Hinkley
A POTENTIALLY “hazardous” nuclear power plant in the UK could get the green light next week – sparking concerns for the worst. French press indicated that the board of directors of EDF, who have been in talks to build two nuclear reactors in Somerset, will meet on January 27 to make a final decision. The creation of the plant has been up in the air for a decade due to safety and investment concerns. However this week, the UK Department for Energy and Climate Change approved a crucial power line project for the £18billion nuclear station in Hinkley. Greenpeace told the Daily Star Online that the decision could spell problems for an entire generation. Doug Parr, Greenpeace Chief Scientist, said: “Our grandchildren will one day wonder why their bills are propping up a foreign-owned, massively expensive nuclear power stations, like Hinkley, instead of supporting cutting-edge British businesses to produce cheap, home grown energy. “They will be confused as to why this government made secretive deals with French and Chinese companies which hands them control of our future energy supply.” “It will be their generation who has to figure out what to do with the hazardous nuclear waste that this power station will generate, which no-one in the world has a worked out plan to keep safe,” he said. “George Osborne has staked his reputation on forcing this deal through to attract Chinese investment in the UK. He is saving face, and putting billions onto consumers’ energy bills to do it.
Daily Star 20th Jan 2016 read more »
Steel made in the UK will not be used for the largest forgings at Hinkley Point C nuclear power station, its owners have confirmed. The decision was made because of the UK steel industry’s lack of capability and capacity, EDF Energy said. Hinkley Point C will contain roughly 200,000 tonnes of steel reinforced in concrete, as well as over 600,000 embedment plates and large quantities of structural steelwork, EDF Energy said.
Process Engineering 20th Jan 2016 read more »
The crisis-hit steel industry has been hit with more job losses at the same time as it emerged that the new nuclear plant at Hinkley, in Somerset, will source materials abroad. Sheffield Forgemasters started consultations on 100 redundancies, just days after Tata cut 1,050 jobs mainly at Port Talbot in south Wales. The company said reduced activity in the traditional oil and gas sector, the slowing down of growth in the global economy and an international collapse in steel prices had adversely affected its results for 2014. Meanwhile, French energy giant EDF, which is building the reactor at Hinkley said the UK does not currently have the capability or capacity of producing the very largest forgings required by the power station, so these will have to be sourced from outside the UK.
Western Morning News 20th Jan 2016 read more »
Fire crews rushed to a car fire in a car park at a construction site on Hinkley Point, Stogursey. The incident took place on 6:11am on Wednesday January 20. One fire engine from Nether Stowey, along with the water carrier from Bridgwater were sent to the scene.
Burnham & Highbridge Weekly News 20th Jan 2016 read more »
EDF – Flamanville
French nuclear regulator ASN has pushed back until the end of this year a decision on what to do about weak spots in the vessel of a new-generation EPR nuclear reactor that utility EDF is building in northern France. In October, ASN said it would rule “soon” on EDF and nuclear group Areva’s plans for dealing with weak spots in the European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) in Flamanville. Pushing back the decision could lead to further delays at the reactor, which is years behind schedule. EDF said in September Flamanville would not be operational before 2018 and would cost 10.5 billion euros ($11.5 billion), up from an initial budget of 3 billion. “The companies will have to run tests, then analyse them. Then we need to analyse them. Normally, we should be able to rule on this by the end of the year,” ASN chief Pierre-Franck Chevet told a news conference. ASN said in April that tests had shown that in some zones of the EPR’s reactor vessel and cover there was a significant concentration of carbon, which weakens the mechanical resilience of the steel and its ability to resist the spreading of cracks. If ASN were to decide that Areva needs to replace the reactor vessel or lid because of the weak spots, the Flamanville project could face significant further delays and cost overruns. EDF plans to build two EPRs (European Pressurised Reactors) at Hinkley Point in Britain.
Reuters 20th Jan 2016 read more »
EDF
Czech utility CEZ is interested in buying some of EDF’s cogeneration assets in Poland, Bohdana Horackova, the CEO of CEZ Poland, said Wednesday.
Platts 20th Jan 2016 read more »
SMRs & MoX
NuScale Power completed a study supporting the suitability of the company’s small modular reactor to effectively dispose of plutonium in the U.K. The study commissioned by the U.K. National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) evaluated scenarios with partial and full-core loading of mixed uranium-plutonium oxide (MOX) fuel. The study confirmed that MOX could be used in the NuScale core with minimal effect on the reactor’s design and operation. The study also demonstrated that a 12-module NuScale plant with 100 percent MOX cores could consume a 100 metric-ton stockpile of discharged plutonium in about 40 years, generating approximately 200 million megawatt-hours of electricity. The NuScale Power Module is a technology with the potential to be fueled by either conventional light water reactor fuel or MOX fuel. More than 100 metric tons of civil plutonium is managed at the Sellafield site in northwest England, but the U.K. government has been looking for ways to either dispose of or reuse it.
