Scotland
LABOUR MSPs have won a battle against their MPs to keep hold of their powers ahead of a major review of the Scottish Parliament. The party will agree this week that none of Holyrood’s current powers should be handed back to Westminster, as some of its MPs had wanted. Chief among them were powers over the siting of nuclear stations, currently held by Edinburgh, which are being used by the current SNP Government to block any installations being built north of the border.
Scotland on Sunday 22nd Feb 2009 more >>
Dash for Gas?
Britain must avoid being lured into a new dash for gas as it seeks to bridge a looming power generation gap, according to energy industry leaders. Ministers and the industry are committed to a range of power-generation options, from nuclear and cleaner coal through gas to renewables and energy saving, but striking the right balance may not be easy. New nuclear reactors are the best part of a decade away, even on optimistic assumptions. Coal is controversial and its future looks to be closely tied to the ability to develop carbon capture and storage. In terms of generation, that leaves gas and renewables to take the strain as a raft of ageing or environmentally unacceptable generating plant is taken out of service.
Observer 22nd Feb 2009 more >>
Sellafield
Action has been demanded to complete a cutting-edge research centre that could form a pivotal plank of west Cumbria’s financial renaissance. Supporters hope the National Nuclear Laboratory will become an important factor in efforts to transform the area into Britain’s Energy Coast. The £2 billion vision would turn Cumbria’s shores into a world-leading force in power production, creating up to 16,000 jobs. But a county councillor wants to see swifter progress on the laboratory, on the sprawling Sellafield complex, and the jobs it could bring in research and education.
Carlisle News and Star 21st Feb 2009 more >>
Iraq
Electricity Minister Karim Wahid on Sunday invited France to help Iraq build a nuclear power plant, three decades after Paris constructed a reactor near Baghdad that was bombed by Israeli warplanes.
Yahoo 22nd Feb 2009 more >>
Pakistan
Pakistan’s president, Asif Ali Zardari, went on television last week to admit that his country was fighting for its survival against religious extremists. It is dangerously delusional to carry on pretending that Pakistan’s nuclear weapons.
Guardian 21st Feb 2009 more >>
Trident
The safety schemes meant to protect the communities around the Clyde from a nuclear accident fail to take account of the risks from submarines damaged by accidents at sea. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the government’s Health and Safety Executive have admitted that their hazard evaluations for submarine berths do not cover the dangers posed by boats returning after crashes.
Sunday Herald 22nd Feb 2009 more >>
Renewables
BARRY JOHNSTON, founder of a small Scottish start-up, thinks he has cracked a problem that has confounded some of the biggest energy companies in the world: how to harness the power of the sea to generate electricity without building huge, expensive structures. His idea is deceptively simple and has already attracted some high-profile backers. Fred Olsen, the veteran Norwegian shipping and energy magnate, has, along with the Total oil company, sunk £6.2m into Johnston’s Orkney business, Scotrenewables, and in 2007 the firm won a £1.8m grant from the Scottish Executive.
Sunday Times 22nd Feb 2009 more >>
Coal
A global protest against UK plans to build new coal power plants is being launched today by campaigners from more than 40 developing countries accusing the government of being a “climate criminal”.
Observer 22nd Feb 2009 more >>
