Sizewell
COUNCIL chiefs are looking to secure an agreement that will ensure taxpayers are not left with a hefty bill should a new nuclear reactor be built in Suffolk. EDF Energy is currently drawing up plans for a Sizewell C power station that could be in operation by the end of the decade. However the county council fears the costs involved in assessing the proposals and their potential impact – for both them and the district authority – could run in to hundreds and thousands of pounds. A report to cabinet, to be discussed at a meeting on Tuesday, April 27, says this could cause considerable problems in a period of financial restraint. As a result it recommends the council draw up a Planning Performance Agreement with EDF in a bid to get the energy company to meet the costs involved.
Suffolk Evening Star 17th Apr 2010 more >>
Cumbria
West Cumbria will be sitting on “a golden egg” on the back of nuclear power, a senior Tory has predicted. With Sellafield towering in the background, Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Greg Clark said west Cumbria could be a trigger for major job creation. He said: “For the next century I would like west Cumbria to be known for being the world’s centre of excellence in new nuclear development. On the prospects of Sellafield winning new contracts for fuel reprocessing, Mr Clark said: “What we’ve said is that we need to speed up some of these decisions: that you should look at reprocessing as a contribution you can make to the viability of this industry.
Carlisle News and Star 17th Apr 2010 more >>
NW Evening Mail 17th Apr 2010 more >>
Iran
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has labelled the US an “atomic criminal” at a conference on nuclear disarmament in Tehran. He also said that the use of nuclear weapons was prohibited by religion.
BBC 17th Apr 2010 more >>
U.S Defence Secretary Robert Gates has warned in a secret memo to senior White House officials that the United States does not have a long-term strategy for dealing with Iran’s nuclear programme.
Times 18th Apr 2010 more >>
Iran’s leaders issued a strong challenge to the United States and Britain today accusing them of using their nuclear weapons to ‘bully and intimidate’ countries without the bomb.
Independent 17th Apr 2010 more >>
Trident
The Liberal Democrat policy on Trident has been called “ridiculous” by Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth. Labour and the Conservatives both want to renew the UK nuclear weapons system when Trident expires in the 2020s. The Lib Dems “rule out like-for-like” replacement, instead saying they will seek “alternatives” and support efforts at multilateral nuclear disarmament.
BBC 17th Apr 2010 more >>
Energy Efficiency
We are buying less of the power they are selling electricity demand fell 7% last year alone. You wouldn’t think this would please Sam Laidlaw, head of Centrica, the parent of British Gas and the nation’s top energy supplier. But it does. “This is the exciting part,” he said. “We are at the heart of the low-carbon revolution, and we think we can lead it.”
Sunday Times 18th Mar 2010 more >>