Power Engineering 20th Jan 2016 read more »
Radwaste
French State Owned AREVA, Swedish Studsvik & California URS “Self Monitor” Radioactive Waste Gaseous Emissions in the UK at Drigg Radioactive waste dump, which they operate. Scandal-ridden AREVA would be bankrupt, if it were not a French State owned company, supported by the French taxpayer (and apparently the British and US taxpayer). Two of the consortium members running the Drigg radioactive waste dump – URS and AREVA- are consortium members at the WIPP nuclear waste dump which has had major problems with emissions of radiation into the air.
Mining Awareness 20th Jan 2016 read more »
Energy Supplies – Scotland
Keith Burns, Scientific Alliance: Here in Scotland we have lost flexible coal-fired Cockenzie power station and we are about to lose flexible coal-fired Longannet power station. Most of our UK wind capacity is in Scotland and we are removing our local generation capacity needed to match the vagaries of wind. We must not close Longannet until Scotland has replacement flexible generation at a sensible price. We need this balancing power locally, not imported from England. Gas replacing coal could reduce carbon emissions in the medium term. We must also plan for long term replacement of Hunterston and Torness with fourth-generation nuclear plant, carbon free and resistant to proliferation (possibly using thorium). Development of nuclear power technology globally will provide the safe generation capacity we need at a competitive price. These important energy decisions are not devolved to Scottish Government, which tends to stand back and deny responsibility for our predicament. Former first minister Alex Salmond has made the preposterous statement that the Pentland Firth has enough wave energy for whole of Europe – indeed it might have, but it is neither available at reasonable cost nor transmittable if it were. Scotland has enjoyed many years of grid security due to the foresight of those who conceived power projects like Cockenzie, Longannet, Hunterston and Torness. These enormously valuable assets have either gone, or will go soon. There are no clear plans to replace them with appropriate alternative capacity. Furthermore, in the case of the replacement nuclear capacity provided by Hunterston and Torness, the Scottish Government has declared that planning approval will not be granted for nuclear replacement because, according to Salmond nuclear power is dangerous,
Scotsman 19th Jan 2016 read more »
Companies
Amec Foster Wheeler is to expand its relationship with Bruce Power with a supplier master services agreement with the Canadian nuclear energy firm. Under the six-year deal, Amec Foster Wheeler will provide Bruce Power with an extensive range of engineering and project management services including an asset management campaign.
Modern Power Systems 20th Jan 2016 read more »
Amec Foster Wheeler signed a framework agreement to supply maintenance and remote handling services to the ITER nuclear fusion research project in France.
Power Engineering 20th Jan 2016 read more »
Uranium
An agreement has been reached between Denmark and Greenland on how they will cooperate on foreign, defence and security policy issues related to the mining and commercial export of uranium from Greenland. The island of Greenland introduced a zero-tolerance policy concerning the mining of uranium and other radioactive elements in 1988, while under Danish direct rule. It took a step towards greater autonomy from Denmark in 2009 with the official transition from ‘home rule’ to ‘self rule’. This saw Greenland assume full authority over its mineral and hydrocarbon rights, which had formerly been overseen by Denmark. However, Greenland remains part of the kingdom of Denmark and its defence and foreign policies are still determined by Copenhagen.
World Nuclear News 20th Jan 2016 read more »
Floating Reactors
Russia and China building FLOATING nuclear reactors – what could go wrong? Russia – which suffered the worst nuclear disaster in history at Chernobyl – and China – famous for its shocking safety record – are both racing to create the world’s first floating power station. The Chinese hopes to switch on the 200MW ACPR50S power plant by 2020 – after mandarins gave plans the green light. But Moscow looks set to beat them with the “Akademik Lomonosov” – a converted icebreaker vessel – which should be ready next year.
Daily Star 20th Jan 2016 read more »
Saudi Arabia
An editorial in a pro-Saudi government newspaper as well as the words of Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister suggest that the Sunni kingdom may be considering aiming to develop a nuclear capability timed to coincide with the expiration of the international nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia’s archrival Iran. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir gave an interview to Reuters Tuesday, during which he avoided ruling out the possibility that the Saudis could pursue developing a nuclear bomb.
