Low Level Waste
Plans for low level radioactive waste to be dumped on the Northamptonshire village of King’s Cliffe have been unanimously rejected by the Council.
Anglia Tonight 16th Mar 2010 more >>
Dungeness
Plans to extend the runway and build a new terminal at Lydd Airport in Kent could be referred to the government. Natural England is concerned the environmental impact has not been properly considered and has asked for the plans to be “called in”. The Government Office for the South East (GOSE) will now consider the plans and decide whether the decision should be referred to the Secretary of State. Shepway District Council has already granted planning permission. Natural England said it was concerned that the development could affect areas including Dungeness, Romney Marsh and the Rye Bay site of special scientific interest .
BBC 16th Mar 2010 more >>
Wylfa
NUCLEAR giants could fund a road bypass around an Anglesey village to strengthen its bid to build Wylfa B. Horizon Nuclear Power wants to develop a new nuclear power station at land around Wylfa after buying it off the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. But concerns over the increase in heavy traffic on the A5025 for the construction and running of the plant could be a potential hurdle for bringing a new generation of nuclear reactor to the site near Cemaes.
Daily Post 16th Mar 2010 more >>
New Nukes
Being anti-nuclear in the seventies was regarded as an eccentricity. In January 1979, the late Jon Vaughan Jones and I were only two of the 70 members of Gwent County Council to oppose a planned new nuclear power station at Portskewett near Chepstow. We had a hard time from fellow Labour councillors especially the group leader Graham Powell. He represented neighbouring Caldicot. He told us that we were committing political suicide by opposing thousands of new jobs.When the full Council came to vote on the planning application in in May 1979, not one councillor spoke in favour. It was not the persuasive oratory of Jon, impressive as that was, that changed minds. It was the accident at Three Mile Island that destroyed public and councillor trust.
Paul Flynn MP 13th March 2010 more >>
Nuclear Power makes no business sense. Presentation by Criag Severance to a seminar in Potsdam.
Energy Economy Online 7th March 2010 more >>
Multi-billion pound investment in Britain’s energy sector, particularly in nuclear plants, could be under threat in the event of a hung parliament, an executive from a utility planning to build them said on Tuesday.
London South East 16th Mar 2010 more >>
Reuters 16th Mar 2010 more >>
THE Government’s hopes for a new generation of nuclear power stations to plug a threatening energy gap are unlikely to be fulfilled, according to a new report. The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) says that Westminster’s reliance on utility companies to provide a new nuclear fleet will fail unless it acts to give more confidence to the industry. And it adds that Britain must plan for a “second wave” of new nuclear power stations after 2025 if the target of an 80% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050 is to be met. But the report’s conclusions have been rejected by opponents of nuclear power, with Friends of the Earth Cymru saying it revealed an “almost blind pro-nuclear mindset”.
Daily Post 17th Mar 2010 more >>
Business secretary Lord Mandelson will tomorrow announce a £170m funding package for nuclear manufacturer Sheffield Forgemasters International. The cash is to be used to buy a 15,000-tonne press to produce forgings for modern reactors which will make Sheffield Forgemasters International (SFIL) one of only a few global companies in the world to supply a necessary component to the nuclear industry – a key part of most countries’ low carbon strategies. The development has been touted as a potentially key decision to the success of Britain’s low carbon industrial strategy.
The Manufacturer 16th Mar 2010 more >>
Yorkshire Post 16th Mar 2010 more >>
BIS Press Release 17th Mar 2010 more >>
Areva
A government study on the future of France’s nuclear sector will not call for state-owned Areva to be broken up, according to Le Figaro newspaper. The report will instead call for the government to take on a more active role in co-ordinating and leading the French nuclear sector, especially on projects abroad.
Reuters 17th Mar 2010 more >>
Scotland
Letter from Cllr Euan McLeod: I was interested to read your report on the Institute for Public Policy Research’s findings that energy efficiency is the best way to deal with fuel poverty. Nuclear Free Local Authorities Scotland (NFLA Scotland) concurs. NFLA Scotland member authorities such as Glasgow, Dundee and Shetland have shown great leadership in promoting energy efficiency projects. With the positive developments announced for offshore wind, wave and tidal energy, Scotland can show that it does not need new nuclear power. Should all the proposed energy moves and the positive energy efficiency projects come off, Scotland could be producing 178 per cent of its energy needs over the next 20 years
Scotsman 16th March 2010 more >>
Renewables
TODAY will be the “dawn of a new era” for Scotland as it takes the lead globally in the emerging field of marine renewable energy, experts have claimed. A landmark announcement will open up the Pentland Firth off the north coast of Scotland for wave and tidal schemes, attracting billions of pounds of investment. About a dozen companies from all over the world will be given the go ahead to install hundreds of green-energy devices in the stretch of sea, which is famed for its powerful tides. It is the first area of ocean around the UK to be opened up for marine renewable development, and this is by far the largest round of leasing agreements in the sector anywhere in the world. First Minister Alex Salmond will today join bosses from the Crown Estate at Our Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh to reveal the winners of a fierce competition fo r leases on the stretch of water.
Scotsman 16th Mar 2010 more >>
Wave and tidal power could produce enough energy for up to 15 million homes, provide thousands of jobs and slash emissions by mid-century, the Government claimed today. Energy Minister Lord Hunt said harnessing the power of the UK’s seas would provide clean and secure energy and export opportunities as he launched an action plan for developing the industry.
Daily Mail 16th March 2010 more >>
The crown estate and Scottish government today unveiled a £4bn project to build 10 wave and tidal power sites around the Orkney islands and the Pentland Firth, with the potential to power up to 750,000 homes. The devices deployed will include the Pelamis “sea snake”, which uses the undulations of the sea surface to generate power, and the SeaGen tidal machine, which looks like an underwater wind turbine. In total, the machines will be able to produce up to 1.2GW of “green” energy, more than Dungeness B nuclear station in Kent.
Guardian 17th Mar 2010 more >>
A new era in energy moved closer yesterday with the awarding of the world’s first commercial leases for wave and tidal power generation. The rights to develop 1,200 megawatts (MW) of renewables enough to supply 750,000 homes off the coasts of Orkney and Caithness was hailed by Alex Salmond as putting Scotland at the forefront of a global race to harness the power of the sea.
Times 17th Mar 2010 more >>
Independent 17th Mar 2010 more >>
Iran
Iran is unlikely to have a nuclear bomb during 2010, America’s top commander for the region told Congress yesterday.
Belfast Telegraph 17th Mar 2010 more >>
Independent 17th Mar 2010 more >>
The Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has told the BBC that he believes Iran has no intention of developing nuclear weapons.
BBC 16th Mar 2010 more >>
US
The Illinois state Senate has voted overwhelmingly to remove a 23-year-old moratorium on the construction of new nuclear power plants in the state. However, the bill stills need to be approved by the House.
World Nuclear News 16th Mar 2010 more >>
Poland
A nationwide survey has selected Poland’s best sites for nuclear power plants, two of which are planned for 2020. A points system was used by a panel of experts based on information from a range of national institutes concerning factors such as geology, public acceptance, availability of cooling water and ease of grid connection. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the site that came top has previously been announced as a candidate and was planned for reactors in the 1980s. Zarnowiec, on the northern coast 40 kilometres from Gdansk, garnered 65.6 points and sat clearly at the head of the list of 27 candidates.
World Nuclear News 16th Mar 2010 more >>
