Nuclear Costs
A pro-nuclear energy group is pressing the government to halt plans to order new atomic power plants because costs have been inflated leaving householders and businesses facing an enormous bill. The Supporters of Nuclear Energy have told the Chancellor that current pricing proposals would give nuclear power an unnecessary subsidy and provide EDF, the French state-controlled group, with a huge return on its £14bn investment in the first two plants. Sir William McAlpine, SONE chairman, has written to George Osborne urging him to block any price deal with companies building nuclear stations unless and until you are absolutely satisfied the nation is getting value for money. SONE feels the odds are being stacked against nuclear because it is being lumped together with wind power and other subsidised renewable energy sources in the price set-up to create a level playing field. The government has ruled out direct aid for nuclear power but SONE argues the formula under discussion would provide an unmerited indirect subsidy. SONE has presented the Chancellor with figures showing that on the basis of government estimates last year the two EDF plants would generate £88bn in cash over a 50 year lifetime tied to an average price of £70 per megawatt hour. But with EDF said to be seeking a price of £130, reflecting increases in safety and construction costs, SONE estimates operational income could soar to £163bn. An EDF spokesman said: We dont recognise these figures because we havent disclosed any.
Telegraph 14th Sept 2012 more >>
Chancellor George Osborne was urged today 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. In a letter to the Chancellor, Sir William said that SONE did not believe that energy policy as at present conceived was giving or could give value for money.
Evening Standard 14th Sept 2012 more >>
Nuclear Phase-Outs
Historic news that Japan will phase out nuclear power has rounded off yet another terrible week for the global nuclear industry. Japan’s decision to end its reliance on nuclear power by the 2030s means it will join countries such as Germany and Switzerland in turning away from nuclear power after last year’s Fukushima disaster. This is an incredible step forward for a country that was once 30 percent dependent on nuclear power and follows a wave of public protests in a country not known for civil disobedience. The decision comes as two nuclear reactors are out of action in Belgium after indications of cracks were found in their reactor vessels. And adding to the industry’s woes this week, Spain said it will close its Garoña nuclear power plant in July 2013, while Quebec’s new government has confirmed it will also close the Gentilly-2 nuclear reactor. These are momentous times. Greenpeace has cautiously welcomed Japan’s new energy and environment strategy as a long overdue decision. Still, we believe 18 years is still far too long to wait for a full nuclear phase-out.
Greenpeace 14th Sept 2012 more >>
The nuclear industry was dealt a big blow on Friday when two of the most nuclear-friendly countries decided to exit or sharply curb their reliance on the technology following a public opinion backlash after the Fukushima accident in Japan last year.Japan, which produced more than 10 percent of the global nuclear power before Fukushima, joins Germany, Switzerland and Belgium in deciding to shut down their nuclear plants and to spend money on renewable energy instead. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda announced on Friday his country would pull out of nuclear power by the 2030s and triple the share of renewable sources to 30 percent of its energy mix. “If you were looking at investing in an energy source at the moment, why would you invest in nuclear when you’ve just seen two major countries turning off their plants?” said Richard George, energy campaigner at Greenpeace.Japan’s exit and France’s renewed pledge to reduce nuclear power to 50 percent of its electricity capacity by 2025 sends an anti-nuclear message to countries which have been undecided about what stance to take on the technology.
Reuters 14th Sept 2012 more >>
A madness is taking hold. In the same week as Arctic ice cover is recorded at its lowest ever extent, two major countries are deciding to reduce or eliminate their use of the only proven source of low-carbon power that can be deployed at sufficient scale to truly tackle our climate crisis. Japan is planning to phase out nuclear entirely by 2030, its prime minister announced today. The French president has also just revealed a plan to dramatically reduce the country’s reliance on nuclear, which currently gives France some of the cleanest electricity in the world. Let me be very clear. Without nuclear, the battle against global warming is as good as lost. Even many greens now admit this in private moments.
