Cumbria
THE ruling on which Copeland sites will be chosen for nuclear new-build has been put back. Sellafield, Braystones and Kirksanton are all earmarked for reactors. People living around the “potentially suitable” sites were expecting to hear one way or the other by the end of this month, when MPs start their summer break. But the change of government has put the final selection by Parliament back another nine months.
NW Evening Mail 23rd July 2010 more >>
Oldbury
CAMPAIGNERS against plans for a new nuclear power station in Oldbury claim they have been given renewed hope the project might not go ahead. People living in Oldbury, and nearby Shepperdine, have said a second round of consultation announced by the new coalition government could mean proposals for another power plant near their homes are thrown out. Reg Illingworth, chairman of the residents’ group Shepperdine Against Nuclear Energy (SANE), said: “SANE believes that the new government will understand that the Shepperdine site is totally inadequate for the size of development proposed and are more likely to exclude it from the, so say suitable sites.” Barry Turner, chairman of Oldbury Parish Council, said: “This is not what we were expecting. We thought we’d made our submissions but it seems they are starting the process again. “It’s difficult to know what they are doing, but it may be that Oldbury isn’t on the list anymore and that in the autumn there might be a new list, a new approach by a new government.”
Shepperdine Against Nuclear Energy 23rd July 2010 more >>
Lord Flowers
Lord Flowers, who has died aged 85, started his scientific career as a research nuclear physicist working on secret projects in Canada during the war and then became a noted academic administrator. In 1976 Lord Flowers conducted an inquiry into the long-term environmental implications of nuclear power in the UK. The resultant report – known as The Flowers Report – created much public debate, especially when it reached the conclusion that the UK should not rely for energy supply on a process that produces such a hazardous substance as plutonium unless there is no reasonable alternative.
Scottish Herald 24th July 2010 more >>
Proliferation
The recent well-publicised outpourings of anxiety about the potential consequences of nuclear terrorism overlook the fact that nuclear weapons are usually a matter for states, rather than individuals.
Nuclear Engineering International 23rd July 2010 more >>
Korea
North Korea has threatened to use its “nuclear deterrent” in response to planned military exercises by the US and South Korea this weekend. The regime promised a “retaliatory sacred war” amid increased tensions on the Korean peninsula over the March sinking of a South Korean navy vessel, which Seoul and Washington blame on Pyongyang.
Guardian 24th July 2010 more >>
Express 24th July 2010 more >>
Sky News 24th July 2010 more >>
BBC 24th July 2010 more >>
