New Nukes
The UK government is considering building as many as 50 new nuclear reactors, according to its nuclear waste advisors. In a submission to a consultation on geological waste disposal, the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) has said that an upper limit of 75 gigawatts of nuclear power is “being examined” by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) in London. This equates to over 50 new large-scale modern reactors. The current programme announced by ministers is to build 12 reactors to supply 16 gigawatts at five sites, starting with Hinkley Point in Somerset. CoRWM was commenting on the number of disposal facilities might be required for the waste that will be produced by new nuclear power stations. The 16 gigawatt programme was only the “first tranche”, it said, and was “substantially below the 75GWe upper limit being examined in DECC”. CoRWM added: “There is a need for clarity that any data given for, for example, 16GWe, are an example rather than either an expectation or a limit.” This is not the first time that DECC has raised the possibility of embarking on such a massive nuclear building project. In a report on delivering a low-carbon future in 2011 it included a scenario in which 75 gigawatts of nuclear power was brought on line by 2050 to provide 86% of the UK’s electricity.
Rob Edwards 12th Dec 2013 read more »
Hinkley
EDF Energy has admitted a target that UK companies will win 57 per cent of the work on its £14bn Hinkley Point C project is “ambitious” but insisted it is achievable.
Construction News 11th Dec 2013 read more »
Sizewell
Despite its multimillion pound price tag, state-of-the art equipment and imposing presence at the edge of a Suffolk town, developers hope Sizewell B’s new Emergency Response Centre (ERC) may never realise its full potential. EDF Energy yesterday invited dignitaries and industry specialists to see inside the impressive structure, due to be fully operational – and “prepared for the unthinkable” – in March, following a programme of work since events at Fukushima. Although the chief nuclear inspector’s review of the sector found UK facilities had “no fundamental weaknesses, Sizewell’s EDF-funded centre forms part of the firm’s £180m plan to meet recommendations for enhanced safety at its eight stations, with back-up plant and control systems for operators to control the station remotely if necessary, as well as emergency equipment, high pressure pumps and vehicles.
East Anglian Daily Times 12th Dec 2013 read more »
Sellafield
SELLAFIELD’S management has apologised to the taxpayer over failings on the nuclear site. Tom Zarges, the chair of Nuclear Management Partners (NMP) – the consortium that runs the site – said that he is “humbled and truly sorry” for mistakes made during his firm’s five-year tenure at Sellafield, and vowed that they will not be repeated in the future. Criticisms levelled at the site’s management include soaring costs, projects behind schedule and an alleged lack of leadership.
Whitehaven News 12th Dec 2013 read more »
Letter: It is unfortunate that we feel the need to write in reply to article “Nuclear second class citizens”. For some unknown reason, Sellafield Ltd chose to implicate our union in the piece, in that they claim that we, Unite, are denying our members the opportunity to have their voices heard. Let’s clear this point up. Firstly, Unite is the largest union in the UK and secondly, at Sellafield, Unite has some of the most experienced shop steward/convenors in the entire nuclear industry. Therefore it is highly unlikely, to say the least, that our members will not have their voices heard. We are at a loss to understand why we have been dragged into this debate but it is most likely through total incompetence or stupidity, rather than malice.
Whitehaven News 12th Dec 2013 read more »
Letter: Dr Adrian Simper would like us to believe that problems with waste storage at Sellafield are confined to historical ‘legacy’ waste stores, in contrast to modern stores like the Vitrified Product Store which are ‘state-of-the-art’. Could this be the same Vitrified Product Store that receives waste from the heavily contaminated Waste Vitrification Plant, currently exhibiting dangerous levels of radiation after a power cut and ventilation failure the other week (report in Sunday’s Independent)?
Whitehaven News 12th Dec 2013 read more »
Letter Eddie Martin: Whilst I am most grateful to Dr Adrian Simper for his comments (Whitehaven News, December 5) in seeking to reassure us about the extremely complex work taking place at Sellafield by stating that the NDA are spending £600m per year on their Secure Interim Storage programme, I do not believe there is any misunderstanding by the Cumbria Trust. The NMP consortium, recently re-appointed by the NDA, stands accused by the Public Accounts Committee of spending money like confetti. We also note that the consortium is missing its targets on 12 out of 14 key projects. That is hardly reassuring. Both the PAC and National Audit Committees have recently been very critical of the pace and cost of waste remediation projects and, as evidenced at the latest West Cumbria Sites Stakeholder Group, these programmes continue to slip and the associated costs and risks to escalate. Unfortunately, neither are we reassured by the Department of Energy and Climate Change assertion that the revised site selection process for a GDF is national or reasonable. The geologist employed by the government-funded Managing Radioactive Waste partnership said that no commercial organisation would continue its search for a GDF location in West Cumbria, but even this statement seemed not to dampen the NDA’s optimism. It is also apparent that public confidence in GDF siting and implementation will continue to be challenged by on-going uncertainties about the behaviour of conditioned wastes and, not least, the performance of engineered and natural barriers over long periods of time. Many of the proposals in the latest DECC consultation are simply unacceptable. I continue to maintain, for example, that the proposal to remove all final decision-making powers from those layers of local government that voted NO (the parish/town and county councils), while vesting all powers in the district councils, which voted YES, is an affront to democracy.