Guardian 14th Sept 2012 more >>
Commenting on reports today (Friday 14 September 2012) the Japanese government is set to phase out nuclear power over the next 30 years and develop an energy policy more reliant on renewables, Friends of the Earth’s Head of Campaigns Andrew Pendleton said: “Fukushima reminded the world how risky nuclear power can be – Japan’s landmark move sends a strong signal to other nuclear powers. “Britain should follow suit. We’ve got a bounty of renewable energy at our fingertips that’s already falling in cost and which, together with energy saving and smart technologies, can meet our electricity needs. “In the months ahead the Government will decide how to power this country for the next generation while tackling climate change. “Whatever obstacles the Chancellor throws in the way, Ed Davey must ditch costly gas and new nuclear and switch to clean British energy from our wind, sun and sea – providing thousands of new jobs.”
FoE Press Release 14th Sept 2012 more >>
Investor confidence in the nuclear industry is at an all time low and the cost of new nuclear is spiralling out of control. Yet the British government is still trying to put nuclear power at the heart of our energy policy. In desperation to keep their nuclear dream alive, they’re planning to rig electricity prices, guaranteeing hidden subsidies and massive profits to anyone who builds a new nuclear power plant. This is at the expense of funding renewable energy such as wind power, which is cheaper and faster to build. Even some nuclear lobbyists have had enough. The Supporters of Nuclear Energy recently wrote to the Energy Secretary Ed Davey and Chancellor George Osborne, complaining that households and businesses would “pay through the nose” for new nuclear. Instead of forcing us to pay for the nuclear industry’s failures, the government should follow Germany’s example and invest in clean renewable energy. It should also put energy saving at the centre of our energy policy. That would insulate households from rising gas prices and create hundreds of thousands of jobs in the green economy.
Greenpeace UK 14th Sept 2012 more >>
Radwaste
More than 170 people attended a meeting about plans for a underground radioactive waste repository in West Cumbria. They heard from two professors who have studied the countys geology and claim it is unsuitable for the underground dump. Steven Quas helped to organise the meeting at Cockermouths Eco Centre. He said: A few of us decided we werent happy with the way the process is going and we didnt feel that people knew enough about it. We wanted these talks to let people know what information is out there and get the debate going. All these parish councils that havent decided they really need to speak out now and tell people what they think. Our hope is that we can tip some of the parish and borough councillors in this direction and encourage them to look at this seriously. Mr Quas, of Loweswater, stressed that they were not a pressure group and did not pay for professors David Smythe and Stuart Haszeldine to speak.
Times and Star 14th Sept 2012 more >>
STATEMENT from Swarthmoor SW Cumbria Area Quaker Meeting: The disposal of High Level Nuclear Waste: Cumbrian Firsts. This is probably the first time anywhere in the world a site to dispose of the most hazardous wastes known will be sought NOT on the basis of the safest possible geology.
Radiation Free Lakeland 14th Sept 2012 more >>
Letter to Keswick Reminder: It is mind blowing to think that if nuclear waste had been around in the Carboniferous Period of 300 million years ago, when the Lake District was covered in primitive conifers, nuclear waste would still be a clear and present danger now.
Layers of decaying primitive conifers now known as Monkey Puzzle trees produced the coal that was mined from the west coast of Cumbria.
Radiation Free Lakeland 14th Sept 2012 more >>
Sizewell
MORE than 50 groups have already applied to tour the Sizewell B nuclear power station three months before a new visitors centre is due to open.
East Anglian Daily Times 14th Sept 2012 more >>
Wylfa
Delegates discussing the decommissioning of Wylfa Power Station gave the Anglesey economy a boost last week. Local hotels benefited as more than 100 delegates attended the Nuclear Industry Association (NIA) 50th Decommissioning Working Group meeting at Coleg Menais Construction Skills Centre in Llangefni. The NIA is the trade association and representative voice of the UKs civil nuclear industry. NIA Chief Executive Keith Parker said: Anglesey based business were given the opportunity to meet with nuclear industry regulators to discuss the future of Wylfa power station. The group tasked with the power stations decommissioning will debate plans for the future of the land and surrounding area.
