New Nukes
Uncorrected transcript of Chris Huhne’s evidence to the House of Commons Energy & Climate Change Committee is now available at:
House of Commons 15th Sept 2010 more >>
Nuclear Subsidy
In your question-and-answer feature with the energy secretary you quote the minister as saying: “There will be no subsidy for new nuclear power stations… it will be for private sector energy companies to construct, operate and decommission new nuclear plants.”It is important to recognise that senior executives of private power companies operating in this country, such as Vincent de Rivaz, chief executive of EDF Energy, have said that they are seeking no subsidies for any new nuclear plants they may build in Great Britain. Here are some of the more egregious subsidies currently enjoyed by the commercial nuclear industry, as revealed in a series of written answers to various MPs in the past two months.
Whitehaven News 22nd Sept 2010 more >>
EPR Reactors
The future for France’s new-generation nuclear technology has been thrown into doubt after it emerged that GDF Suez, the French utility, is to pull out of the latest European Pressurised Reactor project – the 1600MW EPR project at Penly in France. GDF Suez had been granted a 25 per cent stake but EDF fought a fierce campaign to bar its rival from sharing operational responsibility. GDF would have been liable for 25 per cent of the financing of a project expected to cost up to €5bn but it would not have earned the operating experience on new generation reactors it badly needs to sell its expertise abroad. GDF Suez – which is 35 per cent owned by the state – is now likely to consider selling new generation reactors from competing countries such as the Westinghouse AP 1000. The group has said it wants to operate a new generation reactor by 2020 and is still lobbying to build a smaller version of the EPR, the Atmea, in France. At just 1100MW however, the government is reluctant as it must develop other forms of renewable energy generation to meet European targets.
FT 23rd Sept 2010 more >>
EDF
EDF and Constellation Energy Group Inc. are in talks to avoid the collapse of their U.S. nuclear venture, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions. The companies are negotiating to resolve a dispute over an option Baltimore-based Constellation has to sell non-nuclear plants to EDF for as much as $2 billion, the people said, declining to be identified because the talks are private. The so-called put, due to expire in December, was agreed to in 2008 when Constellation sold half its nuclear business to EDF.
Bloomberg 24th Sept 2010 more >>
Hinkley
Sedgemoor District Council yesterday objected to EdF’s proposals due to inadequate information in their (10,000 page) consultation. West Somerset Council is due to discuss the proposal today and is expected to say the same. The councils do not make the final decision about the planning application, which goes to the Infrastructure Planning Commission. The following articles and TV news items mostly relate to the decision.
Western Daily Press, 23rd Sep 2010 more >>
Cheddar Valley Gazette 23rd Sept 2010 more >>
Somerset County Gazette 22nd Sept 2010 more >>
Rights and wrongs of nuclear expansion at Hinkley Point
30 minute in depth interview with Crispin Aubrey from Stop Hinkley campaign
BCfm 93.2fm in Bristol 17th September 2010 more >>
hi-fi 17th Sept 2010 more >>
The race to land one of the biggest earthworks contracts in recent years is down to three with the winner due to find out next month who has picked up the £100m job. It will be the first significant construction contract at the Hinkley Point nuclear power station being planned by French utility giant EDF Energy with the prize contract being a £1.2bn main civils deal.
Construction Enquirer 23rd Sept 2010 more >>
Radwaste
Letter Marianne Birkby: Who in their right mind would oppose “Managing Radioactive Wastes Safely”? The cleverly titled Managing Radioactive Wastes Safely Partnership is designed to stifle any opposition to the geological ‘disposal’ of high-level nuclear waste.
Carlisle News & Star 23rd Sept 2010 more >>
A key public meeting on whether west Cumbria will host an underground nuclear dump has been cancelled because the Government has not agreed to fund the group behind it.
The West Cumbria Managing Radioactive Waste Safely Partnership (MRWS) was scheduled to meet at the Hunday Manor Hotel, near Workington, next Wednesday. The group, made up of representatives from Allerdale, Copeland and Cumbria councils, was set up to carry out research and consult the public on whether west Cumbria should host a ‘geological disposal facility’ for high level radioactive waste.
Cumberland News 23rd Sept 2010 more >>
Legal
DLA Piper has added a partner to its finance and projects practice with the hire of an in-house energy specialist. Darren Walsh joined the national firm’s Manchester office earlier this month from Simon Carves, the global construction and engineering subsidiary of India’s Punj Lloyd, where he was vice president, handling legal and commercial affairs. He has more than 15 years’ experience in the domestic and international nuclear and energy sector and specialises in reactor and waste management and the international transport of nuclear materials. He previously worked for British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) and British Nuclear Group. Walsh will be reunited with DLA Piper Manchester energy partner Ian Wood, after the duo worked together at BNFL on the restructuring of the UK’s civil nuclear industry in the mid-2000s.
