New nukes
American-Japanese consortium has emerged as a surprise rival to British Energy in the race to build a new generation of nuclear power stations in the UK. EnergySolutions, a nuclear services company based in Salt Lake City, Utah, is working on a plan to build and operate a new nuclear reactor at Wylfa on Anglesey, The Times has learnt. It has teamed up with Toshiba-Westinghouse, the Japanese-owned supplier of nuclear reactor technology. They have held talks with several European and British utilities companies about forming a separate new-build consortium to the one involving British Energy.
Times 14th April 2008 more >>
The government may try to make a number of nuclear sites currently up for auction more attractive to buyers by including assets owned by up-for-sale British Energy, the Sunday Times said. The move would ease fears that the eventual buyer of BE will have total control of the country’s nuclear power industry, which is enjoying a renaissance after the government sanctioned the building of a new fleet of stations. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), which owns 18 sites, including two with operational reactors, said last month its assets were now up for sale.
Reuters 13th April 2008 more >>
The nuclear industry in Britain is killing billions of fish every year and taking a devastating toll of stocks, an Oxford University academic suggests. The impact can be so severe in the worst-affected regions of the seas around Britain that death rates are equivalent to half the commercial catch for some species.
Times 14th April 2008 more >>
French and German energy giants EDF and RWE will this week open talks with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority over plans to buy land adjoining three nuclear power stations.
Daily Mail 13th April 2008 more >>
British Energy
French and German energy giants EDF and RWE remain frontrunners in the battle to buy the £11bn UK nuclear power group British Energy, despite the emergence of new potential bidders. Market sources said that despite interest from Swedish power group Vattenfall, and other European groups such as Spain’s Iberdrola, EDF and RWE remain the hot favourites. The two-horse race could severely undermine the possibility of the UK’s only serious contender in the race, Centrica, playing any part.
Telegraph 14th April 2008 more >>
Springfields
FYLDE MP Michael Jack has called for a level playing field in the race to control one of the UK’s energy giants. As the bidding war over who could own British Energy gathers pace, the Tory MP hopes the Fylde’s only nuclear site could be a major player in its future. The owner of Springfields in Salwick, Toshiba Westinghouse, is already bidding to build a new reactor in the UK after the Government announced its plan for a revamp of the nuclear industry.
Blackpool Gazette 14th April 2008 more >>
Iran
A meeting between Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator and the head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog agency has been postponed.
BBC 13th April 2008 more >>
Iran and the United States have been engaged in secret “back channel” discussions for the past five years on Iran’s nuclear programme and the broader relationship between the two sworn enemies.
Independent 14th April 2008 more >>
The world’s big powers will meet this week to discuss how to increase incentives for Iran to rein in its nuclear programme. But their parallel effort to intensify sanctions on Tehran is encountering difficulties, with long-awaited European Union measures unlikely to be agreed before June and set to fall short of the US’s ambitions.
FT 14th April 2008 more >>
North Korea
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice denied Friday that the deadlock had been broken in nuclear disarmament talks with North Korea. “We are not yet at a point where we can make a judgement as to whether or not the North Koreans have met their obligations,” Rice said here at a press conference with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
AFX 13th April 2008 more >>
North Korea will no longer have to provide a complete declaration of its nuclear activities, under a tentative deal reached with the US towards easing nuclear tensions on the Korean peninsula. Pyongyang last year agreed to produce a “compete and correct” declaration of its nuclear activities in order to complete the second stage of a three-part deal aimed at denuclearising the Stalinist state.
FT 14th April 2008 more >>
Italy
A2A SpA management board chairman Giuliano Zuccoli said Italy should build three or four nuclear power stations over the next 30 years with 10,000 megawatts of capacity at a total cost of 20 billion euros.
Interactive Investor 14th April 2008 more >>
