Horizon
CHINA may soon have a major stake in one of the UKs biggest nuclear projects after two Chinese state firms teamed up with Western players to bid for the £15bn Horizon joint venture. Areva and Westinghouse are believed to have picked separate Chinese nuclear firms to help fund bids for Horizon, which was put on the market by RWE and E.ON in March. Nomura, acting for the sellers, received several bids by the 15 June deadline.
City AM 20th June 2012 more >>
It is understood that at least three consortia have now come forward with bids for Horizon. Areva and Westinghouse, which make the two main competing designs of reactor, are thought to have each secured the backing of a Chinese state company. French firm Areva has submitted a bid with China Guangdong Nuclear Power Holding Co (CGNPC), which has already opted to use Arevas reactor design in its Taishan power plant in China. Westinghouse, owned by Japans Toshiba, has submitted its bid with Chinas State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation (SNPTC), with which it has a partnership to build plants in China. It is thought GE Hitachi could be a third bidder. All those thought to be bidders either declined to comment or could not be reached for comment.
Telegraph 19th June 2012 more >>
Hinkley
A joint venture between Bouygues and Laing O’Rourke has been selected by EDF Energy as the preferred bidder for the contract for civil works to construct the planned new plant at the existing Hinkley Point site in southwest England. A final investment decision on the project has yet to be made.
World Nuclear News 19th June 2012 more >>
Construction News 19th June 2012 more >>
BBC 19th June 2012 more >>
This is the West Country 19th June 2012 more >>
Energy Business Review 19th June 2012 more >>
Association for Consultancy and Engineering 19th June 2012 more >>
International Construction 19t June 2012 more >>
The UK’s plans for a new fleet of nuclear reactors took an important step forward today, after EDF Energy announced it had selected a preferred bidder for the contract to undertake construction work at its proposed new nuclear plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset. The announcement was welcomed by energy and climate change secretary Ed Davey, who is currently facing growing speculation that the UK’s plans for a new fleet of nuclear reactors could stall amidst concerns over potential costs. “2012 is a defining year for new nuclear,” said Vincent de Rivaz in a statement. “We will continue our discussions with government about agreeing a legally robust investment framework. Agreeing the contract for difference is key as I said at the recent Energy and Environment Select Committee hearing it means that we and government will have to be clear about our costs before we sign a contract for our project.
Business Green 19th June 2012 more >>
Wylfa
NUCLEAR cash will pay to boost the economic fortunes of Anglesey while the Energy Minister told workers he remained positive that Wylfa B will happen. Yesterday Energy minister Charles Hendry arrived on the island to speak to nuclear workers at Wylfa and announce a new £480,000 funding package for the Anglesey Energy Island Programme (EIP). On Wylfa B, he told the Daily Post: We are very positive about new buyers being found for a new nuclear plant on Anglesey. There have been significant expressions of interest in the site, which is an exceptional site.
Daily Post 19th June 2012 more >>
MORE than 1,200 nuclear energy workers could be saved from the scrapheap by a project aimed at retaining £42million for the economy of north west Wales. Menter Mons £4m Shaping the Future initiative will attempt to get every member of the Trawsfynydd and Wylfa workforces into alternative employment. After it was announced the Anglesey and Gwynedd sites were to be decommissioned, project director Judy Craske vowed to reeducate and re-skill staff so they could be put to use in other industries. The response has been staggering; Judy says a talent drain would have a knock-on effect for the economy of both counties.
Daily Post 20th June 2012 more >>
Sizewell
In January 2012 the Sizewell C Joint Local Authority Group (JLAG) was established in order to facilitate a joint local authority approach to the challenges and opportunities that will result from the construction and operation of the proposed new nuclear power station. The group consists of Cabinet and locality members from both Suffolk Coastal District Council and Suffolk County Council, and local MPs have also been invited to attend as observers. The notes of the group’s meetings can be viewed here.
Suffolk Coastal District Council 18th June 2012 more >>
Radwaste
The following correspondence reveals an endearingly honest lack of awareness on the part of the leader of Cumbria County Council. Cumbria is being hoodwinked and no amount of conjuring up a “Brand Protection Strategy” costing £millions will protect the Cumbria brand.
Radiation Free Lakeland 18th June 2012 more >>
Energy Bill
The government must set a clear “twilight” on gas-fired power generation in its forthcoming energy bill, or face a dearth of much-needed investment into the power sector, according to a top Tory MP. Tim Yeo, the chairman of the influential energy and climate change select committee, said the bill should provide “confidence, certainty and long-term stability”, and that this could only be done through setting a clear target for “decarbonising” the electricity sector. Without such a framework, he warned, the required investment in the energy sector estimated at more than £200bn in the next ten years would be doubtful.
Guardian 19th June 2012 more >>
Japan
Fukushima Update 15th to 18th June.
Greenpeace 19th June 2012 more >>
Iran
High level negotiations between Iran and six world powers were suspended after two days of talks in Moscow failed to bridge differences over the future of Iran’s nuclear programme. Contacts will now be downgraded to the level of experts from each country and bureaucrats from Brussels and Tehran. However, it was unclear how such technical discussion could help heal a substantial political rift.
Guardian 19th June 2012 more >>
The diplomatic effort to find a solution to the Iranian nuclear crisis has hit a brick wall in Moscow, and appears to be seriously undermined. An experts meeting has been arranged to pore over the duelling sides’ papers, ostensibly to see if there is any technical ambiguities or common ground the negotiators in Moscow missed, but it is far from clear where close scrutiny of details will help bridge a wide rift between the sides.