Legal Week 23rd Sept 2010 more >>
Germany
The German government is to investigate whether a temporary site for the storage of nuclear waste in the northern town of Gorleben could be turned into a permanent facility. The review, due to start in October, may be overseen by private bodies.
ENDS Europe 22nd Sept 2010 more >>
Iran
Iran on Thursday withdrew a bid for a seat on the U.N. nuclear watchdog’s policy-setting board after failing to win consensus backing from a regional group of Middle East and South Asian countries.Iran is under an eight-year U.N. investigation over its nuclear programme, which the West suspects is aimed at developing bombs and the Islamic Republic says is for peaceful power generation purposes only.
STV 24th Sept 2010 more >>
The world’s first cyber ‘super weapon’ may have been designed to attack a nuclear power station in Iran, experts believe.
A computer virus called Stuxnet has been described as the most sophisticated ‘worm’ ever created and has already infected more than 45,000 networks worldwide.
Daily Mail 24th Sept 2010 more >>
Intensifying economic difficulties at home, bitter factional infighting, and a regional power balance that is shifting to Iran’s disadvantage are among the factors currently pushing Tehran towards resumed nuclear negotiations with the western powers. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is an oddball among international leaders. But Iran’s president is still a politician at heart – and after a fairly disastrous 12 months following last year’s disputed elections, he badly needs a win.
Guardian 24th Sept 2010 more >>
Trident
Burnham MP, Liberal Democrat, Tessa Munt threatens to quit whip over Trident.
This is Dorset 23rd Dept 2010 more >>
Britain gave a direct promise to the United States that it would keep its nuclear deterrent and maintain special forces after the Pentagon expressed alarm at the scale of the spending cuts.
Liam Fox, the Defence Secretary, made the pledges in Washington after talks with his US counterpart, Robert Gates.
Times 24th Sept 2010 more >>
The arguments advanced for Britain’s independent deterrent have altered, but the essential judgment made by Attlee was right. In a world that includes hostile and bellicose regimes, and in which there is no world government capable of countering aggression, an independent deterrent is Britain’s insurance against nuclear blackmail. And even though the replacement of the current Trident missile system will cost a lot of money, Britain’s most powerful ally wishes this country to maintain an independent nuclear force.
Times 24th Sept 2010 more >>
Letters Dr Julian Lewis: When Conservative MPs met to consider forming the coalition, just after the general election, the renewal of Trident was therefore specifically listed as a Conservative commitment which the Liberals accepted. This guarantee, spelt out by my party leader, reassured me as the defence team’s then spokesman on the nuclear deterrent. Now we find that the Liberal Democrats have no intention of keeping their word and it is suggested that, to humour them, the prime minister may postpone the “main gate” decision on Trident until after the next election.
Guardian 24th Sept 2010 more >>
Kate Hudson: Putting Trident firmly within the MoD’s budget has clearly focused minds on the relative merits of nuclear and conventional forces, with a growing number of ministers and senior military figures coming to the conclusion that Trident is a militarily useless trophy.
Guardian 24th Sept 2010 more >>
The British coalition government’s strategic defence and security review is degenerating into a dogfight which has everything to do with politics and money, little to do with strategy. The prime minister’s personal instinct is to act radically, to reconfigure the armed forces for the post-cold war world. But Liam Fox, defence secretary, together with his officials and Royal Air Force and Royal Navy chiefs, are fighting doggedly for a traditionalist approach, in which aircraft carriers and like-for-like replacement of the Trident deterrent dominate the defence budget and Britain’s future capabilities.
FT 23rd Sept 2010 more >>
Liberal Democrats have demanded a review of plans to replace Trident, placing them in opposition to the Conservatives over the future of Britain’s independent nuclear deterrent.
Birmingham Post 23rd Sept 2010 more >>
Renewables
The official opening of the Thanet windfarm off the coast of Kent – the biggest offshore project in the world – means that Britain generates more power from offshore wind than the rest of the world put together.
Guardian 24th Sept 2010 more >>
Independent 24th Sept 2010 more >>
Times 24th Sept 2010 more >>
A new and ambitious target that renewable energy should be generating the equivalent of 80 per cent of electricity consumed in Scotland by 2020 has been set by Alex Salmond. But finance experts have warned that the power industry will find it hard to raise the £18 billion estimated as the investment needed to reach this target. Latest figures show that renewable energy production mainly from onshore wind and hydro is equivalent to 22 per cent of Scottish electricity consumption. Mr Salmond said yesterday that with Scotland already on the path to a low-carbon economy, it was time to lead the renewable revolution. The move was welcomed by Scottish Renewables, the industry lobbying body, which yesterday published a report it commissioned which argued that the 80 per cent target was easily attainable. The report by Garrad Hassan, energy consultants, examined existing proposals for renewable projects and current build rates.
Times 24th Sept 2010 more >>
Scotsman 24th Sept 2010 more >>
Herald 24th Sept 2010 more >>
