Nuclear Subsidy
Letter: GEOFF Sweeting points out that the Government is subsidising wind energy, and believes that it is “inefficient”. I would like to point out that, through a variety of mechanisms, the Government is, in fact, subsidising nearly all forms of electricity generation, and that the subsidies for nuclear energy are particularly generous.
Yorkshire Post 10th Aug 2010 more >>
Nuclear Renaissance?
A “nuclear renaissance” could revolutionise power generation over the next 20 years as new technologies help uranium replace coal and oil, it has been claimed. In a new report, experts predict innovations such as reactors with replaceable parts, portable mini-reactors, and ships that can supply nuclear generated electricity anywhere it is needed. The scientists from Imperial College London and Cambridge University envisage a two-stage “road map” for nuclear power expansion. First, countries with a nuclear infrastructure would replace or extend the lives of their existing nuclear power plants.
ITN 12th Aug 2010 more >>
Nuclear Politics
UK Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne has been branded ‘brazen and dishonest’ after insisting that he was never an opponent of nuclear energy. SNP Westminster Energy spokesperson Mike Weir MP said: “The way Chris Huhne has reversed his position on new nuclear is brazen and dishonest. From being unequivocal in his opposition to atomic energy, he has now become a cheerleader and champion for it. This is yet another example of how the Liberal Democrats cannot be trusted – they said one thing in opposition, but do the complete opposite in government. Chris Huhne well knows that nowhere in the world has a nuclear reactor been built without public money, and it is highly unlikely that any new reactors can be built in the UK without massive public investment. The Coalition government claim that there will be no public investment in new nuclear, but at the same time are planning to put a floor on the carbon price in an effort to make nuclear financially viable. This is nothing less than a hidden public subsidy. Nuclear energy has in the past swallowed vast sums of public money, and the clean up of its past mess continues to cost the taxpayer dearly. There is absolutely no case for continuing to pour public money into this bottomless pit. We should be looking to developing clean green energy to provide a safe and sustainable energy future.”
News on News 13th Aug 2010 more >>
Chris Huhne is on a mission to stop all nuclear development. While he and his anti-nuclear Liberal Democrats signed on to a deal by which they agreed to abstain from any Parliamentary vote to approve nuclear legislation, Huhne knew there would be more than one way to undermine a pro-nuclear policy. For a start, he could announce there was “no money” for state subsidies of the proposed new generation of nuclear power stations. Next, he could gamble Britain’s energy future on the meagre energy return offered by wind power. By the end of July, just two months into office, Huhne had done both.
Energy Tribune 11th Aug 2010 more >>
UK government has again voiced its support for new nuclear power but added that it will be sans government subsidies, while the government will continue with its efforts to streamline planning.
Energy Business Review 12th Aug 2010 more >>
Energy Efficiency News 12th Aug 2010 more >>
Nuclear Waste
A DISCUSSION on whether Allerdale council should withdraw its expression of interest in hosting a high level nuclear waste dump has been postponed. Coun Joe Sandwith put a notice of motion to the council on Wednesday calling for councillors to pull away from going down the potentially dangerous storage route for nuclear waste disposal. But council leader Tim Heslop proposed that the matter be deferred until the council had been given a presentation on managing radioactive waste.
It is likely to be discussed in two meetings time.
West Cumberland Times & Star 22nd Aug 2010 more >>
Hinkley
Stop Hinkley C Protest Week-end 11th & 12th September.
Shepperdine Against Nuclear Energy 12th Aug 2010 more >>
Oldbury & Wylfa
The UK’s only remaining operating Magnox nuclear power stations, Oldbury and Wylfa, are looking at operating well beyond their current scheduled closure dates. Oldbury, on the banks of the River Severn in Gloucestershire, is currently scheduled to close down in June 2011, but site manager Joe Lamonby told a recent stakeholder group meeting that it is likely there will still be enough fuel to operate one of the plant’s two reactors beyond that. He told stakeholders that there would not be enough fuel to continue running both reactors – Magnox fuel is no longer being manufactured – but spare fuel from one reactor could be put into the other to keep it operating. The units are owned by the UK’s Nuclear Decommissioning Agency (NDA). Magnox North’s other operating station, Wylfa in North Wales, is formally scheduled for closure in December 2010, but like Oldbury, could well operate to 2012 with the NII’s consent. The plant is currently in the process of applying for extended operation beyond 2010, Magnox North’s Lowri Jones explained to WNN. If the regulator gives it permission to continue, Magnox North is hoping to be able to operate the plant for at least two more years. A decision from the NII is expected in the autumn.
N-former 12th Aug 2010 more >>
World Nuclear News 12th Aug 2010 more >>
Russia
In Russia, experts insisted the radiation levels were normal despite fires in several regions badly contaminated by the Chernobyl explosion.
This was echoed by Chernobyl expert Dr Jim Smith of Portsmouth University who said: ‘Of the total radioactivity in the area, much less than one percent of it will be remobilised.’
Daily Mail 13th Aug 2010 more >>
Germany
German utility RWE AG on Thursday joined rival E.ON AG in criticizing government plans for a nuclear fuel tax that it said would hurt earnings and investment in green technologies.
The company also called for clarity on the future of nuclear energy in Germany as the government moves toward a decision expected this fall on how far to roll back long-standing plans to shut the country’s 17 nuclear plants by 2021.
Business Week 12th Aug 2010 more >>
Israel
Letter from Norman Dombey: David Lowry asks whether Israel has carried out a nuclear weapon test. Although there is no conclusive answer, he is not correct to say that there is no public information. Since 2004, the CIA report on the double flash detected by a US Vela satellite on 22 September 1979, originating in the south Atlantic, has been declassified, albeit heavily redacted. The purpose of the Vela satellites was to detect atmospheric nuclear tests, and the double flash is characteristic of nuclear explosions.
Guardian 13th Aug 2010 more >>
Energy Efficiency
Earlier in the week the Daily Telegraph revealed that thousands of companies face fines of up to £45,000 for failing to register for the Carbon Reduction Commitment. The new ‘green tax’ requires business over a certain size to start measuring their greenhouse gas emissions as the first step towards a new carbon trading scheme. Now the Environment Agency is telling companies they can register without having to accurately measure their ‘carbon footprint’ in an effort to make more firms sign up to the “difficult and disjointed” scheme.
Telegraph 13th Aug 2010 more >>
Renewables
It towers 22.5 metres (74ft) tall, the height of a five-storey building, and could generate enough electricity for up to 1,000 homes. More importantly, with its twin sets of three-bladed rotors it just might be the most promising entrant yet in the global race to harness tidal power. Unromatically titled AK-1000, the mammoth machine began its journey yesterday from the Cromarty Firth to Orkney for testing in one of the world’s harshest marine environments. The turbine, which generates one megawatt (MW) will undergo three years of testing to prove its commercial robustness and minimal environmental impact. It has been developed, at a cost so far of $100 million (£64 million), by Atlantis Resources in London whose chief executive, Tim Cornelius, expressed confidence that the turbine would pass the tests and that its job creation potential for the north of Scotland could be substantial.
Times 13th Aug 2010 more >>
