New nukes
Britain’s leading energy companies have held secret talks with British Energy, the electricity generator, about building a new generation of nuclear power stations. Executives from Scottish & Southern Energy and Centrica, the utilities giant that owns British Gas, are understood to have had discussions in recent weeks. Although the talks are at a very early stage, they are the first sign that domestic energy suppliers are considering an active role in Britain’s nuclear future when the Government gives the go-ahead for new nuclear stations later this year. So far only continental European energy groups such as France’s EdF have publicly stated their interest in participating in a new generation of nuclear reactors in Britain.
Sunday Telegraph 25th March 2007
Nuclear Waste
NUCLEAR POWER stations across the country are likely to end up as dumps for thousands of tonnes of radioactive waste under plans to be unveiled by ministers in the next few days. Nuclear sites at Hunterston in North Ayrshire, Torness in East Lothian and Chapelcross in Dumfries and Galloway could all have to build new stores for low-level waste. The Dounreay complex in Caithness has already applied for planning permission for such a store. Though the principle of disposing of radioactive waste where it was created is backed by anti-nuclear groups, it may not be welcomed by local communities. Dounreay’s planned facility has sparked furious opposition from villagers in nearby Buldoo. The Scottish Executive, along with the Westminster government, is about to publish a strategy for the management of solid low-level radioactive waste. UK nuclear sites have amassed 31,000 tonnes of such waste, and are expected to produced at least 2.8 million tonnes more as they are decommissioned.
Sunday Herald 25th March 2007
Berkeley
The £1 billion clean-up of the county’s old Berkeley Nuclear Power Station should end with nature being allowed to reclaim the site, concludes a new survey.During community consultation most people have said they’d like to see the 43 hectares of land near the River Severn eventually used as a nature reserve or for recreation.
Gloucerstershire Citizen 24th March 2007
Iran
The Security Council imposed further sanctions on Iran on 24 March 2007 following Iran’s failure to comply with a 21 February 2007 deadline to stop the enrichment of uranium.
BBC 24th March 2007
Sky News 24th March 2007
If Tehran would have only focused on building nuclear power plants, it would be able to export more of the oil and natural gas it produces and avoid a growing confrontation with the U.N. Security Council and the United States. ‘I think that most people now understand that Iran is doing two quite distinct things,’ said Ian Hore-Lacy, director of public communications for the London-based World Nuclear Association. ‘One is it has a perfectly legitimate nuclear power program for generating electricity. And the second is that it is enriching uranium without any commercial justification for that.’
Monsters and Critics 25th March 2007
THE architects of Iran’s illegal nuclear programme will face a squeeze on their personal finances as a result of tighter United Nations sanctions that were due to be approved by the security council last night. A new package of sanctions aimed at forcing Tehran to halt its uranium enrichment will target companies, banks and individuals associated with nuclear and missile development programmes.
Sunday Times 25th March 2007
Middle East
Greenpeace’s Rainbow Warrior has dropped anchor in Egypt’s Mediterranean port of Alexandria to deliver an unequivocal message against nuclear programmes — civilian and military — to a region suddenly hungry for atomic power.
Japan Today 25th March 2007
