Nuclear Industry Association
John Hutton was the man who told Parliament that nuclear power was back. Now he heads the trade body representing the industry, as he tells Roger Milne. Three years ago, John Hutton was the politician in charge of UK energy policy. It was Hutton who stood up in the House of Commons in January 2008 to announce a Nuclear White Paper that set out, he said a clear timetable for action to enable the building of the first new nuclear power station, which I hope will be completed well before 2020.
Utility Week 14th Sept 2011 more >>
Politics
The government has made moderate or no progress on more than three-quarters of its green promises because of obstruction by the Treasury and business departments and a lack of public backing from the prime minister, a stinging report from the UK’s major environmental groups has concluded. Poor-quality policy is damaging a flagship government scheme, the “green deal”, the report said. It is a scheme, described as “radical and game-changing” by ministers, to transform the nations’ homes by enabling insulation and other energy efficiency measures to be paid for from the subsequent savings on gas and electricity bills. “The government is not working to this end. The programme is not being designed to deliver on a scale consistent with meeting carbon budgets,” the report said.
Guardian 15th Sept 2011 more >>
Hinkley
A group campaigning against the expansion of Hinkley Point power station says this week’s explosion at a French nuclear plant in which one person was killed and four others were injured is a ‘sobering reminder of how things can go wrong,
Burnham-on-sea.com 13th Sept 2011 more >>
Stop Hinkley Press Release 14th Sept 2011 more >>
EDF has broken a time limit condition attached to its planning permission to remove a spoil heap from the Hinkley Point site, the Stop Hinkley campaign has discovered. The work – removing spoil contaminated with asbestos left over from the construction of the original Hinkley A power station should have been completed by 31 August. This was a condition of the planning consent granted to EDF by Somerset County Council last January. However, work is still continuing and the company is now applying for an extension to continue with the clean-up operation up to February 2012.
Stop Hinkley Press Release 14th Sept 2011 more >>
Wylfa
A dairy farmer says he will refuse to sell his land to a firm that wants to build a new generation nuclear power station next to Wylfa on Anglesey. Richard Jones said if he were to lose any of the land that has been in his family for 300 years the farm would not be viable. Horizon Nuclear Power said it wanted to avoid using compulsory purchase powers. The company has already bought about 570 acres of land on the island and is looking at a further 160.
BBC 14th Sept 2011 more >>
Scotland
Letter: FoE & WWF Scotland: The article “SNP warned of white elephant power plan” (13 September) challenges Scotland’s renewables ambitions. The transition to a low-carbon economy is not only an environmental imperative, but also a huge economic opportunity. With global investment in climate friendly technologies set to reach 1.3 trillion within a decade, the era of climate competitiveness is upon us. The inclusion of a low-carbon transition as a priority for Scotland’s economic strategy is therefore to be welcomed. It is only right that we should be ambitious in our approach to renewables, given the imperative to cut emissions from our power sector and our vast renewable energy potential. A recent report from one of the world’s leading energy consultants, GL Garrad Hassan, shows that Scotland’s renewable electricity generation can grow to comfortably exceed our electricity needs and that the Scottish Government’s target of 100 per cent renewables by 2020 is completely achievable. Scotland’s targets to both cut emissions and boost renewables provide welcome policy and investment certainty and we are on track to generate renewable electricity equivalent to a third of our needs by the end of the year. Renewable energy is just one sector with opportunities to transform our economy. Similarly ambitious targets and programmes aimed at improving the energy efficiency of our housing stock, the development and roll-out of low-carbon vehicles and recycling and refurbishing of goods all offer huge environmental and economic opportunities for Scotland. Ultimately, our entire economy must become resource efficient and low carbon and we will support government leadership and action to deliver this.
Other Letters include: With remarkably bad timing John Swinney announces (your report, 12 Septemb er) that he wants all Scotland’s electricity needs to be met by renewables by 2020. As we have seen in recent days, it is not just when the wind does not blow that wind farms do not produce electricity, but they also have to be shut down if it blows too hard. It also seem to have little understanding that the capital cost per megawatt of building offshore wind farms Fuel poverty will increase and jobs will be lost as companies needing large amounts of energy will shift to other countries offering more reliable and cheaper supplies of electricity.
