Hinkley
A deal for the £24.5bn power plant in Somerset could be signed in October after the Government agreed terms with the energy giant EDF. But, writes Tom Bawden, environmentalists are far from alone in opposing an ‘expensive mistake’. After years of wrangling, the Government and EDF – the energy giant that will operate Hinkley Point C and own around half of it – have agreed a deal that would guarantee EDF a price of £92.50 per megawatt hour of the electricity it generates, rising with inflation, up to 2061. That’s nearly three times the current price, suggesting households may have to hand over a substantial subsidy to the French state-controlled generator in the form of higher bills. Despite the strength of opposition to the project, David Cameron is expected to sign a final deal in October during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the UK; the Chinese are big backers of the project. An in-depth report into Hinkley Point C by HSBC bank saw “ample reason for the UK Government to delay or cancel the project”. It argued that the justification for the plant was “receding” because the UK’s energy consumption is falling just as a threefold rise in the number of giant interconnectors, hooking the country up with mainland Europe, means we could import energy much more cheaply than generating it at Hinkley Point. Furthermore, while UK electricity generation is set to fall, capacity looks set to hold up surprisingly well, in part because of rising wind and solar power. As a result, the strike price is very difficult to justify, HSBC argued.
Independent 27th Aug 2015 read more »
Energy Supplies – Scotland
Scottish Power agrees with Brian Wilson (Perspective, 22 August) that Scotland faces the prospect of importing more power from England, and it is regrettable that no energy companies are proposing new thermal power stations in Scotland. Unfortunately this was the intention of a policy designed to make it more expensive to connect to the national grid in Scotland. Our announcement of the closure of Longannet last week was as a result of increasing costs from taxes and charges.
Scotsman 28th Aug 2015 read more »
South Africa
Government’s plans to build new nuclear plants costing as much as $100 billion are encountering mounting opposition from within the government and ruling party over the project’s affordability. While Energy Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson insists contracts to build new reactors will be awarded by the end of March, the ANC and National Treasury have sounded warnings that the country may be unable to afford the cost. Labour unions that support the ANC and opposition parties have voiced similar concerns.
Sunday Times 27th Aug 2015 read more »
Kazakhstan
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Kazakhstan signed an agreement today for the establishment of a Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) bank to be located at the Ulba Metallurgical Plant in Oskemen, northeast Kazakhstan, the IAEA said in a statement.
Nucnet 27th Aug 2015 read more »
World Nuclear News 27th Aug 2015 read more »
Korea
South Korea is drawing up plans to “decapitate” the top leadership in North Korea in the event that a new crisis between the two countries looks like it is descending into nuclear war.
Telegraph 28th Aug 2015 read more »
Sweden
Sweden generates almost 35 percent of its electricity from nuclear power – just shy of the amount that it generates from all renewable sources combined. It was big news and more than a little surprising then when Swedish utility company Vattenfall announced earlier this year it was closing its Ringhals 1 and 2 nuclear reactors. Combined, the Ringhals reactors generated 9.8 terawatts-hours of electricity in 2014 versus 11.6 terawatt-hours produced by all of the wind turbines in Sweden combined. The company shut down the reactors in response to a combination of relatively low wholesale power prices and the announcement by the Swedish government that taxes on nuclear power would increase starting in August. Vattenhall’s decision highlights an under-the-radar industry disruption taking place around the world. Sweden has been a bit dubious of nuclear power for decades, but the current shutdown is an economic decision as much as a political one.
Oil Price 27th Aug 2015 read more »
Nuclear Weapons
Pakistan could have the world’s third largest stockpile of nuclear weapons after the US and Russia within a decade if it continues to build up to 20 nuclear warheads annually, a new report warns. The report, written by two respected US analysts and published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, concluded that Pakistan is outpacing India, with its neighbour and rival appearing to produce just five warheads annually. Western diplomats who keep close track of the two countries’ nuclear capabilities believe India has about 100 nuclear warheads while Pakistan has produced about 120. Pakistan has the world’s sixth-largest stockpile of nuclear weapons, behind Russia, the US, France, China and the UK. Asked to comment on the findings, a senior Pakistani government official told the Financial Times that the “projections [in the report] for the future are highly exaggerated. Pakistan is a responsible nuclear state, not a reckless one”. Nonetheless the build-up of nuclear capacity is striking in the context of efforts to prevent neighbouring Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
FT 27th Aug 2015 read more »
Carnegie Endowment 27th Aug 2015 read more »
NPR 27th Aug 2015 read more »
Fusion
Naysayers love to claim that nuclear fusion is always decades away — and always will be — but the reality is we’ve moved ever closer to the breakeven point and solved a large number of technical challenges over the past twenty years. Nuclear fusion, if we ever achieve it on a large scale, will usher in a new era for humanity: one where energy conservation is a thing of the past, as the fuel for our heart’s desires will literally be without limits.
