Radwaste
COPELAND MP Jamie Reed says Cumbria County Councils powerful Cabinet will say no to a search for a site to bury highly radioactive nuclear waste. The Cabinet, and Executive councillors of Copeland and Allerdale, will all meet separately to make the decision on October 11. They will be asked whether areas of West Cumbria should be investigated to try to find a suitable site for disposing of the waste deep underground. But yesterday Mr Reed dropped a political bombshell by saying he had been told on good authority that the county councils Tory-dominated coalition Cabinet is to give it the thumbs down. The county council said yesterday that a decision would not be made either for or against until October 11. It is understood that even if Copeland and Allerdale vote in favour, a site investigation cannot go ahead without the county Cabinets approval.
Whitehaven News 13th Sept 2012 more >>
The answer must surely be no. Multi-billion pound plans for an underground nuclear waste dump in the west of the county must be turned down by Cumbrias policy makers. Councillors from the county council, Allerdale and Copeland will decide next month when they all stage their own meetings to make a formal declaration on the issue. Too often in this country and especially in this county our instinct is to say why? to anything new and radical, instead of why not? Its an attitude that has held us back in many ways nationally and more especially locally. But caution and scepticism are more than justified in this case. The majority of Cumbrian parish and town councils that would be affected have already said they are opposed to the scheme. The Government has promised community benefits for the area that agrees to the dump, but has never actually stated what those benefits would be. Why not? Does no one know how much it would all be worth for our economy or how it would be spent? Is it worth our councillors taking the gamble? Approving the project would be like playing the TV game Deal or No Deal we dont know how much is in the box, but hey, well go for it anyway.
Carlisle News and Star 13th Sept 2012 more >>
WEST Cumbria is one of the worst places in the country to bury highly radioactive nuclear waste, claims a leading geologist. Prof Stuart Haszeldine, of Edinburgh University, argued at a public meeting in Calderbridge that there was nowhere in West Cumbria sufficiently suitable to bury the material deep underground. Drop it, was his message to Cumbria County Council, Copeland and Allerdale borough councils, prior to D-Day on October 11 when a small number of executive councillors meet to decide whether to start a search of the area for a safe site. Prof Haszeldine said West Cumbrias geology was not right but it might be in some other parts of the country. This is not the time to make a decision, the only sensible thing is not to go ahead, he said. Theres enough information already to say West Cumbria hasnt a good site. Its geology is unique and permanently risky. Were on a slippery slope. If tens of millions of pounds are spent it will be a juggernaut difficult to stop. Last Fridays meeting was held in Calderbridge, not far from Longlands (Gosforth), which more than a decade ago was the Nirexs preferred repository choice.
Whithaven News 13th Sept 2012 more >>
TODAY Copelands MP Jamie Reed claims the Cabinet of Cumbria County Council will vote No on the crucial question of trying to find a suitable site to bury highly radioactive nuclear waste. We are sure he does not make such a claim lightly and equally sure it will put the cat among the pigeons not only in Cumbria but in Westminster. The bald truth is that the Government simply has to find somewhere to put all this volatile material currently stored at Sellafield, plus any that will arise in future from any planned new fleet of electricity-producing reactors. One of these is earmarked close to the existing Sellafield site. There is a strong school of thought that reactors will stand and fall on whether a final waste solution can be found, so there is a lot at stake. Here, a waste repository linked to a new power station carries with it the prospect of many billions of pounds of much-needed investment.
Whitehaven News 13th Sept 2012 more >>
Letter Jamie Reed: IN 28 days time, on October 11, the future of West Cumbria will be determined by the cabinet of Cumbria County Council when it decides whether or not to proceed with the Governments programme of geological investigation in West Cumbria with a view to identifying geology suitable for the creation of a deep underground repository for the nations radioactive wastes. This policy was brought forward by the last Labour government and commands a cross-party consensus. Inexplicably, if the widespread rumours and direct conversations I have held are accurate, it now appears as if the cabinet of Cumbria County Council is going to vote against proceeding with geological investigations. Such a move would deal a vicious blow to West Cumbria and the British nuclear industry at a critical time in our development.
