Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats have voted to accept nuclear power, in a historic reversal of their long-held opposition to atomic energy. Party members backed nuclear power as long as it is not subsidised, after several hours of tense debate at the Glasgow autumn conference Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat energy secretary, urged his colleagues to support nuclear power, saying it would be “reckless” to reject such a major low-carbon source of energy that is needed to tackle climate change. He argued against nuclear power at the party’s conference in 2006 but has listened to arguments about its low-carbon benefits since then. “I’ve changed my mind because of climate change,” he said. It would be “unimaginably” hard to create a zero-carbon Britain without getting electricity from nuclear, Davey said. The motion backed by the party was “option B”, accepting that in future nuclear power stations could play a limited role in electricity supply, in a safely regulated environment and without allowing any public subsidy. They rejected “option A”, ruling out the construction of a new generation of nuclear plant. Fiona Hall, a Liberal Democrat MEP, also argued the motion is based on a false premise because the coalition’s plans to make voters pay for nuclear power through their energy bills is tantamount to a subsidy. “If it looks like a subsidy and smells like a subsidy, it is a subsidy,” she said.Craig Bennett, policy director at Friends of the Earth, said it “punches a huge hole in the Liberal Democrats fast-sinking green credibility”. “Nuclear power comes with massive costs attached,” he said. “Ed Davey is deluded if he thinks new reactors can go ahead without public subsidy – building them will result in the Liberal Democrats, yet again, breaking their promises.” Dr Doug Parr, chief scientist at Greenpeace, said the vote “shows how far the Liberal Democrats have slid from their previously principled position on energy and climate”. He added: “The party now seems prepared to thrust the issues of nuclear waste and funding on to future generations, rather than take on vested interests and put us on the road to dealing with the climate crisis in a clean, safe way.”
Guardian 15th Sept 2013 read more »
BBC 15th Sept 2013 read more »
City AM 16th Sept 2013 read more »
FT 15th Sept 2013 read more »
Mirror 15th Sept 2013 read more »
Utility Week 15th Sept 2013 read more »
Independent 15th Sept 2013 read more »
Evening Standard 15th Sept 2013 read more »
Scottish Greens said the policy shift on nuclear energy would undermine trust in Nick Clegg’s party. Patrick Harvie, Green MSP for Glasgow and co-convener of the Scottish Greens, said: “The Lib Dems used to be regarded as quaintly sitting on the fence on many subjects but today’s abandonment of environmental policies shows they are in fact irrelevant to the challenges society faces. New nuclear has costs spiralling out of control and a toxic legacy, and fracking will simply add to the stocks of fossil fuels we need to get away from if we’re taking climate change seriously. “Neither of these policies enjoys support in Scotland, underlining the logic of decisions that affect us being taken here. On top of the bedroom tax, tuition fees and flogging off Royal Mail it is hard to see why anyone would put any trust in the Lib Dems. Supporters will undoubtedly be doing some soul-searching. Scottish Greens will always put sustainability and fairness first.”
STV 15th Sept 2013 read more »
Two of Chris Huhne’s former special advisers at the Department for Energy and Climate Change turned up supporting different sides of the nuclear argument – one backing nuclear energy because of the need for non-carbon alternatives, the other opposing saying it demanded massive hidden state subsidies. “We’ve grown up,” one senior citizen member told me at the end of the vote.
Channel 4 News 15th Sept 2013 read more »
Davey said he was absolutely determined not to sign any contract for new nuclear power stations which relied on public subsidy, adding he had changed his mind on nuclear power because of climate change.
Huffington Post 15th Sept 2013 read more »
Honest and informed people disagree passionately about nuclear power. Supporters maintain that nuclear power offers affordable low-carbon electricity and is thus a vital tool in attempts to curb climate change. Opponents say the technology is inherently too dangerous and that the financial and environmental costs of waste are almost infinite. Climate change has forced many who were against nuclear power to reconsider their position in the argument. A disaster like the Fukushima meltdown, which took place in a hi-tech, risk-averse democratic society, can swing the argument back in the other direction in an instant, for compelling reasons. On Sunday at their conference in Glasgow, the Liberal Democrats performed their own U-turn, in the opposite direction to Mrs Merkel’s. Having been for decades Britain’s principal nuclear-power sceptics, the party eased themselves into the position of conditional supporters, leaving only the Greens as outright opponents. The motion adopted in Glasgow accorded nuclear power stations a “limited role” in power supply on condition that “concerns about safety, disposal of radioactive waste and cost” are properly addressed and provided there is no public subsidy for new-build. How can nuclear power ever be built except by public subsidy when commercial companies have fled the nuclear scene and the only serious players are those backed by the Chinese, Russian and French governments? None of these questions is easily answered, but the Lib Dems took a bad decision on Sunday, which leaves the public debate all the poorer.
