Nuclear Subsidies
The Nuclear Free Local Authorities (NFLA) has published today on its website a detailed report by its Policy Advisor which outlines a long list of subsidies that will be given by the UK Government to the nuclear industry through the electricity market reforms legislation. This legislation will be going to Parliament shortly to assist with the construction of new nuclear power stations. In the NFLAs view this draft legislation will go against the 2010 UK Government Coalition Agreement that has determined current nuclear energy policy for no public subsidy. The report was developed by the NFLA Policy Advisor on the request of the independent media watchdog Spinwatch, who were concerned that the matter was not being adequately considered by Parliament. The NFLA publishes the report in its entirety and have sent it to its members, antinuclear groups, MPs and MEPs. Spinwatch have already sent it to 430 Liberal Democrat party branches encouraging them to raise the matter with the Energy Minister Ed Davey.
Nuclear Free Local Authorities 17th May 2012 more >>
Joan Walley MP asks for absolute assurance that if it is to be delivered, there will, as the coalition agreement requires, be no subsidy and no hidden subsidy, either?
Hansard 17th May 2012 more >>
A new £15 million fund designed to stimulate activity in the Nuclear fuel supply chain is to be opened up to businesses in the North East. It is hoped that companies from the manufacturing, engineering, IT and software sectors will be attracted to the opportunities and funding available to those looking to set up Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) and R&D programmes. An event at the University of Sunderland will help businesses find out more, and keynote speaker Stuart Johnston, manufacturing manager at Sellafields ion exchange effluent plant, will outline the benefits of working in the fast-growing nuclear sector.
Bdaily 17th May 2012 more >>
Politics
Caroline Flint: the irony of the Governments electricity market reforms is that one thing they do not do is reform the electricity market. There is no change to the way in which energy is bought and sold, nothing to open the books of the energy giants and nothing even to improve competition in the energy market and break the stranglehold of the big six: no change, no hope and, I am afraid, not a clue how to help families affected by those pressures on the cost of living. Last winter, more than 6.6 million families and pensioners across the UK could not afford to heat their homes properly. The number of pensioners dying from hypothermia has doubled in the past five years.
Hansard 16th May 2012 more >>
Malcolm Wicks: The withdrawal of the German consortium has been a formidable blow to our plans for nuclear energy, but I put it to the Secretary of State that, despite what he says, the last Labour Governments decision to allow a new generation of civil nuclear reactors was a crucial strategic decision. As I recallagain I draw on my memoryone reason why Parliament took rather a long time to reach that decision was that one of our major parties, and I think it was the Liberal Democrats…..Simon Hughes: To clarify for the right hon. Gentleman, who raised the issue, the Liberal Democrats are opposed to nuclear power. We recognise that there is no majority in this House for that position, so a deal was done in the coalition agreement that allows the Government to pursue nuclear power provided that there is no subsidydirect or indirectfor it. My view is that that means it will not happen because it has always needed to be subsidised. Malcolm Wicks: A very senior Liberal Democrat Member says that nuclear will not happen, while the Liberal Democrat Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change says that it will. I suspect that there may well be more rows in that party in the weeks and months to comefor other reasons, toobut an interesting divide has been opened up.
Hansard 16th May 2012 more >>
THE governments nuclear programme has not been derailed by the decision of two German power giants to pull out of the market, Charles Hendry has insisted. Giving evidence before the Energy Commons Select Committee on Tuesday, Energy Minister Mr Hendry said he believed new investors would take over the projects and investment could come from China or Japan.
NW Evening Mail 17th May 2012 more >>
No-one thinks slashing the carbon emissions driving climate change, while keeping the lights on and at an affordable price, is easy. But trying to tackle the challenge with policies that contradict each other and silly spin makes a tough job unnecessarily harder. Ed Davey, the energy and climate change secretary, launched a good report on Friday, suggesting the damage wrought on the UK’s economy by spikes in global oil, gas and coal prices could be reduced by over half in 2050 as a result of climate change policies. But what about the impact of far-flung events on the UK’s faltering ambition to build new nuclear power stations? Well, that’s a completely different story, apparently. Energy minister Charles Hendry was asked exactly that on Tuesday by MPs. Being exposed to events abroad, such as the nuclear disaster at Fukushima and the election of nuclear-power-sceptic François Hollande in France, was “inevitable”, said Hendry. “If we want to see nuclear power as part of the energy mix, that’s a challenge we have to take on.” The MPs on the energy and climate change (ECC) select committee revealed another contradiction on Thursday, when tackling the “carbon reduction committment”, an incentive to increase energy efficiency that chancellor George Osborne turned into £1bn “stealth tax”.