Whitehaven News 13th Sept 2012 more >>
Letter Richard Forest: The last gasp of the West Cumbria Managing Radioactive Waste Safely Partnership reveals clearly the emptiness of the promise frequently made that a dump for radioactive waste will not be forced on any local community. The partnerships final report, on the basis of which Copeland, Allerdale and Cumbria councils will decide whether or not to start the search for a suitable site for a dump, spells out the nature of the much-trumpeted right to withdraw from the process. It has long been clear that local communities will not be able to veto a dump; only the councils could do that. The up-coming stage of the process involves two phases: the identification of potentially suitable sites and, secondly, a desk-bound assessment of that suitability. At the end of both these phases communities will be able to say they want out, but their views will not count very much. The choice of location(s) for desk-based assessment will be made by councillors, the large majority of whom will know that their areas have not been chosen. Their main concerns will be wider interests and the share-out of the governments compensation package the sweetener.
Whitehaven News 13th Sept 2012 more >>
CONTROVERSIAL plans to consider creating a nuclear waste dump under the fields of Rye are to be discussed next Wednesday (September 19) at a crunch meeting. Shepway District Council is currently exploring the possibility of a nuclear disposal facility which would see nuclear waste from all over the UK being buried under Romney Marsh. It believes the £12 billion facility could create jobs in the Rye area when the Dungeness A and B power stations are phased out. But opponents of the plan argue it could have a disastrous impact on the environment. Shepway councillors will be discussing a number of recommendations at Wednesdays meeting, including submitting an expression of interest to the Government. It went out to public consultation to get residents views from Romney Marsh and 1066 Country, with most opposing the scheme.
Rye and Battle Observer 14th Sept 2012 more >>
New Nukes
Westinghouse Electric Company today expressed its approval for the Governments new industrial strategy and the backing it will give to nuclear manufacturing in the UK. Speaking at a media event today, Westinghouse Electric Companys Mark Tynan, vice president and managing director UK, Middle East, Egypt, told press that the announcement of a new industrial strategy by government confirmed a positive approach to building advanced manufacturing capabilities in general. Mr Tynan also stated that the announcements made by Business Secretary Vince Cable on Tuesday September 11, just skimmed the surface of the commitment being made by government to address the role of nuclear power in the UKs future energy mix. Nuclear is an important subset of the bigger industrial strategy, Tynan confirmed. A focused Nuclear Industrial Strategy will be confirmed before Christmas.
The Manufacturer 13th Sept 2012 more >>
Hinkley
The long-awaited enabling works at Hinkley Point C look set to start in January but EDF could still walk away unless the government makes a clear stand on nuclear, Kiers chief executive said today. Paul Sheffield said: We are underway with the design work, its due to start in January, physically in the ground. But I think EDF have not yet made their final investment decision and I think it will hinge on the electricity market reform bill that the government is working on at the moment and is expected to be lodged in the autumn some time. Mr Sheffield said the EMR process should signal where the government is coming from in terms of nuclear power. I think its not until that has been clarified that EDF will make a final investment decision on whether that will go ahead, he added. Asked if he is confident of the process moving forward, he added: Its difficult to say. Im disappointed its taken so long to get to where we are but its no surprise. I would like them to agree and for everything to move ahead with pace, but if it does not and EDF were to walk away, there would be a pretty rapid shift to build gas, biomass and coal stations. Either way its not bad news for the industry; we desperately need power and power needs people to build big infrastructure projects. Either way theres light at the end of the tunnel.
Construction News 13th Sept 2012 more >>
EDF Energy has agreed to invest about £100m for local communities to extenuate the impact of the proposed new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point C in Somerset, England. The signing of the deal between EDF, West Somerset, Sedgemoor District and Somerset County Councils follows months of negotiations about how the company could soften the impact of the development on local communities.
Energy Business Review 13th Sept 2012 more >>
Wylfa
Secretary of State for Wales David Jones says there is strong overseas interest in the Wylfa nuclear power station. Speaking ahead of a visit to the Anglesey station this morning Mr Jones expressed confidence plans for a replacement nuclear plant would go ahead. The existing twin-reactor Wylfa, the last remaining Magnox site still in operation following the closure of a plant in Oldbury in February, is scheduled to shut down in September 2014. A parcel of land nearby has been reserved by the Government for a new nuclear station.
