Sellafield
The public body in charge of Sellafield has tried to conceal evidence that it seriously underestimated the spiralling costs and delays of the biggest nuclear construction project in the UK. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), which is the legal owner of the reprocessing site in Cumbria, denied the original estimate for the “evaporator D” project was £90m when the The Independent revealed the true cost to be £400m or more in February. In a statement released at the time, the NDA said: “The original plan of an Evaporator D to be delivered by 2010 for £90m has never been accepted by NDA as credible and we have no ownership for those numbers.” However, the minutes of a 2008 NDA board meeting show nuclear executives had originally estimated the evaporator D’s costs to be about £100m. The minutes state: “In discussion, the substantial increase in costs from the original £100m to the current £360m was observed… and the project was about four years behind schedule.”
Independent 11th April 2012 more >>
New Nukes
The war of words between the pro- and anti-nuclear environmentalists shows no sign of ending, with those writers in favour George Monbiot, Mark Lynas, Fred Pearce and Stephen Tindale now slugging it out with those campaigning against Jonathon Porritt, Tom Burke, Tony Juniper and Charles Secrett. Everyone is pretending to be quite grown-up, polite and cool, but actually it’s getting vicious. Apart from a few gratuitous insults on either side, the dispute that has rumbled on for a few years has so far been largely technocratic and conducted with political and personal respect. In the latest skirmishes, the four former heads of Friends of the Earth (FoE) politely wrote to the prime minister advising him to drop nuclear power on cost and other grounds; whereupon the hacks also wrote to No 10 saying this advice undermined government climate change policy. Over the next month Porritt, Burke & co will issue four or five more intellectual blasts, and will convene a press conference, and we can expect the hacks to respond. Now, in an extraordinary exchange of emails between Monbiot and Theo Simon who is one half of the renowned radical protest band Seize the Day all opponents of nuclear power are said to have made their arguments “with levels of bullshit and junk science”. We are starting to get to the heart of what it means to be green today. One vision can justify a corrupt and odious state if it can make an odious technology work to overcome a terrible danger. The other argues that there are far better ways to achieve the same end without the resulting damage to society and the long-term dangers that the technology entails. The questions raised are profoundly difficult and need to be debated, but personal attacks are inflammatory and really help no one.
Guardian 10th April 2012 more >>
E-mails between George Monbiot & Theo Simon.
Guardian 10th April 2012 more >>
Japanese companies could help build nuclear power stations in Britain under a joint framework signed by David Cameron. The prime minister, who was on his first official visit to Japan, signed an agreement on Tuesday that opened Britain’s nuclear market up to “Japanese companies’ technical expertise in new plant design and construction”. In return, British companies will be called upon to help the ongoing clean-up at the Fukushima plant in the wake of last year’s earthquake and tsunami. The agreement said: “Japanese companies’ technical expertise in new plant design and construction, and the UK’s decommissioning and waste-management experience and technology make civil nuclear co-operation particularly mutually beneficial.”
Telegraph 11th April 2012 more >>
Particular areas noted for “mutually beneficial” cooperation included “Japanese companies’ technical expertise in new plant design and construction, and the UK’s decommissioning and waste-management experience and technology.” Former UK nuclear giant BNFL sold US-based Westinghouse to Toshiba some years ago and now that company’s AP1000 reactor design is one of two designs at a licensing stage that enables new build projects to move ahead. Meanwhile, opportunities for UK firms exist in contributing to the management, mitigation and clean-up of the effects of last year’s Fukushima accident.
World Nuclear News 10th April 2012 more >>
The UK and Japan today agreed a Framework on Civil Nuclear Cooperation, providing the basis for UK companies to engage in multi-billion pound decommissioning opportunities in Japan. Announced as part of Prime Minister David Camerons first official visit to Japan, the Framework also recognises the importance both countries attach to co-operation on wider nuclear issues.