Whitehaven News 12th Dec 2013 read more »
Radwaste
PUBLIC support should be secured before an area volunteers to potentially host an underground repository for high-level nuclear waste, says Copeland Council – but this should not take the form of a referendum. The borough council also feels that it – and not the county – should have the final say on whether the area ultimately hosts a geological disposal facility (GDF). These were among the main recommendations from Copeland as it responded to the Department for Energy and Climate Change’s (DECC) consultation into what format the next search process should take.
Whitehaven News 12th Dec 2013 read more »
Just in case you didn’t believe your ears when Rt Hon Michael Fallon spoke at the House of Lords Select Committee for Science and Technology inquiry on Nuclear Follow-Up on 10th December, where he stated to the committee that: “We have just finished the consultation”, you can now download the transcript as a pdf document here.
Cumbria Trust 13th Dec 2013 read more »
Nuclear Regulation
Frazer-Nash has secured a five year framework contract to support the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) in its regulatory activities related to new build, power generation, decommissioning and defence sectors.
Engineer 12th Dec 2013 read more »
Nuclear R&D
THE National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) is hosting a new research office to provide advice to government and industry on nuclear research and development. The Nuclear Innovation and Research Office (NIRO) will be under the guidance of the Nuclear Innovation and Research Advisory Board (NIRAB). At present NIRO includes a core team based at NNL’s Warrington office, under the directorship of Gordon Bryan. As well as providing advice on future nuclear technologies, NIRO and NIRAB will also coordinate the UK’s involvement in nuclear projects overseas, ensure that any R&D research is in line with government policy aims, explore how to best secure funding for research, and review the status of UK nuclear innovation and R&D.
Chemical Engineer 13th Dec 2013 read more »
Energy Bill
The House of Lords backed down on a campaign to restrict coal generation under pressure from government to get the Energy Bill through quickly. The Lords had previously backed plans to immediately extend the Emissions Performance Standard to old coal plants undergoing “significant upgrades” as well as new coal plant. That change was reversed in the Commons. The peers’ U-turn clears the Energy Bill’s path to Royal Assent. Lord Oxburgh, who introduced the compromise, said the government’s reasons for opposing it were “pretty thin”.
Utility Week 11th Dec 2013 read more »
Parliament finally passed the energy bill yesterday, bringing to a close two years of politicking over the future of the UK’s energy and climate policy. It’s not always been an easy ride. Let us take you back to the dim and distant past.
Carbon Brief 12th Dec 2013 read more »
Utilities
A consortium led by Centrica, the owner of British Gas, has been made preferred bidder by Irish ministers to take control of the state-owned energy group, Bord Gáis Energy, for around €1bn (£840m). Centrica’s foray into Ireland comes as power companies warn that the UK energy market is becomingly increasingly unattractive to investment. The cash-strapped Irish government abandoned an auction late last month after bids came in well below the €1bn reserve price Dublin had demanded. But new talks with three buyers in a consortium have produced an agreement.
Guardian 12th Dec 2013 read more »
British Gas owner Centrica is set to become Ireland’s biggest household gas supplier as part of a €1.12bn (£942m) joint acquisition of state-owned Bord Gáis Energy. The energy giant was last night named preferred bidder as part of a consortium of Canadian and UK investors to buy the business, which the Irish government is selling to help pay down its debts.
Telegraph 12th Dec 2013 read more »
Times 13th Dec 2013 read more »
The extent of the failure of the UK’s energy market is revealed today by new research showing that competition between the Big Six has fallen to an all-time low. The proportion of households switching suppliers has almost halved in seven years – making it easier for gas and electricity providers to hike their prices in a stale market, according to a new study seen by The Independent.
Independent 13th Dec 2013 read more »
Europe
An EU investigation into the UK’s financial support for new nuclear power stations is dividing Europe, with critics saying London is flouting EU rules by offering illegal subsidies. A full-scale investigation is being launched into whether Britain’s deal with French nuclear giant EDF, backed with money from Chinese nuclear generators, to build new stations at Hinkley Point in the west of England, is illegal state aid. The investigation by the European Commission is a serious blow to the nuclear industry in Europe and across the western world, because it delays any expansion of the industry for at least a year and may possibly permanently damage its prospects. British Government officials are optimistic that the investigation can be over quickly. It believes that by mid-2014 clearance will have been given for two reactors – costing £16 bn – to be built. If built on time they would provide 7% of Britain’s electricity by 2023. Objections to the deal are expected to be numerous, however, and an investigation could take far longer than that. If the decision goes in favour of the UK it will be a serious blow to the renewable industry, so supporters of wind, solar, wave, tidal and bio-gas technologies are all likely to submit objections. For example Mark Turner, a director at the UK’s leading solar power generator, Lightsource Renewable Energy, has written to Prime Minister David Cameron to point out that Britain’s solar industry can deliver the same energy production at the planned Hinkley Point C within 24 months and at comparable cost.