Scotsman 14th Sept 2011 more >>
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is a global brand with nearly 3 million members, turning over hundreds of millions of dollars a year and picking fights with almost everyone in power. On Thursday it announced it was planning to expand into developing countries but also warned that the battle against the “mindless exploitation” of Earth’s resources was in danger of being lost. Former Labour environment minister Michael Meacher said: “My officials were dismayed and business was alarmed, but Greenpeace absolutely captured my imagination by their daring and dangerous escapades. Taking on the big forces of the world in such a scary way struck me rigid. [They] truly brought home what was going on.” Former Conservative environment secretary John Gummer strongly supported the group today. “Every environment minister should thank God for Greenpeace. It has helped us to push the boundaries much further than ever otherwise would have been possible.”
Guardian 15th Sept 2011 more >>
Article by Kumi Naidoo is the executive director of Greenpeace International
Guardian 15th Sept 2011 more >>
Areva
Areva’s new chief executive said in a newspaper interview that the French nuclear operator was working on a new strategy plan to address slower-than-expected growth in nuclear business in the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster.
Reuters 14th Sept 2011 more >>
EnBW
Germany-based EnBW is again attempting to sell its stake in the Austrian company EVN as it is planning to divest assets for about EUR1.5bn ($2.1bn). The company would sell its 30% stake in EVN in two to three steps, reports Reuters. EnBW is also planning to sell its assests in Poland to partner Electricite de France and divest its stake in Swiss Energiedienst from current 87% to 66%. The company has planned this move amid the Germany’s decision to phase out nuclear energy completely by 2022 after the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Energy Business Review 14th Sept 2011 more >>
France
The first and most important thing to remember about Mondays explosion at the Marcoule nuclear facility in southern France is that one man was tragically killed and four others were injured. Our condolences and thoughts are with their family and friends. With this mind, the haste with which the French nuclear companies EdF and AREVA rushed out their spin in the first hours after the accident appears all the more unseemly. On AREVAs blog, the casualties are mentioned only as the fifth item in a list of nine.
Greenpeace 14th Sept 2011 more >>
Europe
Nuclear reactors older than 40 years may need to shut down following Europe-wide stress tests due to extra safety costs, the head of the OECD’s Nuclear Energy Agency said.
Engineering & Technology 14th Sept 2011 more >>
Slovakia’s two nuclear power plants have passed the stress test required after the 11 March accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan. The Bohunice V2 and Mochovce nuclear power plants use the same VVER44/213 technology. The plants have two 440MW units. The Paks nuclear power plant in Hungary, which uses the same technology, also passed its initial stress test last month.
Argus Media 14th Sept 2011 more >>
US
The U.S. nuclear regulator and the power plants it oversees will be challenged to find enough seismic experts and staff to carry out changes to safety ordered in the wake of Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster, top industry and regulatory officials said on Wednesday.
Reuters 14th Sept 2011 more >>
Israel
Israels Dimona Nuclear Research Center, site of the countrys first and only nuclear power plant, came online at some point between 1962 and 1964. The airspace over it is closed to all aircraft, and the area around it is heavily guarded and fenced off. According to Dimona Nuclear Research Center management, the downsizing of the facilitys employees was achieved through generous retirement agreements, leading to 500 employees recently deciding to leave, Ma’ariv newspaper reported. Reportedly, Dimona Nuclear Research Center employees who agreed to the voluntary severance package were offered significant concessions and generous financial benefits if they agreed to take early retirement about 10 years before the accepted retirement age. Dimona Nuclear Research Center management circulated internal company memos among the facilitys work force outlining the proposed compensation package.
Oil Price 15th Sept 2011 more >>
Nuclear Weapons
An exclusive sneak preview of an award-winning film directors hard-hitting documentary about the spread of nuclear weapons is on show next week. The Wimbledon branch of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) is holding a free preview screening of In My Lifetime by American filmmaker Robert Frye, who was given special access to big-name politicians and film in the United Nations building in New York City.
Local Guardian 14th Sept 2011 more >>
