New nukes
The government is so short of nuclear inspectors that the programme of new reactors being planned may have to be put on hold, leaked papers show. The business secretary, John Hutton, yesterday warned Gordon Brown that the government has only five inspectors working on the design assessments of the three types of reactors being considered for Britain. The papers show an additional 35 inspectors are needed to be in place within 16 months. But despite offering 15% more money, the government is finding it hard to recruit more because the Treasury refuses to offer a better pay package.
Guardian 24th Oct 2007 more >>
Efforts to build a new generation of nuclear power plants are under threat from staff shortages, Whitehall disputes over investment in renewables and how to deal with nuclear waste, according to leaked documents from the government department overseeing the programme.
FT 24th Oct 2007 more >>
Letter: Hutton says there will be no “hidden” subsidies for nuclear power, but, in the UK, as in many other countries around the world, nuclear power enjoys a large hidden subsidy: it is required to pay only a small fraction of the cost of insuring fully against a Chernobyl-style disaster or worse.
Scotsman 24th Oct 2007 more >>
Nuclear power is to remain a major source of energy around the world in the coming decades, especially given the concerns over climate change and energy security, the UN nuclear watchdog said. “Nuclear power’s prominence as a major energy source will continue over the next several decades,” the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a new report, entitled “Energy, Electricity and Nuclear Power Estimates for the period up to 2030.”
Interactive Investor 23rd Oct 2007 more >>
A new report aimed at directing global ebergy develpoment says problems facing nuclear power are as much social and political as they are scientific and technical.
World Nuclear News 23rd Oct 2007 more >>
Ministers have been urged to stop “dithering” over plans for new nuclear stations as it emerged that nearly half of existing stations are out of action. British Energy has closed two of its 16 nuclear reactors for tests and another five are shut for maintenance. Shadow business secretary Alan Duncan said government “dithering and delay”. was putting energy security at risk.
BBC 23rd Oct 2007 more >>
Renewbles
Ministers are planning a U-turn on Britain’s pledges to combat climate change that “effectively abolishes” its targets to rapidly expand the use of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power. Leaked documents seen by the Guardian show that Gordon Brown will be advised today that the target Tony Blair signed up to this year for 20% of all European energy to come from renewable sources by 2020 is expensive and faces “severe practical difficulties”. “[Meeting the 20% renewables target] crucially undermines the scheme’s credibility … and reduces the incentives to invest in other carbon technologies (sic) like nuclear power”, say the papers.
Guardian 23rd October 2007 more >>
Telegraph 23rd Oct 2007 more >>
British Energy
Britain is facing the prospect of blackouts this winter as almost half of the country’s nuclear power stations have been shut down for repairs. Seven out of the 16 stations are currently inactive, following the announcement of closures of plants in Hartlepool and Heysham after problems were detected during inspections. Professor Ian Fells, an energy specialist from Newcastle University, said this could mean power cuts if the winter is cold.
Telegraph 23rd Oct 2007 more >>
Mirror 24th Oct 2007 more >>
British Energy – part-owned by the Government – closed the two reactors at its Hartlepool plant after a maintenance inspection flagged up a problem with a giant boiler in one. Two reactors at a sister plant, Heysham 1 in Lancashire, were taken out of service as a precaution. The power station at Torness in East Lothian, which also has two reactors, has been shut due to electrical faults, while one of the two reactors at Dungeness B in Kent is closed for routine maintenance.
View London 24th Oct 2007 more >>
Daily Mail 24th Oct 2007 more >>
Guardian website 23rd Oct 2007 more >>
Yorkshire Post 23rd Oct 2007 more >>
Lancashire Evening Post 23rd Oct 2007 more >>
Britain could get comfortably through the winter without power supply interruption, even if two nuclear power plants shut by British Energy last weekend were to remain closed, power network operator National Grid said on Tuesday.
Reuters 23rd Oct 2007 more >>
Planning Reform
Proposals to force through major developments such as airports or nuclear power stations by limiting the scope for public objections are likely to be ruled illegal, lawyers have warned the Government.
Telegraph 23rd Oct 2007 more >>
Guardian 24th Oct 2007 more >>
Nuclear Waste
How do you get rid of nuclear waste? Has any country solved the problem of disposing of nuclear waste? How does France, which has many nuclear power stations, cope?
Guardian 23rd Oct 2007 more >>
Earlier this month Aker Kvaerner was awarded a £16m contract by Magnox Electric. The project involves the design, building and installation of a plant for the retrieval and encapsulation of wet intermediate level wastes (ILW) at Hunterston A Site in West Kilbride, Scotland.
Newcastle Evening Gazette 23rd Oct 2007 more >>
Iran
Signs of a split over nuclear policy at the heart of Iran’s leadership emerged yesterday after MPs and an adviser to the country’s most powerful political figure criticised the departure of its chief negotiator, Ali Larijani.
Guardian 24th Oct 2007 more >>
Telegraph 24th Oct 2007 more >>
BBC 23rd Oct 2007 more >>
Iran’s new nuclear negotiator has said his country will continue nuclear discussions “with strength”.
BBC 23rd Oct 2007 more >>
Scotsman 24th Oct 2007 more >>
FT 24th Oct 2007 more >>
Britain is ready to push for further sanctions against Iran if it does not give up its nuclear ambitions, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said today.
Daily Mail 23rd Oct 2007 more >>
Morocco
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he has agreed to work with Morocco to develop nuclear power in the country.
Interactive Investor 24th Oct 2007 more >>
Romania
Suez will participate in a tender for two new nuclear reactors in Romania. Also participating in the tender are Germany’s RWE, Italy’s ENEL and Czech utility CEZ.
Interactive Investor 23rd Oct 2007 more >>
Emergency Planning
EMERGENCY planners are gearing up to test how ready they are to deal with a nuclear disaster at Portsmouth naval base. Portsmouth City Council staff will be joining colleagues from the Royal Navy, government departments and the emergency services tomorrow for a ‘desktop’ exercise designed to check how they would handle a leak of fuel from nuclear submarines at the dockyard’s ‘Z’ berth.
Portsmouth News 23rd Oct 2007 more >>
