Hinkley
George Osborne’s deal with China Nuclear “reeks of despair”, according to local campaigners. They say that, having failed to attract any private investors, our “most sensitive and hazardous industry” is now being handed over to non accountable third-party state powers, because otherwise the Tories energy strategy would collapse. “The coalition have no plan B for meeting UK energy demand, so they now want EDF’s Hinkley C development to be completed at any cost, even if that means relying on the century-long good will of a totalitarian state.” said Theo Simon of the Stop Hinkley group.
Stop Hinkley 18th Oct 2013 read more »
Hinkley Strike Price Briefing. “Hinkley C fails every test – economic, consumer, and environmental. It will lock a generation of consumers into higher energy bills, via a strike price that’s understood to be nearly double the current price of electricity, and it will distort energy policy by displacing newer, cleaner, technologies that are dropping dramatically in price.
Greenpeace 18th Oct 2013 read more »
Letter Jo Brown: For nuclear, the taxpayers will also pay for the waste and decommissioning – £100bn and counting just for legacy waste. Taxpayers will also pay all nuclear insurance costs, from construction to onsite spent fuel storage, for thousands of years. It’s not rocket science; it’s not even secondary school maths. We’re being conned by false threats of the lights going out and outright lies that nuclear is carbon free. And let’s not even start on the health costs – yet another example of international government cover ups which make Nineteen Eighty-Four read like a fairy
Guardian 18th Oct 2013 read more »
Sellafield
‘Windscale – the Nuclear Laundry’ Documentary, first shown 1st November 1983. Were discharges from Sellafield to blame? after 30 years, the jury is still out.
CORE 18th Oct 2013 read more »
Nuclear Investment
Letter GMB: You quote a leader from the GMB as suggesting it is almost Orwellian to allow Chinese investment into our highly sensitive energy infrastructure, given that China has been linked to corporate hacking. The point is that the British government is guilty of Orwellian doublespeak. On one hand, we’re told the Chinese are a threat to British interests with their industrial-scale hacking, yet George Osborne claims that paving the way for the Chinese to play a dominant role in the UK nuclear industry is a triumph for his diplomacy.
Guardian 18th Oct 2013 read more »
How’s this for a turn-up for the books? A Conservative Chancellor, promoter of free markets and defender of national sovereignty, is boasting of “allowing” (a euphemism, it seems, for “begging”) a totalitarian Communist country to build nuclear power stations in Britain. It will all start – under a deal expected to be finalised next week – with the state-owned China General Nuclear Power joining the equally nationalised Electricité de France (EDF) in constructing a £14 billion brace of reactors at Hinkley Point in Somerset. The Chinese will have a minority share in the project, but have made it clear – and George Osborne accepts this – that they should have a controlling interest in future schemes
Telegraph 18th Oct 2013 read more »
Scotland
Scotland is increasingly reliant on nuclear power to keep the lights on, exposing SNP claims the country’s future energy needs can be met from wind farms. Scottish Conservative research has revealed the use of nuclear energy has soared by almost 40% since the SNP took power in 2007. Yet, Alex Salmond has claimed nuclear power is a “busted flush” and has been “declining in output” as he drives on with his pledge to cover the country in wind farms.
Scottish Conservatives 18th Oct 2013 read more »
Express 18th Oct 2013 read more »
Fergus Ewing tells SNP conference ‘do not accept the myths, the fallacies and the distortions spread by those who are opposed to renewa ble energy’. Future energy bills will be even higher than at present without renewables, Scotland’s energy minister has warned. Bills would be £166 a year higher by the end of this decade without energy such as wind, wave and tidal, Fergus Ewing told the SNP conference in Perth.
Guardian 18th Oct 2013 read more »
Nuclear Subsidies
Yesterday, German news daily Süddeutsche Zeitung published a leaked document showing that EU officials intended to report statistics showing that the subsidies for nuclear power are far greater than those for renewables. Energy Commissioner Oettinger deleted the passages.
Renewables International 15th Oct 2013 read more »
The European Commission is preparing a report on the situation with regard to state aid for energy in Europe. However, according to reports by Sueddeutsche Zeitung on October 14 2013, the main message was omitted before reaching the public! Obviously the EU Commission changed its own findings to hide the amount of state aid to nuclear energy – no figures were published any more. An earlier draft of this report prepared by DG Energy, obtained the amount of public subsidies to the different forms of generating electricity indicating that Euro 35 billion in public subsidies were dedicated to nuclear power, Euro 26 billion to fossil fuelled power plants and Euro 30 billion on renewable energy in 2011. Our demands to EU Commissioner for Competition Almunia, responsible for EU state aid rules, which enable member states to support different energies on national level. We demand that no more state aid is granted for nuclear power. After 60 years nuclear power can be called a mature technology: however, it proved that it is not competitive and high risk.
