Hinkley
A comparison of the payments schedule for Hinkley C and government projections of renewable energy spending plans suggests that from 2023 spending on first Hinkley C, and later other nuclear power stations, will obliterate spending on renewable energy. As can be seen from the National Audit Office’s (NAO) report on the ‘levy control framework’ (LCF) , a device used by the Treasury used to monitor and control renewables spending, spending on renewables (paid from consumer electricity bills) rises by an average of around £500 million a year from 2014-2021. Yet, assuming that the projected 3.2 GWe Hinkley C runs at 90 per cent availability, and assuming recent wholesale power prices of around £50 per MWh, consumers will be paying just over £1 billion a year extra to pay for Hinkley C – over 35 years. This is TWICE the annual increment for new renewables allowed under the LCF at the moment. In addition to this electricity consumers or taxpayers will also be liable to pay for construction cost overruns because the Treasury is underwriting £10 billion of the loans for the project.
Dave Toke’s Blog 13th Oct 2014 read more »
Shadow energy minister Tom Greatrex has called on the National Audit Office to review the subsidy arrangement for EDF Energy’s Hinkley Point new nuclear project. The funding deal, planned through the government’s Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme, was approved last week by the European Commission which found that the plans comply with European Union state aid rules. However, the opposition party is understood to have raised concerns that the deal may not be in the best interest of UK consumers, who will meet the cost of guaranteeing a revenue for the project. The Times reports that Greatrex has written to the National Audit Office to ask for a review of the scheme in order to ensure that consumers get the “best possible deal”. Investment analysts at RBC Capital said in an investment note this morning that the move from Labour may represent pre-election political posturing more than genuine concern. “Given that new nuclear in the UK was promoted with cross-party support, this strikes us as a case of political nit-picking,” RBC Capital said.
Utility Week 13th Oct 2014 read more »
Letter EDF: Dale Vince of Ecotricity is wrong to suggest that end-of-life costs for Hinkley Point C will be an economic burden on the UK. These costs are already included as part of the agreements reached with government, and we will make full provision for them as the station generates electricity during its 60-year life. There is no hidden cost when the station closes. This has been a careful and measured process. Last week’s approval from the commission demonstrates that agreements between the government and EDF are fair and balanced for consumers and investors alike.
Guardian 13th Oct 2014 read more »
Moorside
This Saturday Radiation Free Lakeland went to Wasdale Show – arguably the most beautiful show ground in the world surrounded by the Lake District mountains and next to the deepest Lake in England, Wastwater. 95% of the people we spoke to were opposed to new build near Sellafield especially as there is no solution for the still accumulating existing waste, which needs 4 million gallons of water a day abstracted from Wastwater to cool its heels.
Radiation Free Lakeland 13th Oct 2014 read more »
Hunterston
A turbine generator in the shut down Hunterston B nuclear Reactor 4 in Britain was taken offline to investigate increased vibrations. Turbine generator 8 was taken offline after increased vibrations were discovered. During the reactor outage, workers with EDF Energy found two bricks with a new type of crack called a Keyway Root Crack. EDF said in a statement that the cracks will not affect reactors operations, and that workers expect to find a few additional cracks during the next period of operation. Also during the outage, lubricating oil on two running gas circulators was switched off in error, which resulted in some damage to bearings. The two gas circulators were replaced during the outage. The unit is expected back online by Oct. 28.
Power Engineering 13th Oct 2014 read more »
Dungeness
Britain’s Dungeness B-22 nuclear reactor went offline unexpectedly. EDF Energy said the 550-MW unit was taken offline Oct. 13 due to a fault on the main boiler feed pump, according to Reuters. Workers expect the reactor to be back online Oct. 21. Reuters said Britain now has 4,595 MW of nuclear capacity offline and that is expected to increase to 5,195 MW when the 599-MW Sizewell 2 reactor goes offline Oct. 17 for a planned refueling outage.
