Burma/Myanmar
Russia’s atomic energy agency, Rosatom, said yesterday that it had agreed to build a nuclear research reactor for military-ruled Burma, which has been branded by the US as an “outpost of tyranny”.
FT 16th May 2007
BBC 15th May 2007
New Scientist 15th May 2007
Bulgaria
BNP Paribas is in advanced negotiations with Bulgaria’s national electricity company (NEC) regarding a 250 mln eur loan to build the country’s second nuclear power plant in Belene, said Ullrich-Guenter Schubert, director-general of the banks’s Bulgarian unit.
Interactive Investor 15th May 2007
New nukes
British Gas is hoping to turn in profits above market expectations after signing up more than 900,000 new customers attracted by lower energy prices.An average of 65,000 customers a week have been joining the Centrica-owned group following two price cuts since February, the firm said yesterday. It also emerged that the group is eager to take part in a new generation of nuclear power plants in Britain. Centrica has held talks with British Energy, owner of the Hinkley Point B nuclear reactor in Somerset and is widely expected to collaborate with French groups EDF or Areva on new designs for reactors.
Western Daily Press 15th May 2007
Some people see nuclear power as a clean solution to the current problem. Within the Church of Scotland, there are different views on the subject. There are environmental advantages: nuclear power does not generate large amounts of CO2 and in its life cycle releases less greenhouse gases than fossil fuel stations, even with carbon capture and storage as the standard. But there are disadvantages. First, the risk of catastrophic accident is, for some, a reason to reject nuclear power altogether, and low-level accidental discharges remain an issue. Secondly, radioactive waste means that future generations will inherit a problem that was not of their making but for which they will need to be responsible. Thirdly, for some, the link with nuclear weapons proliferation presents a prohibition in principle. The key ethical question is whether human beings are capable of managing such a powerful force as the basis for a significant contribution to the energy supply. There are other relevant questions. If we are reluctant to see nuclear power deployed widely in the developing world, is it hypocritical for us to pursue it in this country? If we can achieve serious greenhouse gas reduction, do we have a duty to continue with it? How much would it cost and would we be diverting huge resources away from truly sustainable solutions? Nuclear power cannot be an excuse for us as a country to neglect our responsibilities in the areas of energy efficiency and the development of renewable energy. These must remain overwhelmingly the priority.
Edinburgh Evening News 15th May 2007
Nuclear Waste
A NUCLEAR waste repository in Caithness would harm efforts to regenerate the economy after the rundown of Dounreay, it was claimed yesterday. An action plan is being drawn up to help the area offset the loss of about 2,500 jobs when the nuclear plant is due to return to a near-greenfield site by 2033, after a £2.9 billion decommissioning project. Up to 500 jobs are expected to go over the next five years, when the rundown will level out until about 2017, after which the downward trend will continue. The board of Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), which met in Caithness yesterday, says it is confident of replacing the lost jobs. However, the agency came out against the possibility of a nuclear waste repository being sited in the area.
Scotsman 16th May 2007
Iran
Iran’s nuclear policy chief is to meet Javier Solana on May 31st.
EU Business 15th May 2007
Reuters 15th May 2007
Iran’s nuclear programme has made significant progress and its scientists have solved many of the technical problems surrounding uranium enrichment, according to United Nations inspectors.
Telegraph 16th May 2007
BBC 15th May 2007
Iran should be attacked before it develops nuclear weapons, America’s former ambassador to the United Nations said yesterday. John Bolton, who still has close links to the Bush administration, told The Daily Telegraph that the European Union had to “get more serious” about Iran and recognise that its diplomatic attempts to halt Iran’s enrichment programme had failed.
Telegraph 16th May 2007
Japan
Nuclear power is key to Japan’s climate mitigation strategy, a UN working group heard on 14th May.
World Nuclear News 15th May 2007
Nuclear Testing
Veterans have welcomed Norfolk MPs’ calls for an inquiry into links between British nuclear tests in the 1950s and health problems suffered by military personnel.
Norwich Evening News 15th May 2007
East Anglian Daily Press 15th May 2007
Terror
The former head of MI6 called yesterday for a complete rethink of the strategy to combat the Islamist terrorist threat. The former head of MI6 called yesterday for a complete rethink of the strategy to combat the Islamist terrorist threat.
Guardian 16th May 2007
Climate
It has become common to assert that nuclear power can play a major role in mitigating global warming. There are even those, including some who call themselves environmentalists, who aver that nuclear power is the most important, if not the only, solution to the climate crisis. The report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) working group (WG) on mitigation presented on May 4 shows just how far this is from the truth.
Deccan Herald (Bangalore) 12th May 2007
