New Nuclear
The election of a Labour government in Scotland could see a new generation of nuclear power stations constructed north of the border, the party’s energy spokesman announced yesterday. Tom Greatrex, Labour’s shadow energy minister, said he believed nuclear power must remain part of the UK’s energy mix and that Scotland would have to either accept new stations or import nuclear-generated electricity from England. Scotland’s two nuclear plants, Torness and Hunterston, are scheduled to close in the next ten years. The SNP Scottish government is opposed to any new nuclear stations in Scotland and has made it clear it would use planning laws to block any proposals. Undaunted, Mr Greatrex told BBC Scotland’s Sunday Politics programme: “I think new nuclear is going to be part of the UK mix. We are either going to have to import it to Scotland through the interconnection from England or we are going to have to build some more in Scotland. I suspect it will end up being the former.” But he added: “I wouldn’t be against new nuclear being part of the mix in Scotland and it needs to be part of the mix across the UK.” Mr Greatrex, the MP for Rutherglen & Hamilton West pointed out that Scotland was approaching the point at which it will no longer be able to produce enough energy to meet its needs. He said this already happened on occasions and this showed the benefits of being part of the UK.
Times 2nd March 2015 read more »
‘New nuclear’ is a burning issue again as politicians clash over energy plans. The prospect of new nuclear power plants in Scotland was reared over the weekend as politicians clashed over the best way to keep Scotland’s lights on.
National 2nd March 2015 read more »
Energy Costs
The first renewable energy auction held in the UK under its new “contract for difference” pricing mechanism has pulled the rug from underneath the nuclear advocate argument that it is the cheapest form of clean energy. It has also surprised the UK government, and some of the renewable developers themselves. We publish a more in-depth look from Simon Evans at Carbon Brief here, but the striking result of the renewable energy auction was how both wind and solar came substantially below the price budgeted by the government. Ignoring a couple of outlying bids, both wind energy and solar came in at around £80/MWh, which is well below the £120/MWh budget for solar, and the £95/MWh by the UK government, and the £92.50/MWh negotiated for the proposed £42 billion Hinkley C nuclear reactor. The strike prices for these wind and solar technologies will be progressively scaled down in coming years. The UK government hopes they will require no subsidies post 2020.
Renew Economy 2nd March 2015 read more »
Contracts worth £315 million have been awarded to 27 renewable energy projects with a combined capacity of 2.1 gigawatts, the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) announced on Thursday. The “strike prices” awarded to the schemes in the first-ever Contracts for Difference (CfD) auction were well below those expected. The strike price is the price paid for each unit of electricity supplied by the schemes, guaranteed for 15 years.
Carbon Brief 27th Feb 2015 read more »
Supply Chain
Preston-based James Fisher Nuclear has created 36 jobs following its move to larger premises in the Deeside Enterprise Zone. The new 26,500ft2 facility on Deeside Industrial Park will see the business invest in digital radiography equipment and will increase efficiencies. It will also provide space for growth, as well as extra office accommodation.
Machinery Market 1st March 2015 read more »
Terror
Our Drones Dossier.
Ouest France 28th Feb 2015 read more »
Thorium
With discussion of uranium seeming to be out-of-bounds in some quarters, a growing community of devotees has sprung up around an alternative nuclear fuel: thorium. But is it right for Australia? The call for thorium power is not without precedent worldwide. India has pursued thorium technology for decades. And China is revisiting a molten salt reactor design mothballed by the USA in the 70’s. Recently, several companies have sought to commercialise thorium energy, including an Australian-Czech alliance.
The Comversation 1st March 2015 read more »
Japan – Fukushima
“Radioactive cover-up” at Fukushima — Experts believe “other sources of contamination” are flowing into ocean — Emergency hearing with plant officials — “TEPCO decided long ago there was no need to monitor” the water with high-level radioactive materials.
Ene News 1st March 2015 read more »
Britain’s Prince William visited areas in Fukushima Prefecture impacted by the nuclear accident on Feb. 28, drawing renewed attention from the world to the persistent suffering in the region and providing a boost to local residents.