Power Engineering 13th Oct 2014 read more »
PLEX
All round the world the governments and the nuclear industry are facing the fact that they will have to extend the life of existing reactors. By 2020, one third of the world’s fleet of nuclear power stations will be 40 or more years old. In 2030, this figure will have increased to 80%. Here in the UK all but one of the 16 reactors were due to be retired by 2023 but if they were pensioned off on schedule, the lights would go out. As a result, the trend of extending licensing of power stations is accelerating with requests to the Office of Nuclear Regulation stacking up. Fears about the safety of these plants when the license extensions are granted will grow but is the public right to be concerned? In 2008, EDF persuaded a group of plant operators to create the Materials Ageing Institute (MAI) which is proving valuable asset in understanding some of the reactor ageing processes. The sharing of research, experimental results, feedback and scientific information on materials degradation will contribute significantly to and life extension programmes at nuclear plants. Professor Barry Marsden, of the Nuclear Graphite Research Group acts as an independent adviser to the Office of Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and is a member of the ONR Graphite Technical Advisory Committee (GTAC). Says Professor Marsden: “We’ve got 14 AGRs in the UK but a very small pool of graphite experts. There is an incomplete graphite irradiation data base because of the premature break-up of the UKAEA. Reactor cores are unexpectedly cracking up. We need now to focus more research in this area.” “Both whole core graphite weight loss and brick cracking are of concern. Graphite cores will continue to lose weight as they operate and extensive brick cracking may start to occur late in life.” “EDF is investing significant amount of money on rigs, graphite material test programmes and analysis to try to pre-empt these problems and demonstrate the safety of the AGRs, in the hope of extending life times.”
Laboratory News 13th Oct 2014 read more »
Energy Subsidies
The functioning of energy markets and the size and effect of government interventions has been the subject of debate for years. To date however, a consolidated dataset for government interventions in the power market of the European Union has been missing. This is why the European Commission has commissioned a study that aims at helping to close the knowledge gap by quantifying the extent of public interventions in energy markets in all 28 Member States. Today we present the interim results of the external study on “subsidies and costs of EU energy”.
European Commission 13th Oct 2014 read more »
The functioning of energy markets and the size and effect of government interventions has been the subject of debate for years. To date however, a consolidated dataset for government interventions in the power market of the European Union has been missing. This is why the European Commission has commissioned a study that aims at helping to close the knowledge gap by quantifying the extent of public interventions in energy markets in all 28 Member States. Today we present the interim results of the external study on “subsidies and costs of EU energy”.
Energy Post 13th Oct 2014 read more »
Onshore wind is cheaper than coal, gas or nuclear energy when the costs of ‘external’ factors like air quality, human toxicity and climate change are taken into account, according to an EU analysis. The report says that for every megawatt hour (MW/h) of electricity generated, onshore wind costs roughly €105 (£83) per MW/h, compared to gas and coal which can cost up to around €164 and €233 per MW/h, respectively. Nuclear power, offshore wind and solar energy are all comparably inexpensive generators, at roughly €125 per MW/h.
Guardian 13th Oct 2014 read more »
Politics
Paterson’s planned assertion that the UK should suspend the Climate Change Act until other nations adopt similar targets is on equally shaky ground. The UK may be rare in having a Climate Change Act that requires emissions be cut 80 per cent by 2050, but the idea that it is alone in attempting to decarbonise at this rate is just plain wrong. Virtually all nations have signed up to a goal of limiting temperature rises to 2°C, which according to scientific advisers equates to an 80 per cent reduction in emissions from industrialised nations and a 50 per cent cut in emissions globally by mid-century. Countries and regions as diverse as Mexico and California have comprehensive Climate Change Acts and more than 60 nations, including all the world’s major economies, have ambitious climate legislation in place. There are no grounds for suspending the Climate Change Act on competitiveness grounds, a fact further underlined by the continued absence of any compelling evidence that businesses are leaving the UK to avoid its climate legislation. Moreover, while the Climate Change Act cannot actually be suspended, the five-year carbon budgets it sets can be changed if scientific or economic analysis shows such a change is in the UK’s economic and security interest. Some ministers who are known to be lukewarm towards climate action have looked everywhere for such evidence – and they have not been able to find it. Paterson’s mooted alternative proposal for decarbonising through “four possible common-sense policies: shale gas, combined heat and power, small modular nuclear reactors and demand management” is worthy of more consideration. In fact, were it not for his apparent suggestion that investment in these relatively low-carbon technologies should be exclusive of other clean technologies, many green businesses would endorse these methods. The problem is that Paterson appears to be arguing that investment in renewable technologies that are seeing costs plummet should be ended in favour of more investment in fossil fuel infrastructure and largely unproven nuclear reactors.
Business Green 13th Oct 2014 read more »
Owen Paterson has been accused of “making a mockery” of the government’s green credentials and advocating “one of the most stupid economic decisions imaginable”, after it emerged the former Environment Secretary is planning to this week call for the suspension of the Climate Change Act.
Business Green 13th Oct 2014 read more »
Owen Paterson’s proposal to scrap the UK’s Climate Change Act is “bonkers”, “doesn’t stack up” and shows the former environment secretary does not understand the risks from global warming, according to politicians, economists, campaigners and scientists.
