New Nuclear
Nuclear power exists for one reason only, writes Ralph Nader – government support. Without the taxpayer subsidies, accident liability waivers and exploited consumers, nuclear power wouldn’t exist. And even with all the above, it can barely hold on. It’s time to end the nuclear boondoggle for once and for all.
Ecologist 12th Sept 2014 read more »
Companies
Engineering contractor AMEC today announced it had signed an agreement with China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) to co-operate across the civil nuclear sector, both in China and the UK. The agreement will see CNNC – one of two Chinese firms investing in EDF’s Hinkley Point C plant – and AMEC work together to secure global opportunities in new build, nuclear power plant operational support and lifetime extension and decommissioning and waste management.
Process Engineering 12th Sept 2014 read more »
Amec has agreed to work with China to build nuclear power stations and clean up after them. The energy services company signed a memorandum of understanding with China National Nuclear Corporation to co-operate across the civil nuclear sector, both in China and Britain. The news came as George Osborne said that the UK would become the first Western country to issue a renminbi bond as part of efforts to deepen its financial links with the world’s second largest economy. At an annual meeting on finance and investment involving the two countries, attended by Ma Kai, China’s vice-premier, Mr Osborne also hailed deals between British and Chinese companies worth more than £2.4 billion.
Times 13th Sept 2014 read more »
Capacity Market
The UK’s energy and climate change select committee has criticised the government’s upcoming capacity market saying it favours the development of new generation over the use of demand-side response options which could save consumers up to £359 million per year.
Utility Week 12th Sept 2014 read more »
Energy Minister Matthew Hancock has come under pressure from MPs this week to reform the new capacity market, in a move they claim could help save consumers nearly £360m in the first year of the scheme alone. Tim Yeo, chairman of the House of Commons’ Energy and Climate Change Committee (ECCC), wrote to Hancock this week urging him to do more to encourage investment in demand-side response (DSR) initiatives – which rely on companies and organisations voluntarily reducing their power consumption at times of peak demand to balance out the grid.
Business Green 12th Sept 2014 read more »
Carlton Power to bid over 3GW of new CCGT into capacity auction.
Utility Week 12th Sept 2014 read more »
Nuclear Investment
In the 60th anniversary year of nuclear energy, leaders from the sector debated the investment model for future construction projects. The global financial crisis and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident together impacted the appetite among governments – the traditional investor in the industry – to put public money into projects to build new reactors. The result is that reactor vendors have had to take up the slack and put equity financing into a project in order to get their own technology built. Speaking at the World Nuclear Association’s 2014 Symposium in London, Danny Roderick, president and CEO of Westinghouse Electric Company, said this had meant a draw on finances away from research and development.
World Nuclear News 12th Sept 2014 read more »
Energy Politics
As John Harris argues in today’s Guardian, there are deep shifts going on in the nature of democracy across the UK (and actually the rest of Europe too). The predominant mood is one of rejection of political elites and conventional party politics by an electorate who have experienced a decade of declining living standards and increased economic uncertainty. Much of the rise of the ‘Yes’ vote for Scottish independence reflects this mood, but so does the emergence of UKIP in places like Clacton, which as Rob Ford and Matthew Goodwin have shown convincingly, is more about those ‘left behind’ by globalisation and technological change than it is about Europe per se. A revolt is stirring against the ‘post-democracy’ political times we live in. What has this to do with energy policy? The answer is both threat and opportunity. The threat is to climate policy. Climate change, a global, invisible long-term problem, is the ultimate cosmopolitan agenda championed by the institutions that populists hate, including the EU and the UN. Climate policy isn’t the main aim of UKIP’s ire, but it is collateral damage, tarred by association. Moreover, as policy is currently designed, the costs of decarbonising energy are disproportionately high for low income households who are least likely to benefit. The ‘left behind’ are helping to pay for the solar PV panels on the roofs of mansions in Richmond and the Cotswolds. But these same solar panels also represent an opportunity. For just as the political model is broken, so too are the institutions of the corporate energy model. One of the few groups even more unpopular than politicians in today’s Britain are the large energy companies. The idea of do-it-yourself energy production by households and local communities should resonate strongly with the localist libertarian ideology of rebel politicians like Douglas Carswell, recently defected from the Conservatives to UKIP.