DECC 10th April 2012 more >>
Construction Index 11th April 2012 more >>
Engineering & Technology 10th April 2012 more >>
Construction News 10th April 2012 more >>
Horizon
The Russian nuclear giant that built Chernobyl has confirmed interest in erecting generators in Britain. Kremlin-owned Rosatom is fundamentally the same group that built the Ukrainian reactors, one of which exploded in 1986. And fallout from the disaster contributed to almost 1m premature cancer deaths, a leading Russian study concluded in 2004. Now the Russian giant is turning its gaze towards Britain. In its sights are Wylfa on Anglesey and Oldbury in Gloucestershire.
This is Money 10th April 2012 more >>
Radwaste
Sedbergh and Colton Parish Councils (both in South Lakeland) join the growig list of those opposed to continuing with the search for a nuclear dump in West Cumbria.
Radiation Free Lakeland 10th April 2012 more >>
Sizewell
Activists at the Sizewell nuclear power station are organising a campaign camp at Sizewell nuclear power station over the weekend of 20 – 22 April. A big demo is planned for Saturday (21st) and transport from London is being organised by London Region CND.
Greenpeace 6th April 2012 more >>
Sizewell B nuclear power station in Suffolk is working again after a fault sparked its first unplanned stoppage for three years. An electrical fault in another part of the plant automatically shut the site’s reactor and turbines on 2 March. The reactor and one turbine at the site began working on 13 March and the second turbine rejoined the National Grid on Sunday. The site is expected to be back to full capacity by Wednesday.
BBC 10th April 2012 more >>
Wylfa
The Wylfa nuclear power station on Anglesey will close down one of its reactors later this month. Officials said Reactor 2, which began operating in 1971, would stop producing electricity on 30 April because of limited fuel stocks. The remaining Reactor 1 is allowed to operate until 2014.
BBC 10th April 2012 more >>
Enformable 10th April 2012 more >>
Old Nukes
EDF Energy yesterday resumed output from two nuclear plants, bringing 1,200 megawatts of potential generation capacity back on to the grid. EDF said its 600MW Sizewell B1 reactor returned to service several days ahead of schedule on Sunday after shutting down on 2 March. The company’s 620MW Hartlepool 1 reactor also resumed outputting power.
City AM 11th April 2012 more >>
Energy Business Review 10th April 2012 more >>
Plutonium
The National Nuclear Laboratory has signed a deal with GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy to research whether a new type of nuclear reactor could be used in the UK. The Warrington-based NNL is to team up with GEH to provide expert technical input on work to study the potential UK deployment of PRISM reactors. The reactors are being tipped as a way of disposing of the UKs used plutonium while also generating low carbon electricity. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority is seeking proposals for how to tackle the UKs plutonium stocks. By 2018, the UK will have 140 tonnes of plutonium, mostly stored at Sellafield, Cumbria.
Manchester Evening News 11th April 2012 more >>
GE Hitachi has signed a memorandum of understanding for the National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) to provide expert technical input towards the potential deployment of GEHs Prism reactor to address the UKs growing stockpile of civil plutonium. GEH also spent a day meeting with a number of skilled nuclear workers in West Cumbria to learn how they could work together on the potential deployment of Prism in the region.
Nuclear Engineering International 7th April 2012 more >>
R&D
The Government is to invest up to £15 million in research, development and knowledge transfer to stimulate innovation and support growth in the civil nuclear power sector. The investment through the Technology Strategy Board, the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council will fund feasibility projects, collaborative research and development and Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) that stimulate innovation and strengthen the UK supply chain. Universities and Science Minister David Willetts said: This is an important and exciting time for the UK civil nuclear industry. With potential for investment and innovation in the new-build and decommissioning markets, now is the right time to make sure that the UK is best placed to win orders and grow global market share. Thats why we are launching this substantial new funding programme to enhance innovation and capability development and expand the UK nuclear industry to provide rewarding careers and contribute towards more stable and balanced economic growth.
Process & Control Today 11th April 2012 more >>
Japan
Fukushima Update 6th – 9th April.