Wales Online 13th Sept 2012 more >>
NEWLY appointed Welsh Secretary David Jones has underlined the UK Government’s commitment to nuclear power during a visit to the Wylfa power station on Anglesey. Speaking ahead of his visit, Mr Jones said: “This Government remains firmly committed to its efforts to ensure that the conditions are right for investment in new nuclear power in Wales and the UK as a whole.” RWE Npower and E.ON announced their withdrawal from investment in UK Nuclear on commercial grounds in March. Since then they have worked to secure new buyers. Mr Jones said: “While RWE and E.ON’s withdrawal was very disappointing, we should not see this as a sign that the UK’s nuclear renaissance is under threat. “The Horizon site at Wylfa represents an extremely attractive investment opportunity and there remains considerable interest.”
South Wales Evening Post 13th Sept 2012 more >>
The UK Government’s continued commitment to the nuclear industry has been restated by the new Welsh secretary, on his first official engagement. David Jones said securing a new nuclear station, Wylfa B, on Anglesey was “critical” to his economic efforts.
BBC 13th Sept 2012 more >>
ITV Wales 13th Sept 2012 more >>
Aldermaston
As many as 50 fires have broken out at Britains nuclear bomb factories in the last two years, according to the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE). The admission came in response to inquiries about two hitherto unpublicised fires at Aldermaston and Burghfield in Berkshire in April and March this year. AWE is due to appear in court in November, charged with breaching health and safety rules in relation to a major fire at Aldermaston on 3 August 2010. It has also been required by government regulators to review its fire safety arrangements.
Rob Edwards 13th Sept 2012 more >>
Sellafield
SELLAFIELD is set to stage its biggest ever decommissioning exhibition with around 50 companies from across the UK showcasing their abilities to potentially accelerate the nuclear sites key clean-up programme. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is spending £1.7 billion a year on the massive Sellafield clean-up more than half of its annual £3 billion decommissioning budget for the whole of its 19 nuclear installations. Organised by Industrial Exhibitions Ltd, the event on September 19 gives companies the opportunity to set their stalls out not only to show how they can aid decommissioning but also enhance safety and at the same time cut costs.
Whitehaven News 13th Sept 2012 more >>
SELLAFIELD will no longer provide front-line fire cover for the countrys only low level radioactive waste site nearby but is looking to recruit more of its own firefighters. Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service will make first responses from Seascale, Bootle and Egremont stations and Bootle to Drigg LLWR disposal site with Sellafield Ltd helping to train up LLWR workers for back-up cover. It follows criticism of Sellafields fire and rescue service by the Office of Nuclear Regulation which raised questions about the ability of the Sellafield firefighters to cope with an emergency.Arrangements in place for some accidents and emergencies were inadequate and the regulators served an improvement notice.During a training event, not enough firefighters were in place to deal with certain types of potential emergencies and better training was needed.
Whitehaven News 13th Sept 2012 more >>
Scotland
There are concerns that ¬reforms to the UK electricity market could subsidise new nuclear power stations at the expense of ¬renewable energy development in Scotland, energy minister Fergus Ewing has said. The electricity market reforms (EMR) proposed by the UK government as part of the UK Energy Bill are aimed at ¬incentivising investment in low-carbon energy while also ensuring the security of electricity supply. They will bring forward a new support mechanism a Contract for Difference to provide long-term price certainty for low-carbon electricity generation. Mr Ewing, speaking during a Holyrood debate in which he updated MSPs on the progress of the reforms, said concerns had been raised by the electricity industry over their complexity. He added: The Scottish Government also has concerns that the EMR, if implemented badly, could deliver subsidy support for new nuclear at the expense of renewables development in Scotland. The Scottish Government position on new-build nuclear power is clear Scotland neither needs nor wants new nuclear power stations.
Scotsman 14th Sept 2012 more >>
The Scottish government has announced plans which could lead to the introduction of higher subsidies for offshore wind farms. Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said wind turbines installed in deep water may receive increased financial support. The move would be in recognition of the technical challenges and financial risks involved in developing offshore wind farms in Scottish waters. Mr Ewing has also announced the withdrawal of subsidies for new large-scale biomass power stations, which burn wood to generate electricity, but fail to capture and use the heat produced. Financial support for hydro generation in Scotland is to remain unchanged, despite plans to cut the level of subsidy in the rest of the UK.
BBC 14th Sept 2012 more >>
Dash for Gas
The independent Climate Change Committee (CCC) has today warned unequivocally that the government would breach the Climate Change Act if it pursues Chancellor George Osborne’s plans for a surge in new gas investment. In what will be seen as an explosive intervention in the simmering row between the Lib Dems and the Chancellor over whether to include a target to decarbonise the electricity sector by 2030 in the upcoming Energy Bill, the CCC today stated categorically that “extensive use of unabated gas-fired capacity (i.e. without carbon capture and storage technology (CCS)) in 2030 and beyond would be incompatible with meeting legislated carbon budgets”.