Guardian 18th May 2012 more >>
Radwaste
For years West Cumbria has been the only place in the country to show interest in building an underground nuclear waste store. But a competitor for the controversial twelve-billion pound project has emerged. A District Council in Kent says it wants to consults its residents about building a site, because of the government money and jobs it would bring with it. Campaigners opposed to the store in Cumbria have welcomed the move by Shepway Council. They hope it will start a national conversation on the issue. However, Copeland MP Jamie Reed fears for the future of west Cumbria’s economy without the opportunity to host the £12bn nuclear dump.
ITV Border 17th May 2012 more >>
Ten thousand residents of Romney Marsh are being sent letters asking for their views on establishing a £12 billion disposal centre near the exisiting Dungeness power station. John Large, who advises the UK Atomic Energy Authority, says using marshland at high-risk of flooding would be “reckless in the extreme.”
ITV Meridian 17th May 2012 more >>
WEST CUMBRIA is divided over plans to build an underground nuclear repository in the area. A draft summary report published by the West Cumbria Managing Radioactive Safely group shows a majority of respondents are in favour of Copeland and Allerdale Borough Councils being part of the search to build the repository. But a significant proportion of respondents were against the idea. Throughout the public consultation process, more than 1,400 responses were received by the partnership, from individuals, organisations and groups. More than two thirds of the responses received were from Allerdale or Copeland. Asked whether the areas covered by Allerdale and/or Copeland Borough Councils should take part in the search for somewhere to put a repository, approximately 420 were for the idea, while 300 said West Cumbria should withdraw from the process.
NW Evening Mail 17th May 2012 more >>
Many town and parish councils have already made it clear that they dont want to proceed any further. These include three closest to Sellafield Ponsonby, Beckermet and Gosforth. In its initial summary published yesterday, the MRWS Partnership said there have been strong views for and against whether to search for a site. It points out: While some respondents simply state yes, go ahead, or no the councils should withdraw, others detail their views more clearly, tending to focus on specific issues of concern, either positive or negative.
Whitehaven News 17th May 2012 more >>
Following a public outcry, tonight Keswick Town Council has voted 9 to 3 to say NO to going any further along in the plan for a nuclear dump. At a previous meeting Town Councillors had voted 6-5 on the casting vote of Chairman and Mayor Councillor Andrew Lysser not to oppose the plan. This new vote reflects the strong public opposition to a geological dump in the vicinity of Keswick and the wider area. The objectors, who pointed out that the potential jobs boost had been exaggerated and the irreversible risks underplayed were prepared to call for a referendum if the Council had refused to reconsider the issue.
Radiation Free Lakeland 17th May 2012 more >>
Letter: To cut a long story short I told the man from MORI that while I had no political or anti-nuclear affiliation, and was not employed in the nuclear industry (nor were any relatives) I was dead against the project because of the potential long-term implications of burying high level radioactive waste; deadly waste that has a staggering shelf life of thousands of years.
Whitehaven News 17th May 2012 more >>
A furious row has broken out among local politicians over a proposal to build a nuclear waste dump in Kent. Romney Marshes is being mooted as a site for Britain’s first store for high-level radioactive materials by members of Shepway district council but the move has infuriated the leader of Kent county council and a local MP. “Let’s not sell Romney Marsh short; I believe it has and deserves a better future than being the dumping ground for all of Britain’s high level nuclear waste,” said Damian Collins, MP for Folkestone and Hythe, on his own website.
Guardian 17th May 2012 more >>
A district council in Kent is to stage a public meeting to test local opinion on possibly hosting an underground nuclear dump of the kind that has triggered a lively debate in west Cumbria. Shepway Council has expressed an interest in proposing Romney Marsh could host a dump, partly to offset 1,000 job losses at Dungeness power stations. The meeting has been proposed as it emerged that there are deeply divided opinions in the county on whether west Cumbria should host an underground dump for highly radioactive nuclear waste West Cumbria Managing Radioactive Waste Safely (MRWS) partnership has recently conducted a large scale consultation on the issue and is due to report on the results at a public meeting next week.