Asahi Shimbun 1st March 2015 read more »
Iran
The essential problem with the would-be deal is that it will leave Iran with an enhanced ability to enrich uranium — an ability that can lead Iran to nuclear weapons production in a relatively short time. The purpose of an agreement is to push Iran away from the ability to make nuclear weapons. According to reports surfacing from the talks, the proposed arrangement will likely leave a good portion of Iran’s known centrifuges, which enrich uranium, intact. Such a deal fails to provide any guarantee that this same infrastructure will not later be used to get Iran quickly to the nuclear weapons production stage.
Gatestone Institute 1st March 2015 read more »
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ramps up his mission to foil an emerging White House-backed nuclear deal with Iran with a speech on Monday to the powerful pro-Israel AIPAC lobby.
Middle East Online 2nd March 2015 read more »
President Obama is alleged to have stopped an Israeli military attack against Iran’s nuclear facilities in 2014 by threatening to shoot down Israeli jets before they could reach their targets, according to reports to emerge from the Middle East at the weekend.
Daily Mail 2nd March 2015 read more »
Netanyahu will not be judged kindly for thwarting a nuclear deal with Iran.
Guardian 2nd March 2015 read more »
Netanyahu arrives in US to oppose Iran nuclear deal.
Guardian 1st March 2015 read more »
Burghfield
CND Cymru activists from across Wales will be protesting at and blockading the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) Burghfield on Monday March 2nd. In what they are calling the ‘Burghfield Lockdown’ and alongside others from across Britain, they will be calling for Trident nuclear weapons to be scrapped and plans to replace it to be abandoned.
CND Cymru1st March 2015 read more »
Renewables
The UK’s appeal as a destination for investment in renewable energy is at its lowest level in 12 years, according to the latest Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index (RECAI) published today by Ernst & Young. France has now overtaken the UK in seventh place as the French government works to introduce ambitious targets on energy consumption from renewable sources and streamline project approvals. And the UK’s position in the Global Top Ten in the renewable energy attractiveness index is at risk as it fell to eighth place for the first time since the index was created. The move comes as a result of the continuing lack of clarity around the future role of renewable energy within the UK’s overall energy mix, and the policy hiatus caused by May’s general election.
Scottish Energy News 2nd March 2015 read more »
Telegraph 2nd March 2015 read more »
How fast can we transition to renewable energy? The question seems a crucial one if we’re to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions rapidly enough to prevent the worst effects of climate change. Yet there’s little agreement over how soon, and even whether, a switch to all renewables is feasible. At one pole are people like Stanford University engineering professor Mark Z. Jacobson. In 2009, in Scientific American, Jacobson co-wrote an article inspired by Al Gore’s challenge to repower the U.S. with 100 percent carbon-free energy within a decade. One-upping Gore, Jacobson argued that by 2030, we could power the entire world solely with wind, solar, geothermal, tidal and hydroelectric power — collectively, WWS (wind, water, solar).
Pittsburgh City Paper 18th Feb 2015 read more »
Renewables – offshore wind
Scotland’s First Minister has called on the UK Government to increase its ambition to develop offshore wind. Speaking ahead of a visit today to Whitelee Windfarm, Scotland’s largest onshore windfarm, Nicola Sturgeon commented: “The results of the UK Government’s first Contracts for Difference auction last week show that real cost reductions are now being achieved in the supply of wind energy in Scotland. “Onshore wind projects are now bidding successfully to supply power at a price substantially less than the £92.50 per megawatt hour that consumers will have to pay for the Hinkley C nuclear project. “However, it is now clear that the future budget for offshore wind is unlikely to support Scottish ambitions to develop an industry. Only one Scottish offshore wind farm received a contract, while two major offshore wind farms were refused – leaving uncertainty over their future development.”