News Wales 14th Sept 2012 more >>
NUCLEAR investors have until the end of the month to bid to build Wylfa B with hopes a new power consortium will be in place by Christmas. Welsh Secretary David Jones toured the current Wylfa site yesterday and said he was extremely optimistic the multi-billion pound investment would come to Anglesey. He revealed he had already met two of the bidding consortiums which he described as serious international players. They now have until Friday September 28 to formally bid for Horizon Nuclear Power, the consortium set up by German power firms RWE npower and E.on to take forward Wylfa B.
Daily Post 14th Sept 2012 more >>
North Wales Chronicle 14th Sept 2012 more >>
Politics
Wind farms are not the answer to solving the climate change problem, Owen Paterson, the new Environment Secretary, has suggested. In his first interview in the job, Mr Paterson has admitted being sceptical about climate change policies, such as wind farms that need large subsidies. The Conservative right-winger, who took over the role last week, acknowledged global warming exists but stopped short of saying it is an entirely man-made problem. His comments are likely to alarm green groups as part of his new departments official role is to help prepare Britain for climate change. It is perfectly obvious climate change is there, and there is a human contribution, but I want to be sure the measures we are taking to ameliorate the problem dont create other problems, he told the Farmers Guardian. So thats why I am sceptical.
Telegraph 15th Sept 2012 more >>
France
France’s government begins a review of the world’s most nuclear-dependent country’s energy policy on Friday, strongly in support of its small and ailing renewables sector.Ministers, NGOs, unions, industries, parliamentarians and consumers will converge for a two-day conference to agree on how to conduct a six-month national debate that will seek to reshape the way energy is produced, consumed and taxed in France. Its new Socialist government is expected to announce immediate measures to help the crisis-hit renewable energy sector – which employs 100,000 people – as part of its battle to tackle soaring unemployment.
Reuters 13th Sept 2012 more >>
France will close its oldest nuclear power plant, Fessenheim, at the end of 2016, President Francois Hollande said on Friday, bringing the closure date forward by a few months.
Reuters 14th Sept 2012 more >>
RFI 14th Sept 2012 more >>
French President Francois Hollande pledged Friday to close France’s two oldest operational nuclear reactors at Fessenheim near Germany “at the end of 2016” under the condition of “a guaranteed security of supply in the region.” Hollande had previously pledged to close the two 900 MW reactors in 2017 at the latest as the start of a long-term plan to cut France’s reliance on nuclear energy from more than 75% to 50 % by 2025. The fresh commitment to shutting the plant by the end of 2016 shows the Socialist government’s confidence that France’s power system margin will be sufficient going into the winter 2016-17, when electricity demand is highest.
Platts 14th Sept 2012 more >>
Japan
Japan has announced plans to end its reliance on nuclear power within 30 years, in a historic policy shift prompted by the triple meltdown at the Fukushima power plant. The move to close all 50 of the country’s functioning reactors by around 2040 marks a dramatic change of course by a country that had previously championed atomic energy, putting Japan alongside Germany and Switzerland, which also turned away from nuclear power following the disaster. The move away from nuclear has caused concern among Japan’s allies. Japan provides nuclear technology expertise to companies in the US, while France and Britain, which reprocess its spent nuclear fuel, have sought assurances that it will continue to accept high-level radioactive waste created by reprocessing. Some analysts said a serious shift towards renewables could benefit the economy. “A total exit from nuclear is positive for the economy, on balance,” said Andrew Dewit, a professor at Rikkyo University in Tokyo. “It incentivises Japan’s political economy to focus on efficiency and renewables. Japan lags in both these areas and they offer the greatest opportunities for growth.”
Guardian 14th Sept 2012 more >>
The Japanese government has unveiled a plan to phase out nuclear power by 2030, in a major policy shift after last year’s Fukushima disaster. Under proposals put forward by a government panel, the reactors would be shut down completely by the year 2040.
BBC 14th Sept 2012 more >>
FT 14th Sept 2012 more >>
Telegraph 14th Sept 2012 more >>
Morning Star 14th Sept 2012 more >>
Independent 15th Sept 2012 more >>
Japans Prime Minister ran into a wall of scepticism yesterday when he bowed to public pressure and pledged to end nuclear power generation. Business leaders and Japans regional electricity monopolies reacted with disbelief after Yoshihiko Nodas ruling Democratic Party of Japan issued a paper that promised to launch all possible policy measures to achieve a nuclear-free society by the 2030s. There is no way we can accept this, Hiromasa Yonekura, leader of the influential Keidanren business federation, said. I cannot think this is technologically possible. Makoto Yagi, head of the Kansai Electric Power Company, dismissed the policy as a meaningless electoral gamble: I am not sure whether substantial national discussions were really held on this issue.