Global 2000 18th Oct 2013 read more »
The European Commission is set to present a report on the situation with regard to state aid for energy in Europe. Ahead of the presentation, the Greens have expressed concern about reported pressure from EU energy commissioner Oettinger to change the Commission’s own findings, to play down the level of aid received by nuclear power and fossil fuel.
Greens/EFA 15th Oct 2013 read more »
Energy Supplies
The capacity margin of the GB electricity system could continue to fall over the next five years as old generating plants close, presenting an increasing risk of power cuts, according to a report published today by the Royal Academy of Engineering. The Academy study, GB electricity capacity margin, was undertaken at the request of the Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology (CST) to explore whether the capacity margin of the GB electricity system could reach unacceptably low levels within this decade.
Royal Academy of Engineering 17th Oct 2013 read more »
Energy Costs
The Government must finalise the electricity market reform (EMR) Delivery Plan by the end of the year. The current political focus on energy costs makes it particularly important that this plan is focused on delivering best value investments for consumers. Unfortunately, financial markets continue to be challenging and it is possible that the Government will have to raise support levels for renewable technologies (particularly offshore wind) if it is to deliver 2020 renewables targets. This in turn threatens to violate the self-imposed levy control framework (LCF) spending cap and the Government will not want to be forced to choose between renewables targets and LCF spending. This paper argues that there is a solution to this dilemma in the form of a demand reduction target that can be included in the Delivery Plan. Analysis of the draft Delivery Plan is presented that suggests that a demand reduction target can provide ample scope for manoeuvre in increasing renewable support levels and/or reducing LCF costs.
E3G 18th Oct 2013 read more »
Co-operative Energy will increase gas and electricity prices by average of 4.5pc, the company announced on Friday. The price increase will apply to all new customers who sign up from October 21. Existing customers will be charged more from next January. Co-op Energy said the price rise represents half the actual cost increase facing the business.
Telegraph 18th Oct 2013 read more »
British Gas yesterday announced that it is raising its energy prices for 8million customers by 9.2 per cent, a week after its rival SSE announced similar hikes. Other major companies are expected to follow suit. Asked about whether people should “wrap up warm” and wear jumpers, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “Clearly, he is not going to prescribe the actions that individuals should take but if people are giving that advice that is something that people may wish to consider. “As you know there’s plenty of work going on to help people with their fuel bills, there’s plenty of things that the government has done. People do look at what they can do in terms of shopping around and taking advantage of what offers there may be.” Downing Street later attempted to play down the comments after Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, said that Mr Cameron had moved from “hugging a hoodie” to “wearing a hoodie”.
Telegraph 18th Oct 2013 read more »
The energy secretary, Ed Davey, called on electricity and gas suppliers to act rapidly to reveal their true profitability to customers and the energy regulator, as the government spent another day on the defensive over soaring bills.
Guardian 18th Oct 2013 read more »
I’m not sure precisely when the ‘debate’ on energy bills and ‘green levies’ hit its latest low point. Perhaps it was the launch of The Sun’s petition calling for an end to “hated green levies”; perhaps it was the flurry of Tory blog posts arguing for the scrapping of green taxes while failing to even acknowledge climate change as an issue; or perhaps it was the sight of Jeremy Paxman asking the Energy and Climate Change Secretary whether he wears a woolly jumper, firing the starting pistol on a fatuous media frenzy that resulted in a hapless Downing Street spokesman eventually having to clarify whether the Prime Minister thinks people should or should not wear jumpers. No doubt, you’ll each have your favourite. What is clear is that even as encouraging reports emerge suggesting the ‘quad’ at the top of the government has rightly concluded that while ‘green levies’ need to be constantly monitored there is no quick fix to rising energy bills, the campaign to axe ‘green levies’, and by extension the UK’s wider decarbonisation agenda, is gathering momentum.
Business Green 18th Oct 2013 read more »
The cost of energy has captured the political headlines this week. Not surprising when two of the big six companies announced price rises of between 8% and 10%. But the bills that will be landing on every householder’s doormat shortly are only the (very) sharp end of a great political dilemma. Now the failure to get to grips with the big strategic issues of decarbonising supply while keeping the lights on and the costs down has left politicians facing the risk that any action to soften the blow for consumers is likely to make tackling the strategic decisions more difficult. There is a dangerous surge of opposition to green levies, while families on tight budgets face real hardship. Assuring returns for nuclear that would extend for up to 40 years could turn into a public-spending albatross if cheaper energy sources like shale gas come on line. At the moment, too much of the risk of getting it wrong falls on consumers. Yet when energy is a question of national security, it is time for a body providing impartial, expert analysis – an energy commission.