Guardian 15th Sept 2013 read more »
The Lib Dem conference abandoned its opposition to nuclear power, a policy it had held to pretty well since before the atom was split. A Clause IV moment! And a triumph for Energy Secretary Ed “green man” Davey, who warned the conference that it would be “reckless” to “take off the low-carbon menu a low-carbon option”. Though prosaic, this was in line with his ambiguous boast that his party was “making the weather” on the environment. Lib Dems don’t just talk about climate change. They change the climate! The activists who take part are slowly undergoing a journey a bit like that of the dissident-turned-conformist Winston Smith in 1984, with Nick Clegg playing the role of O’Brien, as the menacing thought police leader who explains to Orwell’s hero what needs to be done to serve the party objective, namely, power. “There is learning, there is understanding, and there is acceptance.”
Independent 15th Sept 2013 read more »
Environmental activists from Friends of the Earth will campaign outside the Lib Dem UK party conference this Sunday alongside a giant white elephant named Nelly in a bid to highlight their opposition to gas and nuclear power. They also hope to encourage the Lib Dems not to turn their back on promises to put pressure on their tory coalition partners to become the “greenest government ever”.
Newsnet Scotland 14th Sept 2013 read more »
Cambridge MP Julian Huppert told the conference that nuclear power did have a role in the energy mix and if the party did not keep the option open there would be a “dash for gas”. But MP Fiona Hall accused those who wanted to vote for the motion of “putting your blind trust in the nuclear industry and their friends in the Tory party”. “If it looks like a subsidy, smells like a subsidy, it is a subsidy and we as a party are against subsidising nuclear power,” she said.
Norwich Evening News 15th Sept 2013 read more »
Westinghouse
The boss of nuclear reactor engineer Westinghouse has said it could still build its first rector in the UK before EDF completes its £10bn Hinkley Point scheme, despite losing out on an opportunity to build for Horizon in Wales after the scheme was sold to rival reactor developer Hitachi. Westinghouse had been bidding, in partnership with contractor Laing O’Rourke, to get Horizon to use its reactor last year, but when Horizon was sold to Hitachi, which will use its own design, in October 2012 it ended the chances of Westinghouse being selected. Meanwhile, EDF is in the advanced stages of negotiation with the government over a price for the electricity from its Hinkley Point project and hopes to gain additional investment soon after, which would allow it to give the project the green light. Last week, Danny Roderick chief executive of Westinghouse, remained bullish about the firm’s chances of building nuclear reactors in the UK saying the firm was courting NuGen, owned by power companies GDF Suez and Iberdrola, the only remaining UK nuclear developer yet to select a reactor design.
Building 16th Sept 2013 read more »
Radhealth
Dr Ian Fairlie: an initial response to the new Bithell et al study on childhood leukemias near nuclear power stations. Its methodology raises many questions to which answers are not yet available. The authors themselves admit their study is statistically underpowered, certainly when compared with the more powerful KiKK study. They also admit that their findings are not statistically significant. The usual rule is that weak epidemiological studies which are not strong enough to pick up effects should be careful about making negative conclusions.
Dr Ian Fairlie 15th Sept 2013 read more »
Radwaste
The Department of Energy & Climate Change has launched a consultation on proposals to change which category of councils will have the final say on future nuclear waste sites. Under the proposals, communities would now be represented by the “most competent authority” whether this be district councils or unitary authorities in England or Wales. Stewart Young (Lab), leader of Cumbria CC, reacting to the proposal, said: “The county council expressed its concerns about the previous process when cabinet decided in January 2013 not to proceed to the next stage. “Those concerns included uncertainty on the right for communities to bring the process to a halt if they are not happy, a complete lack of detail about the timing and quantum of any community benefits package, and the lack of a ‘Plan B’ for more robust interim surface storage plans for the high-level radioactive waste currently kept at Sellafield if a site for a GDF cannot be found. We will be looking closely at these revised proposals to see whether our concerns have been addressed.”
Local Government Chronicle 16th Sept 2013 read more »
Bradwell
Anti-nuclear campaigners claim radioactive discharge could be released into the Blackwater Estuary. Blackwater Against New Nuclear Group (BANNG) say a report by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) reveals metal casings surrounding spent fuel rods will be dissolved at Bradwell power station and the discharge released into the atmosphere. Magnox said the treatment of fuel element debris, as part of work to decommission the power station, is based on “safe and successful dissolution experience elsewhere.”