Guardian 20th June 2012 more >>
World powers and Iran failed to secure a breakthrough at talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme on Tuesday and set no date for more political negotiations, despite the threat of a new Middle East conflict if diplomacy collapses.
Reuters 19th June 2012 more >>
Herald 20th June 2012 more >>
Iran and six world powers blamed each other for a deadlock at talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme yesterday, as negotiators struggled to reduce the risk of a new Middle East war.
Independent 20th June 2012 more >>
Telegraph 19th June 2012 more >>
The gulf between the two sides remains yawning, and all that the Moscow talks have achieved so far is to expose this fact. Negotiations in the real sense have hardly taken place at all both sides have spent most of their time simply stating their positions.
Telegraph 19th June 2012 more >>
Trident
Rolls-Royce has won a £1.1bn government contract to produce new reactor cores for the Royal Navys nuclear submarines. The cores will be designed for the seventh and final Astute-class submarine and also the first of the Royal Navys next generation of nuclear deterrent submarines even though the government says the final decision to replace the existing Vanguard subs has not been made.
The Engineer 19th June 2012 more >>
Eureka 19th June 2012 more >>
Letter: There is no place in Scotland’s future for nuclear weapons. I am appalled, but not surprised, that the Tory-led Coalition Government has set out on the slippery slope towards a new generation of nuclear weapons, by placing a £1.1 billion contract with Rolls-Royce to produce reactors for the next fleet of nuclear submarines. This is a far more important issue for the country than reform of the House of Lords or whether Jeremy Hunt broke the Ministerial Code of Conduct. Yet the LibDems seem to have abandoned their long-held and principled opposition to nuclear weapons, when instead they should be threatening to leave the Coalition and bring about a General Election. At least that would let the people of the UK have some say in whether they wanted another 50 years with a nuclear arsenal on these shores.
Herald 20th June 2012 more >>
Letter: It is time people in the UK woke up and challenged how the Coalition Government is spending our money £1 billion could usefully be deployed to help ordinary people struggling against cuts and the lack of employment opportunities.
Herald 20th June 2012 more >>
Britains nuclear submarines would be more than welcome in west Wales if they left Scotland, the Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones has said. The Scottish Government has made no secret of its desire to move the fleet from the west coast of Scotland. Welsh Labour leader Mr Jones, in Scotland for a meeting of British and Irish ministers on Friday, suggested that should the nuclear submarines move, they could find a new home in Pembrokeshire. Despite his remarks prompting fierce criticism, he argued that the move would be a major boost to Waless economy. Speaking to the Welsh Assembly, Mr Jones said: I did notice the Scottish Government no longer wishes to have the nuclear submarine base at Faslane. It no longer wishes to house the UK naval nuclear fleet. There will be more than a welcome for that fleet and those jobs in Milford Haven.
Scotsman 20th June 2012 more >>
Britain’s nuclear-armed submarines would be “more than welcome” in Wales if they left Scotland, First Minister Carwyn Jones has said.
BBC 19th June 2012 more >>
ITV Wales 20th June 2012 more >>
Wales Online 19th June 2012 more >>
Plaid Cymru has condemned the First Minister’s call for Britain’s nuclear submarines to be based at Milford Haven. Plaid’s Simon Thomas AM says: Having failed to protect Wales during the economic crisis, the First Minister is now reduced to making ridiculous pronouncements which do nothing for his own credibility, and do even less for Wales image in the world. He clearly has no grasp on reality if he believes that the people of Wales want nuclear weapons stored in Wales. It would be far better for Wales for the UK government to do what Plaid Cymru has long called for – scrap the Trident project completely and spend the massive cost on plausible job creation schemes to boost our economy. The First Minister looks rather silly calling for a scheme which isnt even considered feasible by many commentators, however it is possibly more interesting that it is now clear that the Labour party is planning for a Yes vote in the Scottish Independence referendum.
ITV Wales 20th June 2012 more >>
Secretary of State for Defence, Philip Hammond, responded to an urgent question asked by Angus Robertson, Scottish National Party MP for Moray, in the House of Commons on Monday 18 June on the £1.1 billion Ministry of Defence nuclear submarine contract. The Defence Secretary published a Written Ministerial Statement outlining the contract signed with Rolls-Royce Power Engineering which will build the Royal Navy’s nuclear power plants for its submarines. Further information can be found on the Ministry of Defence website.
UK Parliament 19th June 2012 more >>
Renewables
The estimates by Eurostat, released during the EU Sustainable Energy Week (18 to 22 June 2012) which promotes energy efficiency and renewable energy, show how far some countries have still to go to reach their individual targets. The bar chart shows the share by country for 2010 and also the 2020 objectives.
Guardian 19th June 2012 more >>
Ministers are expecting a reduction of up to a quarter in the value of Renewable Obligation Certificates or Rocs when the Energy Bill is published in a few weeks time. The planned change will threaten the financial viability of wind farms, the planning permission for which can cost thousands of pounds, and halve investment in the industry. The plan is certain to meet fierce resistance from Liberal Democrats, who will see it as an attempt by the Chancellor to restore his reputation among party loyalists after a disastrous Budget.
Telegraph 19th June 2012 more >>