Scottish Energy News 2nd March 2015 read more »
BBC 1st March 2015 read more »
Herald 2nd March 2015 read more »
Herald 2nd March 2015 read more »
Renewables – onshore wind
Nicola Sturgeon is at the centre of a bitter argument with Scotland’s biggest conservation charities, who are frustrated at her government’s relentless support for wind energy. The first minister, who vowed to “cement the growth” of Scotland’s wind sector, this morning finds herself under attack from the National Trust for Scotland, RSPB Scotland, Ramblers Scotland and six other respected campaign groups, representing more than 400,000 members. With more than 4,300 turbines already built or approved in Scotland, the organisations urged the government to ensure “absolute transparency, impartiality and fairness” in its approach to wind farms by establishing an independent planning adjudicator. In a letter to The Times, they said: “If we are to rebuild public confidence in the planning process and in the objectivity of Scottish ministers responsible for making such decision s, then we must find a way to demonstrate absolute transparency, impartiality and fairness.
Times 2nd March 2015 read more »
Public trust in the planning process around major infrastructure developments such as wind farms is at an all-time low according to a letter published in The Herald today. There is angst and suspicion, says the letter, stemming from the sacrifice of areas of wild land and natural heritage to commercial priorities, and if we are to rebuild public confidence, the current planning system must be reviewed. Those who have campaigned against wind farms will find it easy to agree with those sentiments, but what adds weight to the letter is the breadth of interests it represents. The signatories include Sir Kenneth Calman, chairman of the National Trust for Scotland and Stuart Housden, the chief executive of RSPB Scotland. There are also representatives of ramblers and climbers and other campaign groups.
Herald 2nd March 2015 read more »
Herald 2nd March 2015 read more »
Renewables – tidal
Plans to generate electricity from the world’s first series of tidal lagoons have been unveiled in the UK. The six lagoons – four in Wales and one each in Somerset and Cumbria – will capture incoming and outgoing tides behind giant sea walls, and use the weight of the water to power turbines. A £1bn Swansea scheme, said to be able to produce energy for 155,000 homes, is already in the planning system. Energy Secretary Ed Davey says he wants to back the project. The cost of generating power from the Swansea project will be very expensive, but the firm behind the plan says subsequent lagoons will be able to produce electricity much more cheaply. It says the series of six lagoons could generate 8% of the UK’s electricity for an investment of £12bn. As well as Swansea, the proposed lagoon sites are Cardiff, Newport, and Colw yn Bay in Wales; Bridgwater in Somerset; and West Cumbria. It wants £168 per MWh hour for electricity in Swansea, reducing to £90-£95 per MWh for power from a second, more efficient lagoon in Cardiff.The £90 figure compares favourably with the £92.50 price for power from the planned Hinkley nuclear station, especially as the lagoon is designed to last 120 years – at a much lower risk than nuclear.
BBC 2nd March 2015 read more »
Fossil Fuels
The leaders of the UK’s three main political parties are today facing fresh calls to strengthen their commitment to phase out the use of unabated coal power in the UK, after a group of leading NGOs urged them to set a clear deadline for the early 2020s. Prime Minister David Cameron, Labour Leader Ed Miliband, and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg last month signed a joint pledge to prioritise action on climate change during the next parliament, which included a commitment to “end the use of unabated coal for power generation”. However, the commitment failed to include a firm date for phasing out coal plants that do not incorporate carbon capture technology, sparking criticism from some green group s that a failure to set a clear date could make it harder for the UK to meet its overarching emissions targets. Now a group including Greenpeace UK, Medact, Oxfam, RSPB and the Women’s Institute have written to Cameron, Miliband and Clegg calling on them to set a date for phasing out unabated coal as part of their upcoming manifestos.
Business Green 2nd March 2015 read more »
Climate Change
Humanity is in a race, a kind of civil war. Believers in a safe future fuelled by endless sunlight and related forms of clean energy combat defenders of finite carbon fuels careless of the impact they have on the world by clinging to coal, oil, and gas. Jeremy Leggett fought for the light side for a quarter of a century as it lost battle after battle to the dark side. Then, in 2013, the tide began to turn. By 2015, it was clear the light side could win the war. Leggett’s diary from the front lines tells one person’s story of those turnaround years, and what they can mean for the world.
Jeremy Leggett (accessed) 2nd March 2015 read more »