Essex County Standard 14th Sept 2013 read more »
Japan
Typhoon Man-yi hit southern Japan Monday, bringing heavy rains as officials warned of floods and strong winds, amid fears the storm could go on to hit the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant. About 200 domestic flights scheduled for Monday, a public holiday, were cancelled, mainly those departing Tokyo, and train services were also reduced.
Fox News 15th Sept 2013 read more »
Japan is free from nuclear power for the second time in 14 months, as the country’s last operating nuclear reactor closes for maintenance.
Greenpeace 15th Sept 2013 read more »
Scotsman 16th Sept 2013 read more »
Guardian 16th Sept 2013 read more »
Telegraph 15th Sept 2013 read more »
Independent 15th Sept 2013 read more »
BBC 15th Sept 2013 read more »
The Fukushima nuclear disaster is driving one of Japan’s biggest industry overhauls since World War Two, as new, nimble suppliers take business from the big regional power monopolies, and manufacturers, from steelmakers to drinks firms, generate their own power and sell what they don’t need. The 10 powerful regional utilities, which still supply around 90 percent of Japan’s electricity – even with the country’s nuclear industry virtually idled since the 2011 disaster – are expected to be broken up into separate power generation and distribution companies anyway by 2020. But the world’s worst atomic crisis in a quarter of a century has accelerated the pace of market reforms, as a growing number of firms armed with new technologies, flexible payment options and, often, cheaper power invade traditional markets.Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco), the operator of the Fukushima facility, and the other major utilities have lost thousands of accounts in the 30 months since the plant was crippled by a massive earthquake and tsunami, as businesses switch to cheaper alternatives, a Reuters survey shows.
Reuters 14th Sept 2013 read more »
About 150,000 tons of radioactive waste, including contaminated soil left over from decontamination efforts, have been left out in the open in areas affected by the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, The Yomiuri Shimbun has discovered. This figure accounts for about 30 percent of all radioactive waste from the crisis, and results from delays in the establishment of temporary storage sites. The Yomiuri’s research discovered that 36 municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture are scheduled to set up temporary storage sites in 372 locations, but that so far storage sites had only been set up in 139 locations, or 37 percent. Among the 36 municipalities, 23, or about 60 percent, had not been able to secure land for such sites.
Japan News 14th Sept 2013 read more »
Iran
Barack Obama today warned Iran that the US would be prepared to launch a military strike if it developed a nuclear threat. The US President said Iran’s nuclear ambitions were a “far larger issue for us” than Syria’s chemical weapons. And he said Iran should not be comforted by the US’s failure to launch a strike against Syria.
Mirror 15th Sept 2013 read more »
Germany
Perhaps deterred by wind energy’s success in the U.S., where last year wind energy accounted for 42% of all new power plant capacity and provided 10% or more of the electricity in nine states, U.S. anti-clean energy groups are looking across the Atlantic in their latest attempt to smear wind energy. As others have noted, this attempt butchers the facts and presents a misleading picture of what is actually Europe’s remarkable success story in reliably integrating large amounts of wind energy onto the power system. Much like the “telephone game,” this latest attack uses technical documents that were written in German, some of which were translated and misinterpreted by European fossil fuel advocacy organizations, and then are now being re-misinterpreted by a fossil fuel-funded organization in the U.S. Working back through the layers of misunderstanding and misrepresentation and going to the original sources, as we do below, makes it very clear what is actually happening in Europe.
AWEA 10th Sept 2013 read more »
In the idyllic southern Bavarian community of Wildpoldsried, 2,600 villagers are diligently playing their part in a bold experiment in German renewable energy generation, known as the Energiewende. The shift away from nuclear power and fossil fuels is Germany’s most complex undertaking since reunification two decades ago. But with consumers complaining of rising energy bills and industry warning of a threat to competitiveness, whoever wins the German federal election on September 22 will face intense pressure for a rethink. In Wildpoldsried, scores of homes and energy-efficient public buildings are bedecked with high-tech solar panels and many obtain their heat from a communal biomass plant. Wind turbines, financed by local residents, dot the surrounding hills and several farm buildings have adjacent biogas plants. These and many similar projects produce roughly 500 per cent of Wildpoldsried’s energy requirements. Thanks to Germany’s renewable energy law (EEG), which prioritises wind and solar power over coal and gas, the surplus of electricity in Wildpoldsried – worth an annual 5m to the village – is delivered into the grid. This bill is footed by a surcharge added to German electricity bills. In part due to the ecological ardour of villages like Wildpoldsried, renewable energy has been expanding more rapidly than envisaged. “I think people were surprised that the Energiewende is happening so fast,” says deputy mayor. However, this is driving up the cost of subsidies, creating inefficiencies and outstripping the ability to develop the necessary electricity grid and storage infrastructure to support it. The environment ministry has estimated the total cost of the project could reach about 1tn. Claudia Kemfert, energy expert at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin), says: “German angst used to be about blackouts and the dangers of nuclear power. Now Germans are worried about the Energiewende. The process is being mismanaged and the government’s policies need urgently to be improved.”