Business Green 13th Sept 2012 more >>
The row within the UK government over energy policy has been reignited ahead of the party conference season, with the former Tory environment secretary Lord Deben taking on George Osborne over the controversial role of gas. The row is crucial because the outcome of the war within the cabinet over whether gas should be favoured above renewable energy, as the chancellor wants, will determine the shape of the UK’s energy infrastructure for decades to come. Hundreds of billions of pounds in potential investment also hang on the result. Gaynor Hartnell, chief executive of the Renewable Energy Association, said: “This important letter from the CCC clearly explains one of the reasons confidence is flagging across the renewable power sector.” Ed Davey, energy and climate secretary, said in response to the CCC letter: “We are currently considering a 2030 electricity decarbonisation target but our existing plans are consistent with significant decarbonisation of the power sector. We are absolutely committed to meeting our statutory carbon budgets.”
Guardian 13th Sept 2012 more >>
Independent 14th Sept 2012 more >>
Energy Costs
Taking into account health and environmental damage, wind and solar power from new plants in Europe is actually cheaper than energy from coal and nuclear power plants, according to a new report. Many people find it difficult to calculate the true cost of their electricity. Special duties, taxes and subsidies all add up to influence prices, not to mention the environmental and health costs that aren’t included in the final calculations. Researchers from Green Budget Germany (GBG) have taken a closer look at these extra costs in a recent study. Their work calculated, among other things, the environmental and health expenses related to available energy sources. According to GBG’s findings, the least expensive energy sources worldwide are currently wind and solar power. One kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity produced by wind power stations on the coast or in the countryside costs an average of 0.07 euro (about $0.09). New solar energy plants in central and southern Europe produce electricity for an average of 0.14 euro per kWh. In Germany, the cost is about 0.18 euro when using rooftop solar panels, while in southern European solar parks it costs about 0.10 euro per kWh. Wind and solar power costs the least of current energy sources The report points out that electricity produced from new coal plants costs twice as much as wind, and about the same as solar power. GBG says by 2020, the combination of rising energy costs and innovation in the energy sector will make wind and solar power the most economical way to generate power.
DW 13th Sept 2012 more >>
Chancellor George Osborne has been urged to make arrangements to allow the development of nuclear power “on the basis of real needs”. The call comes from Sir William McAlpine, chairman of the pressure group Supporters of Nuclear Energy (SONE). Sir William claimed that these needs could be met without subsidy – that is without eventual cost to the consumer or taxpayer – by arrangements to ease the heavy initial capital outlay.
Crosby Herald 14th Sept 2012 more >>
Liverpool Daily Post 14th Sept 2012 more >>
York Press 14th Sept 2012 more >>
Politics
Caroline Flint, the shadow secretary of state for energy and climate change, criticises the Conservative leadership for trying to reap the PR benefits of environmentalism while lacking the imagination to deliver on their promises. She argues that climate change should be discussed in terms of the opportunities the green economy offers to people in the UK.
Guardian 10th Sept 2012 more >>
Greg Barker, the climate change minister, personally asked the Environment Agency (EA) about a permit application being submitted by a US energy company that was also paying one of his departmental advisers as a consultant, the Guardian has learned.
Guardian 13th Sept 2012 more >>
Belgium
The Belgian Federal Authority for Nuclear Control (FANC) said September 13 that it would not take a decision on the restart of the Doel-3 reactor until after receiving the conclusions of an international panel of experts. The FANC also confirmed that similar cracks in the reactor pressure vessel at Tihange-2 have been discovered. The 1,006-MW Doel-3 is owned by Frances GDF Suez and operated by Belgiums Electrabel. Supplementary inspections of Electrabels Doel-3 reactor pressure vessel have confirmed the presence of a large number of cracks, initially indicated by inspections in June, according to an official report issued September 3. For the time being it is believed that the cracks in the Doel-3 reactor did not evolve during plant operation as a result of irradiation or other mechanisms, but have been present since fabrication of the reactor vessel by the now-defunct Dutch company Rotterdam Dry Dock (Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij) or RDM. On September 13, FANC confirmed similar cracks have now been found at the 1,055-MW Tihange-2, also operated by Electrabel for GDF Suez.
i-Nuclear 14th Sept 2012 more >>
A second nuclear reactor in Belgium has indications of cracks in its core tank, the nuclear regulator said on Thursday, putting further strain on the country’s energy supply as it heads into winter.