Guardian 18th Oct 2013 read more »
Sizewell
Sizewell C moved a step closer today after Government announced the go-ahead to Chinese companies taking a stake in the development of the next generation of British nuclear power. No deal has been struck as yet, but a Memorandum of Understanding on civil nuclear collaboration has been signed which paves the way for closer links and the start of detailed negotiations. The memorandum sets the strategic framework for collaboration on investment, technology, construction and expertise.
East Anglian Daily Times 17th Oct 2013 read more »
Politics
My 30 years of environmental campaigning has spanned the office of a dozen environment secretaries. Two of them stand out as exceptional. One of them holds office now. Owen Paterson, our present secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs, occupies a very special position. For under his watch, we have for the first time in three decades gone into reverse on environmental issues. In the past things have gone quicker or slower, but generally forward. No longer – now it’s backwards.
Guardian 18th Oct 2013 read more »
Test Veterans
Nuclear test veteran may have died of leukaemia from levels of radiation he was exposed to during atomic bomb tests.
Daily Mail 18th Oct 2013 read more »
Japan
Fukushima Crisis update 10th to 18th Oct.
Greenpeace 18th Oct 2013 read more »
Tokyo: Japan’s Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) has detected the highest level of beta ray-emitting radioactive substances yet at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant in the aftermath of Typhoon Wipha. Tepco revealed that the water sample taken on Wednesday at a point in the drainage ditch, which is only 300 meters away from the ocean, contained 1,400 becquerels per liter of radioactive substances, the Japan Times reports.
Z News 18th Oct 2013 read more »
South Korea
South Korea said on Friday it will delay completion of two new nuclear reactors by a year to replace control cables supplied with fake documents, leaving a gap that could bring power cuts in peak seasons.
Reutes 18th Oct 2013 read more »
Iran
US officials are contemplating unfreezing some of the tens of billions dollars of Iranian assets in blocked accounts around the world, to give them bargaining chips to take the table with Iran, now that substantive negotiations have finally begun.
Guardian 18th Oct 2013 read more »
Renewables
A major offshore wind developer has thrown into doubt the huge expansion of sea-based turbines, which the government is relying on to keep the lights on for the rest of the decade. Paul Coffey, chief operating officer at RWE’s renewable energy division Innogy, said: “Offshore wind is the only technology that can be developed at scale, with gas, to address the looming capacity need. But we are not in a place to see large-scale deployment of offshore wind. It would be very difficult to move ahead with the terms on the table. “We can’t invest on promises and a lack of clarity and we are running out of time for offshore wind.”
Guardian 18th Oct 2013 read more »
Contrary to claims by critics of wind power, Spanish researchers say, the turbines do reduce carbon dioxide emissions significantly even though the wind does not blow constantly. One of the most often repeated arguments of the anti-wind lobby is that the turbines produce electricity only intermittently, when there is enough wind to turn them. This, the critics argue, means that so much gas has to be burnt to provide a reliable supply of electricity that there is no overall benefit to the environment. But extensive research in Spain means this claim can now definitively be declared a myth. Wind, the researchers found, is a very efficient way of reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
Climate News Network 18th Oct 2013 read more »
CCS
The UK needs more low-carbon energy. It also needs carbon capture and storage (CCS): trapping CO2 as it is released from power plants and industrial sites, then burying it deep underground. Without this, emissions will almost certainly continue to rise. As nuclear is being pushed, CCS remains stalled. Earlier this week, expert witnesses lined up to complain about the situation to the government’s Energy and Climate Change Committee. The take-home message was that the technology is ready to go, but successive governments have dragged their feet. At best, the UK will have two CCS stations by 2020. Stuart Haszeldine of the University of Edinburgh summed up the missed opportunity: “If we’d driven this, we could have had more than five projects by now.”
New Scientist 18th Oct 2013 read more »
Fossil Fuels
It’s been a bad few weeks for fracking, with Cuadrilla having to withdraw from its drilling site in Balcombe without completing the job, and abandoning another in Lancashire – and, since troubles come in battalions, there’s now more bad news. New evidence suggests that it will provide far fewer jobs than had been predicted, not least by the Prime Minister, that they will not last long, and that few of them will go to local people.
Telegraph 18th Oct 2013 read more »