Greenpeace 10th April 2012 more >>
The central government is again marching steadily toward restarting reactors at the Oi nuclear power plant, but local governments in the area have raised the stakes for consenting to such a move. Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and three of his Cabinet ministers on April 9 agreed that the road map for additional safety measures, submitted earlier in the day by Oi plant operator Kansai Electric Power Co., was generally appropriate. the energy strategy council of the Osaka prefectural and municipal governments on April 10 put together a set of eight conditions that it considers necessary before operations can resume at the Oi plant in Fukui Prefecture. The Osaka municipal government is the largest shareholder of Kansai Electric, so its position will likely influence the central governments decisions regarding the Oi plant.
Asahi 10th April 2012 more >>
Japan’s government will announce soon its contingency plans for dealing with nuclear accidents to ease public concerns about restarting reactors closed since the Fukushima radiation crisis last year, Trade Minister Yukio Edano said on Tuesday. Contingency plans for Kansai Electric Power Co’s two reactors, which are at the most advanced stage in the government’s safety checks before restarting, would be announced in a few days, said Edano, who also has the energy portfolio.
Reuters 10th April 2012 more >>
Japanese technology conglomerate and solar technology manufacturer Kyocera has revealed plans to beef up its presence in the country’s booming solar market, unveiling proposals for a new 70MW solar farm and further investments in utility scale solar plants.
Business Green 10th April 2012 more >>
An agreement between Russia and Japan to cooperate in the peaceful use of atomic energy is to come into effect in May, according to Rosatom. The agreement will remain in force for 25 years, unless terminated by either party. The document lays down the regulatory basis for cooperation in the field of nuclear power and industry. It covers cooperation in exploration and mining of uranium deposits, design, construction and operation of light-water reactors, nuclear safety, including radiation protection and environmental monitoring. The agreement also provides for supply of nuclear material.
Nuclear Engineering International 10th April 2012 more >>
Germany
Feldheim has become a mecca for European mayors and town planners keen to develop their own green technologies. And, since Fukushima, it has also pulled in planners, investors and environment correspondents from Japan. The hamlet has a resident population of only 148 people, but it attracted 3,000 visitors last year alone and more than half of them came from Japan. “Even more than the Germans, we are frantically searching for alternatives to nuclear power,” said Keiko Iizuka, a Japanese journalist who was visiting Feldheim last week. “People are here almost every day,” said Michael Knape, the mayor. “At first we didn’t know where it would go or how we would do it, but we knew it was important to move in this direction.” The hamlet’s transformation from a dilapidated rural backwater into a model renewable energy village began in the mid-1990s, when Germany’s big energy companies began using the former communist east to carry out a massive wind-energy expansion programme. Compared with their conservation-minded west-German counterparts, the newly liberated easterners were seen as soft targets who would more readily accept wind turbines. Villagers were reportedly offered incentives ranging from cash donations to new sewage plants to persuade them to accept turbines on their land. As a result eastern Germany now has one of the highest concentrations of wind farms in the world.
Independent 11th April 2012 more >>
France
French state-controlled utility EdF says its inspection team at the 2.6GW Penly nuclear facility is at the early stages of an investigation into the failure of a cooling system that caused the shut-down of one of its reactors. But the incident at the site has been graded at the lowest level by EdF, with the company saying there was no escape of any radioactive materials. The company’s inspection team today began to photograph and look for damage at reactor No 2 at Penly, close to Dieppe in northwestern France. EdF said the unit will remain in cold shut-down for up to another seven days. EdF said the incident will be graded a level one type, the lowest possible, the highest being a type seven event. Tests will also be carried out today on surrounding grass and farmlands to check for any radioactive contamination, with the sample results likely by the end of the week.
Argus 10th April 2012 more >>
Czech Republic
The Czech government sees building new nuclear power plants as a strategic priority and is considering minimum electricity price guarantees to ensure new reactors are built, the country’s industry minister said on Friday. In contrast to countries such as neighbouring Germany that are pulling out of nuclear energy in light of the disaster at Japan’s Fukushima a year ago, the Czech Republic aims to enlarge the existing Temelin site in the south of the country. The 70-percent state owned power producer CEZ, the biggest listed central European company with market capitalisation of $23 billion, has opened a tender to build two new units. But doubts have been hanging over the financial viability of the plan due to uncertain energy market in Europe.
