Chapelcross
Work on decommissioning the Chapelcross nuclear plant has reached a milestone as the third of its four reactors has been completely defuelled. The Annan plant ceased power generation in 2004 and its cooling towers were demolished in 2007. More than 38,000 fuel elements have to be removed from the site and taken for reprocessing at Sellafield in Cumbria. To-date 34,552 elements have left the plant and it is predicted defuelling will be complete by mid-2013.
BBC 24th Dec 2012 more »
Radwaste
Radioactive Wastes from Nuclear Plants: from “disposal” to “recycling” by Gordon Edwards (Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility)
CCNR (accessed) 24th Dec 2012 more »
Politics
A “dash for gas” opened up deep fissures in the UK’s ruling coalition this year, pitting the right wing of the Conservative party against their junior partners, the Liberal Democrats. At stake is the energy future of the UK for decades to come, and the fate of hundreds of billions of pounds of infrastructural investment, as well as the future of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions targets.
Guardian 21st Dec 2012 more »
US
A state inspector said today Georgia Power’s nuclear expansion project at Plant Vogtle in Augusta will be delayed at least 15 months – twice the delay projected just a month ago. In testimony before the state Public Service Commission, nuclear engineer William Jacobs blamed the delay on “unsatisfactory” performance by Westinghouse, the company responsible for designing the two proposed reactors, and the Shaw Group, which handles most of the heavy construction on site. Jacobs said the Shaw Group has been particularly deficient. Georgia Power and its contractors are currently locked in court battles over a number of cost overruns. Because the disputes are still pending, company officials won’t say how much ratepayers could be responsible for. But expert observers say the project is at least a billion dollars over budget.
WABE 18th Dec 2012 more »
Renewables
Solar Sister is an incredibly vibrant organization is building bright futures for women in Africa with solar technology. Utilizing a business model similar to the Avon-style sales network, Solar Sister empowers women entrepreneurs, giving them the tools they need to sell solar lights, mobile phone chargers and other products in remote and low-income areas.
Kiva 10th Dec 2012 more »
