New Nukes
Mark Lynas: Of all the dangers of a hung parliament, the lights going out is not thought to be one of them. Yet this could be the perverse result, if the Liberal Democrats end up holding the balance of power and insist on halting the UK’s nuclear new-build programme as their condition for joining any cross-party coalition. Already, the heads of companies such as RWE npower are reconsidering nuclear investments and holding back until the political landscape becomes clearer. Simon Hughes would do well to consult Wade Allison. Allison’s new book looks at evidence from Chernobyl and Hiroshima, which demonstrates that very low doses of radiation are unlikely to have negative health effects, and may even be beneficial. (Of those who took a big hit in Chernobyl, roughly 50 died from radiation poisoning; others with lower doses have closer-to-normal mortality rates.)
New Statesman 26th Mar 2010 more >>
Anti-nuclear campaigners have welcomed criticism by the Commons Select Committee Energy Committee over the way plans for the country’s nuclear expansion are being handled. The Select Committee has called for a parliamentary debate on the National Policy Statements which underpins the proposals for new power stations. These include “potentially suitable” sites at Sellafield, Braystones and Kirksanton. The committee’s spokesman Paddy Tipping MP said: “The National Policy statements on energy will be crucial for delivering our energy and climate change objectives. “As ministers will no longer determine planning consent for nationally important infrastructure in the future, it is vital that the NPSs (new planning commission for considering power station applications) are underpinned by a full democratic mandate.” According to Cumbrians Opposed to a Radioactive Environment, the Committee was being critical of “the government attempt to push through plans to build nuclear power stations and other UK sites”. CORE spokesman Martin Forwood declared: “In layman’s terms, the committee is pretty much describing the National Policy Statements and associated public consultation as a dog’s dinner.
Cumberland News 26th Mar 2010 more >>
Sizewell
Sizewell B power station had to be shut down as a safety precaution last week when higher than normal moisture levels were detected in a containment building. EDF Energy, which runs the facility, has confirmed a repair plan has been drawn up – although they have still declined to say exactly when it will be back up and running.
Ipswich Evening Star 26th Mar 2010 more >>
BBC 26th Mar 2010 more >>
ENERGY bosses have refused to say when Sizewell B will be back up and running after it was shut down as a safety precaution – amid calls for more openness with members of the public. An investigation is being carried out at the power station after the nuclear reactor was taken off-line because of abnormal readings in the containment building.
East Anglian Daily Times 26th Mar 2010 more >>
Hinkley
A NEW Hinkley Point nuclear power station is not needed and would leave an unacceptable radioactive waste legacy, according to a leading environmentalist. Jonathon Porritt voiced his views to a packed meeting of anti-nuclear campaigners who are opposing the scheme. Instead, he supports a Severn Estuary power-generating barrage as part of a sustainable alternative, in spite of its potential environmental and social costs.
This is Somerset 26th Mar 2010 more >>
Wylfa
Anglesey council executive has backed plans to create an Energy Island Team to see the island become a powerhouse for the north west Wales economy. The decision underlines the council’s commitment to its Energy Island vision, which would see Anglesey develop into a powerhouse for the north west Wales economy. The Anglesey Energy Island vision aims to create jobs through both nuclear and renewable energy projects.
News Wales 26th Mar 2010 more >>
Gordon Brown’s Government is keen to rescue the job market in Anglesey that has been badly hit by the closure of Rio Tinto’s smelting plant by turning the area into an “energy island”. That includes plans to push ahead with Wylfa B.
Daily Post 26th Mar 2010 more >>
Nuclear Waste
Plans to boost nuclear power hinge on overcoming intense public fears about radioactive waste — and mistrust that the government can safety store it — federal commissioners tasked to deal with the issue said on Friday. There’s little point in hammering out technical details about how to site a permanent nuclear waste dump without also convincing the public that storing waste won’t be a risk to health or the environment, argued Commissioner Albert Carnesale of the University of California at Los Angeles.
Reuters 26th Mar 2010 more >>
Germany
Germany’s government parties and ministries have agreed on a maximum lifespan for the country’s nuclear power plants, spokesmen confirmed today. Germany’s nuclear power plants will be able to run for up to 28 years in addition to the 32-year lifespan set by a left-Green government in 2000, according to an agreement by the chancellory, the economy and the environment ministries. According to the nuclear phase-out law of 2000 to be formally revised this year, the last nuclear power plant in Germany will go off line in 2023 at the latest.
Argus Media 26th Mar 2010 more >>
Disarmament
Russia and the US will sign their most comprehensive nuclear arms control agreement of the post-Cold War era in Prague next month, slashing their strategic warheads by a third, and making substantial cuts in missiles and other long-range delivery systems. The deal announced yesterday by Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev breaks years of deadlock but it is at least as important in diplomatic and political terms as in its purely military aspects. For Mr Obama, the new treaty is a foreign policy achievement to match his huge domestic victory this week in pushing through historic healthcare legislation and one that goes a long way to fulfil his administration’s pledge to “re-set” relations with its former superpower rival.
Independent 27th Mar 2010 more >>
Guardian 27th Mar 2010 more >>
Telegraph 27th Mar 2010 more >>
Daily Mail 27th Mar 2010 more >>
Aberdeen Press & Journal 27th Mar 2010 more >>
CND Press Release 26th Mar 2010 more >>
Mr Miliband said the UK was committed to a world without nuclear weapons and “stands ready” to take part in future multilateral disarmament talks. Campaigners CND urged world leaders to “build on this momentum”.
BBC 26th Mar 2010 more >>
Express 27th Mar 2010 more >>
The two countries have agreed on a new plan for offensive weapons, they differ on the subject of missile defence. The US hopes to install a shield of interceptor missiles in Europe to protect against potential attacks from countries like Iran. Russia suspects the shield is really there to block its own missiles, and in a separate, nonbinding statement has declared it reserves the right to withdraw from START if US missile defence plans seem to threaten its national security, the New York Times reports.
New Scientist 26th Mar 2010 more >>
The conclusion of a nuclear arms reduction agreement, after months of protracted and often fraught negotiations, suggest that relations between the US and Russia appear to be moving towards a position of grudging co-operation. The most important motive for the nuclear deal is the signal it seeks to send to the “great proliferators”, notably Iran. The Obama-Medvedev signing ceremony will be followed by two international conferences, on nuclear security and non-proliferation. Welcome though the deal is, the Americans and Russians are unlikely to make much immediate progress with the Iranians.
Guardian 27th Mar 2010 more >>
The repeated postponements of the publication of the US Nuclear Posture Review was partly due to the stand-off within the government, in which Biden has been pressing for a policy that minimises the scenarios under which America could resort to nuclear war, in opposition to Defense Secretary Robert Gates who wants to preserve the flexibility of the status quo. The traditional US policy has been “calculated ambiguity” – not allowing an enemy to know the precise circumstances in which he might provoke nuclear retaliation.
Telegraph 27th Mar 2010 more >>