Reuters 13th Sept 2012 more >>
Japan
Japan is to phase out nuclear power as a result of the Fukushima disaster, a dramatic policy reversal that will cause reverberations in the energy industry around the world. Yoshihiko Noda, the Prime Minister, is expected to announce a new energy policy that will result in the abolition of nuclear power by the 2030s.
Times 14th Sept 2012 more >>
Japan is expected on Friday to propose abandoning nuclear power by the 2030s, a major shift from policy goals set before last year’s Fukushima disaster that aimed to increase the share of atomic energy to more than half of electricity supply.
Reuters 14th Sept 2012 more >>
The government will stipulate in its upcoming energy and environmental strategy that it will reduce the nation’s reliance on nuclear energy to zero percent by the 2030s but will continue to reprocess spent atomic fuel, officials said Wednesday.
Japan Times 13th Sept 2012 more >>
The head of a major investigation into Japan’s nuclear disaster has defended his report against criticism that his panel avoided blaming individuals and instead attacked elements of the nation’s culture. Kiyoshi Kurokawa, who headed the Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission, said in an interview that he was sticking with his view that the catastrophe was “made in Japan”.
Express 14th Sept 2012 more >>
India
India’s Supreme Court has rejected a petition by anti-nuclear protesters to stop fuel being loaded into a new nuclear plant in Tamil Nadu state. It said however that it will look into concerns over the plant’s safety. Hundreds of activists and locals formed a human chain in the sea near the Kudankulam plant on Thursday. They fear a disaster similar to the one at Japan’s Fukushima plant last year, but India’s government says the plant meets the highest safety standards.
BBC 13th Sept 2012 more >>
US
A damaged Florida nuclear plant that spurred a boardroom coup at Duke Energy Corp. (DUK) in July risks getting scrapped unless the power company can justify spending more than $1.3 billion on the costliest-ever U.S. atomic repair. Dukes decision, a signpost for utilities from Japan to Belgium considering shuttering reactors, hinges on natural gas. Near-record low prices in the U.S. make new gas-fired generation look more economical than fixing the 35-year-old Crystal River Unit 3 station. The question for Duke, the biggest U.S. power company, is whether to bet gas will stay low for decades.
Bloomberg 11th Sept 2012 more >>
Iran
South Africa proposed a last-minute change to a U.N. nuclear agency resolution rebuking Iran on Thursday, throwing the meeting into confusion, diplomats said.Six world powers put forward the draft text on Wednesday, aiming to add diplomatic pressure on Tehran, a day after Israel ramped up threats to attack the Islamic Republic which it believes is seeking nuclear weapons capability. Intended to signal big power unity and criticise Iran for defying U.N. calls to curb its nuclear work, the full 35-nation governing board of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had been expected to vote on and approve the text on Thursday. But South Africa, like Iran a member of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) of mainly developing nations, proposed a change to the board resolution agreed by the United States, Russia, France, China, Britain and Germany. As a result the board meeting that started at 10 a.m. (0800 GMT) was adjourned until 3 p.m. (1300 GMT) for talks on how to proceed. “There is procedural chaos,” one Western envoy said. Western diplomats said the South African amendment, though adding only five words to a two-page document, risked weakening somewhat the message to Iran that it must open up to IAEA investigations into suspected atom bomb research.
Reuters 13th Sept 2012 more >>
The UN’s nuclear agency board has overwhelmingly rebuked Iran for refusing heed demands that it take action to diminish fears it might be seeking atomic arms.
Telegraph 13th Sept 2012 more >>
BBC 13th Sept 2012 more >>
Reuters 13th Sept 2012 more >>
Submarines
A YOUNG seaman has been found dead on board a nuclear submarine. The body of the serviceman who was on active duty was discovered on HMS Vigilant on Sunday as it sailed to America. Navy sources say the submariner, who has not been named, is in his 20s. He is from the Holyhead area of Anglesey. The cause of his death is still unknown and Royal Navy police have launched an investigation.
Daily Post 14th Sept 2012 more >>
