British Energy
France’s industrial giant Suez is considering a bid for British Energy (BE), raising the heat in the takeover battle for Britain’s nuclear power operator. Suez is one of seven firms from across the European utility sector conducting due diligence on BE, which has been put up for sale by the government and could fetch up to £11 billion. Others looking at BE’s books include: France’s EDF; Germany’s Eon and RWE; Sweden’s Vattenfall; Iberdrola of Spain; and Britain’s Centrica. Although a number of bidders could eventually team up to satisfy government demands for competition in the market, all are looking at BE separately.
Sunday Times 20th April 2008 more >>
Iran
Iran said on Sunday U.S. and British accusations that Tehran wanted a nuclear weapon were baseless and the Islamic state would not stop its peaceful atomic work.
Reuters 20th April 2008 more >>
View London 20th April 2008 more >>
Pakistan
Pakistan on Saturday test-fired a long-range ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear and conventional warheads, the military said.
AFX 20th April 2008 more >>
North Korea
The United States and South Korea on Saturday demanded North Korea submit its long overdue accounting of its nuclear weapons programs but offered no clues about how long they would be willing to wait for it.
Christian Today 19th April 2008 more >>
Guardian website 19th April 2008 more >>
UAE
The UAE plans to build a nuclear power reactor and set up a nuclear energy programme implementation organisation with an initial $100 million in capital, a foreign ministry official said on Sunday.
Guardian website 20th April 2008 more >>
Fuel Poverty
Energy companies are preparing to slap hard-pressed households with a second massive hike in utility bills this year. Bills could start rising again in the summer by as much as 25 per cent, or an average £250 per household.
Observer 20th April 2008 more >>