New Nukes
Plans to build a fleet of nuclear reactors in Britain could be accelerated under a scheme being considered by the Government and some of Britain’s biggest power companies. If implemented, the plans could chop as much as 18 months off the time required to complete nuclear stations by applying new construction methods and by shortening a detailed review of the technology proposed for use in the UK.
Times 17th Jan 2009 more >>
There has never been a better time for youngsters to go nuclear, according to ATA one of the UK’s leading recruitment consultancy, specialising in the manufacturing and general engineering market, rail, construction and energy sector.
Response Resource 16th Jan 2009 more >>
Wylfa
A PARTNERSHIP between two energy giants interested in building a new nuclear reactor on Anglesey has been welcomed by the council. This week German power firms RWE and E.ON announced the creation of a joint venture to develop new nuclear power stations in the UK. Both companies have previously expressed an interest in developing a “Wylfa B” and last month RWE secured a grid connection from the National Decommissioning Authority owned site outside Cemaes. Anglesey Council leader Coun Phil Fowlie said: “This is good news for Wylfa and Anglesey and we hope that it will bring us a step closer to securing a potential new nuclear power station on the island. “Given the bad news regarding the future of Anglesey Aluminum we must continue to work to secure the future of Wylfa as well as ensuring that Ynys M n remains an important centre for energy generation.
Daily Post 17th Jan 2009 more >>
Unite, Britain’s biggest union, is calling on the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to obtain a life extension for the existing Wylfa power station. Anglesey Aluminium Metal Limited (AAML) faces an uncertain future with the imminent closure of the Wylfa Nuclear Power Station, the sole provider of electricity for the plant. The move places 500 jobs at risk, warned Unite. Dougie Rooney, Unite’s national officer for energy said: “The Anglesey region has one of the highest levels of unemployment, but it has great potential which must include the continued operation of the Anglesey Aluminium Smelter.” “The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority must obtain a life extension for the existing Wylfa power station to continue generating until at least 2014.
Unite 16th Jan 2009 more >>
Proliferation
Obama and Bush agree: “The single most serious threat to American national security is nuclear terrorism.” Given this bipartisan agreement over the most serious threat, inauguration week provides the perfect time to assess the good and bad news of Bush’s eight-year tenure and what remains for Obama to do. If terrorists detonated a nuclear device in a major metropolitan area, it would have immediate and harmful secondary effects. The revival of carbon-free nuclear energy would be curtailed, perhaps permanently.
Guardian 17th Jan 2009 more >>
Radhealth
More proof – if any were needed – that radiation can cause cancer comes from a new UK government report that workers in the nuclear industry are more likely to develop the disease than those in other industries. The cancer rate among workers regularly exposed to ionising radiation is similar to that of the survivors of the Hiroshima and Negasaki A-bomb attacks in 1945, say researchers. The workers are more likely to develop cancers such as leukaemia, the UK’s Health Protection Agency (HPA) has reported in a new study. The HPA has, since 1976, been tracking the health of around 175,000 workers exposed to radiation in workplaces around the UK.
What Doctors Don’t Tell You 16th Jan 2009 more >>
Nuclear Waste
Germany’s radiation protection office came in for criticism on Thursday after it revealed only this week that damage had been detected late last year at an old salt mine storing nuclear waste. The Federal Office for Radiation Protection, or BfS, discovered that chunks of the ceiling of a 750-meter deep chamber at the Asse site could crash on top of some of the 6,000 containers of radioactive waste below.
Easy Bourse 15th Jan 2009 more >>
Korea
North Korea’s state media said on Saturday it would not give up its nuclear ambitions as long as a U.S. nuclear threat persists, staking out the communist state’s position days before Barack Obama takes office as president.
Reuters 17th Jan 2009 more >>
Iran
Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme has no civilian purpose and is dragging it into a dangerous confrontation with the international community, Sarkozy said Friday.
Yahoo 16th Jan 2009 more >>
UAE
US Secretary of State, UAE counterpart sign document laying ‘legal framework’ for civil nuclear cooperation.
Middle East Online 16th Jan 2009 more >>
Trident
Britain’s nuclear missile submarines have become ‘ irrelevant’ in the modern world and should be scrapped, a group of retired senior military commanders have claimed.
Daily Mail 16th Jan 2009 more >>
Politics.co.uk 16th Jan 2009 more >>
Climate
Householders would benefit from energy efficiency improvements worth up to £6,500 for their homes as part of the Conservative’s plan. The wide-ranging plan, set out yesterday, also covers wave and tidal power projects, a national charging network for electric cars, community heating schemes, and a high-speed rail network. Part of the scheme, an “internet” for electricity, using smart grids that would allow demand and supply to be managed in an intelligent and environmentally friendly way.
Guardian 17th Jan 2009 more >>
Telegraph 17th Jan 2009 more >>