Nuclear Weapons
MPs will have the final say on whether Britain replaces its ageing Trident nuclear deterrent, Commons leader Jack Straw has said. He said any decision to commission a new generation of nuclear missiles would be “blocked” if the House of Commons voted against it.
Guardian website 20th July 2006
Daily Mirror 21st July 2006
Nuclear Waste
A JOBS bonanza could be on the cards if one of America’s nuclear giants pulls off lucrative contracts connected to Sellafield and Drigg. Washington Group International – Whitehaven rugby league club’s biggest sponsors, to the tune of £100,000 – has created more than 3,000 jobs in communities around nuclear sites in the US and says it would be ready to invest in Copeland’s future prosperity.
Whitehaven News 21st July 2006
An undercover journalist has reportedly planted a fake bomb on a train carrying a cargo of nuclear waste. An investigation has begun after the newspaper report claims a journalist wandered up to unattended train wagons and planted the “device” at a north west London depot.
ITN News 21st July 2006
Daily Mirror 21st July 2006
Article by Stephen Tindale: EVERY week, trains carrying extraordinarily dangerous nuclear waste criss-cross the country. They trundle through passenger stations, past our schools, our back gardens and our workplaces. Anyone who thinks that these toxic trains are not a near-perfect terrorist target is either lying … or deluded.
Daily Mirror 21st July 2006
British Energy
THE Government confirmed yesterday it would consider plans to reduce its 65% stake in British Energy, the UK’s biggest producer of nuclear power.
Western Mail 21st July 2006
Guardian 21st July 2006
Independent 21st July 2006
FT 21st July 2006
Jeremy Warner’s comment.
Independent 21st July 2006
New nukes
Charles Clarke, the former home secretary, is planning a series of speeches setting out a personal political agenda that will set him at odds with the prime minister and the chancellor over civil nuclear power and a replacement for the independent nuclear deterrent Trident.
Guardian 21st July 2006
Nuclear power and renewable energy have been given a new lease of life following the publication of the Government’s energy review. The prospect of nuclear power stations once again topping the agenda has led to concerns about the implications on personal health and safety. Meanwhile there are criticisms renewable energy, including wind and solar power, will not sustain the demand for energy in this country. All have strong implications for Essex – already a site for a nuclear power station and wind farm.
Essex Chronicle 20th July 2006
Letter from LibDem councillor: Nuclear will be a stealth tax on every home. By picking the nuclear option, the Government is imposing a stealth tax on every home. Every nuclear power station ever built has needed public subsidies and Government guarantees.
Bath Chronicle 20th July 2006
Wylfa
Wales’s only nuclear power station will close in 2010 despite Assembly ministers’ attempts to extend its lifespan, it was announced today. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) said there was no prospect of keeping the Wylfa power station on Anglesey beyond its planned closure date.
IC Wales 20th July 2006
BBC 20th July 2006
France
Hot weather plays havoc with France’s electricity sector, boosting demand for air conditioning and making it harder to cool its fleet of nuclear power plants. EDF, the dominant power provider, has been forced to import supplies. Meanwhile, Pierre Gadonneix, its chief executive, is dealing with another hindrance that spans all seasons: French politicians. He tried to fend off calls for backsliding on electricity sector liberalisation in a recent parliamentary committee session.
FT 21st July 2006