Dungeness
British Energy, owner and operator of Dungeness B nuclear power station, is to hold six public meetings in January, in and around Romney Marsh, to discuss the potential for new nuclear build at the Dungeness site. The company, the UK’s largest electricity generator, is assessing land at Dungeness as a potential new nuclear build site, alongside three other sites at Sizewell in Suffolk, Bradwell in Essex and Hinkley Point in Somerset.
Nuclear Industry Association 12th Dec 2008 more >>
Oldbury
A controversial nuclear power plant has won an award for the ‘health’ of its employees. Oldbury Power Station has been given a prestigious Gold Active Health@work award from South Gloucestershire Council. The award recognises the continuous commitment the site has made to promote the health and wellbeing of its employees, and focuses on key areas of healthy living including healthy eating, physical activity, quitting smoking and a healthy work/life balance.
Stroud Life 16th Dec 2008 more >>
Decommissioning
To nuclear decommissioners, who are working to clean up the mess left behind from half a century of nuclear weapons and energy production, the RadBall could soon become a vital tool. The RadBall’s main advantage is that it is very portable.
BBC 16th Dec 2008 more >>
EDF
Warren Buffett, the US billionaire investor, could bow out of the battle for Constellation Energy after his MidAmerican Energy utility group said it would not try to outbid EDF of France. Constellation’s directors were due to meet yesterday to decide whether to accept a $4.5bn offer from EDF for 50 per cent of its nuclear power generation business or go with a rival lowball $4.7bn offer from MidAmerican for the whole group.
FT 17th Dec 2008 more >>
Bloomberg 16th Dec 2008 more >>
Iran
The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany agreed with Arab diplomats to consult regularly on Iran’s nuclear program, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Tuesday.
Reuters 16th Dec 2008 more >>
An engineer at the largest nuclear power plant in the United States who illegally transported software to Iran was jailed for 15 months.
Yahoo 17th Dec 2008 more >>
Korea
North Korea, which is resisting verification of its atomic programs, should not expect the incoming Obama administration to offer easier terms, the top U.S. nuclear negotiator said on Tuesday.
Yahoo 16th Dec 2008 more >>
Submarines
The latest addition to the Royal Navy’s next generation of nuclear powered attack submarines, the Astute Class, is being built by BAE Systems Submarine Solutions (BAE Systems Barrow) using Teseo’s modular aluminium hollow bar system to deliver compressed air on to the BAE production line at Barrow-in-Furness.
Process and Control News 17th Dec 2008 more >>
Alternatives
Because sufficient clean natural resources (e.g., wind, sunlight, hot water, ocean energy, etc.) exist to power the world for the foreseeable future, the results suggest that the diversion to less-efficient (nuclear, coal with carbon capture) or non-efficient (corn- and cellulosic E85) options represents an opportunity cost that will delay solutions to global warming and air pollution mortality.
Grist 15th Dec 2008 more >>
At last, some good news. The cost of photovoltaic electricity is due to plummet next year, say leading clean energy analysts at New Energy Finance. Their latest bulletin predicts silicon prices falling by over 30% in 2009. “The ultimate winners will be consumers, who will finally see competitive solar power,” it says.
Guardian 17th Dec 2008 more >>
