Radwaste
People in West Cumbria have 10 weeks to influence a key decision on whether the area should look to host an underground nuclear waste dump. That was the message from Aspatria councillor Bill Finlay at a public meeting attended by more than 250 people on Wednesday. The meeting at Maryport’s Wave Centre was organised by campaign group Solway Plain Against Nuclear Dump (Spand). It heard from geologists Professor David Smythe and Professor Stuart Haszeldine about the potential consequences of building an underground repository. Prof Smythe said building a nuclear dump covering an area the size of Carlisle would create massive waste spoil with toxic chemicals which, when excavated, could seep into watercourses and the sea. Both professors said large areas of eastern England were more geologically suitable than West Cumbria, with London providing the best rock type.
Times & Star 23rd Nov 2012 more »
A rallying call has been made for Cumbrians to lobby councillors over plans to further investigate the geology of the county for a nuclear waste dump. A decision will be made on January 30 as to whether the county should proceed with the search for a high-level repository in Cumbria. At a meeting of the campaign group, Solway Plain Against Nuclear Dump (Spand), its chairman John Hayward urged people to write to Cumbria County Council cabinet members and executive members of Copeland and Allerdale Councils before the decision is taken. He said Spand was not against nuclear power or the principle of an underground repository. Its concern was that a nuclear dump could be pushed through by the Government in an area where the geology would not be safe. Aspatria councillor Bill Finlay said objectors could inform councillors that they would not vote in future elections for anyone who had voted in favour of staying in the dump project. Speaking at the meeting in The Wave Centre at Maryport were geologists Professor David Smythe and Professor Stuart Haszeldine. They told the 250-strong audience that research for the Nirex inquiry in the 1990s, had already ruled out the whole area as unsuitable. Prof Haszeldine, of the University of Edinburgh, said: “We know more about the underground geology of this part of the UK than any other part. “This is an extremely complicated geological area.”
Carlisle News & Star 23rd Nov 2012 more »
Energy Bill
The U.K.’s plan to collect 7.6 billion pounds ($12 billion) for low-carbon projects by 2020 would advance Electricite de France SA’s nuclear plants and add about a third to consumer electricity bills, analysts said. The sum, announced today by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, will help pay for the 1.1 billion pounds of support a year needed to build two European Pressurized Reactors made by Areva SA (AREVA) for use at EDF sites in England, as well as renewable plants, according to Credit Suisse Group AG.
Bloomberg 23rd Nov 2012 more »
The government has published details of its long-awaited Energy Bill, designed to keep lights on and emissions down. It will allow energy firms to charge households an extra £7.6bn until 2020, which will go towards the development of low-carbon electricity generation. A decision about setting carbon emission targets for 2030 has been delayed until 2016, after the election.
BBC 23rd Nov 2012 more »
Andy Atkins: There’s no getting away from it: today is a kick in the teeth for everyone working towards a low-carbon future in the UK. After months of delay, the Government has announced the contents of its ‘Energy Bill’, due to be formally published next week. Ignore the Government spin, the headline news is this: the Bill doesn’t contain a crucial target for making our power sector carbon-free. It’s a green light for business-as-usual, high carbon, high cost energy generation for decades to come. While some media headlines are claiming £100s will be added to the average household energy bill to pay for more green power, in reality this announcement signals a continued addiction to expensive fossil-fuels.
FoE 23rd Nov 2012 more »
Dave Toke: Today’s announcement by the UK Government that it may allow several billion of pounds spending on green energy by 2020 is little more than hot air. There will be practically no new renewable energy projects unless the Government sets a good enough ‘strike price’, that is a high enough level of guranteed income per each unit of electricity generated. Independent renewable energy generators are likely to be frozen out of the market completely by the ‘contract for difference’ (CfD) arrangements they propose. The prospect of new nuclear power (which is not green anyway) seems increasingly unlikely. First let us deal with the nuclear hot air that abounds. I must say it is puzzling that press releases issued by EDF agencies and John Hayes, the Minister of State for Energy, give the impression that a deal with EDF over Hinkley C is imminent. But this is only puzzling if you ignore the tendency of Government, for six years now, to announce the imminent arrival of nuclear power. It is becoming a bit like ‘Waiting for Godot’. But on a rational level the propect looks exceedingly unlikely.
Dave Toke’s Green Energy Blog 23rd Nov 2012 more »
The Energy Bill is a sizeable step in the right direction, but it could have been so much more if the coalition was united on the green economy.
23rd Nov 2012 more »
Millions of hard-pressed families were today told that an extra £3 a week on their energy bills would be a “reasonable price” to pay for more wind farms and nuclear power stations.
