Hinkley
Somerset residents who want to have a say on the Hinkley Point nuclear power station proposal are being invited to a series of drop-in sessions. The Infrastructure Planning Commission yesterday announced that it is satisfied it can proceed to decide the application, submitted by EDF Energy.
This is Somerset 25th Nov 2011 more >>
The Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) has formally accepted for examination EDF Energy’s application to build a nuclear power station at the existing Hinkley Point nuclear site on the north Somerset coast. Provided all goes to schedule the multi-billion pound project should be determined by the energy secretary early in 2013 following consideration by the IPC and its successor, the Major Infrastructure Planning Unit (MIPU).
Utility Week 25th Nov 2011 more >>
Sellafield
CORE Briefing on NDA Options for THORP. An estimated 400 tonnes of overseas spent fuel that should have been completed around 2004, plus some 2000 tonnes of UK AGR fuel remains to be reprocessed. In addition, a further 4000+ tonnes of spent AGR fuel (including the currently expected lifetime arisings from the UKs fleet of AGR power stations) are destined either for long-term storage at Sellafield prior to disposal or for reprocessing at the NDAs discretion. Should 5-year extensions be granted to the AGR power stations, a further 900 tonnes of spent fuel would arise.
CORE 25th Nov 2011 more >>
There’s a hole in DECC’s Bucket / Energy Policy: The nukes are too hot, dear Liza, dear Liza, the nukes are too hot, dear Liza, too hot. Then cool them, dear Hendry, dear Hendry, dear Hendry, then cool them dear Hendry, dear Hendry, cool them.
101 uses for nuclear power 25th Nov 2011 more >>
Heysham
Heysham power station bosses have apologised for frightening neighbours with a loud noise. The disturbance was caused by a relief valve opening to emit steam at high pressure at about 9.30pm on Thursday November 24. Operators EDF said Heysham 2 unit 7 was returning to power from a planned maintenance outage when the valve automatically opened as part of the plants return to service. EDF said this caused some very loud noises for a few minutes which could be heard near to the station.
The Visitor 25th Nov 2011 more >>
Sizewell
THE proposed Sizewell C nuclear power station is on a list of 72 projects which the UKs construction industry would most like to see unlocked by Government action.
East Anglia Daily Times 25th Nov 2011 more >>
Old Nukes
A total of 3,970 MW of nuclear capacity is offline at the moment.
Reuters 25th Nov 2011 more >>
Dounreay
WORK has started on a £100 million project to build six 65ft-deep vaults to store nuclear waste at Dounreay, each covering an area the size of a football pitch. Around 100 jobs are expected to be created in the construction of the facility which will be the first of its type to be built in Scotland since the 1950s and the first ever to be granted planning permission.
Herald 26th Nov 2011 more >>
BBC 25th Nov 2011 more >>
Nuclear consortium Babcock Dounreay Partnership has been selected as preferred bidder to take over ownership of decommissioning company Dounreay Site Restoration in northern Scotland.
New Civil Engineer 25th Nov 2011 more >>
Waste Transport
Link to the english version of a news ticker made by activists about the nuclear waste being transported from France to Germany. On the ticker its possible to see where the castor currently is and what actions are happening.
Linksunten 25th Nov 2011 more >>
A French train carrying 150 tonnes of reprocessed nuclear waste entered Germany on Friday en route to a storage site after a 24-hour stop at the border following clashes between riot police and anti-nuclear activists.
Reuters 25th Nov 2011 more >>
Thousands of German anti-nuclear protesters mobilised Friday against a train carrying radioactive nuclear waste from France that has already sparked violent opposition. The train with 11 wagons of reprocessed German nuclear waste crossed the Franco-German border early on Friday, stopping for more than five hours at the small German town of Neunkirchen to change engines. Protests had been “peaceful”, said authorities.
AFP 25th Nov 2011 more >>
Telegraph 25th Nov 2011 more >>
BBC 25th Nov 2011 more >>
Opinion Polls
A worldwide poll has shown widely varying levels of support for the use of nuclear energy. A large majority in countries that use nuclear want to keep doing so, but only a few nations showed strong support for new build.
