New Nukes
Britain’s electricity infrastructure “essentially” needs rebuilding, Energy minister Charles Hendry has said. Around £200bn of new investment would be required to address long-term failures to tackle problems, Hendry told MPs. “I applaud the conversion of the last administration which started to put us very much back on track but there was a real loss of a number of years in that process. “So, what we now need to do is put in place the structure which will incentivise people to invest in new nuclear, clean coal, coal with carbon capture, in renewables where we have so much potential in this country, and in new gas plants, which is going to be necessary as well – and with that also comes a need for gas storage.
New Civil Engineer 3rd Dec 2010 more >>
Hunterston
Letter Peter McGlone: I have been reading with interest and some concern the increasing number of articles and reports on the possible expansion of the Intermediate Nuclear Waste store at Hunterston to accommodate nuclear waste on a national scale. These subjects can be quite emotive and I always try to ensure that I have all the facts and understand what the issue is about before arriving at a conclusion. I was therefore encouraged when I saw the advert from Magnox North inviting interested parties to a guided tour of the facility with explanation on the waste storage issue. However despite contacting the “ Communications Team” on several occasions to register for the tour and being assured that someone would contact me to confirm I am still waiting and the advertised date has now passed. If this organisation can’t even manage scheduling a Guided Tour how on earth are they going to oversee and run a Nuclear Waste dumping ground. Scary Stuff!
Largs & Millport Gazette 10th Dec 2010 more >>
Hinkley
CAMPAIGNERS fear huge areas of countryside will be “trashed” after plans for preparatory works on the proposed Hinkley C nuclear power station were unveiled this week. EDF Energy applied to West Somerset Council to carry out preliminary works including removing hedgerows, woodland and grassland. EDF bosses say the bid marks a “key stage” in the project and if app-roved will make the construction phase easier.
This is West Somerset 10th Dec 2010 more >>
Areva
The French government is aiming to bring Areva to a full market listing before June next year in a U-turn on the future of the strategic nuclear group. The first stage of Areva’s fundraising was launched on Friday, with the Kuwait Investment Authority and the French state offering to back the company’s €6bn ($8bn) investment programme with a €900m capital injection. The deal values Areva at €11.5bn, above most recent expectations but still lower than valuations put on the group more than a year ago.
FT 11th Dec 2010 more >>
Yucca
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia will hold hearings early next year on whether the Department of Energy has the right to withdraw its application to use Yucca Mountain as a nuclear-waste disposal site. It is the latest development in a multi-decade, multibillion dollar push to use Yucca Mountain as a nuclear-waste repository. The U.S. government began reviewing options on how to handle nuclear waste when legislation to do so passed in 1982. In 2002, federal lawmakers identified the Nevada site as the way to move forward.
Wall Street Journal 10th Dec 2010 more >>
Submarines
The Submarine Dismantling Project is consulting certain Government bodies on a Strategic Environmental Assessment that identifies and considers any potentially significant environmental effects of submarine dismantling activities. This second stage of Statutory Consultation will consider the detailed scope of the SEA including the names of potential candidate sites for the removal of the radioactive elements of the submarine – a process called ‘initial dismantling’. These sites are Devonport and Rosyth Royal Dockyards.
Submarine Dismantling 6th Dec 2010 more >>
Germany
A package of energy bills, including an amendment to Germany’s atomic energy law extending the operating life of the country’s 17 nuclear power reactors – by eight years for units entering operation before 1980 and by 14 years for those starting up after 1980 – was signed into law by president Christian Wulff on 8 December.
Nuclear Engineering International 10th Dec 2010 more >>
Burma
The Myanmar military government is allegedly attempting to gain nuclear weapons with the aid of North Korea.
Open Democracy 10th Dec 2010 more >>
Crosby Herald 10th Dec 2010 more >>
North Korea
North Korea’s foreign minister said U.S. and South Korean hostility was forcing Pyongyang to strengthen its nuclear deterrent, the Interfax news agency reported on Friday.
Yahoo 10th Dec 2010 more >>
Iran
Despite claims from Iran that Stuxnet has been eliminated, the malware has crippled the country’s nuclear programme. US and European experts say their insecurity websites, which provide information on Stuxnet, continue to be swamped with traffic from Tehran and other places in the Islamic Republic. This means that the worm continues to infect the computers at Iran’s two nuclear sites and must have thrown the whole programme into confusion.
Tech Eye 10th Dec 2010 more >>
Nuclear Weapons
Thanks to WikiLeaks, we now know that the United States of America has nuclear weapons in several European countries, without the knowledge of their populations.
Mathaba 11th Dec 2010 more >>
Labour admits defence errors at launch of policy review. Shadow defence secretary acknowledges mistakes but accuses coalition of leaving £4.3bn black hole in its calculations.
Guardian 10th Dec 2010 more >>
Vanunu
Israel has barred Mordechai Vanunu, who spent 18 years in jail for revealing secrets of the country’s nuclear programme, from going to Germany to accept a prize, organisers said Friday. Vanunu was to be awarded the Carl von Ossietsky Prize in Berlin Sunday for his work promoting disarmament but has not received permission to leave Israel, said a spokesman for the International League for Human Rights.
Middle East Online 10th Dec 2010 more >>
Renewables
This week’s Micro Power News is now available with news that every house in Bristol is to be checked for its suitability for solar panels, and Kirkless Council is to invest £6m in solar PV technology for 1,000 council homes. Environment Minister, Jane Davidson is aiming to revive North Wales’ disused water mills. A Devon resident has become one of the first homeowners in Britain to have a free solar electricity system installed.
Microgen Scotland 10th Dec 2010 more >>
