Nuclear subsidy
Ed Davey will soon sign a long term investment contract to buy electricity for 30-40 years at twice today’s price from an EDF nuclear power station that will not produce any electricity in this decade. This decision is a £50 billion bet that DECC knows what the wholesale price of electricity will be in 2050. That would be like having asked Tony Benn, Harold Wilson’s Energy Minister, in 1976 if he knew what the wholesale price of electricity would be in 2013. To raise the £14 billion capital needed for Hinkley C, EDF will require an investment contract that is unbreakable. It is therefore vital that its provisions be thoroughly examined before it is signed.
Jonathon Porritt 13th March 2013 read more »
Utility Week 13th March 2013 read more »
24 Dash 13th March 2013 read more »
Letter to Prime Minister.
Jonathon Porritt 13th March 2013 read more »
Nuclear Investment
Qatar has begun talks with the UK government to invest up to £10bn from the gas-rich Middle Eastern state into key infrastructure projects in Britain. Officials and ministers from both countries have held discussions over what schemes the Qataris could invest in and whether a specific fund could be set up. The potential projects include energy plants, road and rail projects and even the Thames “super-sewer” under London. Qatar has become a prolific investor in British assets in recent years with a portfolio of assets held via several funds encompassing assets from Harrods and the Shard skyscraper to Heathrow airport. But setting up a dedicated fund to finance government-backed schemes would take Qatar’s investment in the UK to another level. Among the specific schemes discussed is the new £14bn nuclear reactor at Hinkley Point in Somerset planned by EDF, the French energy giant. EDF has been seeking new investors in its new-build nuclear programme since Centrica quit its joint venture last month. The government is also keen to shoehorn overseas investment into new gas plants and wind farms as it closes down a swath of coal-fired power stations.
FT 13th March 2013 read more »
Radwaste
Councillors who ruled Cumbria out of the running to host a nuclear repository “misunderstood the process” the Energy Minister claims. Baroness Verma was responding to a letter from leader of Cumbria County Council Eddie Martin and deputy Stewart Young, in which they outlined the council’s decision and reasons behind it. The Energy Minister’s response, which has been published online, refutes some of the reasons given by the council for voting against progressing to the next stage of the Managing Radioactive Waste Safely (MRWS) process. Baroness Verma wrote: “In responding, I also feel it is necessary to note there were a range of errors in your letter and to draw attention to some key points, which I believe betray a misunderstanding of the process and the Government’s position. “This is all the more surprising given your response to me in which you accepted the assurances and commitments the Government had made.” The Cumbrian councillors said in their letter that while they “appreciated the minister’s considerable endeavours” to address their concerns, they have considerable anxieties. Among these, the pair cited the worry surrounding the fact that the “right of withdrawal” had not been enshrined in statute. In a firm rebuttal, Baroness Verma responded that this had not been done because “councils do not need statutory powers to withdraw from a voluntary process”. She continued: “Nonetheless, at your request, we undertook to make the Right of Withdrawal statutory, subject to future agreement with local Decision Making Bodies that this was the best option. This form of words was agreed with you in advance.”
Carlisle News & Star 13th March 2013 read more »
Hinkley
Three environmental permits enabling the operation of a new nuclear plant at Hinkley Point have been granted. The Environment Agency permits cover the discharge and disposal of radioactive waste and cooling water and running of standby generators.
BBC 13th March 2013 read more »
Building 13th March 2013 read more »
Environment Agency Press Release 13th March 2013 read more »
Environment Agency 13th March 2013 read more »
New Nukes
The UK is “still the most attractive place for inward investment” in new nuclear in the EU, an expert has said, as the Government hosted the signing of a commitment to new nuclear between 12 European countries
Out Law 13th March 2013 read more »
Protest
Katharine Hamnett, ethical fashion designer, speaks about tactics needed for getting antinuclear message accross, also how EDF are in bed with government and media.
