Dash for Gas
George Osborne was increasingly isolated over energy policy last night, after the head of the CBI said that too much reliance on gas as a future source of energy would leave consumers and businesses dangerously exposed to further sharp price rises on global markets. After a week in which two of Britain’s biggest energy suppliers shocked customers by announcing increases of up to 9% on gas and electricity bills from next month, business leaders are warning that the chancellor’s enthusiasm for a “dash for gas” looks like a recipe for economic and environmental disaster. In the latest blow to Osborne before a crucial ministerial meeting to determine government energy policy this week the director general of the CBI, John Cridland, said it was “crucial” to avoid too much reliance on one energy source, particularly if, as in the case of gas, much would have to be imported.
Observer 14th Oct 2012 more >>
Nicholas Stern: As the coalition prepares to introduce its energy bill into Parliament in the next few weeks, it must demonstrate political leadership and ensure that its policy is based on robust economic analysis, recognising and addressing failures of the market. Those who argue against subsidies for low-carbon technologies are implicitly adopting an anti-market approach. Those who want markets to be harnessed to deliver greater prosperity and wellbeing, on the other hand, recognise a role for public policy in ensuring that markets can do their job in providing incentives and promoting entrepreneurship. Removing subsidies for low-carbon technologies too quickly and erratically would undermine efforts to reduce the UK’s emissions of greenhouse gases in an efficient and effective way and delay progress towards our ultimate target of a cut of at least 80% by 2050 compared with 1990. Such delay would risk relegating the UK to also-rans in the global low-carbon race and could mean that we are shut out of the developing markets for cleaner goods and services.
Observer 14th Oct 2012 more >>
It is going to be a “dash for gas” in Britain. There is one quick way of closing the potential electricity generating gap that the UK faces and that is to build more gas power stations. Given the financial and political uncertainties about new nuclear plants and the physical uncertainties about wind power, it is pretty clear that the only way through is to build more thermal power stations and, of the three possible fuels, gas is the only sensible one – oil is too expensive and coal too dirty. So that is what is going to happen. But what we do is a tiny element of the global energy market, for we account for less than 3 per cent of the world’s primary energy use. The interesting question for the world is how much time the changed outlook for gas production buys for its economy. What we will do will be pretty much the same as everyone else.
Independent on Sunday 14th Oct 2012 more >>
Irwin Stelzer: In Britain, the high cost of nuclear plants has forced cancellation of plans for new construction – unless the government comes up with subsidies, or permission to load costs on consumers’ bills. To meet promises of draconian cuts in emissions, promises that seem increasingly unlikely to be kept, this and future governments will have to subsidise wind and solar power. Neither source is located near main consuming centres, and therefore requires the construction of high-voltage lines to move supply to demand. In America, only a few utilities have opted to build new nuclear plants, while the more sensible ones rely increasingly on natural gas, and will continue to do so unless Fukushima recedes from memory, the government allows the nuclear waste repository in Nevada to open, and nuclear power becomes cost-competitive with gas and coal – all highly unlikely. In America, the future of fracking is uncertain, and the government is severely limiting permits to drill for oil on federal lands and offshore. Environmental groups are suing to prevent the government from granting permits to companies that want to gobble up land for huge solar projects, local groups are fighting the construction of transmission lines to link wind farms with urban centres, and producers of renewable equipment and electric cars are finding it impossible to repay their government loans and subsidies.There’s more, but you get the idea. The age of nature’s abundance might prove to be an age of electricity shortages, of higher rather than lower carbon emissions as coal plants are pressed into service because renewables are too costly and unreliable and transmission lines are unbuilt, of supplies of natural gas limited by restrictions on fracking, and of petrol prices driven up by restrictions on drilling for new supplies of domestic crude oil. Dismal, indeed.
Sunday Times 14th Oct 2012 more >>
Urenco
FRANCE is preparing an audacious multi-billion-pound tilt at Urenco, Britains state-backed nuclear fuel producer. Areva, the nuclear reactor developer controlled by the French state, hatched the plan after Urencos biggest investors two German utilities and the British government put their stakes up for sale. The move sets the scene for a political showdown over the control of a strategically important industry just days after the dramatic collapse of merger talks between BAE Systems and EADS. That deal fell apart because German, French and British politicians could not agree on the ownership of what would have been the worlds largest defence group. The ownership of Urenco is highly sensitive. The company enriches uranium, which is used for nuclear fuel but also in atomic weapons. It was created in 1970 by the German, Dutch and British governments. This month the British government appointed advisers to look at a sale of its one-third stake in the business as part of George Osbornes plans to raise money through privatisations.