Forbes 27th Aug 2015 read more »
Renewables – solar
The UK government is to cut support for domestic rooftop solar to 13% of current levels, with similar cuts for bigger systems, and end all support for small scale renewables by 2019. The likely result, and surely the intention, is to kill off the UK’s solar industry altogether. Just a few years ago, UK solar installations up to 4kW in capacity were eligible for 43p per kilowatt-hour (kWh) generated. That has since fallen to 12.47p, a rate available until December 2014. But now the ‘feed-in tariff’ (FIT) support is set to collapse to just 1.63p per kWh.
Ecologist 27th Aug 2015 read more »
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is proposing to cut the feed-in tariff rates for solar PV installations by as much as 87%. Publishing the outcome of the long-awaited feed-in tariff review, the government is proposing deep cuts to all bands from 1 January 2016.
Solar Power Portal 27th Aug 2015 read more »
The scale of the planned feed-in tariff cuts have sent shock waves through the renewables industry – BusinessGreen looks at the key proposals. Newspaper reports had suggested feed-in tariff incentives for solar could be halved. In reality, a 50 per cent cut would have been like manna from heaven compared to the changes now being proposed. Under the new plans, the smallest solar arrays with less than 4kW of capacity would see generation tariffs on offer cut by 87 per cent from next January. Across the board, new bandings are being proposed for different arrays along with cuts of around 80 per cent. Moreover, a new degression pathway for cutting tariffs each quarter is proposed that would see FiT incentives end for new sub-10kW and 10,000kW-plus installations by January 2019.
Business Green 27th Aug 2015 read more »
The UK government says it plans to significantly reduce subsidies paid to small-scale green power installations. Under the proposals, the amount of money paid to home owners and businesses producing electricity from roof-top solar and small wind turbines will be limited from January 2016. Subsidy schemes could be closed to new entrants from the start of next year. Ministers want to ensure that consumers who pay for the schemes through their bills get the best deal possible.
BBC 27th Aug 2015 read more »
FT 27th Aug 2015 read more »
Times 28th Aug 2015 read more »
“These absurd solar cuts will send UK energy policy massively in the wrong direction and prevent almost a million homes, schools and hospitals from plugging in to clean, renewable energy,” said FoE. Mike Landy, head of policy at the Solar Trade Association, added: “This is the antithesis of a sensible policy for achieving better public value for money while safeguarding the British solar industry.”
Independent 27th Aug 2015 read more »
Solar panels now cost around £6,800 for a typical 4kW system, down from £8,400 three years ago, according to the Renewable Energy Consumer Code. Currently, a typical 4kW system generates 3,400 kWh per year. This would earn £302.09 a year in feed-in-tariff payments. But when the rate drops to 1.63p for the generation tariff in January, the payouts drop to £110. Assuming generation stays at the same levels, this leads to a £3,840 reduction in payments versus the existing rate over a 20-year period, before taking inflation into account. The cost of a set of solar panels would need to fall by more than £800 for home owners to see a return on their initial investment, according to calculations by the Energy Saving Trust. Philip Sellwood, of the Energy Saving Trust, said: “The new rate is no longer cost effective for householders. Prices would need to fall by £840 by January for new panels to be cost-neutral in a typical home.” He added that Government payouts have brought down the cost of solar panels by increasing demand. “The feed-in-tariff has been extremely successful in driving the uptake of solar panels in the UK which has helped photovoltaic prices to fall by nearly 70pc in the past five years,” he said. Solar panel installers have reported an unprecedented rise in inquiries from home owners keen to install panels before the payouts drop. “The industry won’t be able to cope with this extreme cut in the tariff rates,” said Leonie Greene from the Solar Trade Association, an industry body representing installers. “We will have a massive boom in demand before January which installers can’t meet. “There was nothing in the Conservative manifesto about attacking solar power – we do not accept this is in the public mandate,” Ms Greene added.