You Tube 10th March 2013 read more »
EDF
One of Britain’s most powerful energy companies is facing acute embarrassment today after it was forced to drop a highly controversial £5m lawsuit against a group of climate change campaigners. The humiliating climb-down by EDF follows an unprecedented backlash in which hundreds of customers deserted the company and 64,000 people signed a Change.org petition posted by one of the activists’ parents. The record £5m claim against members of No Dash for Gas was described by commentators as “a disgraceful attempt to close down peaceful protest” and “vindictive bullying”, while anti-cuts group UK Uncut and Greenpeace warned that it could change the face of protest in Britain. After three weeks of campaigning and a public outcry, EDF’s lawyers approached the campaigners offering to withdraw the lawsuit before formally surrendering today.
No dash for gas 13th March 2013 read more »
The energy company EDF has dropped a £5m civil lawsuit against a group of 21 activists who occupied one of its gas-fired power plants for a week in October 2012, in a move described by supporters of the demonstrators as a “humiliating climbdown”. EDF faced a strong public backlash against its civil suit, which was described by opponents as an attempt to undermine peaceful protest in the UK, after details of the action were published in the Guardian. The parents of one of the activists launched an online petition, which attracted 64,000 signatures in less than a month, including those of Richard Dawkins, Mark Ruffalo, Naomi Klein and Noam Chomsky, while several hundred apparent EDF customers posted on social media that they were switching to an alternative energy provider in protest at the action.
Guardian 13th March 2013 read more »
FT 13th March 2013 read more »
CND 13th March 2013 read more »
Decommissioning
Decommissioning jobs do not get much bigger than Sellafield. The UK nuclear reprocessing plant is allegedly home to the two most hazardous buildings in Western Europe. As a result it is perhaps not surprising the cost of the work has escalated. A recent report by the UK Public Accounts Committee, a government watchdog, put the bill at GBP£67.5bn and growing. The report was based on a study carried out last November by the country’s National Audit Office (NAO) on how well the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), which is overseeing the Sellafield work, had been doing its job since a prior review in 2008.The NAO’s report is important for anyone wishing to understand the cost control issues associated with major decommissioning tasks.
Nuclear Energy Insider 13th March 2013 read more »
Aldermaston
Police are warning of possible travel disruption caused by a planned protest in the Aldermaston and Burghfield area on Saturday. Protesters are expected to march between the two Atomic Weapon Establishments between 1pm and 4pm.
Get Reading 13th March 2013 read more »
Nuclear Skills
Work on a £7m college in Cumbria teaching people the skills needed for future nuclear and energy projects has been completed. Work started on Britain’s Energy Coast Construction Skills Centre at Lillyhall, Workington, last year. The centre of excellence, on the Lakes College site, will cater for about 600 students when it opens fully in the summer. It aims to help people gain vital skills for the nuclear industry.
BBC 13th March 2013 read more »
Carbon Tax
The boss of one of the UK’s largest energy companies has attacked a new green tax that will add an estimated £10 to annual electricity bills from April 1 as “completely ineffective”. Tony Cocker, chief executive of German-owned E.ON UK, said that the carbon tax – originally intended to promote the construction of new nuclear reactors – will only result in a windfall for the Treasury and the operator of the UK’s existing nuclear fleet, EDF Energy.
Times 14th March 2013 read more »
Europe
A forthright statement by the governments of Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain and the UK has called for ‘neutrality of technology’ in meeting future European Union (EU) decarbonisation targets.
World Nuclear News 13th March 2013 read more »
Utility Week 13th March 2013 read more »
Energy Business Review 13th March 2013 read more »
Japan
Two years after the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami, the herculean task of decommissioning the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant is the subject of growing international involvement, with the International Atomic Energy Agency looking to step up its role. But even as Tokyo and the IAEA trumpet increased cooperation, other international experts, and many Japanese who distrust claims by the government and Tokyo Electric Power Co. that progress is being made in containing the triple-meltdown crisis, are calling for a broader range of international experts to be brought on board, including those whose views run counter to the claims of government bureaucrats, engineers and medical professionals. Tepco is pumping several cubic meters of water per hour into the damaged reactors to keep them cool. The supply comes mainly from the water that has accumulated in the basements of the units’ buildings, and is desalinated and decontaminated before being reinjected into the reactor cores. “It’s meant to be a closed system. But it’s obvious that significant quantities of water must have evaporated, or are leaking from the basements to other areas, including into the sea. “These basements were never constructed to hold radioactive water. And corrosion of the steel reinforcement in concrete walls, especially of the spent-fuel pools, remains another area of concern. Cracks in the concrete could lead to steel corrosion, to significant breaks of the walls and to ever-increasing levels of water leakage,” Schneider said.
