Nuclear Finance
The myth of a successful nuclear power industry in France has melted into financial chaos. With it dies the corporate-hyped poster child for a “nuclear renaissance” of new reactor construction that is drowning in red ink and radioactive waste. Areva, France’s nationally-owned corporate atomic fa ade, has plunged into a deep financial crisis led by a devastating shortage of cash. Electricite de France, the French national utility, has been raided by European Union officials charging that its price-fixing may be undermining competition throughout the continent. Delays and cost overruns continue to escalate at Areva’s catastrophic Olkiluoto reactor construction project in Finland. Areva has admitted to a $2.2 billion, or 55%, cost increase in the Finnish building site after three and a half years. The Flamanville project—the only one now being built in France—is already over $1 billion more expensive than projected after a single year under construction.
The Free Press 19th Mar 2009 more >>
Scotland
ALEX Salmond was last night outraged after it emerged the Calman Commission wants to partially reverse devolution by clawing back powers from Holyrood to Westminster. The commission set up to examine Scotland’s constitutional position has admitted that it will look at taking powers from the Scottish Parliament, raising the prospect of new nuclear power stations being built north of the border against the wishes of the SNP.
Scotland on Sunday 22nd Mar 2009 more >>
Letter: EDDIE Barnes reports on a recent survey indicating that 53% of those polled thought nuclear power might be needed to fill a possible future energy gap in Scotland (News, March 15). Actually 53% seems quite a low figure; this means that 47% remain unconvinced by the barrage of scare stories about power cuts churned out by the Westminster propaganda machine.
Scotland on Sunday 22nd Mar 2009 more >>
Scottish ministers are going to come under fire for failing to do enough to cut climate pollution by promoting energy efficiency and renewable heat technologies. A report from the Scottish Parliament’s Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee to be published this week will criticise the government for leaving an “excessive” amount of policy detail unclear. “This lack of clarity on the direction of policy makes it difficult for the committee to fulfil its responsibility to scrutinise the policy,” the report says. “The committee believes that this is regrettable.”
Sunday Herald 22nd Mar 2009 more >>
Nuclear Weapons
Last week, in a speech in London, Gordon Brown reignited the debate over whether this terrible power should be ended for good. “Britain has cut the number of its nuclear warheads by 50% since 1997,” he declared. “If it is possible to reduce the number of UK warheads further, consistent with our national deterrence requirements and with the progress of multilateral discussions, Britain will be ready to do so.”
Scotland on Sunday 22nd Mar 2009 more >>
Renewables
THE UK risks losing renewable electricity investments to other countries and missing its carbon reduction targets unless the authorities make the investment climate more attractive, according to the head of the owner of Scottish Power. Ignacio Gal n, chairman and chief executive of Iberdrola, hinted that his company might be forced to switch planned UK electricity network investments to other countries unless the regulator raised the rate of return to levels that would attract lenders and investors made more risk-averse by the credit crunch.
Sunday Herald 22nd Mar 2009 more >>
IF YOU wanted a flavour of the mood in UK renewables at the moment, it was worth visiting Bilbao last week. This was where Ignacio Gal n, the charismatic chairman and chief executive of Iberdrola, owner of ScottishPower, was holding a press conference ahead of the company’s annual meeting. Both there and at an interview with the Sunday Herald beforehand, he raised concerns about ScottishPower’s ability to invest in the UK electricity network. These feed into several other troubling themes that cast serious doubts on the UK’s ability to meet its targets for 40% renewable electricity by 2020 (and 50% in Scotland) and an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050.
Sunday Herald 22nd Mar 2009 more >>
