NDA
The credibility of the nuclear industry was shaken last night after the estimated cost of cleaning up Britain’s atomic waste was raised by a further £10bn. The latest clean-up estimate from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) suggests the commonly accepted figure of £73bn should rise to £83bn. But the agency insisted that £10bn of income from generating and fuel reprocessing plants should also be taken into account. It said the most accurate estimate of the clean-up bill over the next 130 years was £73bn, which included £10bn for the future construction of a high level waste depositary. The NDA’s estimates for that project have not been revealed before. The government agency blamed the latest rise in costs on the decision to tackle more complicated hazard problems at Sellafield along with rising inflation in the engineering sector, and a lack of income from the Thorp and Mox fuel reprocessing plants, which have been hit by a succession of problems.
Guardian 18th July 2008 more >>
The estimated cost of decommissioning and cleaning up nuclear sites, including Sellafield, has increased over the past year, the authority in charge of the process has reported. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) said undiscounted costs for the 130-year programme were £73.6bn, up from an estimate of £63bn last year.
Wigan Today 18th July 2008 more >>
British Energy
British Energy admitted that the cost of bringing back on stream two key plants that had encountered problems nine months ago would be “significantly higher” than expected and would take considerably longer to fix than anticipated. The company originally estimated that it would cost £50m to repair reactors at the Hartlepool and Heysham 1 facilities. But yesterday BE chairman Adrian Montague said a much more complex engineering solution was required and “the final costs will be significantly higher than this initial estimate”. The four broken reactors have already soaked up a million man-hours of work and while good progress has been made, British Energy said it could not be sure of bringing the units back into service until the last quarter of this calendar year. More specific details of the cost overrun would be given next month alongside first quarter earnings.
Guardian 18th July 2008 more >>
Scotsman 18th July 2008 more >>
Herald 18th July 2008 more >>
British Energy, the nuclear generator, said talks were continuing about its future, as speculation grew that negotiations with EDF about a possible bid could drag on over the summer. In a signal that it has alternative options for investing in the planned renaissance of nuclear power in Britain, EDF is starting work on land it has bought near British Energy’s Hinkley Point site, to assess its suitability for building a new reactor. At British Energy’s annual meeting in Edinburgh yesterday, Sir Adrian Montague, chairman, repeated the board’s view that none of the potential bid proposals put to the company by early June “represented fair value for shareholders”. He said only that a further announcement would be made “in due course”.
FT 18th July 2008 more >>
Plutonium
ALL the plutonium protected under armed guard at Sellafield should be recycled to help secure Britain’s future energy supplies and power new nuclear reactors, says Copeland’s MP. Jamie Reed wants the Government to class the 100-ton plutonium stockpile as an asset as part of “a nuclear renaissance”. He also says the plutonium stored “safely and securely at Sellafield” could power three new reactors for years to come.
Whitehaven News 16th July 2008 more >>
SELLAFIELD’S MOX fuel business has suffered another embarrassment after the French nuclear safety authorities spotted an alleged certification problem over the status of plutonium sent from Sellafield to France on May 21. As a result of the mistake, the UK Department of Transport has slapped a ban on any further plutonium movements from Sellafield until the issue is resolved. Sellafield Ltd has immediately issued a legal appeal to fight the prohibition order.
Whitehaven News 16th July 2008 more >>
SELLAFIELD’S potential new owners are being hired to find the “Holy Grail of efficiency savings”, according to the NDA’s chief executive announcing the selection of URS Washington led consortium as preferred bidders on Friday. He said the ability to “reach back” into a worldwide expertise of the three companies in the consortium with 111,000 staff would help towards this goal.
Whitehaven News 16th July 2008 more >>
Nuclear Waste
THE people of Cleator Moor have their chance to make their feelings known on local issues when the Cleator Moor Neighbourhood Forum hold its latest public meeting. One of the main issues on the agenda is how to safely manage radioactive waste in the area. Coun Elaine Woodburn, leader of Copeland Borough Council, will be hosting the talks on this subject.
Whitehaven News 16th July 2008 more >>
Wylfa
EDF Energy and US-based Energy Solutions are reportedly in contention to acquire land near the Wylfa nuclear power station in Angelsey, Wales, in anticipation of the UK government’s plans to replace the aging facility with a new one.
Energy Business Review 17th July 2008 more >>
Chernobyl
A TRIO of monitoring reports issued by the Food Standards Agency last week show that 369 upland farms in Cumbria, Scotland and Wales remain under post-Chernobyl restrictions.
Whitehaven News 16th July 2008 more >>
Dounreay
A NEW book which tells the story of Dounreay over half a century is published later this month.
John O Groat Journal 16th July 2008 more >>
Tidal power could replace nuclear research in remote parts of the Highlands according to Scottish Environment Minister, Richard Lochhead.
Press & Journal 17th July 2008 more >>
Companies
ROLLS-ROYCE, the engine maker, is to help build the next generation of nuclear power stations, using its expertise in powering Britain’s nuclear submarines. With sales of jet aircraft falling sharply as a result of high fuel prices, Britain’s most famous engineering company aims to branch out into the civil nuclear power market.
Edinburgh Evening News 17th July 2008 more >>
France
The French government on Thursday ordered an investigation into the water table around all of France’s 58 nuclear reactors in an effort to dispel fears raised by a leak from a treatment plant run by Areva in southern France.
FT 17th July 2008 more >>
Irish Independent 18th July 2008 more >>
Telegraph 17th July 2008 more >>
Turkey
Turkish conglomerate Sabanci Holding SAHOL.IS said on Friday it is in talks to work together with General Electric , Hitachi Nuclear Energy and Spanish utility firm Iberdrola SA in a tender to construct and operate Turkey’s first nuclear power plant.
Reuters 18th July 2008 more >>
Iran
The EU foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, will head a delegation of diplomats from six countries to meet Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, in Geneva. Jalili is supposed to present Iran’s final response to an offer of international economic and technical help, including assistance in building a civilian nuclear industry, in return for suspending Iranian enrichment of uranium.
Guardian 18th July 2008 more >>
The decision by the US to send an official to meet Iran directly this weekend is a useful shift in its tactics – one that it should have taken a long time ago. The debut performance of William Burns, the third-ranking diplomat in the State Department, in Geneva this weekend will not make much difference to the substance of the talks. The US has always made its presence known in the six years of attempts, led by Britain, France and Germany, to persuade Iran to scale back its nuclear ambitions. It just hasn’t been there in person.
Times 18th July 2008 more >>
India
The president of India’s governing Congress party, Sonia Gandhi, has issued a strong public defence of the controversial nuclear deal with the US. Mrs Gandhi was addressing her first public rally since left wing parties withdrew support for the government because of opposition to the deal.
BBC 17th July 2008 more >>
Slovakia
The European Commission has asked Slovakia’s chief electricity generator Slovenske Elektrarne, to increase safety at its proposed expansion of the Soviet-era Mochovce nuclear power plant in western Slovakia.
Energy Business Review 17th July 2008 more >>