Radwaste
Proposals to move 144 tonnes of nuclear waste the length of the West Country, in lorries from Gloucestershire to West Somerset will be opposed this week. West Somerset councillors are being urged to oppose the plan by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to move 70 lorry loads of the waste from the Oldbury power station on the banks of the Severn to Hinkley Point A, where it would be processed and stored.
Western Daily Press 19th Jan 2014 read more »
Energy Costs
The number of households switching energy supplier more than doubled to one million in the last two months of 2013 amid public fury over price rises. A quarter of the households that switched opted for smaller firms over the heavily criticised Big Six. The wave of switching came after leading suppliers announced price rises, which led to a political storm over the cost of electricity and gas.
Daily Mail 19th Jan 2014 read more »
Utilities
The energy market remains broken as customers of the Big Six gas and electricity companies say they’ve been let down once again. A consumer satisfaction survey reveals that the score for UK energy firms has slumped – from a poor 49 per cent last year to a disastrous new low of 41 per cent – the worst satisfaction score across all products and sectors measured by the consumer group Which? Npower took the wooden spoon for the third year running, with a score of just 31 per cent satisfaction. Next bottom is British Gas with 39 per cent, followed by SSE and Scottish Power on 41 per cent. The other two of the Big Six were slightly above average performers, with EDF getting 44 per cent and E.on 45 per cent. Showing the big firms the way it can be are two small suppliers – Good Energy and Ecotricity – which gained a82 per cent customer satisfaction ratings.
Independent 20th Jan 2014 read more »
Telegraph 20th Jan 2014 read more »
Times 20th Jan 2014 read more »
Independent energy firms Good Energy and Ecotricity have topped the 2014 Which? energy company customer satisfaction survey, beating off competition from major players such as British Gas, EDF Energy, Eon, Npower, Scottish Power and SSE.
Which 20th Jan 2014 read more »
“Our findings highlight why it’s vital that Ofgem’s first Annual Review of competition clearly identifies why the market is failing and what needs to change. We want to see radical solutions to improve competition and keep prices in check, like the biggest energy companies being forced to separate wholesale generation from the retail arms of their business.”
Which 20th Jan 2014 read more »
Energy Supply
Electricity network companies that left hundreds of thousands of households without power over Christmas will be told by MPs to raise their offer of compensation in future blackouts. Tim Yeo, chairman of the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee, said that the companies would “struggle to justify” not following the lead of rivals who have promised to pay double the minimum rate to households that have been cut off from 2015.
Times 20th Jan 2014 read more »
Politics
The plot to sack veteran Tory MP Tim Yeo gathered pace last night after 12 members of his constituency party executive issued a public call for him to quit politics. They challenged Mr Yeo’s claim he was ‘exonerated’ in a Commons sleaze inquiry. They also accused him of neglecting his constituency. The new attack is led by South Suffolk Conservative Association members Nick Antill, the treasurer, and businessman Simon Barrett. They have written to Conservative MPs who support Mr Yeo. Mr Yeo was deselected by the local association executive in a secret ballot in November. But he has asked for a ballot of local party members, which if they back him would trump the executive.
Daily Mail19th May 2014 read more »
Germany – Energiewende
I’m trying not to write too many rebuttals these days because there really isn’t anything new to say, but when you start getting emails from British members of Parliament, it’s hard to say no. So here you go – with apologies to (both of) my regular readers, who will find absolutely nothing new in this article.
Renewables International 17th Jan 2014 read more »
Japan
Spinning off the clean-up project at Japan’s wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant from the rest of operator Tokyo Electric Power’s business could be an option in the future if the decommissioning runs smoothly, the company’s president said.Nearly three years after a devastating earthquake and tsunami hit the plant, Tokyo Electric (Tepco) is still struggling to contain radioactive water at the site and turn around its battered finances.
Reuters 18th Jan 2014 read more »
Nearly one-third of the nation’s local assemblies, including those at the prefectural level, have submitted statements calling for the abolition of nuclear power plants to the Diet since the Fukushima crisis in 2011, according to a study by The Asahi Shimbun.
Asahi Shimbun 19th Jan 2014 read more »
Fukushima crisis update 14th to 16th Jan. Radiation measurements taken from an observation well at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant are increasing, according to reports.
Greenpeace 19th Jan 2014 read more »
If the rhetoric could be cooled, however, much good could come of Japan’s renewed push, which matches the diplomatic and commercial effort Mr Abe is making closer to home in the likes of India, Indonesia and Vietnam. Africa can help Tokyo’s quest for friends and commercial opportunity. Japan needs to diversify its sources of energy, particularly after the Fukushima disaster left most of its nuclear power stations idle. Japan also needs a fresh source of rare earths. Africa too could provide a market for Japanese goods – both industrial and consumer.
FT 19th Jan 2014 read more »
Pakistan
The efforts to attain nuclear power have increased globally in recent years. Several advocates in Pakistan, such as the recent article by Kazmi, have argued that nuclear power promotes economic development along with meeting the shortfall in energy supply. A critical question I would like to ask is that, is nuclear power absolutely necessary for an economic development, given the potential safety risks and the vast amount of investment that it requires? With Pakistan’s incredible potential of untapped renewable resources, why is Pakistan trying an untested nuclear technology when the rest of the world is moving towards greener energy solutions?
