Small Reactors
Small nuclear reactors have the potential to revolutionise Britain’s energy market, providing a clean, secure supply of electricity that will help the country to meet its targets to reduce carbon emissions, a parliamentary select committee will announce today. Known as Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), this fledgling technology is being designed in such a way that it can be manufactured at a plant and taken to a site fully constructed. As well as generating green electricity, the reactors could be used for heat production, desalination or water purification, the committee said. However, if it is to be a success it will need a sustained period of collaboration between government and industry, said the cross-party Energy and Climate Change Committee. “SMRs could potentially have a key role to play in delivering low-carbon energy and lower upfront capital cost compared to large conventional nuclear reactors,” said Tim Yeo MP, committee chair. “That said, the commercial viability of SMRs remains unclear. The government should support the use of existing nuclear site for the deployment of SMRs. These sites could potentially host a demonstrator module with minimal additional infrastructure requirements and with the support of a skilled local workforce,” he added. The committee urges the government to “establish the right conditions for investment in SMRs”, for example through supporting the regulator to speed up the process.
Independent 17th Dec 2014 read more »
Government should work with industry to better understand the economics of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and set out a clear explanation of the conditions under which they might become cost competitive in the UK. It will be important to understand the future cost comparison with large-scale nuclear reactors as well as the comparison with other small-scale energy generation or demand management, according to new report from the Energy and Climate Change Committee.
Parliament 17th Dec 2014 read more »
Emergency Planning
Suffolk’s emergency planning officer has pledged to consult widely and listen to views expressed about a leaflet due to be distributed to 14,000 homes within a 15-kilometre radius of the Sizewell nuclear site. Andy Osman was responding to claims by anti-nuclear campaigners that in its current draft form the leaflet is “misleading, inaccurate and inappropriate”. Members of the independent watchdog Sizewell Stakeholder Group (SSG), have also expressed concerns about the leaflet which is aimed at providing advice to people living and working in a large area outside the official three to four kilometre emergency zone. People living and working in the zone will get an advice leaflet from EDF Energy, in line with UK law. However, in responding to a public consultation over emergency planning at Sizewell, the Suffolk Resilience Forum (SRF) – comprising local authorities and the emergency services – decided to provide advice to people living and working in a much wider area. Peter Lanyon, spokesman for the Shut Down Sizewell Campaign, said the draft SRF leaflet “lacked integrity” and was “misleading, inaccurate and inappropriate”.
East Anglian Daily Times 15th Dec 2014 read more »
Sizewell
Another injury accident has occurred on the Sizewell nuclear site – the second in four months affecting operating companies which pride themselves on maintaining an exemplary safety culture. A contractor working on an asbestos removal project at the Sizewell A power station, operated by Magnox Limited, fell from scaffolding at the end of July, sustaining serious injuries. EDF Energy, which runs Sizewell B, has now revealed a member of its contracting staff fell from a scaffold ladder on November 10, fracturing a collar bone.
East Anglian Daily Times 16th Dec 2014 read more »
Supply Chain
Nuclear power has been a part of the UK’s energy supply for more than half a century. Today, the industry provides a fifth of the UK’s electricity and employs 44,000 highly-skilled people. But with the majority of the UK’s existing plants due to close by 2030, we are entering a new dawn. Our new nuclear era will start with the construction of a £16bn power station at Hinkley Point in Somerset, which will power more than 15m homes with electricity. Plans are also in place to build up to 16GW of new nuclear facilities by 2030. The investment will run to £60bn, and the UK supply chain has the potential to capture up to 60% of that spending. Globally, the opportunities are even greater, with around £930bn to be spent building new reactors and £50bn a year spent on decommissioning nuclear by 2020. In the past, heavy regulation and the conservative culture of the nuclear business has held back innovation. However, advances in technology mean that new ideas in nuclear power are thriving and the energy source is becoming more affordable than ever before. What many people might not realise is that, in future, the majority of nuclear innovation will come from small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs). In this growing sector, SMEs will play an important role and the nuclear supply chain will give small businesses the chance to stake a significant stake in the domestic and global nuclear markets, creating high-value jobs and economic growth.
Guardian 16th Dec 2014 read more »
Nuclear Weapons
Russia would violate international agreements if it placed nuclear weapons in Crimea, which it annexed from Ukraine, Ukraine’s Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk said on Tuesday. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov appeared to reserve the right for Russia to put nuclear weapons in Crimea in comments to Russia’s Interfax news agency on Monday.
