Green Investment Bank
The government’s Green Investment Bank could fund the building of new nuclear reactors, it has emerged. It is the latest form of public financial support on offer to the industry from the government which continues to insist that the industry will not receive any more subsidies. The Conservatives’ pre-election manifesto promised that the Green Investment Bank – which was also in the coalition agreement – would finance “new green technology start-ups”. But documents issued before Christmas by Vince Cable’s business department list new reactors, along with offshore wind farms and new electricity grids, as one of the three proposed “target sectors” on which the bank would initially focus.
Guarduan 13th Jan 2011 more >>
National Policy Statements
On Tuesday, the House of Lords debated the revised drafts of the first five energy National Policy Statements (NPSs), issued in October 2010. Their Lordships will debate the sixth, on nuclear power on Thursday. The Hansard report of the debate is available, but this blog covers the salient points, so you don’t have to read it all. The Minister, Lord Marland, opened the debate. He hinted that the Renewable Energy NPS would change again since it will be revised to take into account new guidance on noise from wind turbines. The Minister later refused to be drawn on whether further revisions would get further consultation (I suspect not), something which the Localism Bill makes clear is not always necessary. Lord Giddens said that the government wants 30% of electricity to be generated from renewables by 2030 – it is actually 2020, to meet the EU target mentioned in the previous blog entry. If this seems ambitious, Spain generated 35% of its electricity from renewables in 2010, wind generating 43% on 9 December.
Bircham Dyson Bell 13th Jan 2011 more >>
Hinkley
THE closing date for comments on EDF Energy’s planning application for preliminary works for two new nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point in West Somerset has been extended to January 31. The original consultation deadline was yesterday. Andrew Goodchild, West Somerset Council’s Planning Manager, said: “It is a major application that runs to hundred of pages and the information can be very complex so we consider the requests to be justified and we have agreed to extend the consultation.”
This is the West Country 13th Jan 2011 more >>
In a report by Chris Busby and Cecily Collingridge for Green Audit, analysis is presented showing the presence of enriched uranium contamination on the site proposed for the new nuclear reactors at Hinkley C.
Bristol Indymedia 13th Jan 2011 more >>
Oldbury
ENERGY minister Charles Hendry said land next to the River Severn was appropriate for a new generation of nuclear reactors during a visit to the site near Thornbury. He spent several hours at the existing Oldbury atomic station to meet those who run the ageing plant’s two reactors and to look across mist- shrouded farmland in Shepperdine where energy company Horizon wants up to three more. His visit came a day after he met representatives from eight sites around the country which are being considered for new nuclear stations to help meet Britain’s energy demands. They included Gareth Williams, a professor of medicine at Bristol University and member of SANE – Shepperdine Against Nuclear Energy.
This is Gloucestershire 14th Jan 2011 more >>
REPRESENTATIVES from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Nuclear Installations Inspectorate and Environment Agency will all be giving a talk at the quarterly site stakeholder meeting at Oldbury Nuclear Power Station. The meeting, at 7pm on Wednesday, January 19, will also include updates on the station’s information centre.
Gloucester Citizen 14th Jan 2011 more >>
Dungeness
The public meeting on the potential to deliver a new nuclear power station at Dungeness will be held a week on Saturday, on 22nd January. This follows the meeting I held with the Energy Minister Charles Hendry before Christmas, along with Shepway District Council. The meeting will be attended by officials from the Department for Energy and will give us the opportunity to put our case to them. Please let me know if you would like more information about attending this meeting. Early next week I will also be meeting at the Department for Energy with Natural England and representatives from Kent County Council and Shepway to discuss how we can try to establish a positive agenda that would enable us to take a new power station at Dungeness forward. I hope to be able to update readers on the progress from that meeting in next week’s column.
Damian Collins 13th Jan 2011 more >>
Wylfa
Those who like to put on waterproof jackets and go walking in Snowdonia may be interested to know there is still time to take part in a public consultation about the possibility of more overhead power lines appearing in the national park. National Grid’s enquiry over the issue of where to situate power cables from the new Wylfa C power plant on Anglesey is due to end on January 24th and the Snowdonia Society portal has issued a web link for those who want their say. It connects to the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England website, through which an e-card can be sent to National Grid.
Go Outdoors 12th Jan 2011 more >>
Cumbria
COPELAND councillors have reaffirmed their support for a new nuclear power station on land adjacent to Sellafield, as part of its response to a government consultation. Copeland’s full council meeting yesterday agreed a response to the government’s re-consultation on its National Policy Statements (NPS) for Energy.
Whitehaven News 13th Jan 2011 more >>
Ministers are being urged to build more than one nuclear power station at Sellafield.The council recognises that there is enough land at Sellafield to host significantly more generating units than currently proposed by NuGeneration. Consolidating development adjacent to Sellafield could provide significant benefits to both the local economy and the Government’s aspirations for new electricity generation by 2025.
