New nukes
WE KNEW it was coming, so it was no surprise to hear Gordon Brown call for new nuclear power stations. He says these will ensure that the lights stay on in the post-oil economy that is promised once our dinosaur society has run out of gas. Once again I find myself lumbered with the role of the onlooker noticing that the emperor has been duped by his tailor. I’m not alone. A growing crowd of us can be heard yelling, “Oi, Mister, you’re in the altogether”. Or, in a vernacular that Mr Brown may more readily appreciate, “Donald, where’s yer troosers”.
Western Mail 15th July 2008 more >>
THE Department for Business today moved to deny claims that a list of sites for new nuclear power stations has been drawn up. Press reports said that Gordon Brown was to fast-track the building of eight new nuclear power stations – including one at Hartlepool – to cut the UK’s dependence on oil. According to the reports, ministers have identified sites alongside existing reactors – including Hartlepool, Sizewell, Heysham, Dungeness, Hinkley Point, and Bradwell – as the most suitable places for the new nuclear stations. But the claims drew an unusually strongly-worded denial from the Department for Business. ‘‘This is nonsense. There is no predetermined list of sites for building new nuclear power stations,’’ it said in a statement.
Northern Echo 14th July 2008 more >>
BBC 14th July 2008 more >>
Gordon Brown wants at least eight new nuclear power stations to be built over the next 15 years but says the market should determine the final total, according to reports.
Building 14th July 2008 more >>
View London 14th July 2008 more >>
Public Servant Daily 14th July 2008 more >>
When Gordon says we will have at least eight new nuclear power stations, we must believe him. But where to put them? There may be no news on the preferred sites until 2010. This will give him plenty of time to amend the criteria which presently sees no reason in principle why nuclear power plants shouldn’t be built on flood plains. Documents quietly released last month establish that susceptibility to flooding is not a deal breaker in the criteria. Areas vulnerable to storm surges aren’t ruled out either. And we know from recent experience how well we cope with floods.
Guardian (Diary) 15th July 2008 more >>
Wylfa
AT LEAST two major energy firms are vying to buy up land around Wales’ only nuclear power station in the hope of building a new reactor there. French firm EDF Energy and US company Energy Solutions are among those hoping to buy land near Wylfa on Anglesey. The news confirms the notion that the Government will order a new station to replace the existing one. Prime Minister Gordon Brown wants eight stations built over the next 15 years to replace the UK’s current stock of nuclear plants.
Western Mail 15th July 2008 more >>
Politics
Labour’s dire performance in the opinion polls and uncertainties about the Glasgow East byelection in a fortnight have sparked talk of a difficult summer for Mr Brown. MPs fear he is trapped in a run of political bad luck that is obscuring Government successes on issues such as nuclear energy and terrorism.
Daily Mail 15th July 2008 more >>
Planning
Letter from Jacqui Lait MP: The alarmist suggestion that “the lights will go out” if Conservatives do not support every line of the government’s planning bill (report, July 14) undermines the CBI’s credibility as a business lobbying organisation. It is quite possible to speed up the planning process and build vital infrastructure without having to abolish all democratic involvement.
FT 15th July 2008 more >>
Decommissioning
PENDLE MP Gordon Prentice has called for an urgent debate over the spiralling costs of decommissioing nuclear plants. The MP called for an urgent debate on the runaway costs of cleaning up the early generations of Britain’s nuclear power stations, pointing to a highly critical report, published this week by the Commons Public Accounts Committee.
Lancashire Telegraph 14th July 2008 more >>
Czech Republic
Czech power group CEZ unveiled a preliminary plan on Monday to build two new units at its Temelin nuclear power plant in a move that could be the largest investment in the central European state.
Reuters 14th July 2008 more >>
Iran
Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana will this week discuss a “timetable” for future negotiations to break the deadlock in the atomic crisis, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday.
AFX 14th July 2008 more >>
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hit back at a senior adviser to Iran’s top authority who had criticised his “provocative” speeches about the country’s nuclear work, which the West says is a cover to build bombs.
Reuters 14th July 2008 more >>
Whatever else it is, Iran’s nuclear quest is not short on drama. Israel and Iran have just flexed their military muscles in highly publicized exercises and tests. The P5+1 – the US, Britain, France, Russia, and China, all permanent members of the UN Security Council, plus Germany – just brandished another acre of carrots and rainforest of sticks at Iran.
Middle East Online 14th July 2008 more >>
Lithuania
Lithuanian lawmakers on Monday stepped up the pressure on the European Union by calling a referendum to delay the EU-agreed closure of a Soviet-era nuclear plant that provides the bulk of the country’s power. Eighty-seven members of the country’s parliament decided to call the plebiscite on Oct. 12, when Lithuanians also go to the parliamentary polls.
AFX 14th July 2008 more >>