Reuters 30th March 2012 more >>
Iran
MISTRUST runs deep as Iran and six world powers, including the United States, prepare for high-stakes nuclear talks in Istanbul on Saturday. There has been spin and posturing from both sides. Irans populist president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, warned yesterday that anyone seeking to violate his countrys nuclear rights will get a blow to the mouth so bad they will forget the path to their homes. He maintained that Irans economy could survive without selling a single barrel of oil for two or even three years. Even so, there are grounds for cautious optimism. Both sides have floated intriguing balloons as they jockey for position. Iran signalled this week it may be prepared to compromise over its stockpile of 20 per cent enriched uranium, a key issue for the West because that level of purification is a simple step away from producing 90 per cent bomb grade fissile material. The US, meanwhile, hinted it could accept Irans enrichment of uranium to below 5 per cent in return for verifiable guarantees that no material is diverted to military use.
Scotsman 11th April 2012 more >>
Days before new international negotiations over its nuclear program, Iran is letting world powers know that economic sanctions will have little effect on it in the near future. On Tuesday, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad proclaimed that Iran has enough capital reserves to go “two to three years” without selling oil.
IB Times 10th April 2012 more >>
Korea
North Korea is digging a new underground tunnel as they apparently prepare to carry out a third nuclear test, according to South Korean intelligence officials. Satellite images show that the final work is being carried out for a test at a site in Punggye-r, in the north-east of the country, where tests were conducted in 2006 and 2009.
Daily Mail 10th April 2012 more >>
Fusion
CONSTRUCTION is finally under way in southern France of ITER, the experimental fusion reactor that scientists hope will produce more energy than it consumes. It is a huge undertaking, needing the backing of the European Union and six powerful nations to get even this far. But care needs to be taken that ITER does not overshadow other experiments. The US Department of Energy last month cited increased support for ITER as the reason it plans to axe funding for several smaller fusion projects. In these penny-pinching times, tough choices need to be made. But ITER will not address a host of practical and operational questions that must be answered before fusion power can become a reality. It is a first step, not a last best hope. If that is forgotten, the distant dream of fusion power may remain just that.
New Scientist 10th April 2012 more >>
Climate
Climate change minister Greg Barker told the BBC’s Today programme that moving from the current target of cutting emissions 20 per cent against 1990 levels by 2020 to a new 30 per cent goal would boost investment in low-carbon industries and strengthen the price of carbon, which has tumbled more than 60 per cent in a year. Barker said tougher targets would also help UK and European companies access a clean tech market estimated to be worth “trillions of dollars” by 2015 and allow the UK to build on progress that saw emissions fall seven per cent last year.
Business Green 10th April 2012 more >>
Guardian 10th April 2012 more >>
Green Deal
Nick Clegg will admit more work has to be done to remove “the hassle factor” that put consumers off reducing their home energy consumption. He will point to the way B&Q is offering in conjunction with local councils to clear someone’s loft while installling insulation, an offer that greatly increased willingness to take up the switch. He will also highlight the government’s plan from the summer to trial a project with First Utility and America’s Opower, where consumers are told how much energy other, similar households use in their locality. Opower has reduced bills by 2% in the US by showing consumers how neighbours are doing better than them. He will also insist the government had arranged the green deal, due to begin in the autumn, so that businesses and homeowners can introduce energy saving home improvements at no cost upfront.
Guardian 11th April 2012 more >>
Telegraph 11th April 2012 more >>
From this autumn, the six biggest suppliers EDF Energy, E.ON, British Gas, Scottish and Southern Energy, Scottish Power and RWE npower will write to their customers once a year outlining their different tariffs. They will have to inform vulnerable customers such as pensioners twice a year and also will have to offer their cheapest deal to customers who come to the end of their fixed-term contract.
Times 11th April 2012 more >>
