Radhealth
Today, physicians from 19 affiliates of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) published a critical analysis of the Fukushima report of the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR). The efforts made by UNSCEAR committee members to evaluate the extensive and complex data concerning the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe are appreciated. The report shows that the Fukushima nuclear disaster was not a singular event, but is an ongoing catastrophe; that it is not confined to Fukushima Prefecture, but affects people all over Japan and beyond; and that it constitutes the largest single radioactive contamination of the ocean ever recorded. Based on the collective lifetime doses of the Japanese population, which are presented in the report, it must be expected that about 1,000 excess cases of thyroid cancer and between 4,300 and 16,800 other excess cancer cases will occur in Japan due to Fukushima radioactive fallout. It must be said, however, that predictions can only be as good as the presumptions and data they are based on. UNSCEAR attempts to downplay the true extent of the catastrophe.
Green World 10th May 2014 read more »
Hinkley
COMMUNITIES neighbouring the proposed Hinkley Point C nuclear power station can now apply for cash from a fund set up to help mitigate the effects on local residents. West Somerset Council gave planning permission for the site preparatory works in 2012. A Community Impact Mitigation Fund was negotiated at the time to be paid to the authority to administer on behalf of local communities.
This is the West Country 9th June 2014 read more »
New Nukes
On 6th May Neil Crumpton gave a presentation to Stop Hinkley supporters regarding the government’s long term plans of escalating new nuclear. All the major UK political parties (except the Green Party) support the construction of new nuclear power stations claiming it will address climate change, generate cost-competitive electricity and provide energy security. Last year the Coalition’s nuclear ‘Pathways’ report and statements from ministers and chief advisers made it clear the planned 16 GW by 2025 newbuild ‘replacement’ programme was now to be seen as just a ‘first tranche’. The Pathways report detailed programmes of over 55 GW or more of light water reactors by 2040 and up to 75 GW by 2050, including possibly 20 GW of fast breeder reactors. This major escalation of the UK’s nuclear ambitions, in its self-proclaimed quest to be a leader in a global nuclear renaissance, was the subject of the Stop Hinkley meeting. His presentation is available here.
Stop Hinkley 10th June 2014 read more »
Sellafield
Stop Hinkley’s Response to the DECC Consultation on the management of overseas origin nuclear fuels held in the UK. This response, by Dr Rachel Western, takes an historical perspective set in the context of the proposal to build two additional nuclear reactors at Hinkley in Somerset. The fact that ‘virtual reprocessing’ – or ‘not reprocessing’ is proposed is to be welcomed. Unfortunately the decision to not reprocess should have been taken much earlier. At the Planning Stage it was quite clear that THORP was not needed. The same is true for the proposed Hinkley C Power Station.
Stop Hinkley 27th May 2014 read more »
Energy Costs
Britain’s big six energy companies have come under pressure from the regulator and consumer groups to cut household gas and electricity bills following a sharp drop in wholesale costs. The regulator Ofgem said that at the start of this month gas prices for next day delivery reached their lowest level since September 2010 and were 38% below this time last year. Prices for electricity reached their lowest level since April 2010, and are currently 23% lower than June 2013. Despite that, the regulator said that the suppliers – SSE, EDF Energy, Scottish Power, E.ON, npower and British Gas – were showing no signs of reducing prices, or even of explaining to customers why they were not doing so.
Guardian 10th June 2014 read more »
The energy watchdog has demanded that the Big Six energy firms explain to customers why the price of gas and electricity hasn’t fallen.
Independent 10th June 2014 read more »
Times 11th June 2014 read more »
Energy Supplies
National Grid has reassured the government that Britain has enough spare energy capacity to keep the country’s TV sets on in the event of England making it to the World Cup final energy secretary said yesterday. If Roy Hodgson’s team reach the final, which kicks off at 8pm UK time on Sunday 13 July, the Grid’s analysts have calculated that demand for power could outstrip royal weddings and beat the previous record, when the 1999 solar eclipse caused a surge equivalent to 1.3m kettles being turned on simultaneously. However, the Grid has assured Ed Davey that it can cope with a potential record domestic energy surge.