FT 15th Sept 2013 read more »
Renewables
Work is to begin on the largest tidal energy project in Europe after the Scottish government granted permission. MeyGen is to install the tidal array in stages in the Pentland Firth, between Orkney and the Scottish mainland. It will begin with a 9MW demonstration project of up to six turbines, with construction expected to take place on a phased basis until 2020. When fully operational, the 86MW array could generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 42,000 homes. That is the equivalent of 40% of homes in the Highlands, the Scottish government said.
BBC 16th Sept 2013 read more »
ITV News 16th Sept 2013 read more »
STV 16th Sept 2013 read more »
Business Green 16th Sept 2013 read more »
FT 15th Sept 2013 read more »
Herald 16th Sept 2013 read more »
Scotsman 16th Sept 2013 read more »
Windfarm developers will be given a cash incentive to build more turbines on Scottish islands, the UK energy secretary has confirmed. Ed Davey said there would be a higher subsidy for projects in Shetland, Orkney and the Western Isles than on the mainland. The draft deal would set a “strike price” of £115 per mega watt hour (MWh) for onshore wind. Mr Davey said it would help unlock the “massive potential” of the islands. The so-called strike price of £115 is higher than the £100 proposed for the UK mainland in 2014-15.
BBC 15th Sept 2013 read more »
Guardian 15th Sept 2013 read more »
Opponents of wind farms are living in the “Stone Age”, Ed Davey has said, as he declared war on Tory Cabinet colleagues over turbines. Mr Davey, the Liberal Democrat Energy Secretary, accused Conservatives of attempting to “destroy” the UK’s renewables industry. He singled out Owen Paterson, the Environment Secretary, warning that he is trying to “cull” wind turbines. The Daily Telegraph last month disclosed that officials in Mr Davey’s energy department have attempted to block a report commissioned by Mr Paterson on the impact of wind farms on the countryside. Government sources claimed that Mr Davey was concerned that the report, which will also examine how turbines affect house prices, would not “fit with Lib Dem ideology on wind farms”.
Telegraph 15th Sept 2013 read more »
Energy Efficiency
Liberal Democrat ministers are to relaunch the Green Deal – the flagship energy-saving scheme which has had a poor take-up – in a move which risks a further rift with the Conservative coalition partners. The chief executive of the government-backed Green Deal Finance Company, which provides cash for loans under the deal, said it made sense for people to take a “second look” at the payment plans on offer. Some £244million in loans to pay for measures such as a new boiler, loft insulation or solar panels is now available to householders. The moves are an effective admission that this year’s launch of the Green Deal had been a flop. Figures released last month showed that only 133 households had so far signed up to the scheme, which offers loans of up to £10,000 which can be paid back over 25 years through savings made on electricity bills.
Telegraph 14th Sept 2013 read more »
Smart Meters
Energy smart meter manufacturer Landis+Gyr is to create 600 new UK jobs after landing a £600m contract to supply more than 10m meters for British Gas.
Telegraph 16th Sept 2013 read more »
Fossil Fuels
The energy company behind plans to exploit unconventional gas in Scotland has told the head of an environmental charity to stop tweeting about the scheme or face legal action. Lawyers for Dart Energy wrote to the director of Friends of the Earth Scotland asking him to remove tweets and stop posting criticisms of the company’s bid to drill for coal bed methane in the Central Belt. They said that if Richard Dixon failed to respond within 48 hours, they would consider “all legal remedies available”. The Australian company says Dr Dixon’s public opposition conflicts with his role as a board member of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), which grants exploration licences and is consulted on applications. A letter from the Glasgow law firm Levy & McRae, highlighting Dr Dixon’s recent tweets, stated: “There is a clear conflict of interest which arises [from] … your comments on your twitter feed and the fact that as a member of SEPA you may be required to consider future applications by Dart Energy or consult with the Scottish government on their ongoing application.
Times 16th Sept 2013 read more »