Times 15th Sept 2012 more >>
Greenpeace Japan today cautiously welcomed the Japanese governments landmark new energy and environment strategy of zero nuclear reactors in the 2030s, but warned that 18 years is still too long to keep the country’s nuclear plants online and the public’s safety at threat. Decisive action is essential and the strategy is a long-overdue recognition that nuclear power is neither needed nor wanted in Japan. It follows relentless protests by the Japanese public against nuclear energy following the Fukushima disaster.
Greenpeace 14th Oct 2012 more >>
Japan has confirmed a goal of ending nuclear power generation in the 2030s. The new strategy is based on respect for the will of the Japanese people, but slashes environmental targets to perhaps as little as a 10% reduction in CO2 by 2030. Environmentalist Mark Lynas told World Nuclear News the Japanese policy was “nothing short of insane.” He complained that “politicians around the world – under pressure from populations subjected to decades of anti-nuclear fearmongering by people who call themselves greens – are raising the risks of catastrophic climate change in order to eliminate the safest power source ever invented.”
World Nuclear News 14th Oct 2012 more >>
In the final version of the new national energy and environmental strategy set for release this week, the government will officially make it its mission to end nuclear power in Japan by the 2030s. At the same time, however, the plan will preserve Japan’s nuclear fuel cycle program — the long-running project to reprocess spent nuclear fuel into mixed plutonium-uranium MOX fuel for reuse. The badly delayed nuclear fuel cycle program, centered on the Rokkasho fuel reprocessing plant in Aomori Prefecture, underpins the continued operation of nuclear reactors in Japan. In other words, the government has included two obviously contradictory parts — and all the confusion that entails — in its strategic framework. The inclusion of both a zero-nuclear target and the continuation of the fuel cycle in the energy strategy has its roots in government concern for pro-nuclear local governments hosting fuel cycle facilities, including the village of Rokkasho and Aomori Prefecture. The reasons for these local governments’ resistance to a zero-nuclear future are fairly obvious. If Japan goes nuclear-free, MOX fuel production will no longer be needed and, as Rokkasho and Aomori Prefecture have pointed out with some ire, may be stopped.
Mainichi 13th Sept 2012 more >>
Japan on Friday said it planned to phase out nuclear power over three decades in an apparent bow to public pressure after last year’s Fukushima disaster, the worst atomic accident in a generation. Tokyo’s ambitious goal would see the nation work to cut its use of nuclear energy to zero by 2040, permanently shutting down its stable of reactors that once supplied resource-poor Japan with about one-third of its energy. “The government will introduce every possible policy resource that would enable nuclear power generation to be at zero during the 2030s,” said a government paper released Friday. The move would bring Japan into line with Italy, Switzerland and Germany, which has said it will wean itself off nuclear power by 2022, and comes amid regular vocal protests against nuclear power.
AFP 14th Sept 2012 more >>
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda’s Cabinet on Friday officially adopted a new long-term energy strategy that calls for elimination of nuclear power dependency by the end of the 2030s, but the new goal quickly came under fire from experts, antinuclear activists and lobbying groups.
Japan Times 15th Sept 2012 more >>
The landscape of Japanese politics when it comes to nuclear policy has been leveled since last years disaster. A largely popular proposal designed to send nuclear powers share of energy provision up past 50% now looks like one of the most gung-ho ideas of the past decade. Government and utility spokespeople, including Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, continue to push the claim that as long as nuclear power exists in Japan, it will be made as safe as can be reasonably expected. However, an underlying apathy toward politics amplified by a blunder-filled disaster response has kept a large portion of the populace skeptical of the party line. Confirmation by a recent government-level investigative panel that information was widely suppressed in the aftermath of Fukushima only adds to the mistrust of the man. Being blamed for a lack of safety protocols at nuclear plants, TEPCO and by extension other utilities have little reputation in the eyes of the people. Major broadcasters keeping quiet on anti-nuclear or anti-utility talk immediately post-disaster for fear of losing valuable sponsorship money only added fuel to the fire.
