New nukes
On Tuesday, Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks is expected to make public Britain’s intention to invite the private sector to build a series of new nuclear power plants. One likely way forward, therefore, would be for investors to join together in a consortium that jointly decides on building a fleet of identical power plants – rather than each investor choosing different, competing reactor designs.
BBC 10th July 2006
A NEW generation of nuclear power stations, designed to make Britain less dependent on imported gas, will move an important step forward today with the release of the Government’s long-awaited Energy Review. The review, to be presented by Alistair Darling, the Trade and Industry Secretary, will conclude that nuclear power will be part of the future British generating mix.
Times 11th July 2006
Telegraph 11th July 2006
ITV News 11th July 2006
Sky News 11th July 2006
Scotsman 11th July 2006
Twenty years after an explosion blew the roof off a reactor at Ukraine’s Chernobyl power plant and took an industry’s reputation with it, nuclear power – in the words of Tony Blair – is “back on the agenda with a vengeance”. Following a six-month review of energy needs, the prime minister is today due to sanction massive and contentious private investment in a new generation of nuclear reactors, the first to be built since the 1980s.
FT 11th July 2006
George Monbiot says: Sure, nuclear power is safer than in the past – but we still don’t need it. It’s true that another Chernobyl couldn’t happen in a new reactor, but the case against is as strong as ever.
Guardian 11th July 2006
Tony Blair wants the first in a new generation of nuclear power stations to be fired up in 2016. The target, considerably earlier than has been expected, underlines how important Downing Street believes the nuclear element is in its drive to meet the twin needs of increasing energy supplies while cutting carbon emissions by 60pc by 2050.
Telegraph 11th July 2006
The decision – unthinkable as recently as three years ago – may change the terms of the debate internationally, as all industrialised countries grapple with the need to meet rising energy demand in an uncertain world.
FT 11th July 2006
Those involved in a huge lobbying campaign for a new generation of nuclear power stations will declare victory today when the government’s energy review finally gives the plants the green light. Among those celebrating will be industry leaders, including the chancellor of the exchequer’s brother. Andrew Brown is head of media relations at EDF Energy, which operates 58 atomic reactors in France and has been pressing the British government to renew its fleet of power stations here.
Guardian 11th July 2006
Labour and the nuclear lobby.
Spinwatch 10th July 2006
The Commons Trade and Industry Select Committee should perhaps have waited to see the contents of today’s Energy Review – well leaked though it has been – before condemning the Government for being too swift to back the case for a new generation of nuclear power stations. Yet on one point, the MPs are undoubtedly right. The Energy Review might give the go-ahead for a new programme of nukes, but without explaining how they are to be financed – an issue unlikely to be addressed – the pledge is not worth a fig.
Independent 11th July 2006
Tony Blair must not give “preferential treatment” to nuclear power when the Government unveils its long-awaited energy review this week, a committee of MPs says today. In a hard-hitting report, the Labour-dominated committee warns the Prime Minister not to rush into hasty decisions on nuclear power which will end up shaping Britain’s energy policies for decades to come.
Telegraph 11th July 2006
What will not be spelt out, according to some experts, will be the way that the lion’s share of government assistance to the energy sector will go towards building a new nuclear fleet of as many as 10 reactors. Bridget Woodman of Warwick Business School said: “We will be moving towards a very large scale, centralised electricity generating system which could be set in stone for the next 50 years. There will be twiddly little bits of renewable development – but it will never be a mainstream option. It could be a pretty bleak day for renewables.”
Guardian 10th July 2006
Six new nuclear power stations and a fivefold increase in electricity from wind, solar and tidal sources will be key planks of an Energy Review unveiled by the Government tomorrow.
Daily Mail 10th July 2006
Northern Ireland
Nuclear power stations will not be built in Northern Ireland, Secretary of State Peter Hain has said.
BBC 11th July 2006
Wales
The assembly government is braced for an announcement which could see new nuclear power stations built in Wales.
BBC 11th July 2006
Scotland
An energy review published by the SNP has found that Scotland produces six times more energy than it uses. It also highlighted research which found Scotland has one of the best climates in Europe for using solar heat in buildings. However, the review said there should be a cap on onshore wind farms, although added that there was a “big future” for offshore wind farms.
BBC 10th July 2006
UNCERTAINTY about the Scottish Executive’s policy on nuclear power could deter international energy giants from investing in new nuclear plants in Scotland, an industry leader has warned. Keith Parker, chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, said that Scotland could lose out on millions of pounds of investment creating thousands of well-paid jobs because Scottish ministers have not matched moves by the UK government.
Scotsman 10th July 2006
Russia
The US is expected to make significant concessions to Russia over the storage of nuclear fuel in order to win backing for foreign policy, reports say. According to newspapers including the Washington Post, the US is keen to get Russia’s support as it tackles concerns including Iran and North Korea. As well as lifting a ban on storing spent nuclear fuel, the US was also offering to back Russia’s membership of the World Trade Organisation and give Russian companies freer access to US markets.
BBC 10th July 2006
Iran
Iran’s top nuclear negotiator and the EU’s foreign policy chief are meeting to try to defuse a row over Tehran’s contested nuclear plans.
BBC 11th July 2006
AGRs
Letter: It is hardly surprising that cracks have been found in the graphite rods in one of Scotland’s nuclear reactors. There have been doubts about the safety of these graphite rods for many years. So it seems that the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, was wrong, yet again, when he decided that the United Kingdom should renew nuclear power stations.
Scotsman 11th July 2006
Tidal Energy
A ten-mile barrage across the Bristol Channel could become reality in just over a decade under long awaited Government plans to power Britain for the future. Tomorrow the Government is set to announce plans for a new generation of nuclear plants to plug a predicted energy gap facing the country.
Western Daily Press 10th July 2006
Waste Transport
TRAINS carrying nuclear waste through Stratford are “hugely vulnerable” to a terrorist attack, according to environmental pressure group Greenpeace. In a letter to West Ham MP Lyn Brown, the organisation cited a recent study by nuclear expert John Large, which said that the security on such trains was “minimal”.
Bucks Free Press 10th July 2006
Waste
An officer at the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has suggested (as a joke, says the NDA) that employees should be fined £5 if they are caught referring to Cumbria’s low-level waste repository as “Drigg”. For some reason, people in the nearby village of Drigg are upset by the idea that the name should be applied to the repository. You’d think they’d want to be rid of it.
Telegraph 11th July 2006
Radiation & Health
The debate about what caused childhood cancers around Sellafield has ignited again.
Telegraph 11th July 2006