Guardian 10th June 2014 read more »
National Grid says that paying businesses to cut their energy usage will become increasingly common to help deal with times when power supplies are short because the wind isn’t blowing.
Telegraph 10th June 2014 read more »
Britain intends to import more electricity from continental Europe as part of a radical package of measures from National Grid to maintain power supplies and reduce household energy bills. The group said that customers would save £1 billion a year by buying cheaper electricity from power stations on the continent. It forecast that electricity prices in Britain would remain higher than in Europe, where an excess of harnessed wind and solar energy is depressing prices, for another two decades. Proposals to increase the number of interconnectors, which import electricity from the continent, have been backed by Ed Davey, the energy secretary, Ofgem and energy companies including E.ON. National Grid yesterday confirmed that it will press ahead with emergency measures to stave off a looming crisis in power generation, where the reserve could fall to as low as 2 per cent in the winter of 2015-16. It is offering generous payments to large businesses, funded by levies on consumers’ bills, to turn off lights and machinery during peak demand between 4pm and 8pm this winter. Steve Holliday, the chief executive, denied that the plan amounted to power rationing. “[That] is very misleading,” he said. “It’s a voluntary option for people to reduce their demand at peak times.”
Times 11th June 2014 read more »
Scotland
Scottish ministers are under intense pressure to step up their action on climate change after missing their statutory targets for cutting emissions for the third year in a row. The latest figures showed Scotland missed its legally-binding emissions targets by 2.4 million tonnes equivalent of CO2 in 2012. Under Scotland’s climate act – touted repeatedly by Alex Salmond, the first minister, as the most ambitious in the world – the emissions target for 2012 was 53.226mte CO2, only marginally lower than the 2011 target. But the country emitted 55.6mteCO2, and has now failed to hit any of its targets. Meanwhile, the Scottish government and Scottish National party are campaigning to abolish air passenger duty, a measure seen by its supporters as helping reduce aviation emissions, after independence. Scotland’s annual target for 2013 is the most ambitious cut of the entire programme, a cut of 10% in a single year to 47,976mte – a target the Scottish Labour party and Scottish Green party told Holyrood ministers are now almost certain to miss by a large margin. That target is likely to be missed by even more significant amount of around 8mte CO2, they said, due to failure to take radical steps on transport, heating and industrial emissions.
Guardian 10th June 2014 read more »
Times 11th June 2014 read more »
Scotland’s environment minister has insisted there has been “good progress” on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, after figures showed they rose in 2012. Government-published figures estimated that emissions were 52.9m tonnes in 2012. This was a 0.8% rise compared to 2011 and means emissions have exceeded targets for three years in a row. Paul Wheelhouse told MSPs that a target of a 42% reduction in emissions by 2020 could still be met. In a statement to the Scottish Parliament, he said that Scotland was “more than halfway towards our interim target of a 42% reduction”. He outlined measures including a new cabinet sub-committee to co-ordinate policy on climate change and £10m in funding for cycling infrastructure and electric vehicles. Labour called the figures “deeply embarrassing” while the Scottish Greens called for “bolder action”. Scottish Conservative environment spokesman Jamie McGrigor said: “Given the rise in emissions last year, the SNP is now getting further away from the target, not closer. “A huge and probably unrealistic turnaround will be needed to get anywhere near those goals. “The SNP should be looking to nuclear power and fracking as ways of boosting energy production without harming the environment.” Gina Hanrahan from Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, an alliance of campaigning groups, said: “It’s been a difficult start to the implementation of the Climate Change Act, but the Scottish government’s package of new measures across different sectors such as energy efficiency, low carbon travel and district heating looks promising.”
BBC 10th June 2014 read more »
Missing the targets does matter – and not just because Scotland is obliged by law to hit them. Scotland may be small, but other nations are watching to see how an oil rich country manages the challenge. Scotland is a resource rich, wealthy place and the sorts of dilemmas Scotland faces are ones that other regions are facing, in terms of what you can do as an economy that could be quite reliant on revenues from fossil fuels – whether it is meaningful to talk about a low carbon transition and what alternatives there are for growing in a low carbon way. So a lot of other countries, especially around Europe, will be looking to Scotland to see what decision it makes, on what basis, and how popular those choices are.