Japan Today 15th Sept 2012 more >>
Fukushima Crisis update 11th to 13th September.
Greenpeace 14th Sept 2012 more >>
Todays decision by Japans government to phase out Nuclear power by 2030 has been branded a potential climate disaster by critics, who say it will leave the country relying heavily on coal, gas and oil. Proposals released today reveal Nuclear reactors will be shut down by 2040, with emphasis placed on renewables and fossil fuels to fill the energy gap. The move has won the support of Greenpeace Japan, who argue this need not be a disaster for the climate. In a statement it said: Greenpeace demonstrated in its Energy [R]evolution scenario that Japan can support an economic recovery while meeting its 2020 obligations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions without restarting any of its nuclear plants taken offline after the Fukushima disaster. The governments Feed in Tariff (FiT) is already demonstrating strong results. On July 1, after just one month of operation, 560MW or 20% of the governments total aim for nine-months was achieved, showing that right legislation is already kick-starting a renewable energy boom.
RTCC 14th Sept 2012 more >>
Tokyo’s new energy policy calls for shutting down reactors that are more than 40 years old, not building any new nuclear reactors and only restarting existing reactors if they pass standards issued by a new regulatory agency. Greenpeace “cautiously welcomed” the new policy, but said Tokyo’s decades-long timeline to phase out nuclear was unnecessary since all but two of Japan’s 50 reactors were switched off in the wake of the Fukushima crisis. “The government and energy utilities must make every effort to rapidly phase out nuclear power and deploy renewable solutions to avoid future disasters,” it said in a statement. The environmental group said Japan should use its zero-nuclear goal as a starting point and make “increasingly bold strides towards the sustainable green economy that will secure Japan’s future prosperity”.
France 24 14th Sept 2012 more >>
AN EXTRA 30 vessels will be needed to ship liquefied natural gas to Japan by the end of the decade as the country phases out its nuclear power, according to LNG analysts.
Lloyds List 14th Sept 2012 more >>
Japans decision to phase out nuclear power has sent shockwaves through the energy industry, and could affect everything from global gas prices to the business of making and selling solar panels. The move could provide a significant boost to a renewable energy industry that has been hit by a glut in supply, falling equipment prices and uncertainty over US and European subsidies.
FT 14th Sept 2012 more >>
Syria
Syria is showing “contempt” towards the UN atomic watchdog by refusing to cooperate over a suspected undeclared reactor destroyed by Israel in 2007, the US envoy to the agency said Friday. President Bashar al-Assad’s government “is using its brutal repression of the Syrian people as an excuse for not cooperating with the agency’s investigation,” Robert Wood told a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s board.
AFP 14th Sept 2012 more >>
Reuters 14th Sept 2012 more >>
Canada
The Canadian province of Quebecs newly elected Parti Quebecois government announced on Tuesday that it has decided to shutter the provinces 30-year-old Gentilly-2 nuclear plant. The decision by the recently elected party, which has advocated for national sovereignty and secession from Canada, is a reversal of the previous Liberal governments plan to invest in refurbishment of the CANDU reactor. The 675-MW plant provides only about 2% of the provinces power. The majority of Quebecs power is supplied by hydro from the north of the province, whereas Gentilly-2, located about 100 kilometers from Montreal, provides grid stability. Its operating license had been extended in 2011 to 2016.
Power Magazine 12th Sept 2012 more >>
Renewables
Britain’s windfarms broke a new record on Friday by providing over four gigawatts of power to the National Grid enough to light and heat more than 3m British homes. It beats a previous high of 3.8GW set in May and comes as a further 4GW of wind turbines are being installed, half on land and half offshore. Just before 10am, wind turbines were supplying 10.8% of the total amount of electricity going into the grid while an additional 2.2GW of “green” power was going directly into local electricity networks.
Guardian 14th Sept 2012 more >>
