New Nukes
Olkiluoto3, which, like its sister construction in France, has been beset with problems. Nonetheless, the pair are being presented as part of a “nuclear renaissance”, driven by the price of fossil fuels, the need to reduce carbon emissions and the perceived impossibility of meeting our energy needs via renewable sources. Encouraged by the UK government, a behind-the-scenes scramble for control of the sites supporting our existing fleet of 19 reactors is under way, on the assumption that these will be the most likely spots for new-build. With up to a third of these old stations due for retirement within 20 years, the UK is being seen as a beachhead from which new fleets might be rolled out across Europe and the world.
Guardian 28th June 2008 more >>
Tony Blair admitted yesterday that he could have done more in his decade as prime minister to tackle the threat posed by climate change. Given that most of the new power stations being built in India and China will be coal-fired, Blair repeated his support for an expansion of nuclear power.
Guardian 28th June 2008 more >>
Letter from Professor David Elliott: It is good to see bold targets being set for renewable energy. But it appears that there could be a conflict with the government’s parallel commitment to greatly expanded nuclear power. UK “baseload” is about 20 gigawatts (GW), nearly a quarter of total UK generating capacity – this is kept available at all times and supplies all the electricity required at periods of low demand, like at night. It is currently proposed that we build perhaps 20GW of new nuclear plant. In addition it is proposed that by 2020 we should have up to 30GW of offshore wind capacity and perhaps an 8.6GW tidal barrage on the Severn Estuary. Nuclear plants can’t easily vary their power output to follow changing consumer demand patterns and are, in any case, usually kept running at full power in order to pay for their significant capital costs. At periods of low demand it would seem therefore that, in the absence of major electricity storage facilities, if wind or tidal energy inputs to the grid are available, the electricity from these, or any other renewables sources, could not actually be used. Put simply, for much of the time, big renewables and big nuclear would be incompatible.
Guardian 28th June 2008 more >>
Climate
Letter from Colin Challen MP: Nicholas Stern’s doubling from 1% to 2% of GDP the amount he thinks needs spending on mitigating climate change is welcome, but why hasn’t he gone the whole hog and trebled it to the 3% identified in his original report, which may give us an evens chance of keeping within a two degrees temperature increase? The fact is, we haven’t even spent anything like 1%, or £14bn per annum, since Stern’s report was published, and every pound we don’t spend in one year is carried forward to the next. Like an unmanageable credit card bill, we will eventually be drowned in interest payments, except in this case the “interest” is the carbon budget which we’re spending like there’s no tomorrow. Well before 2050, that budget will be exhausted.
Guardian 28th June 2008 more >>
Chernobyl
The FSA has published three reports on the monitoring of sheep at farms remaining under post-Chernobyl restrictions. As a result of the surveys: two farms in Scotland have been de-restricted – leaving five under restriction; no farms were recommended for de-restriction in Cumbria – with nine farms remaining under restriction. It was impossible to conduct any surveys in North Wales last year, due to the outbreak of foot and mouth disease. In 1986, almost 9000 farms were under these restrictions in the UK. Since then, the levels of radioactivity have fallen in some of the affected areas. The number of farms still under restriction in Cumbria, Scotland and Wales – the areas covered by the three reports – is now 369.
Food Standards Agency 27th June 2008 more >>
Companies
Ian King will push BAE into alternative businesses such as building nuclear power stations to offset falling defence spending. The new chief executive wants Europe’s largest defence company to expand into the civil sector. Initially, these efforts will focus on the provision of security and antiterrorism equipment in the UK, the United States and South Africa. However, Mr King is also understood to be interested in using BAE’s nuclear submarine capability in the civil market.
Times 28th June 2008 more >>
Sellafield
Workers at the Sellafield nuclear plant are to be balloted over industrial action after pay talks broke down. The union Prospect rejected a 2% offer in May, describing it as the “worst in living memory”.
BBC 27th June 2008 more >>
Decommissioning
Corus Process Engineering has successfully completed the manufacture and assembly of two six metre diameter steel lifting girdles which will be used to remove 400 tonne heat exchangers from Calder Hall.
Engineer 27th June 2007 more >>
North Korea
By blowing up the cooling tower of its Yongbyon nuclear facility yesterday and publishing a report on its nuclear program on June 26, North Korea signaled its willingness to begin a nuclear disarmament program.
World Socialist Web 28th June 2008 more >>
Independent 28th June 2008 more >>
Times 28th June 2008 more >>
ITN 27th June 2008 more >>
Telegraph 27th June 2008 more >>
Aberdeen Press & Journal 28th June 2008 more >>
Daily Mail 27th June 2008 more >>
Guardian 27th June 2008 more >>
Today the ministers from the Group of Eight industrialised countries met in Kyoto, Japan, for a second day of talks expected to focus on nuclear programs in North Korea and Iran, the Middle East peace process, and the furore over Zimbabwe’s presidential election.
Wales Online 27th June 2008 more >>