London Evening Standard 23rd Nov 2012 more »
Energy market reform: Six things you need to know.
Energy Desk 22nd Nov 2012 more »
While the Coalition partners squabble over the Energy Bill, civil servants are already negotiating with EDF Energy over the price of new nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point. The government is planning to issue long-term contracts to anyone building low-carbon electricity infrastructure: new nuclear reactors, wind turbines, solar installations, etc. Central to this will be a strike price – a guaranteed price for electricity that starts out above the market rate and is supposed to reflect the levelised cost of the specific technology. The energy minister John Hayes expects to publish the strike price for Hinkley Point by the end of the year. But there’s much more to a contract for difference feed-in tariff than the strike price. It’s the small print that will determine whether households and businesses are being ripped off or if government secured a great deal for billpayers. Here are three questions to ask.
Energy Desk 22nd Nov 2012 more »
The Liberal Democrats are claiming to have won a victory in the now open warfare with their Tory coalition partners over green energy in the form of a new mandate that would require the National Grid to expand the amount of energy generated from renewable sources.The chancellor has vetoed the original Lib Dem plan to introduce a de-carbonisation target before the next election, but the energy secretary, Ed Davey, claims that the Treasury has sanctioned him to give advice to the National Grid on the need to prioritise renewable energy, adding that it is implausible that the National Grid will not follow these very clear signals. He says he now intends to use that power within months to send the message “very clearly” to increase the ratio of green energy consumed. Davey also states publicly for the first time that he asked the prime minister to remove responsibility for green energy from his energy minister John Hayes, a known anti-windfarm campaigner.
Guardian 23rd Nov 2012 more »
Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat energy secretary, defended his green energy deal on Friday, after coming under fire for dropping a carbon emissions target and adding to consumers’ rising energy bills. After months of infighting, Mr Davey finally compromised with his Conservative coalition partners, agreeing a deal that will pave the way for an energy bill next week. But Mr Davey gave up the Lib Dem demand for a 2030 electricity sector decarbonisation target, which would have pleased environmentalists but angered owners of gas-fired power stations.
FT 23rd Nov 2012 more »
Andy Atkins, executive director of Friends of the Earth, said: “The coalition has caved in to Osborne’s reckless dash for gas and banged the final nail in the coffin of Cameron’s pledge to lead the greenest government ever.” There was also criticism from the Committee on Climate Change, the independent emissions watchdog. Its chairman, Lord Deben, said scrapping the 2030 target left a “high degree of uncertainty for investors”. The coalition deal elicited broad support from energy companies, which had been dismayed by the political skirmishes. EDF Energy, which plans two nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point in Somerset, described the planned introduction of the bill next week as a “very positive step” that would give “further clarity to investors”. Maria McCaffery, head of RenewableUK, the wind power trade body, said the financial support showed “rock solid support across government for renewable energy” and provided the industry with “exactly the kind of assurances we’ve been calling for”. While most of the focus on Friday was on the potential impact on household bills, there was also relief at measures contained in other parts of the new framework. The government spelt out its plans to introduce “contracts for difference” – long-term contracts that guarantee stable revenues for investors in low-carbon energy projects at a fixed level known as a strike price. It said it would create a new, government-owned body to act as a single counterparty to the contracts, implementing a key recommendation of the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee. Analysts said the proposal would give investors more confidence that future governments would not simply alter the terms of the contracts for difference in the event of a change in energy policy. But much remains unclear. The energy bill will not include strike prices for the contracts, which will be published only next year.
FT 23rd Nov 2012 more »
In allowing George Osborne’s dash for gas to run, the coalition has staked our energy bills on a long-odds gamble. We’ll all pay the price. Ministers are effectively negotiating with one company for the nuclear power it believes is needed soon – scarcely the scenario to deliver a bargain for energy bill payers. Those building new gas plants are demanding payments too, in case carbon targets mean the plants can only run part-time. Of course, renewable energy providers are also arguing hard for their subsidies. But they have a trump card: while the cost of gas and nuclear power is on an upward trend, the cost of green energy and its subsidies is already falling. The greatest failing of the new energy policy is the woeful underplaying of the cheapest option of all: energy efficiency. Almost all the incentives are aimed at producing more power, none at reducing the demand. Why is the UK planning for an increase in electricity demand of up to two-thirds in 2050, when Europe’s manufacturing powerhouse, Germany, is planning for a cut of a quarter? Overall, in the great energy gamble, we’ve chosen a long odds bet rather than back the favourite and we will pay the price.