Holyrood 9th June 2014 read more »
The Scottish Government has unveiled a raft of new measures designed to keep the nation on track to achieve reduction targets of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. In a statement to Parliament this afternoon, Environment Minister Paul Wheelhouse announced the establishment of a new Cabinet Sub-Committee on Climate Change to support the ambitious climate change legislation. The announcement is part of a package of measures, including action on cycling infrastructure, energy efficiency measures, transport planning, electric vehicles and district heating, which are being taken forward to ensure Scotland remains on track on tackling climate change. Mr Wheelhouse also used his statement to highlight how Scotland is leading the UK in reducing carbon emissions, with a reduction of 29.9% between 1990 and 2012 compared to 23.9% for England, 17.7% for Wales and 15.0% for Northern Ireland. Gina Hanrahan, spokesperson for Stop Climate Chaos Scotland said: “It’s been a difficult start to the implementation of the Scottish Climate Change Act, but today’s announcements show the government is serious about getting us back on track to meet future targets. “These are important first steps and we will need to build on them to realise the full potential of the Climate Change Act.”
Click Green 10th June 2014 read more »
Herald 11th June 2014 read more »
Scotland has failed to meet statutory targets for reducing carbon emissions for the third year running, according to new figures. The 2012 target was to restrict emissions of six climate- warming gases, including carbon dioxide, to 53.226 million tonnes. The latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory shows the actual adjusted figure was 55.6 million tonnes. The new figures represent a rise of 0.8 per cent over the past year, in contrast with an overall drop of nearly 30 per cent from the 1990 baseline level. The recent increase in emissions north of the Border mirrors the UK trend, with reports showing a country-wide rise of 2.9 per cent since 2011. Despite this, Scotland leads the UK in cutting emissions with a reduction of 29.9 per cent between 1990 and 2012. This compares with 23.9 per cent for England, 17.7 per cent for Wales and 15 per cent for Northern Ireland. The EU reported a drop of 18.5 per cent over the period. Scotland’s aim is for an 80 per cent decrease by 2050.
Scotsman 11th June 2014 read more »
Herald 10th June 2014 read more »
Europe
An ambitious decarbonisation strategy will slash the EU’s energy dependence, reduce the multi-billion euro cost of energy imports, and help tackle climate-related risks, according to a major new study from consultancy giant EY. The study, titled Macro-economic impacts of the low-carbon transition and commissioned by the European Climate Foundation group of NGOs, assesses the potential economic effects of the bloc’s planned 2030 energy and climate strategy, which is currently the subject of intense negotiation in Brussels. The analysis sought to assess the impact of different decarbonisation strategies on the wider European economy, as well as specific sectors such as energy, transport, buildings and industry. The report concluded an ambitious decarbonisation strategy that delivers an 80 per cent cut in emissions by 2050 would deliver numerous benefits, most notably through reduced energy import costs. Drawing on the European Commission’s own predictions, the report details how under a business as usual scenario European oil import dependency will climb to almost 90 per cent by 2050, while gas import dependency could soar from 64 per cent in 2010 to almost 80 per cent by mid-century. In contrast, hitting long-term decarbonisation target through greater use of renewables and shift to electric transport and heating would slash import dependency, reducing the bloc’s annual fuel import bill by between €518bn and €550bn, saving European motorists up to €180bn in 2050, and reducing households energy costs by up to €474bn over the next 40 years.
Business Green 10th May 2014 read more »
Japan
Japan Journalist: Melted nuclear fuel going through Fukushima containment vessels, they don’t even know where the 3 reactor cores went — Senior Scientist: I’m being told Japan may never be able to remove radioactive materials from site; ‘Solution’ may be to leave it in place.
Energy News 10th June 2014 read more »
The 2011 nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi plant was one of the worst in the history of nuclear power. Three years later, the plant’s operator, the Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, is still struggling to contain the damage. TEPCO’s failure to tackle the buildup of contaminated water came to light last summer, when it admitted that at least 300 tons of tainted water was leaking into the sea every day. Seungkoo Choi, Secretary General of the Reactor Suppliers Lawsuit Plaintiff Team, says that there is sufficient evidence proving the manufacturers of the plant together with its operator were responsible for the accident.
