New Nukes
The nuclear industry has defended itself in the wake of a surge of support for the Liberal Democrats, the only major party to have a policy opposing the building of new nuclear power stations. The Nuclear Industry Association (NIA) questioned Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg’s assertion in last week’s leaders’ debate that new nuclear had little to offer the UK. During the debate, Clegg clashed with Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Conservative leader David Cameron over the UK’s future energy mix.
Professional Engineering 28th Apr 2010 more >>
Energy Policy
What’s the reason that Cameron, Brown and Clegg have been avoiding the subject of energy faster than they can dodge questions on the deficit. No one wants to talk about how bills are likely to increase by 60pc to pay for nuclear, clean coal, wind power and more gas through green taxes and higher commodity prices. It’s obviously not clever to mention the number of power stations (14) condemned by European pollution laws that mean the UK is in danger of energy shortages from 2015 onwards. And who wants to have an open debate on the most economic way to tackle global warming when there’s already a hefty great national debt to burn? Another explosive issue that has gone largely ignored is the Liberal Democrats’ fervent opposition to nuclear power stations. The UK’s energy security is far from certain even if the Government’s planned raft of new nuclear power stations materialise from 2017 onwards. Industry experts warn that without this low-carbon form of power, it is inconceivable that the country will hit its targets on reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the next ten years. What happens if this becomes a deal-breaker as the parties jostle to form coalition Governments – would either the Tories or Labour be willing to give ground on nuclear policy?
Telegraph 29th Apr 2010 more >>
Hinkley
Shadow Energy Minister Greg Clark has joined the fight against the pylons from Hinkley.
Burnham-on-sea.com 28th Apr 2010 more >>
Wylfa
Mr Miliband and Labour candidate Albert Owen visited Wylfa, the island’s existing nuclear power station and the site of a proposed biomass plant at Anglesey Aluminium.
BBC 28th Apr 2010 more >>
Daily Post 29th Apr 2010 more >>
WYLFA B’s future is set to be used as a bargaining chip on May 7 if poll predictions of a hung parliament become a reality.
Daily Post 28th Apr 2010 more >>
Radiation & Health
The National Academy of Sciences is organizing a study to begin this summer that will examine cancer risk in populations living near nuclear facilities, such as Florida Power & Light Co.’s St. Lucie power plant on South Hutchinson Island. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission formally requested the study Monday at a meeting of the academy’s Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board, acknowledging that a previous study done 20 years ago was flawed. Families of 30 local children who were diagnosed with rare brain cancers in the ’80s and ’90s were always referred back to the 1990 study performed by the National Cancer Institute, which concluded there was no link between the cancers and nuclear plant emissions.
TC Palm 26th Apr 2010 more >>
Companies
Heavy engineering company Sheffield Forgemasters International (SFIL) has secured new contracts to service South Korea’s latest generation of nuclear power plants.
Professional Engineering 28th Apr 2010 more >>
The Engineer 28th Apr 2010 more >>
Nuclear Research
A TWO-day conference based on the nuclear industry has been organised by a Rotherham business support group. NAMTEC (the National Metals Technology Centre) has set up the event in partnership with the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (NAMRC). The Nuclear Metals and Manufacturing Conference will feature high profile speakers from the nuclear industry and will focus on the latest developments around nuclear power stations in the UK.
Rotherham Advertiser 28th Apr 2010 more >>
NPT
Iran and Egypt are gearing up for battle against the United States and its allies over Israel and developing countries’ rights to atomic technology at a major meeting on the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Reuters 29th Apr 2010 more >>
Egypt’s UN Ambassador calls for putting all of Israel’s nuclear facilities under full IAEA scope.
Middle East Online 28th Apr 2010 more >>
Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad is set to travel to New York for a nuclear non-proliferation conference next week, a move that will put the Iranian president centre stage at an event whose success the Obama administration says is vital.
FT 29th Apr 2010 more >>
Pakistan
China has agreed to build two new civilian nuclear reactors in Pakistan, according to Chinese companies and officials in Islamabad and Beijing, in a deal that could reignite debate about nuclear commerce and proliferation. The decision to supply reactors to Pakistan , which has a nuclear arsenal and a record of exporting its expertise to North Korea, Iran and Libya, reflects China’s growing diplomatic confidence. It also points to Beijing’s ambition to become a global supplier of nuclear energy technology and underscores its view of Pakistan as a prized south Asian strategic partner .
FT 29th Apr 2010 more >>
US
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said on Wednesday that the Energy Department would need an additional $13 billion in authority from Congress to provide loan guarantees for building three new nuclear plants. The department in February awarded $8.3 billion in loan guarantees to help build the first U.S. nuclear power plant in nearly three decades. Chu told a Senate subcommittee that the $12 billion the department had left in loan guarantee authority would be enough to cover one more nuclear plant project that is seeking government help. He said an additional $4 billion would allow a loan guarantee for a second nuclear plant project and a third reactor may be ready to seek a loan guarantee this year, but the department would another $9 billion in authority for that project.
Interactive Investor 29th Apr 2010 more >>
Japan
From next month Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd (JNFL) should be permitted to begin construction of J-MOX, which could produce 130 tonnes of heavy metal in mixed oxide (MOX) fuel annually. Construction would take five years. A separate fuel storage facility should now also come from a joint venture of Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) and Japan Atomic Power Company (Japco), dubbed Recyclable Fuel Storage Company. It has permission to build a facility in Mitsu City able to accept 3000 tonnes of used fuel per year – approaching half of Japan’s total annual use.
World Nuclear News 28th Apr 2010 more >>
India
Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and NTPC Limited have signed an agreement to set up a joint-venture company to develop nuclear power projects in the country.
Nuclear Engineering International 28th Apr 2010 more >>
Trident
THE PEOPLE of the borough are overwhelming in favour of nuclear disarmament, according to an environmental charity. Residents were asked by members of the local branch of environment charity Greenpeace whether they thought the government should spend almost £100 billion on new nuclear weapons.
Waltham Forest Guardian 28th Apr 2010 more >>
In this week’s Reader Rant opinion column Greenpeace activist Camilla Berens gives her argument against renewing the Trident nuclear missile programme.
Lewisham News Shopper 28th Apr 2010 more >>
Nuclear Weapons
While Barack Obama continues to inspire with calls for a nuclear-free world, political realists in Washington, not least Obama’s own defence secretary, Robert Gates, recognise that America may well be powerless to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons across the Middle East. Writing for the Boston Globe last week, the brilliant commentator HDS Greenway argued that even if America’s military might were not already stretched thin, it would at best only be capable of delaying Iran’s nuclear program for a few years. Meaning the necessary alternative for America is to learn to live with the Iranian bomb.
Guardian 28th Apr 2010 more >>
