New Nukes
A website has been set up to sell a design of a nuclear reactor which could create thousands of jobs in Central Lancashire. Westinghouse, the US energy giant which runs the Springfields Fuels factory in Salwick, near Preston, has launched ukap1000application.com to support its bid to get its AP1000 reactor design approved by the UK’s nuclear regulators.
Lancashire Evening Post 12th August 2009 more >>
Sizewell
Safety minister Lord McKenzie made a surprise visit to the Sizewell A nuclear site in Suffolk. Lord McKenzie was invited by trade unionists at the plant, and was welcomed by Prospect reps when he visited the site on 22 July. The minister was shown around and learned more about how Sizewell has achieved a strong safety record during its 40 years of operation, which has seen it achieve ISO standards and many other safety awards.
Safety & Health Practioner 12th August 2009 more >>
Companies
E.ON has warned the energy regulator that its new rules aimed at fairer pricing for customers poses a risk to competition in the UK, as sales to UK customers fell by 5pc to 5.47bn (£4.7bn) in the first half.
Telegraph 13th Aug 2009 more >>
China
China’s southern Guangdong province intends to increase its nuclear power generating capacity to 24 gigawatts (GW) by 2020, Reuters reported. Li Miaojuan, director of Guangdong Development and Reform Commission, said the development of nuclear power in the province would improve its power-consuming structures. The target is in line with China’s ambition to develop alternative power resources, along with solar, wind and nuclear, and decrease its dependence on coal and lower pollution.
Energy Business Review 10th Aug 2009 more >>
Business Green 12th Aug 2009 more >>
Pakistan
Pakistan’s military has strenuously rejected allegations by a British academic that al-Qaida is targeting the country’s nuclear facilities in an attempt to obtain weapons for use against the west.
Guardian 13th Aug 2009 more >>
Poland
A roadmap for nuclear energy has been unveiled by Poland, setting out the steps it will take with the aim of generating nuclear power before 2021. The proposed schedule was announced by the government yesterday as part of a plan to reduce exposure to volatility in imported energy sources. It includes efforts to assess Poland’s potential for producing uranium of its own.
World Nuclear News 12th Aug 2009 more >>
US
The Florida Cabinet today approved site certification for Progress Energy Florida’s Levy nuclear power plant, the first nuclear facility approved in the state since 1976.
Environment News Service 12th Aug 2009 more >>
Disarmament
Mary Kaldor: Over the last couple of years, a new anti-nuclear movement has emerged led by former politicians and officials of the Cold War era. They want to rid the world of nuclear weapons and they have put forward proposals for achieving this that largely consist of business left unfinished when they were in power. If they are to succeed in their ultimate goal, they need to be complemented by an anti-nuclear movement composed of citizens and politicians of the emergent global era who could develop a new set of proposals aimed at challenging outdated ways of thinking about nuclear weapons.
Open Democracy 12th Aug 2009 more >>
Renewables
The Danish windfarm company Vestas told more than 400 UK employees today that they had been made redundant, marking the official closure of its Isle of Wight factory that had been occupied for 18 days by angry workers. The campaign to save the only major wind turbine blade manufacturer in the UK became a cause celebre for unions and green activists, who argued the move undermined the government’s promise of a “green revolution” that would result in the installation of 10,000 wind turbines by 2020 and create thousands of jobs.
Guardian 13th Aug 2009 more >>
Climate
The gap between rich nations and emerging economies over carbon emissions targets is beginning to look unbridgable.
Guardian 12th Aug 2009 more >>