Reuters 16th Dec 2014 read more »
UAE
Senior figures from Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) are attending open public forums to explain the progress of the United Arab Emirates’ nuclear energy program.
World Nuclear News 16th Dec 2014 read more »
Renewables
The renewable power industry needs a fresh approach if it is to win the public’s support and reach its full potential, says OVO Energy’s Jessica Lennard. In reality, renewables are a huge success story, here and around the world. Technology is evolving, costs plummeting, deployment is steaming ahead. But that’s not the way the story is told and that, in part, is because the industry has been so loathe to talk about becoming financially self-sufficient. To the public, justification of subsidies (in t erms of growth and jobs, for example) just looks like a tug of war between industry wanting more and government pushing back. Now, the political reality is that cost trumps all. Some renewables are already close to grid parity (i.e. costing the same as conventional sources of energy). The UK solar industry recently talked about being subsidy-free by the next parliament. So the direction of travel is clear and it’s what bill payers want and deserve to hear. The renewables sector can choose its terms carefully and build reasonable flexibility into whatever pathway it chooses to develop -government certainly does. But winning broad public support now depends on industry not waiting for government to impose it, but making a pro-active, responsible commitment to getting off the subsidy hook as soon as possible.
Guardian 16th Dec 2014 read more »
Renewables – onshore wind
The government must speed up decisions on wind energy projects or risk deterring investors, MPs have today warned. The latest report from the House of Commons’ Communities and Local Government (CLG) Committee UK says the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is not doing enough to protect against “unsustainable development” in parts of England and is failing to halt damage to wildlife habitats. Wind and solar farm developers have repeatedly complained of the struggle they still face gaining consent for projects, arguing that decisions are not being taken on the merits of applications but instead are subject to an increasingly politicised system. Their complaints have been provided with further ammunition as a result of the number of onshore wind farm applications called in by Secretary of State Eric Pickles, after he intervened to review over 50 projects since June 2013.
Business Green 16th Dec 2014 read more »
The Prime Minister has dealt a major blow to the UK’s wind energy industry, declaring that he expects onshore wind farms to provide no more than 10 per cent of the country’s power demand and reiterating Conservative Party plans to phase out subsidies for new wind turbines in the next parliament. Speaking to MPs in the House of Commons Liaison Committee today, David Cameron suggested the public is “basically fed up” with onshore wind farms. “Enough is enough and I am very clear about that,” he said. His interpretation of public opinion will anger renewable energy firms, which have consistently pointed to government polling showing two-thirds of people are in favour of wind energy development.
Business Green 16th Dec 2014 read more »
Renewables – Funding
The nascent green crowd-funding market has taken another notable step forward, as leading solar developer Solarcentury today announces it has teamed up with ethical investment platform Abundance Generation. The solar developer said the partnership would allow businesses deploying solar rooftops to offer their employees, stakeholders, customers and the general public the opportunity to invest in their solar arrays through the Abundance platform and enjoy the financial returns that result.
Business Green 16th Dec 2014 read more »
Decentralised Energy
An energy revolution is underway across the globe, and the old order is running scared. Big energy firms, once the greatest beneficiaries of liberalised electricity markets, are suddenly seeing their profit margins slump, their very futures imperilled. The traditional privatised utility model that has reigned supreme for twenty-five years is being rapidly undermined. The effects are being felt most strongly in Germany and the US – but increasingly Britain’s Big Six energy firms are also under threat. In short, the Big Six are on the run. What’s causing them to take fright is the disruptive power of renewable energy – particularly small-scale renewables owned by lots of people. The reasons for this are actually quite simple, but seldom explained. The first reason is that the Big Six are facing a growing army of competitors. When the utilities were first privatised in the 1980s, they portrayed themselves as the face of a new popular capitalism. The famous ‘Tell Sid’ adverts of the Thatcher years caught the mood as thousands of people bought up shares in the new energy companies. But as the electricity market developed the number of shareholders and firms dwindled and ossified into the small oligopoly of suppliers that exist today. Dogged by numerous scandals, from doorstop mis-selling to accusations of price-fixing and competition inquiries, the Big Six today are hugely unpopular: purveyors of expensive electricity that’s dirty to boot.
Renew Economy 17th Dec 2014 read more »
Grid Connections
UK regulator Ofgem has approved £1.1 billion funding for a new subsea link in the north of Scotland to connect 1.2GW of new renewable electricity generation to the national grid following completion in 2018. This additional capacity will increase the resilience of Britain’s energy infrastructure and will connect the electricity grid on either side of the Moray Firth.
Scottish Energy News 17th Dec 2014 read more »