Guardian 23rd Nov 2012 more »
Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat energy secretary at the heart of those negotiations, reckons that the agreement has taken as long as four months to forge in part because he wanted an ambitious, all-encompassing deal. “Rather than have a continual battle and address it all issue by issue, I thought it was better to have a grand bargain, and address everything at once,” Davey explains. The deal includes an energy bill due to go before parliament next week, a new gas strategy, and a cap on the amount that energy companies will be able to add to energy bills to help pay for new nuclear reactors and renewable energy. You only start paying when the power station is constructed and starts generating. It will only hit bills much later on, by which time the economy will hopefully be doing a lot better and when other policies designed to reduce bills take effect and more than offset the impact on bills. The renewable energy sector claims the delay in setting a carbon target is a big mistake, since investment lead times in the energy sector are so long that the industry needs to know now what demands will be placed on it by the government for 2030. That in turn places a threat to the government’s overriding statutory obligations. Davey points out that the renewable energy target set by Tony Blair for 2020 was only set at EU level in 2008, 12 years ahead of when it needed to be met. “If we set the decarbonisation target in 2016, it will be set 14 years ahead of when it needs to be met,” he says.
Guardian 23rd Nov 2012 more »
Reaction and analysis on the energy bill deal struck between coalition partners that will see levies for low carbon energy rise but a 2030 carbon target delayed.
Guardian 23rd Nov 2012 more »
Sizewell
Two Suffolk councils have set out what they expect Sizewell C’s developers to contribute to the county in return for building the power station. EDF Energy has today made public their planning proposal for Sizewell C and the Joint Local Authorities Group (JLAG) is keen to ensure that Suffolk residents and businesses benefit from the investment into the county whilst protecting one of the county’s Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Suffolk County Council 21st Nov 2012 more »
THE energy giant behind plans for a third nuclear reactor on the Suffolk coast is holding an apprentice information day next month. The open day for the firm’s “advanced nuclear apprenticeship scheme” will include information on how to apply, qualifications needed and a tour of Sizewell B. It is taking place at Sizewell Sports and Social Club, St George’s Avenue, Leiston, at 10.30am on Saturday, December 1.
East Anglian Daily Times 23rd Nov 2012 more »
Hinkley
At 6am this morning 10 protestors blockaded access to EDF energy’s nuclear sites at Hinkley Point, preventing the morning shift from starting work. 4 people in arm locks formed a barrier across the main access road at Wick Moor Drove in a bid to prevent further ground clearance work at the planned Hinkley C site and to protest at EDF’s plan to extend the life of aging reactors at the Hinkley B station.
Stop Nuclear Power 23rd Nov 2012 more »
This morning, as the Energy Bill was making headlines, ten people were setting up a non-violent blockade of Hinkley Point nuclear power station. It’s a sure sign that building new reactors will be an uphill struggle. The first new nuclear power station in the UK for decades is supposed to be built in Hinkley Point, on the West Somerset coast. As often happens when you’re dealing with the nuclear industry, plans have gone somewhat awry. Local people are furious, because they don’t believe the government or EDF, who want to build the reactor, are listening to them. Some are worried about hundreds of lorries trundling past their front door. Others worry about the nuclear waste that would be stored on-site for decades. Many would just rather the money being spent propping up the nuclear industry were spent on affordable, sustainable renewable power.
Greenpeace 23rd Nov 2012 more »
ITV 23rd Nov 2012 more »
Companies
Companies in West Cumbria will travel to Asia to help a nuclear power plant get back on its feet after last year’s tsunami and earthquake. Flimby’s Forth Engineering and Workington’s TIS Cumbria Ltd are among 12 companies nationwide to go on a trade mission arranged by UK Trade and Investment, Britain’s Energy Coast and the Nuclear Industry Association. The companies will jet off tomorrow to South Korea where companies are looking to draw on the West Cumbrian firms’ experience in the nuclear industry, especially their knowledge of decommissioning.
Times & Star 23rd Nov 2012 more »
Finland
Since the November 4, 2012 a cocktail of poisonous chemicals leaked from the Talvivaara mine in Eastern Finland to the surrounding rivers and lakes. An investigation of the Finnish Environment Institute found high levels of aluminium, cadmium, nickel, uranium and zinc in the released waste waters. In a big demonstration led by people from Eastern Finland on November 14, 2012 about 1,000 people demanded to close the mine. A petition with some 18,000 signatures was handed over to the Minister of Environment. The number of signatures is still increasing – as of November 18 about 20,000 people signed the petition. At the same time a small rally took place in Oulu.