Carlisle News & Star 13th Jan 2011 more >>
Dounreay
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd has selected Graham Construction as its preferred bidder for the design and build of a low-level radioactive waste disposal facility. The company has headquarters in County Down, Northern Ireland, and operates throughout Scotland from offices in Glasgow and Edinburgh. It was chosen after a competitive tendering exercise from a short-list of five companies.
DSRL 13th Jan 2011 more >>
BBC 13th Jan 2011 more >>
Scotsman 14th Jan 2011 more >>
Radwaste
Letter: The highly active waste saga goes on and on in ever decreasing circles, but has anyone ever questioned the necessity of building it underground? Before we embark on an extremely expensive project, would it not be prudent to ask the question – does it have to be underground? Particularly in view of the unsuitable geology in West Cumbria, not to mention the threat posed by earth tremors. There is already a highly active waste store at Sellafield attached to the Vitrification plant where the MW of decay heat is removed entirely by natural convection, making it quite independent of vulnerable power supplies. So what is the merit of putting such a facility underground – rather than encased in two metres of concrete on Sellafield site where ample space exists? Why create another nuclear site?
Whitehaven News 13th Jan 2011 more >>
Italy
A ruling by Italy’s Constitutional Court makes possible a referendum on the partial repeal of laws allowing the construction of new nuclear power plants. The Constitutional Court decision is the culmination of a process that began with the April 2010 proposal for a referendum from centrist political party Italia dei Valori (Italy of Values). A petition by the party successfully gathered the 500,000 signatures of Italian voters needed for the referendum to proceed through the Italian legislative system. This was presented to the Constitutional Court for it’s final ruling on the admissibility of the proposed referendum. Italia dei Valori leader Antonio Di Pietro is an outspoken opponent of nuclear power. According to the Italian Nuclear Forum, the referendum would be held on a Sunday between 15 April and 15 June this year, with the exact date to be announced by the president of Italy after consideration by the Council of Ministers. Italy chose to phase out nuclear power in a 1987 referendum, and has not operated a nuclear power plant since 1990.
World Nuclear News 13th Jan 2011 more >>
India
Japanese restrictions on atomic trade with India could complicate plans for France to construct a new atomic power facility in the South Asian state, the head of the French nuclear firm Areva said yesterday. The company’s design for the planned two-reactor atomic plant at Jaitapur calls for the use of “extra large forgings” available only from Japan, the Times of India quoted a diplomatic source as saying.
Global Security Newswire 12th Jan 2011 more >>
Belgium
France’s GDF Suez has paid the Belgian government a 2010 nuclear tax payment of Eur212 million ($276 million), a company spokeswoman said Thursday. Through its subsidiary Electrabel, GDF Suez operates almost all of Belgium’s 5.9 GW of nuclear capacity. In a deal signed in October 2009, the Belgian government agreed to extend by 10 years the life spans of the Doel-1, Doel-2 and Tihange-1 reactors, the country’s oldest, out to 2025. In return, the state would receive payments from the main nuclear operators of Eur215 million-245 million per year for the next five years, as well as further contributions until the end of the plant life spans.
Platts 13th Jan 2011 more >>
US
Babcock & Wilcox Nuclear Operations Group (B&W NOG) has won a contract totaling approximately $2bn, including options that are expected to be funded in government fiscal years 2012 and 2013. As per the contract, B&W NOG will manufacture nuclear components to support US defense programs, which includes the manufacture of naval nuclear power systems for submarines and aircraft carriers.
Energy Business Review 14th Jan 2011 more >>
Malaysia
A new company, Malaysia Nuclear Power Corporation, will spearhead planning the eventual deployment of nuclear power plants in the country.
World Nuclear News 13th Jan 2011 more >>
Iran
EU chief diplomat Catherine Ashton plans to bring up the nuclear controversy with Iran in international talks in Istanbul next week despite Tehran’s refusal, her spokeswoman said Thursday.
EU Business 13th Jan 2011 more >>
Iran’s proposal for a tour of its nuclear sites floundered on Thursday after China effectively rejected the invitation and Russia cautioned such a trip could never replace U.N. inspections or talks between Tehran and world powers.
STV 13th Jan 2011 more >>
Renewables
A small British-based company has won a landmark contract to build India’s first tidal power plant. The project, which could be worth hundreds of millions of pounds, is the first of its kind to attempt to harness the power of the sea in Asia. Under the terms of a deal that was inked this week, Atlantis Resources, which is led by Tim Cornelius, an Australian former submarine pilot, will partner the state-owned Gujarat Power Corporation Ltd to build a 50 “underwater windmills”, each the height of a five-storey building, in the Gulf of Kutch.
Times 14th Jan 2011 more >>