IGov 12th Sept 2014 read more »
Friends of the Earth
Roger Harabin: Nuclear power in the UK has turned out much safer than environmentalists worried it would be. Friends of the Earth, which feared the threat of a catastrophic Chernobyl-style meltdown in the UK, is now less concerned. Fear of nuclear armageddon was a driving force for the green movement in the UK – Greenpeace has its name for a reason. But Friends of the Earth have revealed that their old ideological opposition to nuclear has crumbled, to be replaced by a new pragmatic opposition based on cost and build time. In the old days nuclear was fought because of the health threat; now it’s opposed because it’s the wrong option in an energy system designed to tackle climate change.
Guardian 12th Sept 2014 read more »
Europe
Just two days after being appointed by Jean-Claude Junker, the EU’s new climate and energy commissioner is under pressure to drop his shares in two oil companies which members of European parliament say represent a conflict of interest. The MEPs say EU’s proposed new climate and energy commissioner, Miguel Arias Canete, must dispose of any oil company shareholdings before they consider giving his nomination a green light at European parliament hearings later this month
Guardian 12th Sept 2014 read more »
Japan
Japan’s influential Asahi newspaper has sacked its executive editor in an effort to contain a controversy over its reporting on two of the country’s most politically sensitive issues: the Fukushima nuclear disaster and the history of the second world war. The centre-left daily, Japan’s second-largest with nearly 8m readers, said it had removed the editor, Nobuyuki Sugiura, for mistakes including misreporting in a scoop on the response to the 2011 meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi power station. Mr Sugiura will remain on the paper’s staff. Tadakazu Kimura, chief executive, apologised for the Fukushima story, which was written in May and portrayed plant workers as having fled the crippled facility against orders. “We gave the impression that workers ran away but we have determined that this was an erroneous story,” Mr Kimura said. He indicated that he too would leave his job after conducting what he said would be a sweeping overhaul of editorial practices and management.
FT 12th Sept 2014 read more »
South Africa
Plans for nuclear power figure heavily in South African energy policy – and the country aims to ensure long-term security of supply by developing its own fuel cycle capabilities.
World Nuclear News 12th Sept 2014 read more »
Brazil
The Brazil Nuclear Power research report provides statistics on nuclear power plants projeActs, policies and regulatory framework, nuclear island equipments, cost- budget analysis and trends and developments in the sector.
Industry Today 11th Sept 2014 read more »
Community Energy
Across the country there are growing numbers of schemes enabling people to give financial backing to community-owned and run projects such as cafes, post offices and solar co-ops, and, hopefully, earn a decent return, too. Guardian Money has featured several, all looking to raise funds – whether to bring a vital amenity back to life, secure the future of a local business, or generate renewable energy. Share offers currently open for business include: Halton Lune Hydro – an opportunity to help fund the cost of building a 200KW hydro scheme on the River Lune at Halton, Lancashire, described as the biggest community-owned hydro project in England so far. The £976,000 target has almost been met, and the share offer is open until 30 September. Those behind the scheme expect to pay 5% interest after the hydro becomes operational. Anafon Hydro – launching today, this is a chance to invest in the first community-owned hydro-electric project in North Wales, which would generate and sell “green” electricity to the grid. The minimum investment is £250, and the directors hope to pay annual interest of around 4-5% gross.
Guardian 13th Sept 2014 read more »
Want your own school to use solar panels and be a green energy example to pupils? 10:10’s Esther Barlow explains how. We managed to involve a rather sceptical community, and everybody’s sort of joined together,” says Sam White. “There’s a lot more crossover now between the people in the community and the school … It’s brought people together.” White is a parent at Pendock Primary school in rural Worcestershire. Back in 2012 this tiny school of just 49 pupils was one of the first to sign up to 10:10’s Solar Schools project. They had an ambitious plan – to raise £9,000 to buy solar panels for their roof in just two terms.
Guardian 12th Sept 2014 read more »
This week’s Micro Power News.
Microgenscotland 12th Sept 2014 read more »