Nuclear Heritage 22nd Nov 2012 more »
Renewables
Donald Trump’s warning that wind turbines will do “tremendous damage” to tourism in Scotland has been rejected by MSPs. Despite claiming to be a world expert in tourism, Mr Trump’s opinion was dismissed as “anecdotal” in the conclusions of an inquiry into the Scottish Government’s renewable energy targets. The American business tycoon is locked in a planning battle to stop an offshore turbine development being built in view of his north-east golf course.
Herald 24th Nov 2012 more »
Business Green 23rd Nov 2012 more »
Click Green 23rd Nov 2012 more »
Scotsman 24th Nov 2012 more »
THE environmental lobby has been split by a major new report endorsing renewable energy targets. Greens passionate about the need for wind turbines were celebrating yesterday, while mountaineers and ramblers were deeply disappointed. Holyrood’s economy committee concluded the Scottish Government’s ambitious green energy targets could be met. MSPs said Holyrood and Westminster should work together on the issue, that the constitutional debate was not affecting investment, and that tourism was not being damaged by wind farms.
Herald 24th Nov 2012 more »
Yesterday saw the publication of an upbeat report from the Economy Committee at Holyrood, claiming the target of generating 100% of Scotland’s electricity needs from renewables by 2020 is still feasible. However, there is a caveat. Green energy targets could be jeopardised by lack of finance. As committee convenor, Conservative Murdo Fraser, put it: “The overwhelming message from investors was that strong leadership and a robust and reliable investment climate and subsidy regime are critical for the targets to be met.” As if to emphasise the point, the Coalition Gove rnment yesterday finally published details of its long-awaited Energy Bill, following weeks of bitter wrangling between Chancellor George Osborne and the Liberal Democrats. The Chancellor wants to bridge the looming energy gap with cheap gas and plans to announce a new generation of gas-fired power stations in his forthcoming Autumn Statement. Meanwhile the LibDems want gas out of the energy mix altogether by 2030, replaced by renewables.
Herald 24th Nov 2012 more »
Scotland’s Economy, Energy and Tourist Committee has said a number of issues must be overcome if the country is to meet its 2020 target of 100 per cent renewable power generation. The organisation said local authority planning departments are under pressure due to high volumes of applications. It supported attaching higher planning fees for large-scale applications, in return for the government working to minimise duplications. In addition, it said the process needs to be adjusted to give greater consideration to the local economic benefits of community-generated renewables schemes. The committee also said Renewable Obligation Certificates must be finalised, in order to provide the confidence investors need to support infrastructure development. It found that a skills shortage presents further risk to achieving the target and that educational investment m ust be aimed at science, technology, engineering and maths. Grid challenges remain in integrating intermittent renewable power supply, as well as making projects on the country’s surrounding islands economic. Although no evidence exists on the effect of green projects on the country’s tourist industry, more must be done to examine this, as the sector plays a major role in Scotland’s economy. Lastly, the country is currently ahead of where it needs to be for its heat target, but an ongoing delay in the introduction of a domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) may hamper the ability to reach the 2020 goal.
Newnet 23rd Nov 2012 more »
RENEWABLE Resources (Energy Solutions) has reported a 10-fold increase in turnover as corporate customers flocked to install solar panels. The New Lanark firm recorded £21 million of income in the 12 months to the end of June this year, up from just £2m in the previous period. Around 80% of the revenue booked was from commercial and business customers. The business has benefited from winning a contract to install solar panels on Sainsbury’s stores and has since completed more than 100 projects for the supermarket giant.
Herald 24th Nov 2012 more »
Ireland
More than 70% of Ireland’s electricity could be produced from renewable resources by 2030, a new report out has claimed. The research commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Northern Ireland said the availability of energy from wind, wave and sustainable biomass was significantly larger than the projected demand for the next 18 years. Geoff Nuttall, head of WWF, said: “We hope this is a contribution to tackling the big challenges we have on the island of Ireland in relation to energy. We do have an urgent issue in relation to our energy. We are importing 99% of our primary energy needs from fossil fuels.”
Belfast Telegraph 22nd Nov 2012 more »
Microgeneration
This week’s micro power news: Domestic-scale solar market is continuing to struggle; Ice Cream man calls for more local invetment in wind; Solar Trade Assoc says mid-sized solar installations a missed opportunity; solar prison & church.
Microgen Scotland.org.uk 23rd Nov 2012 more »
Green Deal
Should you sign up for the Green Deal? Interest rates have yet to be set but Mr Barker has said he expects them to be between 6 per cent and 8 per cent. An interest rate of 7 per cent would mean that a household taking out a Green Deal loan of £5,000 would have to pay back around £10,600 over 25 years and deliver energy-efficiency savings of £425 a year to cover the cost of annual repayments.
Times 24th Nov 2012 more »