Carlisle News & Star 17th May 2012 more >>
Romney Marsh – largely unspoilt corner of England, uncomfortably close to the sprawling conurbations of the home counties, could become the dumping ground for Britains nuclear waste. The local council has sent thousands of letters to residents asking if they would be willing to let their backyard be the nations first Nuclear Research and Disposal Facility. Building would start in 2025 at the earliest and the first pods of waste, vitrified as glass and coated in concrete or clay, would go underground as early as 2040, to be stored in miles of tunnels more than 3,000ft deep.
Telegraph 17th May 2012 more >>
PROPOSALS for a nuclear waste disposal facility on Romney Marsh will dent Lydd Airport’s proposed expansion plans as the area could be “more vulnerable” to terrorist attack, opponents have argued. Louise Barton, of Lydd Airport Action Group, questioned how the airport could build a new terminal and extend its runway at a time when the area could be accommodating an extra nuclear facility.
Folkestone Herald 17th May 2012 more >>
Romney Marsh Herald 17th May 2012 more >>
DUMPING nuclear waste on Hythe’s doorstep is a “horrifying” plan that could kill tourism for the area, a former councillor has warned.
Hythe Herald 18th May 2012 more >>
Stress Tests
The Nuclear Free Local Authorities (NFLA) welcomes the publication of the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) report of stress tests on UK non power generating facilities and notes the particular concerns raised in reference to the Sellafield site. This follows publication of an earlier report on stress tests for UK nuclear reactors which also raised important safety and emergency planning concerns, particularly around EDF sites, such as Sizewell B.
NFLA 17th May 2012 more >>
The operators of Britains ageing nuclear plants at Sellafield and Aldermaston have failed to properly assess the risks of floods, fires, extreme weather, earthquakes and power failures in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan last year, according to the governments nuclear safety watchdog. A 324-page report by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) also criticises BAE Systems and Rolls Royce for shortfalls in emergency arrangements at their nuclear submarine plants in Barrow and Derby. The report, released this week, assesses the plans for dealing with Fukushima-like events at over 20 nuclear sites across the UK, including military bases, defunct reactors and processing plants. Known as stress tests, the assessments are meant to ensure that plants could withstand extreme events without triggering disaster.
RobEdwards 17th May 2012 more >>
Hinkley
Traffic congestion caused by the building of a new nuclear power station in Somerset could cost the Bridgwater economy £47m, it has been claimed. The figure was quoted by Sedgemoor District Council at a Planning Inspectorate public meeting earlier. EDF Energy submitted plans for the Hinkley Point C plant to the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) last October. The company says the overall impact on the economy will be positive.
BBC 16th May 2012 more >>
Energy Minister Charles Hendry causes laughter in the Chamber after accidentally sitting on Ed Davey’s lap prompting giggles from Liberal Democrat MP Tessa Munt who was about to ask a question on Hinkley Point C nuclear power station.
Telegraph 17th May 2012 more >>
For the actual question see Hansard.
Hansard 17th May 2012 more >>
Firefighters were called to a fire at the Hinkley Point B nuclear power station in Somerset. A spokesman from EDF Energy said a “small fire” was detected in some lagging in the gas turbine house at 11:55 BST on Wednesday. He said the station’s fire response team was mobilised, along with Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service.
BBC 16th May 2012 more >>
Burnham-on-sea.com 16th May 2012 more >>
Stop Hinkley Campaign Demonstration – Centrica AGM Q E II conference centre SW1.
You Tube 12th May 2012 more >>
Wylfa
Horizon will hold its next Open Surgery at Llangefnis Communities First Centre on Monday 21 May, at which local people can ask questions about plans for a new nuclear power station at Wylfa. As with previous events, the May Open Surgery will give people the opportunity to meet Horizons project team and find out more about its work. The surgery will take place between 1pm and 7pm on 21 May at the Llangefni Communities First Centre. No appointment is necessary.