Sunday Times 14th Oct 2012 more >>
Japan
A new internal report from power company Tepco has found the 2011 meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant could have been avoided.
Reuters 13th Oct 2012 more >>
Approvals for new solar and renewable power capacity in Japan look set to exceed a projected fiscal 2013 total of 2,500 megawatts (MW). Theyre on pace to do so by the end of 2012 as opposed to end of March, 2013 (the conventional fiscal year-end for Japanese government and business), however. The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) announced it has approved a higher than expected 725 MW of non-residential solar photovoltaic (PV) systems alone in the two months ending in August, according to a Denki Shimbun report.
Clean Technica 12th Oct 2012 more >>
Nuclear Weapons
In response to a FOI request the MOD has released some of the minutes of the Radiation Protection Technical Advisory Committee (RAPTAC). This is the main Committee concerned with ionising radiation protection. The papers provide an insight in the issues of concern to MOD Officials in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It is notable that the MOD have only provided 3 sets of minutes not the 10 requested. Issues of note include: Nuclear test veterans; Retention and recruitment of Health Physicists; Radiation dose limits; Application of the proposed Ionising Radiation Regulations to the MOD.
Milcon Research & Consulting 12th Oct 2012 more >>
Letter: International law as set down in the Non-Proliferation Treaty 1968 will require that either an independent Scotland or rUK (the rest of the UK) become a non-nuclear weapon state. I think it can be assumed that rUK will become the successor nuclear state and not Scotland. The problem remains of how to actually get rid of the nuclear weapons in face of likely rUK and American opposition, possibly with other Nato members opposing their removal too. The Non-Proliferation Treaty does not prevent a nuclear weapon state from stationing nuclear weapons on the territory of a non-nuclear weapon state, so long as the nuclear weapon state has sole and total control over the nuclear weaponry. This provision would enable rUK to keep nuclear weapons on Scottish territory provided Scotland was nuclear disarmed and the Scotttish Government has no powers over the use of rUK nuclear weapons. An independent Scotland has three options: existing nuclear bases become Scottish territory and rUK has to remove the nuclear installations; the rUK is granted a lease over the bases for a specific period; or the nuclear weapon bases become sovereign base areas under the rUK’s jurisdiction. Only the first option is fully compatible with having no nuclear weapons in Scotland and joining Nato will just obstruct this achievement.
Herald 14th Oct 2012 more >>
Alex Salmond: Last weekend, I set out the position I believe the Scottish National Party will support, namely that a written Constitution of an independent Scotland should have an explicit ban on nuclear weapons or indeed any weapons of mass destruction being based in Scotland. This constitutional proposal reinforces the SNP’s unshakable opposition to nuclear weapons and our commitment to removing Trident from Scotland and is the context in which we are debating Nato membership at this week’s party conference.
Herald 14th Sept 2012 more >>
STAYING in Nato could increase the risk of a terror attack against an independent Scotland, according to the first expert assessment of the likely security threats following separation.
Herald 14th Oct 2012 more >>
Green Deal
Hold on to your hats the Green Deal has launched! However, there is still some finessing to do, and only two major energy providers have signed up. But I can give you the gist: instead of paying for costly energy-efficiency measures for your home up front, from 2013 you can apply for a loan of up to £10,000. Then the cost of expensive stuff from cavity-wall insulation to boilers and possibly solar panels (it’s still to be confirmed as to whether microgeneration will be included) will be added to your energy bill. You then pay off this loan (and the compound interest) through savings to your energy bill. Should you decide to move, the Green Deal loan attaches itself to your house. But eligibility rests on the Golden Rule: the estimated savings on your bill must be equal to or more than the savings you’ll make from the loan. The things that stop old houses from leaking energy draught proofing, internal shutters, secondary glazing would not meet the Golden Rule using Green Deal’s calculations. So homeowners would need additional funding from the Energy Company Obligation ECO scheme. We don’t know how this would work.
Observer 14th Oct 2012 more >>