The Blaze 20th Jan 2016 read more »
China and Saudi Arabia have signed a memorandum of understanding on the construction of a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTR). It was one of 14 agreements and memoranda of understanding signed yesterday during a meeting in Riyadh of Chinese president Xi Jinping and Saudi’s Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz.
World Nuclear News 20th Jan 2016 read more »
Poland
Poland’s conservative government may further postpone the construction of the country’s first nuclear reactor as costs remain unpredictable, Energy Minister Krzysztof Tchorzewski said on Wednesday. The project was first pushed in 2009 by Poland’s previous government as part of a drive to find alternatives to coal-fired power generation. Since then it has hit numerous delays due to falling power prices and Japan’s 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident, which drained public support. Despite those hurdles, the governing Law and Justice party, which won a parliamentary election in October, is likely to stick to the plan.
Reuters 20th Jan 2016 read more »
China
The slump in China’s two leading nuclear stocks would suggest a dim future for nuclear energy in the world’s biggest polluting nation. But that couldn’t be further from the truth: The selloff looks overdone given nuclear power is integral to delivering a less smoggy future for Chinese citizens tired of dirty air.
Barrons 20th Jan 2016 read more »
The loading all 157 fuel assemblies into the core of unit 4 of the Hongyanhe nuclear power plant in China’s Liaoning province has been completed. The reactor is scheduled to start up early this year.
World Nuclear News 20th Jan 2016 read more »
India
Ahead of French President François Hollande’s visit on the occasion of Republic Day, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) and nuclear energy player Areva are striving to close the crucial commercial agreement for the 9,900-Mw Jaitapur nuclear power project in Maharashtra. Initially, Areva will supply two European pressurised reactors (EPRs) of 1,650-Mw each for the project. The contentious issue continues to be sharing of cost due to the application of additional safety measures in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011.
Business Standard 20th Jan 2016 read more »
Russia
The Russian energy ministry has approved Rosenergoatom’s 2016-2018 investment program, allocating almost RUB570 billion ($7 billion) to the civil nuclear power plant operator. The program was approved by a government order dated 14 January and published on the ministry’s website yesterday. Of this total, nearly RUB184 billion is earmarked for 2016, which is higher than the previously planned figure of RUB150 billion, according to Nuclear.Ru. It comprises about RUB98 billion from Rosenergoatom’s own funds and government funding of nearly RUB27 billion, with the remainder from loans and other forms of financing.
World Nuclear News 20th Jan 2016 read more »
Japan – Fukushima
Toshiba has developed a new remotely operated fuel removal system (FRS) for removing debris and fuel from the spent fuel pool (SFP) of Unit 3 of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station in Japan.
Energy Business Review 19th Jan 2016 read more »
Weapons Convoys
A road accident involving a nuclear weapons convoy vehicle risks “flattening” large parts of Scotland and killing thousands of people, an SNP MP has claimed. Owen Thompson told the House of Commons that nuclear convoys frequently travel through his constituency of Midlothian and he said they pose “more of a risk” to people in the UK than terrorism. Nuclear warheads are transported on UK roads around once every two months between nuclear bases in Scotland to arms factories in Berkshire for general maintenance. The MP has called on the Ministry of Defence to bring an end to convoys in residential areas or risk a nuclear disaster which could see a “substantial loss of life”. However, an expert in nuclear security, Dr Robert Downes, told BuzzFeed News the risk of the kind of accident Thompson is fearful of is so small that it’s “hardly worth considering” and that only the “extremely unlikely” event of an aircraft crashing into a convoy could potentially set off a warhead.
Buzzfeed 20th Jan 2016 read more »
Edinburgh Evening News 20th Jan 2016 read more »
Renewables
Investment in the UK renewables industry was the strongest in Europe in 2015, reaching $23.4 billion – despite adverse conditions such as the strength of U.S. dollar, the plunge in fossil fuel commodity prices, continued weakness of the European economy and further declines in solar photovoltaics (PV) costs. Bloomberg New Energy Finance reported that UK investments in clean energy increased 24% in 2015 compared to 2014, primarily driven by wind and solar PV projects. Europe invested some $58.5 billion, down 18% from 2014 and its weakest figure since 2006.
Scottish Energy News 21st Jan 2016 read more »
Renewables – AD
Ecotricity’s plans for a new fleet of Green Gas Mills have taken a step forward today with the news the company has lodged a planning application for its first anaerobic digestion plant. The green energy provider last year unveiled plans for three new green gas plants and has today confirmed that a planning application has been filed with Winchester City Council for the first facility at Sparsholt College. The £10m project will also include a renewable energy centre, which will provide students with specialist training for roles in the fast-expanding green gas industry.