Nuclear Matters 17th May 2012 more >>
Moorside
MP Jamie Reed has hit back over negative reaction towards power line proposals for connecting Copelands planned Moorside nuclear station to the national grid. Two of the six options now out for initial consultation could see hundreds of 180ft high pylons erected between West Cumbria and Carlisle, encroaching into parts of the Lake District National Park. As yet there is no preferred option a more detailed consultation will follow for public views but Copelands Labour MP is already worried that negativity over high-voltage pylons could have serious repercussions.
Whitehaven News 17th May 2012 more >>
Sellafield
OVER the years some £16 million of taxpayers money has been lavished on a Sellafield centre built to woo people to the nuclear site and now it stands empty. As part of site cost-cutting and to save money for the British taxpayer the former Sellafield Visitors Centre was closed months ago. Pressed by The Whitehaven News to reveal building and refurbishment costs, Sellafield Ltd disclosed that £5 million was spent in 1988; another £5 million in 1994/95; and £6 million more for a second revamp in 2001/2002.
Whitehaven News 17th May 2012 more >>
Companies
Rail, power and appliance conglomerate Invensys has seen its order book grow but has taken a hit on cost overruns at its Chinese nuclear projects.
Share Cast 17th May 2012 more >>
North Korea
North Korea has restarted construction on a nuclear reactor that is an essential component in building nuclear weapons, according to a U.S. university monitoring project.
Bloomberg 17th May 2012 more >>
Telegraph 17th May 2012 more >>
Iran
AMERICA has established plans to attack Iran if action is needed to stop Tehran developing nuclear weapons, Washingtons envoy to Israel said yesterday.
Scotsman 18th May 2012 more >>
Independent 18th May 2012 more >>
Ghana
Ghana is moving ahead with its plans to introduce nuclear energy into its energy mix. The government recently established an organization to coordinate the activities of all stakeholder institutions involved in the planning of the nuclear power plant project.
World Nuclear News 17th May 2012 more >>
South Korea
Mark Lynas: In the same week that Japan mothballed its last reactor, South Korea began work on two new nuclear power stations. Unnecessary fear of radiation now presents a serious hazard to the world’s climate. Japan’s precipitous exit from nuclear power generation the day I arrived in Tokyo was the first non-nuclear day in Japan for 42 years has pushed the country’s fossil fuel demand through the roof, with imports of oil and gas up by more than 100% since last year, their ballooning cost driving a record trade deficit of $32bn.
Guardian 17th May 2012 more >>
Trident
The UK government must take a final decision before 2016 on whether to go spend more than £20bn building four new submarines to carry Britains independent nuclear deterrent. The Liberal Democrats, however, are searching for different options. They are committed to Britain keeping a nuclear deterrent. But instead of spending £20bn rebuilding Trident, they want to explore whether cheaper alternatives such as launching a warhead from aircraft or from Astute class submarines could be adopted instead.
FT 18th May 2012 more >>
Renewables
The next round of feed-in tariff cuts could be delayed by up to one month as a result of low solar installation figures. This could change the results of the latest consultation, which was due to map out the expected tariff rates from July 1. Recent installation figures show that demand has decreased from a four-weekly average of 71MW over the past 12 months to a disappointing 17MW. This drop is thought to be caused by a number of factors, including the introduction of energy efficiency criteria, consumer confidence and the fact that the UK has slipped back into recession. As a result of these figures, many have called on Government to delay the July 1 cuts.
Solar Power Portal 17th May 2012 more >>
Independent 17th May 2012 more >>
An underwater turbine that is set to be used in Scotland’s first and only consented tidal power project has successfully completed an initial testing period in Orkney, and is providing electricity for homes and businesses on the island of Eday, one of Orkney’s northern isles. The 1MW power generator was installed last December, in some of the worst weather conditions Scotland has experienced in more than a decade, and has since been undergoing a range of tests in the fast flowing tidal waters around Orkney. The initial testing period has been very positive with the device achieving full export power. The test device in Orkney aims to fully prove that the technology can operate efficiently in Scotland’s fast flowing tides, that monitoring and maintenance operations can be honed and to help drive down costs in operat ions and installation. ScottishPower Renewables (SPR) plan to use this technology as part of the world’s first tidal turbine array in the Sound of Islay.
Click Greem 18th May 2012 more >>