World Nuclear News 25th Nov 2011 more >>
Public opposition to nuclear power has grown since 2005, according to a survey of 23,231 adults in 23 countries. Conducted by GlobeScan for the BBC, the survey shows that many people believe renewable and not nuclear energy can meet future needs.
Engineer 5th Nov 2011 more >>
Decommissioning
Slithering into confined spaces, tackling tasks too difficult or dangerous for humans, the Snake-arm robot can “reach the unreachable” say its UK inventors, OC Robotics.
CNN 25th Nov 2011 more >>
Radhealth
Dr Ian Fairlie has a new website. See for example “Are Radiation Risks Overrated?” During 2010 and 2011, several newspaper articles claimed that the risks of low levels of ionising radiation have been exaggerated and that radiation limits should be relaxed. These reports have cited, in particular, a retired scientist, Dr Wade Allison, who proposes that there are no observable effects from radiation exposures below a level of 100 mSv or 200 mSv. In his best selling 2009 book Bad Science, Ben Goldacre roundly criticised the many distorted and misleading science articles found in UK newspapers and media. The above newspaper articles and BBC programmes are further examples of such bad science. But they have created concern and confusion in many peoples minds: its necessary to try and set the record straight.
Ian Fairlie 24th Nov 2011 more >>
India
Since August 2011, Tamil Nadu has witnessed renewed protests against the commissioning of the first of two 1,000 MW power plants as part of the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP). While protests have been ongoing against the project since the proposal was mooted in 1988, the impending commissioning of the reactors in light of the devastating and uncontrollable nuclear meltdown in Fukushima, Japan, has rightly triggered a wave of concern among thinking people in India.
Weekend Leader 25th Nov 2011 more >>
Iran & Kuwait
As the sabre-rattling against Iran becomes more deafening – with threats of potentially creating a few Chenobyls or a Fukushima by bombing working nuclear power plants – another potential nuclear madness is planned. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) appears to be behaving in a partisan and shameless way regarding Iran, much as it did with Iraq. Consider then the case of Kuwait which is “blessed with an abundance of natural petroleum resources,” and that it has advanced plans for up to four nuclear power stations – two to be built on the islands of Warba and Bubiyan.
Morning Star 25th Nov 2011 more >>
Sir Malcolm Rifkind: A nuclear Iran would trigger nuclearisation of the entire Middle East and it must be prevented.
Conservative Home 25th Nov 2011 more >>
Poland
Poland’s top utility PGE shortlisted three sites by the Baltic coast on Friday as possible locations for the country’s first nuclear power plant, which it hopes will help to lessen its reliance on highly polluting coal.
Reuters 25th Nov 2011 more >>
Renewables
Senior officials at the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) are sceptical that solar can play a significant role in the UK’s future energy mix and are committed to restricting demand for the technology to a level where it becomes little more than “a toy for rich boys”. BusinessGreen has learned senior figures within the department recently met solar panel manufacturers in an attempt to explain its heavily criticised handling of the proposed cuts to solar feed-in tariffs and secure support for its plans to limit access to solar incentives to buildings that meet demanding energy-efficiency standards.
Business Green 25th Nov 2011 more >>
Businesses and communities across Britain will from Monday be able to apply for a heat tariff payment, ushering in a new era of clean green heat technology, Greg Barker said today. The worlds first Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) will be open to applicants from Monday 28 November, providing payments for heat generated from renewable technologies including biomass boilers, solar thermal equipment and heat pumps installed since 15 July 2009.
DECC 25th Nov 2011 more >>
Climate
The will to act on climate change is out of political energy, running on empty. The problem is (relatively) distant, complex and intractable. The solution is costly, immediate, and the gains uncertain. It is the kind of slow-burn crisis that democratic politicians only tackle under sustained popular pressure and right now western voters have other things on their minds. Here, the government that promised to be the greenest ever is allowing emission-cutting policies to appear an indulgent hangover from a more prosperous age. Starting on Monday, when the 17th climate change conference opens in Durban, Africa has the opportunity to remind the rest of us why inaction is not an option.
Guardian 25th Nov 2011 more >>
It will involve 10,000 officials from 194 countries in a massive, complex negotiation. But pessimism is in the air as the world community comes together again on Monday to try to negotiate a new deal on climate change.
Independent 26th Nov 2011 more >>