Guardian 13th Oct 2014 read more »
Former environment minister Owen Paterson has been in the papers over the weekend. In an article on the front page of yesterday’s Sunday Telegraph he says we won’t be able to keep the UK’s lights on unless we scrap the Climate Change Act. This is a law requiring the government to cut the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions, which he himself voted for.
Carbon Brief 13th Oct 2014 read more »
Generation IV Reactors
Behind thick glass in a laboratory nestled in French woodland, a silvery molten metal swirls like a liquid mirror. But the material is no mere novelty; as dangerous as it is captivating, it could offer a solution to the nuclear power debate. For sodium, the sixth-most abundant element on the planet, is being held up as the key to one of several new types of nuclear reactor being developed as governments grapple with the problem of making atomic energy more environmentally friendly, safe and financially viable.
Scientific American 13th Oct 2014 read more »
The Generation IV International Forum (GIF) was created in 2000 to perform research on new types of nuclear reactors to replace the water-cooled models that make up the majority of today’s global nuclear fleet. The group, which consists mainly of public nuclear research agencies, selected the following six systems on which to focus its research efforts.
Reuters 13th Oct 2014 read more »
Areva
Areva, France’s struggling reactor builder, is unlikely to win much in the way of big new nuclear export contracts despite a major government-backed effort to woo customers at a trade show this week. The Oct. 14-16 World Nuclear Exhibition (WNE), at the same venue as the Le Bourget airshow, is designed to boost Areva and France’s associated nuclear industry, which comprises over 2,500 companies with combined revenue of 46 billion euros ($58 billion) and 220,000 employees. French utility EDF has just won EU approval to build two Areva-designed EPR reactors in Britain, which will be Areva’s first reactor sale since 2007.
Reuters 13th Oct 2014 read more »
Canada – Emergency Planning
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) has launched two new regulatory documents aimed at enhancing regulatory requirements in nuclear emergency management, including the pre-distribution of potassium iodide (KI) pills. The CNSC’s Nuclear Emergency Preparedness and Response document highlights requirements and guidance related to the emergency preparedness programs development for Class I nuclear facilities and uranium mines and mills.
Energy Business Review 13th Oct 2014 read more »
US
Section 103(d) of the Atomic Energy Act (42 U.S.C. § 2133) states in plain language: “No license may be issued to an alien or any corporation or other entity if the Commission knows or has reason to believe it is owned, controlled, or dominated by an alien, a foreign corporation, or a foreign government.” Those words are the law of the land, and for decades they stood unchallenged and uncontroversial. And then along came Electricite de France (EDF), a utility mostly owned by the French government, with major expansionist dreams.
Safe Energy 13th Oct 2014 read more »
Czech Republic
Westinghouse Electric Co. LLC, the U.S. nuclear builder owned by Toshiba Corp., offered the Czech government help with financing the future expansion of nuclear power stations. The company contacted Czech ministries of finance and industry with the offer, Westinghouse Czech unit director Pavel Janik said in a telephone interview today. They haven’t entered into any negotiations, he said.
Bloomberg 13th Oct 2014 read more »
Japan
Two nuclear reactors of Kansai Electric Power Co. were online last summer. With those reactors idled this summer, Kansai Electric initially planned to ensure a supply leeway of 3 percent at peak demand by operating other power-generating facilities, such as thermal power plants, at full throttle and procuring additional power from Tokyo Electric Power Co. As it turned out, the Osaka-based regional utility managed to maintain a supply leeway of 6.6 percent even during the highest demand on July 25, and it never had to obtain electricity from TEPCO. The relatively mild summer was certainly one factor that dampened general demand for power. But the peak demand in the Kansai region occurred on a day of scorching heat, when temperatures exceeded 37 degrees in Osaka. The supply leeway, however, remained relatively spacious. Kansai Electric has attributed the situation to 1.08 gigawatts more power being saved on top of its initial expectations. That difference is roughly worth the output of one nuclear reactor.
Asahi Shimbun 14th Oct 2014 read more »
Iran
The mid-November deadline to reach a deal on Iran’s nuclear programme is fast approaching, and the negotiations between world powers and Tehran have been long and complex. In some areas there has been progress. In others – like the crucial question of constraining Iran’s capacity to move swiftly towards a nuclear bomb – the various parties are still far apart. When these talks began it looked as though divisions over Iran – its past nuclear activities and future ambitions – threatened a major crisis in the Middle East. There was talk of potential Israeli military action against Iran in an effort to cripple its nuclear programme. Even the US itself refused to take the military option off the table. The new and unexpected crisis prompted by the rise of Islamic State (IS) and its seizure of a significant slice of territory in both Syria and Iraq, has changed calculations. Iran here has become part of the solution rather than part of the problem. It too is opposed to IS. Iran and the US have a common enemy.
