR
Nuclear safety authorities in four countries are assessing the significance of undocumented welding on primary circuit piping for the EPR reactor under construction at Olkiluoto-3, Petteri Tiippana, director of the nuclear reactor regulation department at the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority STUK, told Platts in an interview Thursday. But Tiippana said that contrary to a statement made Wednesday by Marie-Pierre Comets, a commissioner of French nuclear safety authority ASN, regulators from Finland, France, the UK and the US are not preparing a joint statement on the piping quality issue.
Platts 8th Apr 2010 more >>
Low Level Waste
A staggering 56,000m3 a year of radioactive waste from decommissioned nuclear plants is planned for Keekle Head and Lillyhall in Cumbria. Local councillors have opposed – but radwaste is already coming to Lillyhall landfill from for example Magnox North at Chapelcross at the rate of 26000m3 a year. Radiation Free Lakeland say : the nuclear industry is sticking two fingers up to Cumbria – while masquerading as “green” – there is an unfathomable void between nuclear power and the truth.
Indymedia 9th Apr 2010 more >>
Uranium Waste
Greenpeace activists have been on the frontlines all week attempting to stop the shipment of nuclear waste from France to Russia. Despite attempts from the nuclear industry to silence us, our activists continue to nonviolently resist the transport of nuclear waste.
Greenpeace International 9th Apr 2010 more >>
Israel
Relations between Israel and the US took another turn for the worsetoday after the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, cancelled a trip to Washington next week amid reports that Barack Obama’s administration is seriously considering a Plan B for a Middle East peace settlement.
Guardian 10th Apr 2010 more >>
Israel, whose prime minister withdrew Friday from next week’s US-hosted nuclear summit, is viewed as the sixth country to have acquired nuclear weapons — a title it has neither denied nor confirmed. Analysts at British defence specialists Jane’s believe the Jewish state has between 100 and 300 nuclear warheads, putting them among the more advanced nuclear weapons states and roughly on a par with Britain.
Middle East Online 9th Apr 2010 more >>
Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, will not be attending next week’s nuclear summit in Washington. According to Israeli officials, he pulled out of the meeting after “learning that Egypt and Turkey may have been planning to use his appearance at the conference to call on Israel to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) and to open its nuclear facilities to international inspection”.
Guardian 9th Apr 2010 more >>
Proliferation
President Barack Obama’s nuclear security summit approaches, Israel’s prime minister withdraws from the conference and Iran says it has new faster centrifuges for uranium enrichment work.
Reuters 9th Apr 2010 more >>
Italy
Enel, EDF and Ansaldo Energia have signed an agreement for the development of nuclear power plants in Italy based on the Evolutionary Pressurised Reactor (EPR) design.
The Engineer 9th Apr 2010 more >>
Iran
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, taunting the United States for trying to halt Iran’s nuclear programme, unveiled a new centrifuge on Friday which officials said would enrich uranium much faster then existing models.
STV 9th Apr 2010 more >>
Independent 10th Apr 2010 more >>
Trident
The US-Russia pact offers Britain a chance to delay any decision on renewing its nuclear deterrent rather than pushing ahead with an expensive plan to replace a fleet of Trident submarines, analysts said. Such a move, opposed only by the Liberal Democrats, would lock Britain into at least another three decades of keeping a full-time at-sea deterrent in contrast with disarmament efforts championed by President Obama. “The more momentum President Obama generates on disarmament, the more out of place the immediate decision to renew Trident will look,” Ian Kearns, a senior Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, told The Times. “It’s about exploring options for delaying the UK decision for another five years in order to save money and signal UK support for Obama’s agenda.”
Times 9th Apr 2010 more >>