Tribune 19th Jan 2014 read more »
Iran
Iran has said it will suspend its uranium enrichment in a few hours once talks with the UN nuclear watchdog have ended, the country’s Fars news agency has reported, quoting an official.
ITV 20th Jan 2014 read more »
BBC 20th Jan 2014 read more »
Eastern Europe
After realigning Ukraine as a satellite state Vladimir Putin has now persuaded the Hungarian government to accept Russian technology in its nuclear sector. There will be two new reactors and the whole deal will be funded from Moscow, with new loans on terms which have not been disclosed. Behind these two very visible steps are a host of smaller deals from the Balkans to Finland, which reassert Russian economic power in the near abroad.
FT 19th Jan 2014 read more »
Nuclear Disarmament
According to Professor Malcolm Chalmers of the Royal United Services Institute, by the end of this decade spending on Trident will swallow around 35 per cent of defence equipment spending for a period of 10 years or more, squeezing out other big-ticket items like new aircraft, new warships and protective equipment for soldiers. Small wonder, then, that a defence traditionalist like James Arbuthnot, former Tory defence minister and chair of the House of Commons defence committee, has added his voice to the growing number of senior political figures and armed forces personnel who are sceptical about the “value” and affordability of Britain’s nuclear weapons programme.
Morning Star 20th Jan 2014 read more »
Renewables – India
When the world thinks of countries that could go 100 per cent renewable, the immediate thoughts go to islands with solar and storage, hydro and geothermal rich countries such as Iceland, or even wind and wave-rich countries like Scotland. One of the last economies imagined going fully renewable would be India, the rising economic giant that is still yet to connect several hundred million people to its mostly coal-fired grid, and is expected to have the highest growth of electricity consumption. But according to environmental group WWF, India could reach a goal of 100 per cent renewables by 2050. The study examines the possibility of a near 100% Renewable Energy Scenario (REN) for India by the middle of the century against a reference scenario (REF) in which the economy is likely to be dependent primarily on fossil fuels – coal, oil and gas. WWF says that to get there India must make some large-scale changes to get on the right track as soon as possible. According to the report, aggressive energy efficiency improvements alone can bring in savings of up to 59 per cent (by both the supply and demand sides) by mid-century.
Renew Economy 17th Jan 2014 read more »
Renewables – Tidal Power
The Pentland Firth could provide enough renewable energy to power about half of Scotland, according to research. The firth, which lies between Orkney and the Scottish mainland, has some of the fastest tidal currents in the UK. Engineers from Edinburgh and Oxford Universities said turbines placed in the stretch of water could generate 1.9GW of clean energy. Turbines would need to be located across the entire width of the channel to fully exploit it, they said. The engineers said their study narrowed down earlier estimates that the firth could produce anywhere between 1GW and 18GW of power. They calculated as much as 4.2GW could be harnessed, but because tidal turbines are not 100% efficient the estimate of 1.9GW was a more realistic target.
BBC 20th Jan 2014 read more »
Scotsman 20th Jan 2014 read more »
Herald 20th Jan 2014 read more »
Carbon Trading
The European Commission has resisted calls for a carbon “central bank” to revive Europe’s moribund emissions trading system but is poised to unveil a less ambitious plan to fix flaws in a market that has foundered since the global financial crisis slashed prices. urope’s cap-and-trade system is the world’s largest – covering more than 11,000 power stations and factories, which have to buy extra allowances if they want to increase carbon output above their limits. It was intended as a global standard that would encourage countries to cut their greenhouse gas emissions and invest in clean technologies. But the economic crisis and a glut of carbon allowances, or credits, have undermined the market. The carbon price has plunged to about 5 euros per tonne from nearly 30 per tonne in 2008, a level that has only encouraged energy companies to burn more coal.
FT 19th Jan 2014 read more »
Fossil Fuels
European Greens are considering a challenge to the UK’s tax breaks and incentives for shale gas under state aid rules, as the government holds out against a new renewable energy target for the EU. Ministers have offered tax breaks to shale gas companies, and incentives to local communities to encourage them to accept drilling in their area. The government believes its plans comply with EU rules restricting state aid to companies. On Wednesday, the European commission is expected to announce proposals for a new target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030, compared with 1990 levels, which is broadly accepted by large member states. Britain opposes an accompanying target on increasing the use of renewable energy, from 20% by 2020 to a possible 24-30% within 10 years after that.
Guardian 20th Jan 2014 read more »
Total, the first major oil company to join the race to find shale gas in Britain, has promised to bring high safety standards to the controversial industry and shrugs off any fears of damage to its reputation. But environmental campaigners say the French group should not be allowed to “frack” for shale until the result is known of an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into a gas blowout in the North Sea. The Paris-based group said it had carefully investigated the environmental evidence of the impact of shale exploration before taking its decision to buy into a license in the East Midlands where it hopes to become an operator.
Guardian 19th Jan 2014 read more »