BBC 13th Oct 2014 read more »
Renewables – Scotland
Official figures released today by the Department of Energy and Climate Change show that Scotland’s renewable electricity generation in the first half of 2014 was 30 per cent higher compared to same period in 2013. This overall increase is primarily due to a 50 per cent increase in hydro generation and a 20 per cent increase in wind output. Today’s statistics also estimate that renewables met a record-breaking 46.4 per cent of gross electricity consumption in 2013 – up from 39.9 per cent in 2012, indicating that Scotland is on track to meet its interim target of 50 per cent by 2015.
Click Green 25th Sept 2014 read more »
Renewables – floating turbines
We’ve been covering floating wind turbines for years. The idea is one that forever seems to be on the horizon (no pun intended), which may make it seem like a dead end, but I’m actually really bullish about floating wind turbines. We have to recognize that floating wind turbines are one of the more nascent renewable energy technologies, and it takes time to get to commercialization. The industry is just now budding, and it could be a contender within a couple of years.
Clean Technica 13th Oct 2014 read more »
Renewables – onshore wind
Ecotricity, one of the new breed of independent energy suppliers, has teamed up with Skanska, the construction group, in a bid to build £500m worth of onshore windfarms in the UK within five years. Dale Vince, the founder of Ecotricity, said it had taken his firm 17 years to build capacity that generates 70 megawatts of wind power but he was hoping to construct 100MW of schemes – enough to power 57,000 homes – every year. He admitted the major expansion plans could be affected if the Conservatives win the general election next year and pressed ahead with plans to drastically reduce onshore wind energy. “Obviously it is a concern but we are still confident that anything (windfarms) in planning up until the end of next summer should be immune from political risk,” he explained.
Guardian 14th Oct 2014 read more »
Fossil Fuels
The UK government plans to allow fracking companies to put “any substance” under people’s homes and property and leave it there, as part of the Infrastructure Bill which will be debated by the House of Lords on Tuesday. The legal change makes a “mockery” of ministers’ claims that the UK has the best shale gas regulation in the world, according to green campaigners, who said it is so loosely worded it could also enable the burial of nuclear waste. The government said the changes were “vital to kickstarting shale” gas exploration. Changes to trespass law to remove the ability of landowners to block fracking below their property are being pushed through by the government as part of the Infrastructure Bill. Tony Bosworth, at Friends of the Earth, said the amendment would allow companies to dispose of fracking fluid, often contaminated with toxic metals and radioactive elements.
Guardian 14th Oct 2014 read more »
Petrochemical firm Ineos has bought a second licence for shale gas exploration and development in central Scotland. The company bought the rights to a 329 sq km area around its Grangemouth plant in August. It has now secured a further 400 sq km adjacent to the first area. The firm has pledged to share up to £2.5bn of prospective shale gas revenues with local residents and landowners. Ineos announced it had bought an 80% stake in the licence, titled PEDL 162, from Reach Coal Seam Gas Ltd. The British Geological Survey has identified “significant” shale gas and oil resources in the area, and Ineos plans to drill test wells to determine whether the resources can be extracted at a reasonable cost.
BBC 13th Oct 2014 read more »
Times 14th Oct 2014 read more »
FT 13th Oct 2014 read more »
Herald 14th Oct 2014 read more »
Scotsman 13th Oct 2014 read more »
What indigenous source can fuel new gas turbines? The answer – and this may come as a surprise – lies in the North Sea. The consensus is that the North Sea story is all but over, with production steadily falling and supermajors like BP and Exxon winding down and heading east to Russia. But recent studies suggest new reserves which, if proved, could alter the picture significantly. Niche operators such as Apache and Enquest are already showing that with the right technology, the huge potential in areas like West of Shetland can be realised. OGN Group, the Newcastle-based supplier of platforms for North Sea rigs of which I have been deputy chairman for six years, is regularly winning major new contracts from these firms and is itself proof that the North Sea isn’t dying. The Coalition was criticised for effectively subsidising EDF’s new commitment despite previous promises not to subsidise nuclear, but this is where a longer term view has to be taken. EDF has eight nuclear plants in the UK, accounting for almost nine gigawatts, of which only Sizewell is scheduled to stay online past 2023. New nuclear capacity is essential if we are to meet EU climate change targets without crippling consumers with ever-higher prices. The Hinkley Point deal is a start; there has to be more.
Conservative Home 11th Oct 2014 read more »