Japan Times 14th March 2013 read more »
The restart of Japan’s nuclear power industry is proving pivotal to the economic vision of the country’s prime minister as soaring fuel bills after the Fukushima disaster threaten to keep the country’s trade in a deeper deficit for longer. As Japan marks the second anniversary this week of a crisis that scarred the nation, the fuel bills to pay for lost atomic output are leaving their own scars on the economy, partly owing to Abe’s own making.
Reuters 14th March 2013 read more »
A personal reflection on Fukushima from a Greenpeace Radiation Expert.
Greenpeace 12th March 2013 read more »
Turkey
Turkey’s gas-fired power generation capacity will continue to expand until new nuclear capacity starts operation. “We believe 60 bcm is a viable figure for Turkey’s total gas demand volume by 2020, as gas-fired capacity will defend its 45 percent levels of market share until new nuclear capacity starts operation, said Ali Güleç, Senior Consultant at Deloitte.
Gas to Power Journal 14th March 2013 read more »
Ukraine
The EBRD board this week backed a €300m loan in support of a safety upgrade programme of the operating nuclear power units in Ukraine. The funds will be used to finance up to 87 safety measures per reactor, depending on the reactor type, to bring nuclear power generation in Ukraine to international standards by 2017. The total cost of the upgrade programme will be €1.4bn, to which Euratom, the European Atomic Energy Community, will contribute another €300m shortly.
FT 13th March 2013 read more »
Ukraine will receive a €600 million loan from two European bodies to upgrade its nuclear power plants. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will provide a €300 million loan with the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) making up the other €300 million. The program will bring Ukraine’s operating nuclear reactors in compliance with international standards as well as local regulations and the total upgrade, provisioned by the program, will cost €1.4 billion and is scheduled for completion by late 2017.
Engineering & technology 13th March 2013 read more »
US
It should be continuing to generate electricity steadily for another 20 years, but early in May the Kewaunee nuclear power station on the Western, Wisconsin shore of Lake Michigan will close down for good, with the loss of some 650 jobs. The reason will not be wear and tear or the safety issues that often afflict reactors or, for that matter, predictable environmentalist opposition. Instead, its nemesis is something new and unexpected – shale gas. Nor is this the only problem plaguing nuclear power in the United States, which – just a few years ago -was expecting imminent “renaissance”. Several reactors are dogged with safety issues: three of these have now been closed for over a year. Worse, on Monday the official Nuclear Regulatory Commission refused permission to a company owned by French nationalised company EDF to build a new reactor in Maryland that was intended to be the precursor of six nuclear power stations. The reason? US law bars foreign companies from having “ownership, control or domination” of US nuclear plants and in October 2010 a US firm, Constellation Energy dropped its 51 per cent stake in the company – rather as Centrica has pulled out of a partnership with EDF to build reactors in Britain – and has not been replaced.
Telegraph 13th March 2013 read more »
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has once again rejected the proposed license of UniStar Nuclear to build and operate the third reactor at Calvert Cliffs nuclear plant in Maryland. The license was earlier rejected on 30 August 2012 on the grounds that the proposal violates the country’s Atomic Energy Act, which prohibits foreign “ownership, control or domination” of a US nuclear reactor. UniStar Nuclear is wholly-owned by Electricite de France, which in turn is 85% owned by the French government.
Energy Business Review 13th March 2013 read more »
Austria
Austria has one nuclear power plant, but it was never switched on, and today is covered in solar panels.
Business Green 14th March 2013 read more »
Local Authorities
Two to three times a week I cycle to work, not primarily to reduce my carbon footprint but because it helps me to keep fit and saves money. I have solar panels on my house because the financial rate of return is far higher than I get in a savings account. I am also pleased that a by-product of these two acts is a reduction in my carbon footprint. This is the philosophy behind Nottingham’s approach to the environment: enlightened self-interest, and, on the whole, it works. In particular it explains why the main thrust of the City Council’s approach to carbon reduction is to concentrate on energy production and consumption because this is where a green philosophy and self-interest most readily coincide.
