Nuclear Subsidies
Britain’s planned nuclear reactor programme could be delayed for years, and the nation’s long-term energy policy thrown into turmoil, as European commission officials launch the first stage of a formal investigation into the use of taxpayer subsidies to support the development. Sources in Brussels have indicated that Britain hopes to win approval for a multibillion-pound deal with French energy giant EDF at the initial stage, which usually takes two months. But if after a preliminary investigation the EC’s competition directorate decides to launch a full-scale investigation that would last at least 18 months and probably two years or more. Such an outcome is made more likely by reports that ministers and EDF are discussing a minimum or “strike” price for the nuclear-generated electricity of a little under £100 per megawatt hour – nearly double the current market rate. However ministers will be hoping that their regular meetings with EC officials will make it more likely that a full inquiry will be avoided.
Guardian 14th March 2013 read more »
The chief exec of RWE npower said contracts lasting up to 35 years, to guarantee generators a minimum price for electricity, would be “wrong”. Paul Massara, chief executive of RWE npower, said contracts lasting up to a rumoured 35 years, to guarantee generators a minimum price for electricity, would be “wrong”. Ministers are being pressured to offer lengthy terms to get firms to commit to the vast cost of building nuclear power stations.
Mirror 15th March 2013 read more »
Radhealth
Nuclear meltdowns have a beginning, but in the frame of human history there will be no “end” to Fukushima, Chernobyl or the other major radiological catastrophes our species has created to date…At Fukushima +2 very important NEWS about disproportionate harm from radiation is offered here. Gender matters (a lot) in the Atomic Age.
Daily Kos 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.
Whitehaven News 14th March 2013 read more »
Hinkley
ANOTHER hurdle has been cleared in EDF Energy’s fight to win permission to build a third nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset. Ahead of a Government ruling next week on whether the build can go ahead, the Environment Agency has issued three environmental permits for the site.
Yeovil Express 14th March 2013 read more »
France
Catastrophic nuclear accidents, like Chernobyl in 1986 or Fukushima No. 1 in 2011, are very rare, we’re incessantly told, and their probability of occurring infinitesimal. But when they do occur, they get costly. So costly that the French government, when it came up with cost estimates, kept them secret.
Oil Price 15th March 2013 read more »
Iran
President Obama has told Israelis that Iran is still more than year away from developing a nuclear weapon and sought to reassure them that military force remains a US option if sanctions and diplomacy fail to thwart its nuclear ambitions.
ITV 15th March 2013 read more »
BBC 14th March 2013 read more »
US
U.S. nuclear outages in 2012 were generally higher than in recent years because of extended forced and planned outages at four reactors, and they continued into 2013, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said Thursday. Coupled with the beginning of spring refueling outages, outage levels in early 2013 were above those seen in the previous five years, EIA said.
Reuters 14th March 2013 read more »
Renewables
Dr. Hermann Scheer was among the seers warning of environmental fatigue years ago. Former German Parliamentarian and a pioneering architect of Germany’s clean energy policies, Scheer sharply criticized the environmental movement for cultivating despair and urged instead a focus on solutions, the cornerstone of which he advocated was transitioning to 100% renewable energy. Many of the world’s existential crises after all, including all those mentioned above, are largely or entirely rooted in dependence on non-renewable fossil and nuclear energy sources. Results of latest polls tracking support for renewable energy suggest maybe Scheer and his ilk were on to something. Recent polls from the U.S. and Europe show desire for replacing conventional energy with renewables is on the rise.
Huffington Post 14th March 2013 read more »
Energy Efficiency
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) this morning unveiled figures showing that 1,803 people had their properties assessed for a Green Deal package between the end of January and the end of February. The government said it was encouraged by the early adoption rates for its flagship scheme, which allows households and businesses to undertake energy efficiency improvements at no upfront cost and then make repayments using the money saved from the resulting reduction in energy bills.
Guardian 14th March 2013 read more »