Voice of Russia 9th June 2014 read more »
Japanese legislators approved a reshuffle at the nuclear safety regulator including appointing a commissioner who has received nearly $100,000 from nuclear-related entities over the past decade to fund his academic research. Among the two commissioners stepping down from the five-member panel at the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA), one is a fierce critic of safety practices in the industry. Opponents said the changes, which were approved on Tuesday, undermined Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s commitment to an independent watchdog at a time when utilities are pushing to restart their idled reactors. The NRA’s independence is under scrutiny as it reviews applications to restart reactors, all 48 of which were shut in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster.
Reuters 10th June 2014 read more »
Engineering & Technology 10th June 2014 read more »
Germany
RECENT years have brought little but bad news for Germany’s power generators. Having overinvested in gas- and coal-fired plants before the financial crisis, the two largest, E.ON and RWE, ended up with excess capacity in the ensuing downturn—just as lavish subsidies to wind- and solar-power producers were bringing a host of new competitors to the market. After the nuclear accident at Fukushima in Japan in 2011, the German government decided that all nuclear plants in the country must close by 2022, bringing forward the huge costs of decommissioning them. To cap it all, ever more industrial consumers of electricity have gone “off the grid”, generating their own power. Shares in the two power giants have fallen by almost half in the past five years, whereas Germany’s DAX stockmarket index has almost doubled in that time (see chart).
Economist 7th June 2014 read more »
Australia
If Indigenous clans at Muckaty wouldn’t accept a nuclear waste dump on their land, the Northern Land Council (NLC) threatened to decide for them, the federal court has heard. The court is sitting in Tennant Creek this week to hear evidence from four clans that are against the radioactive waste storage facility being placed on their land, 120km north of Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory.
Guardian 11th June 2014 read more »
The commonwealth government is dispossessing Indigenous people by seeking to place a radioactive waste storage facility on their land, a researcher says.
Guardian 11th June 2014 read more »
Iran
Iran questioned whether a July deadline for a nuclear deal with world powers will be met, fuelling doubts on the outcome as France spoke out to say talks on curbing Tehran’s uranium enrichment had “hit a wall”. Iran’s talks with six major powers on curbing its nuclear programme in exchange for an end to Western sanctions could be extended for six months if no deal is reached by a July 20 deadline agreed by all parties, a senior Iranian official said.
Reuters 10th June 2014 read more »
Renewables – onshore wind
Onshore windfarm consent rates have plummeted in the wake of interventions by communities secretary Eric Pickles, figures obtained by Utility Week show.
Utility Week 10th June 2014 read more »
Two thirds of new onshore wind farm applications have been rejected this year amid fears that the once-burgeoning industry could be sacrificed by the Government, with carbon-reduction targets missed, to assuage widespread defections of Tory voters to Ukip at the next general election. Industry figures reveal that the local authority approval rate for the green energy has reached an all-time low in the UK with the number of schemes being given the go-ahead plunging by half in the first five months of 2014 compared to the previous three years. Just 33 per cent of applications were approved in England, according to RenewableUK which represents the renewable energy sector. Across the UK some 164 projects have been halted since January as a result of opposition – resulting in the loss of enough energy to power 321,186 homes, it is claimed. The industry believes that many English councils are now following the lead set by Communities Secretary Eric Pickles, who since October has rejected 11 out of 13 applications, including five in which he has overruled the advice of the Planning Inspectorate. A further 27 decisions are pending after the Minister today called in another scheme for scrutiny in Cambridgeshire.
Independent 10th June 2014 read more »
Fossil Fuels
Both parties in the coalition government got elected on promises to decarbonise the UK’s energy sector. But as the next election nears, is the government considering extending the life of the UK’s most polluting energy source, coal? The UK’s coal power plants are getting old, with many that were built in the 1970s and 80s due to be shut in the next few years. But in theory, the plants could be upgraded and kept open for another decade or so. Yesterday, consultants Parsons Brinckerhoff released a government-commissioned report looking into the cost of keeping the UK’s coal power plants online. The report could be seen as the next step in a government plan to keep existing coal plants running, although the Department for Energy and Climate Change denies this.
Carbon Brief 10th June 2014 read more »