Green Alliance 13th March 2013 read more »
Boris Johnson is bidding for the Greater London Authority to become an electricity supplier to the capital under far-reaching plans to boost investment in the low-carbon economy. The GLA is the first public authority to apply for a so-called Licence Lite, an electricity supply permit that would allow it to buy excess electricity from London’s boroughs and sell it back at cost price to other public bodies in the capital, such as the police or NHS hospitals. The London mayor said: “By pouring more investment into locally sourced energy supplies and reducing carbon emissions we will not only save money for Londoners but drive innovation, jobs and growth in this burgeoning sector.” Several London boroughs run generators to power public buildings, such as Islington’s Bunhill Heat and Power project, which uses a gas-fired generator to heat homes a nd local swimming pools. Westminster operates two gas-fired generators in Pimlico that heat homes, businesses and three schools. Excess energy produced at these sites is returned to the National Grid through a mainstream supplier at a variable wholesale rate of about 5 pence per kWh. The GLA would offer 20 to 30 per cent more for the boroughs’ excess as a way of encouraging growth in the low-carbon energy infrastructure.
FT 14th March 2013 read more »
Renewables
On May 17, 2010, E.ON, the biggest electricity utility in Germany, opened a brand new 860MW combined cycle gas-fired power station in Bavaria, which it had built at a cost of $520 million. Less than three years later, having hardly been used and losing money, the owners of Irsching-5 (pictured below) are threatening to close it. It’s just one illustration of the dramatic changes that are sweeping the European energy industry because of the growing impact of wind and solar, and falling demand. E.ON this week said it was thinking of closing 13GW of coal and gas-fired generation in coming years – but it may be only a fraction of what is needed.
Renew Economy 14th March 2013 read more »
Eon, the German utility, has called on European governments to help operators of gas-fired power plants, who are suffering losses because wholesale prices have plummeted as renewable electricity generation has surged.
FT 13th March 2013 read more »
The global deployment of renewable energy from wind, solar and biofuels grew in 2012 but the income from the sector remained flat due to the plummeting costs for solar photovoltaic panels. The revenue for the three technologies increased by 1% globally to $249bn in 2012, according to the Clean Energy Trends 2013 report released on Tuesday by renewable energy research firm Clean Edge. “We always knew each doubling of [solar PV] installation would reduce prices about 18%,” the Clean Edge founder, Ron Pernick, told the Guardian. Pernick said that prices were falling because the sector was expanding rapidly, doubling every one to two years. New solar PV installations expanded to 31GW in 2012, while revenues decreased by $12bn – or 19% – to $80bn.
Guardian 13th March 2013 read more »
Biomass
Government research examining emissions from biomass power generation seems unlikely to settle arguments over how polluting it is. But as campaigners and industry continue to argue about whether biomass could cut greenhouse gas emissions, the government has ambitious plans to increase the amount in the UK’s energy mix.
Carbon Brief 13th March 2013 read more »
Fuel Poverty
The government has once again been urged to rethink its carbon cutting policies, after a new report revealed a serious discrepancy between how much the richest and poorest of society benefit from emission reduction measures.The Joseph Rowntree Foundation will today unveil new analysis showing the government’s current mix of carbon reduction policies, including the Green Deal and feed-in tariff schemes, have the potential to meet a target to cut carbon emissions 34 per cent by 2020.
Business Green 13th March 2013 read more »
Fracking
Cuadrilla Resources, the only company to have fracked for gas in the UK, has put off plans to drill this year, in a setback for the ambition of George Osborne, the chancellor, to exploit Britain’s shale gas reserves. Cuadrilla had planned to drill and test a well at the Anna’s Road site near Blackpool in Lancashire this year. But in a statement on Wednesday it said it had withdrawn its planning application in order to carry out a full environmental impact assessment – a process that will involve months of public consultation. Cuadrilla said last year that it could be producing gas in Lancashire by 2014.
FT 13th March 2013 read more »
Guardian 13th March 2013 read more »