Business Green 20th Jan 2016 read more »
Local Energy
London is uniting with cities across Europe as part of a €25m project which will explore how innovative technologies including heating homes through the River Thames can improve the standard of living for city residents. London Mayor Boris Johnson and the Royal Borough of Greenwich have been selected to take part in the ‘Smart Cities and Communities Lighthouse’ programme, which aims to develop local solutions to urban challenges in a bid to promote sustainable cities. As part of the programme, 300 convenient and easy-access parking bays will be introduced in Greenwich. Shared electric bike and car tests will also be trialled in the city to create a shift away from traffic congestion. The other main areas of the initiative will see the River Thames used as a renewable energy source to provide affordable heat via a heat pump. Solar installations will be provided and managed by energy partners.
Edie 20th Jan 2016 read more »
Energy Efficiency
Fears the energy efficiency and insulation sectors face a significant slowdown in demand over the next few years have been ignited once again, after Energy and Climate Change Minister Lord Bourne said a new domestic energy efficiency strategy would not be delivered until 2018. Speaking to MPs on the Energy and Climate Change Committee yesterday, Bourne reportedly revealed the government’s plans to reform the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme so that it is more focused on tackling fuel poverty would not be brought forward until 2018. He said the current ECO scheme, which provides grant funding for energy efficiency upgrades to fuel poor and hard to treat households, would come to an end as planned in 2017. He added there would then be a transitional year before an announcement on how a reformed ECO would be delivered, “likely by spring” 2018.
Business Green 20th Jan 2016 read more »
Energy Storage
Domestic and grid-scale energy storage projects in the UK are already economically viable in certain circumstance as technology costs continue to fall, a new report from KPMG has found. The report, commissioned by the Renewable Energy Association (REA), claims that energy storage has fast-become a valuable asset in the transition to a decentralised, low carbon energy system. Substantial reductions in the cost of storage technologies have brought forward the anticipated timeframe for their deployment, the report points out. It finds that grid-scale projects, such as those recently announced by RES or completed by AES are already economic, but facing significant regulatory issues, including short contract lengths for balancing services and ‘discriminatory’ charges’ for grid connection. These could be relatively easily solved by more effective Government regulation, the report says. The research also found that energy storage can already be economic for domestic homes with solar PV panels installed and Feed-in Tarriff subsidies.
Edie 20th Jan 2016 read more »
Business Green 20th Jan 2016 read more »
The Renewable Energy Association has published a new report that concludes that 2016 is going to be the breakthrough year for energy storage and the growth of decentralised energy in the UK. Despite a total of 13 ‘sudden and severe’ changes to the Government’s green energy policies since the 2015 general election – which have created significant uncertainty in the UK renewables industry – a new independent report by KPMG for the REA says that ‘we could enter an era of continued green growth and domestic decentralised energy production’. The report Development of decentralised energy and storage systems in the UK – details that energy storage is a valuable and previously missing component in the movement towards a decentralised, consumer focused and low carbon energy system.
Scottish Energy News 21st Jan 2016 read more »
Energy storage costs will fall by up to 70 per cent by 2030, a new report has predicted. Current batteries are too expensive for large scale use but new battery technology and technical advances in areas such as composite materials will result in energy storage systems able to replace some plants and avoid the need for new ones, as well as reduce demand for oil, according to the report by the World Energy Council. The report argues the current focus on the cost of storage ignores the system value of stored energy. It calls for the value of storage to be recognised, taking into account the benefits as well as the costs. World Economic Council secretary general Christoph Frei said: “Energy storage is a critical catalyst of the energy transition whose benefits are still undervalued.
Utility Week 20th Jan 2016 read more »
Power storage technologies are often touted as the Holy Grail for delivering the clean energy system required if the UK is to truly decarbonise its economy. But they are not, perhaps, something you’d think of putting in your home. However, home energy storage provider Powervault is now showing how a small investment by British householders can both save on their electricity bills and help to alleviate demand on overburdened grids. The idea is simple: energy generated by rooftop solar panels charges up Powervault’s batteries during the day, before being slowly released in the evening, knocking a sizeable chunk off the amount of energy imported from the grid. “It basically reduces your electricity bill, because it allows you to use more of the energy that you generate from your solar PV panels,” Joe Warren, managing director of Powervault, tells BusinessGreen.
Business Green 15th Jan 2016 read more »
