27 September 2008

New Nukes

General Electric Co.’s nuclear venture with Hitachi Ltd. asked the U.K. to temporarily halt the process of assessing the company’s latest reactor design and will focus its efforts on getting U.S. approval instead. GE-Hitachi requested the suspension of the assessment of its so-called Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor and will now focus its resources on a design certification process.

Bloomberg 17th Sept 2008 more >>

Letter: EDF’s proposals to build four new reactors at Sizewell and Hinckley Point (report, September 25) are misguided. These sites, of existing nuclear power stations, are a long way from major centres of population. This not only results in significant transmission losses, but would require the waste heat from the cooling water to be discharged into the North Sea and the Severn Estuary, as at present, needlessly contributing to global warming. New nuclear stations should be built on urban sites, where they can be designed as combined heat and power stations, with the cooling water circulating, safely via heat exchangers, through an extensive network of insulated pipes to provide district heating.

Telegraph 27th Sept 2008 more >>

The construction of new reactors could be delayed beyond 2020 under a clause that allows EDF to sit on key sites until 2011.

Contract Journal 26th Sept 2008 more >>

Scotland

Letter from Jim Mather MSP, Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism: I was deeply disappointed to read John Ritch of the World Nuclear Association (Burning issue, 25 September) state that “half of Scotland’s electricity comes from nuclear power”. This is plain wrong and vastly overstates the role nuclear plays in Scottish electricity generation. Indeed, the latest official statistics show that nuclear power’s share in Scottish generation plummeted from 38 per cent to 26 per cent in 2006. As this fall was due to unplanned outages, the nuclear lobby needs to check its claims that nuclear power is reliable.

Scotsman 27th Sept 2008 more >>

Sizewell

THE new French owners of British Energy have confirmed they still want to push ahead with controversial plans to build two nuclear reactors in Suffolk. The news was last night welcomed by MPs and some members of the local community – but campaigners have warned against the dangers of another plant at Sizewell.

East Anglian Daily Times 25th Sept 2008 more >>

British Energy

Various letters: It is astonishing that the British Government is championing the sale of British Energy to a foreign government. The headlines talk of the sale of our national nuclear generator to EDF, but the reality is this is essentially a sale to the French Government. It is difficult to envisage any other nation prepared to hand over control of such an important part of its infrastructure to another state.

Times 27th Sept 2008 more >>

Letter: It is lunacy for the UK government to allow the state-owned French company EDF to acquire British Energy plc, and thus effectively gain control of the British nuclear power industry. In fact, our government actively encouraged the takeover by agreeing to sell its own 36% minority shareholding in BE. This is an abdication of responsibility and a very short-sighted policy, all for a quick return of a few billion to the Exchequer to reduce the UK’s burgeoning national debt.

Herald 27th Sept 2008 more >>

Dounreay

Supplement on decommissioning Dounreay.

John O Groat Journal 26th Sept 2008 more >>

Letter: Some time in the next few weeks, Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross planning committee should meet to consider the application by DSRL to create a final disposal “facility” for low-level nuclear waste, and associated spoil heaps, near occupied houses at Buldoo.

John O Groat Journal 26th Sept 2008 more >>

India

Congressional approval for a US-India nuclear deal was yesterday embroiled in the protracted negotiations on Capitol Hill about the $700bn financial bail-out legislation. President George W. Bush met Manmohan Singh, the Indian prime minister, in the White House on Thursday evening as his officials worked hard to persuade Congress to pass legislation required to seal the deal.

FT 27th Sept 2008 more >>

US

South Carolina Electric & Gas has received approval from the Public Service Commission of South Carolina to proceed with initial clearing, excavation and construction work at the site where the company is planning to build a new nuclear power plant.

Energy Business Review 26th Sept 2008 more >>

Entergy has submitted a combined construction and operating license application to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to reserve the option to build a potential new reactor at its River Bend nuclear generating station in Louisiana.

Datamonitor 26th Sept 2008 more >>

Iran

International efforts to press Iran into dropping its nuclear programme received a boost yesterday when six world powers, including Russia, agreed to put a resolution before the UN security council.

Guardian 27th Sept 2008 more >>

Times 26th Sept 2008 more >>

Israel planned a bombing raid on Iran’s nuclear sites but backed down when it was told by George Bush he would not support it, it is reported today. Mr Bush added he did not expect to revise that view for the rest of his presidency, senior European diplomatic sources said.

Daily Mail 26th Sept 2008 more >>

Syria

The UN atomic watchdog’s probe into alleged illicit nuclear work in Syria has been delayed because the agency’s contact man in Syria was murdered, IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei revealed Thursday.

Middle East Online 26th Sept 2008 more >>

IAEA

Japan said on Friday it has nominated ambassador Yukiya Amano to head the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog when director Mohamed ElBaradei steps down next year. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said earlier this month that ElBaradei plans to leave office after his third term runs out next November.

Interactive Investor 26th Sept 2008 more >>

Coal

The Cabinet is split over whether to approve a controversial plan for a £1bn coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth in Kent which has become a key test of its green credentials. John Hutton, the Business Secretary, wants to approve the project even if it is not chosen for an experiment in which its carbon emissions would be “captured” and stored under the sea. But his position is strongly opposed by Hilary Benn, the Environment Secretary, and his predecessor David Miliband, now the Foreign Secretary. They believe the plant should not be built unless it can test commercial-scale carbon capture.

Independent 26th Sept 2008 more >>

Conservative View

Last week a leaked government document revealed that Labour ministers are lobbying the EU to allow Britain to meet up to half of its 2020 emissions reductions targets by buying credits from the developing world. By paying others to make carbon reductions for us, Labour are selling Britain short. There are many thousands of new and well-paid jobs that could be created in the UK with a major national push on energy efficiency, microgeneration and renewable energy technologies. We will be passing on the opportunity to lead the world in the conversion to a low-carbon economy.

Guardian 25th Sept 2008 more >>

Nuclear Weapons

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has announced plans to build a “guaranteed nuclear deterrent system”, to be in place by 2020.

BBC 26th Sept 2008 more >>