Telegraph 27th Aug 2015 read more »
Colin Calder, chief executive of a solar supply firm PassivSystems, put it more strongly, saying: “It is extremely disappointing to see the government once more targeting the rooftop solar PV [photovoltaics] market with tariff changes that are so extreme they will destroy an entire industry overnight, putting thousands of jobs and many businesses at risk.” Juliet Davenport, chief executive of leading green power supplier Good Energy, hoped ministers would change their minds. “The feed-in tariff has transformed the way the UK generates its power over the last three years, with over 21% of the UK’s power coming from renewables in the early part of 2015, and over 700,000 homes generating their own power,” she said. Environmental campaigners at Friends of the Earth said the move further undermined David Cameron’s credibility on tackling climate change in the runup to key talks in Paris later this year.
Guardian 27th Aug 2015 read more »
The UK’s Department of Energy and Climate Change has proposed to make calamitous cuts to the country’s renewable energy Feed-in Tariff scheme. Ever since the re-election of the country’s Conservative Government and the appointment of MP Amber Rudd to the position of Energy and Climate Change Secretary, the UK’s renewable energy industry has been on tenterhooks, as proposal after rumor after proposal placed the industry in ever more increasing jeopardy. DECC has now proposed a cut to the Feed-in Tariff scheme in a review of the system that is set to end on October 23. According to the “Consultation on a review of the Feed-in Tariffs scheme” published by the DECC Thursday, the proposals include “measures to place policy costs on bills on a sustainable footing, improve bill payer value for money, and limit the effects on consumers who ultimately pay for renewable energy subsidies.” The cuts to the FiT will affect solar PV, wind, and hydropower projects, and attempt to cap government spending on FiTs to £75 million to £100 million from 2016 to 2018/19. Most noticeably, domestic solar support could be cut by 87%, commercial rooftops by 82%, as well as devastating cuts to onshore wind.
Renew Economy 28th Aug 2015 read more »
These are challenging times for renewable energy in the UK. An industry which delivers the equivalent of almost half Scotland’s electricity and employs tens of thousands of people now finds itself fighting for its life under a barrage of UK government cuts and hamstrung by crippling uncertainty. Over the past few months, the Treasury has cut onshore wind subsidies; solar subsidies; the energy efficiency budget; the obligation for new homes to be zero carbon; the escalating tax on polluting industry; and low vehicle excise duty on energy efficient cars. It has also introduced a tax on green energy. Now, with billions of pounds of investment and thousands of jobs already under threat, the government’s attention has turned to small-scale renewables – a sector which has helped homeowners use solar PV panels to cut carbon emissions and reduce their energy bills, ensured the survival of rural businesses and brought vital income to communities across the UK.
Scotsman 28th Aug 2015 read more »
Leading environmental NGOs WWF, RSPB and Stop Climate Chaos have today called on the Scottish government to make it easier for homeowners and businesses to generate clean energy. The Scottish branches of the NGOs have together argued the nation’s Permitted Development Rights scheme needs to be extended to non-domestic solar panels and domestic air source heat pumps. The call comes as Holyrood prepares to close its consultation on extending the scheme, which allows for certain building and technology developments to go ahead without needing to go through the sometimes costly and lengthy planning application process. The consultation is seeking to establish whet her there is support to bring the scheme in-line with similar programmes in England and Wales. Gina Hanrahan, WWF Scotland’s climate and energy policy officer, said extending the rights to renewable energy could improve uptake.
Business Green 27th Aug 2015 read more »
H&V News 27th Aug 2015 read more »
Scotsman 28th Aug 2015 read more »
Grid Connections
Aberdeenshire Council has approved onshore works for the Northconnect interconnector between Scotland and Norway. Partners aim to lay shoreside cables and build an electricity converter station to begin operations in 2022. The link will in part help to facilitate increased renewables penetration in both countries. Plans for the £1.3bn Northconnect project will join the National Grid to Norway via a 650km underwater power cable. The next step for the partners – Agder Energi, E-CO, Lyse and Vattenfall – is to submit plans for the sea-based part of the interconnector. Northconnect UK project manager Richard Blanchfield said: “This major investment is an opportunity for the north east economy, it will help keep the lights on in Scotland, press down on household electricity bills and allow the green powerhouses of Scotland and Scandinavia to deliver their low carbon potential. “Northconnect is also an important European project as it has been designated as a project of common interest and is being considered for Electricity Highway status by the EU.
ReNews 27th Aug 2015 read more »
Fossil Fuels
Plans to extract gas by unconventional means from under the Firth of Forth have been put on hold until political debate on the method is resolved. Cluff Natural Resources said it was halting work while the SNP ministers decide on their approach. Campaigners want Cluff’s development of underground coal gasification (UCG) included in a moratorium on fracking. A review of Scotland’s energy needs is under way and the issue may be debated at the SNP’s autumn conference.
BBC 27th Aug 2015 read more »