Climate News Network 12th Dec 2013 read more »
Brussels is poised to launch a probe into whether the contract offered to EDF to build the UK’s first nuclear reactor in a generation constitutes illegal state aid, according to reports today. EU competition commissioner Joaquín Almunia is preparing to announce the investigation as early as next week, the Financial Times reports today.
Business Green 12th Dec 2013 read more »
Western Daily Press 12th Dec 2013 read more »
Reacting to the news that the £16bn plan for Britain’s first nuclear plant in a generation could be delayed for a year by an EU investigation, UKIP Energy Spokesman Roger Helmer has hit back over the European Commission’s “appalling interference”. “Whilst I do have my reservations about the details of the Hinkley Point finance deal, this is yet another example of appalling interference from the EU Commission.
UKIP 12th Dec 2013 read more »
Japan
A gradual rise in radiation readings at a test well at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power station appears to be the result of successful efforts to pump groundwater and divert it from flowing into the ocean, operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) said.
Nucnet 12th Dec 2013 read more »
Finland
Areva-Siemens Consortium who is building the Olkiluoto 3 nuclear power plant unit under a fixed price turnkey contract has informed that it is planning to focus efforts on the OL3 site on urgent design tasks, which are the most critical to the project. In this context the plant supplier is planning to reduce the number of subcontractors and work staff on the construction site.
TVO 13th Dec 2013 read more »
US
Power producers in the United States opt to build new gas-fired power plants or undertake coal-to-gas conversions rather than extending operations of nuclear reactors. Uncertainty over the continued operation of 38 out of a total of 100 reactors in the U.S. may threaten energy security, the American Physical Society warns.
Gas to Power Journal 12th Dec 2013 read more »
South Africa
Africa is often portrayed as a victim of climate change, a continent that emits little carbon yet stands to suffer the effects of the developed world’s pollution. This view only holds if one excludes South Africa, the continent’s richest country and the world’s sixth-largest coal exporter, seventh-largest coal producer, and thirteenth-largest CO2 emitter, with per-capita emissions twice the global average. 94% of the country’s electricity comes from coal, as does almost half its liquid transport fuel. But South Africa is also blessed with abundant renewable energy resources, mainly in the form of plentiful wind and its famously bright sun. These were largely unharnessed for power generation until last year, when the government began inviting private investors to produce cleaner electricity for the national grid. Roughly $5.5 billion has since rushed into the country’s renewable energy sector, and dozens of wind farms and solar plants are now mushrooming across the landscape.
Guardian 12th Dec 2013 read more »
Renewables – solar
Energy and climate change minister, Greg Barker, promised those attending the Solar Trade Association’s Solar Britain parliamentary event that more would be done to develop the “crucial” rooftop solar sector in the UK. Delivering a wide-ranging speech on the state of solar in the UK, Greg Barker acknowledged that the government needs to work harder to address the current barriers that are hampering the growth of the domestic, mid-scale commercial roof and community generation sectors. Talking about the current malaise surrounding the mid-scale solar sector, Barker said: “There is massive potential to turn our large buildings into power stations.
Solar Portal 12th Dec 2013 read more »
Renewables – small wind
Allowing farmers to use renewable energy technology on their land will help the nation meet its future food and energy needs, experts suggest. By generating on-farm electricity, farmers would be able to cut their costs of producing food and more likely to remain in business, they added. Analysis suggested farmers could earn up to £50,000 a year from generating electricity from wind energy.
BBC 11th Dec 2013 read more »
Renewables – offshore wind
Centrica has become the latest energy supplier in Britain to dilute its interest in offshore wind assets amid concerns about the subsidy levels. It has sold its holding in the Race Bank scheme to Dong Energy of Denmark for £50m. The UK company is left with 50% stakes in four remaining wind farms.
Guardian 12th Dec 2013 read more »
Telegraph 12th Dec 2013 read more »
Energy Efficiency
Pressed to include measures to permanently reduce demand in the already sprawling Energy Bill, action-man Minister for Climate Change, Greg Barker, swings into gear. Pow! He promises agog MPs on the committee that there will be amendments to the Bill in the lords. Blam! New clauses are added that require the government to run a ‘demand side reduction’ pilot under the existing capacity payment arrangements. Zap! A £20 million pilot fund is set up with the aim of dispensing its largesse on schemes in 2014. Just one hurdle remains: how do you actually decide on what schemes really are demand side reduction, will permanently save energy, and hence might be encouraged through the new fund? Action minister is not fazed. Turning to his civil servants he tells them: ‘make it so’.
Alan Whitehead MP 12th Dec 2013 read more »
Fossil Fuels
Taxpayers will pay to clean up any pollution caused by fracking if the companies go bankrupt, after a proposal to make UK operators take out insurance against such damage was ruled out by the government.
Guardian 11th Dec 2013 read more »
