Electricity Market Reform
The Treasury says that the Finance Bill will put up consumer energy bills and deliver almost £1 billion of windfall profits for existing nuclear reactor operators. All major parties have promised not to support new subsidies for nuclear power. Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth are calling on the Government to introduce a windfall tax on windfall profits to existing nuclear and renewable operators. If the Government does not, we are calling for MPs to support amendment 12 to the Bill at Report stage. The amendment would mean the windfall would not be introduced without a further vote of the House and it would require the Government to report on how it will prevent this unfair leg-up to the nuclear industry. No need for nuclear is asking supporters to write to Danny Alexander and their own MP.
No Need for Nuclear 28th June 2011 more >>
Electricity Costs
ScottishPower has been accused of disproportionately targeting people who use the lowest amount of electricity after it emerged that it is raising the flat rate it charges hundreds of thousands of households by up to 79 per cent. This month the supplier shocked many consumers when it announced that it was raising average electricity bills by 10 per cent and gas bills by 19 per cent. But the small print, which has just come to light, shows that the increase will disproportionately hit those using the least electricity, who often are on low incomes, but will benefit large middle-class families who consume a lot.
Times 29th June 2011 more >>
Radwaste
The Government today published the first annual report of its Managing Radioactive Waste Safely Programme. The programme is focused on implementing the long-term geological disposal of our higher activity radioactive waste. Alongside this, the Government published a consultation on how potential sites for geological disposal will be identified and assessed. Charles Hendry, Minister of State for Energy, told a meeting of the Geological Disposal Implementation Board in London today: Todays annual report and proposals for identifying and assessing possible sites show that we are making progress in this vital area. I want us to continue to be ambitious in our timescales for delivery. I would like us to set a goal of putting the first waste into a geological disposal facility by the end of 2029. I have tasked the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to look at opportunities for accelerating progress to meet this aim.
DECC Press Release 28th June 2011 more >>
First Annual Report on MRWS Programme 28tyh June 2011 more >>
Managing Radioactive Waste Safely: Desk-based identification and assessment of potential candidate sites for geological disposal – a public consultation.
DECC 28th June 2011 more >>
The UK’s strategy for long-term disposal of nuclear waste took a step forward today (28 June) as the Government outlined a programme of action and launched a consultation process. The consultation document considers how desk-based studies would be used to identify possible sites which have been put forward following a local authority decision to participate. It also sets out how possible sites will be assessed against agreed criteria and how local and subsequent government decisions will be made about any sites that might be put forward for more detailed geological assessment.
Edie 28th June 2011 more >>
Due to the current untenable waste situation within the nuclear industry, the Government has decided to ask for volunteer communities for one or more Repositories for Atomic Pollutants in the Environment (RAPE).
Northern Indymedia 28th June 2011 more >>
New Nukes
As Germany decides to close all its nuclear power plants by 2022, in the wake of growing public opposition following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, Britain have gone the opposite way and have published plans to build eight privately built nuclear power plants in England and Wales, including 2 at existing installations in Sellafield. What will this mean for Ireland? Minister Phil Hogan has said that it is a matter for the UK to decide on its energy policy. Pat was joined by Philip Walton, Professor Emeritus of Applied Physics from NUIG and Mark Deary, Green Party member and resident of Co. Louth.
RTE Radio 1 24th June 2011 more >>
A MANX politician has expressed disappointment after the UK Government announced plans for new nuclear power stations on the west coast of Britain, including three just across the Irish Sea from the Isle of Man. Environment, Food and Agriculture Minister John Shimmin MHK said the announcement came as no surprise to him but nonetheless he felt considerable disappointment. In particular the proposal to locate a nuclear power station next to the Sellafield reprocessing plant introduces an element of increased risk that we will continue to oppose, he said. The upgrading of the existing facilities at Heysham and Wylfa, though undesirable, at least will be built with even higher security and safety in mind and, finally, we will continue to work with our colleagues in Ireland to apply pressure to the UK government to best protect the safety of our island and its people.
Isle of Man Today 29th June 2011 more >>
AP1000
The United Kingdoms Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) said that the regulatory issue connected to the design of Westinghouses AP1000 nuclear reactor has been lifted.The ONR is assessing the AP1000 reactor as part of the UK Generic Design Assessment process. The announcement brings the AP1000 one step closer to design acceptance in the UK. Westinghouse said Revision 19 sent to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) earlier in June should address all concerns, and NRC could confirm final approval for the AP1000 design later in 2011.
Powergen Worldwide 28th June 2011 more >>
Bradwell
TORY MP Bernard Jenkin has vowed not to give a new nuclear power station in Bradwell his full support until he is satisfied environmental concerns are met. Bernard Jenkins Harwich and North Essex constituency covers West Mersea, which is less than two miles from the proposed site. He said Government plans to build a power station at Bradwell would not get his unqualified support until his worries over the future of marine life in the River Blackwater were investigated. Anti-nuclear campaigners have criticised Mr Jenkin for not opposing the plans. The new site, which could be operational by 2025, would need five times more water than the plant which shut in 2002.
Essex Gazette 27th June 2011 more >>
Hinkley
EDF has launched a new round of consultations on changes to its transport plans. The consultation runs from July 11 to August 12, and public exhibitions will be held.
This is the West Country 28th June 2011 more >>
EDF Energy’s proposed road improvements to cope with Hinkley Point C would make traffic in Bridgwater worse than doing nothing at all, according to a damning new report. Somerset County Council will meet with EDF chiefs this week to discuss the results of comprehensive traffic modelling the council has carried out on the impact of Hinkley C traffic on Bridgwater’s roads.
Bridgwater Mercury 28th June 2011 more >>
Torness
Masses of jellyfish entering the Torness nuclear power plant’s cooling water inflow area led EDF Energy to shut both units there manually on Tuesday, the company said. “This is temporary and the reactors will be restarted once the jellyfish situation subsides,” a spokeswoman for EDF Energy said. The two 640-megawatt (MW) units in Scotland went off line on Tuesday afternoon, National Grid data showed. The presence of jellyfish, seaweed and other marine life is not uncommon at nuclear power plants, EDF Energy said.
Reuters 28th June 2011 more >>
Heysham
The leader of Lancashire County Council has welcomed the government announcement that Heysham has been selected as the site of a new nuclear plant. The government confirmed a list of eight sites it deems suitable for new power stations by 2025. County Councillor Geoff Driver said: “This is good news for Lancashire as it will help to keep very high-skilled jobs right here in the county.
Click Lancashire 28th June 2011 more >>
Sellafield
Mammoet has supplied several Self Propelled Modular Transporters (SPMT) to transport the first two of eleven nuclear modules to the Sellafield Evaporator D nuclear power project in West Cumbria, UK. To build the £297m Evaporator D project, Sellafield, a subsidiary of Nuclear Management Partners, contracted the UK construction group Costain. The largest of the modules to be housed at Sellafield measures 27m high, with a weight of 500t. The facility will contain over 11k of pipework, require 10,000 pipe welds and house around 1,000t of structural steel. Each of the two modules weighs 100t. Each module had wide load dimensions, with a height of 10m, a width of 7.5m, and a length of 10m.
Cranes Today 28th June 2011 more >>
Companies
FORTHRIGHT Barrow AFC chairman and engineering firm boss Brian Keen believes a new Sellafield nuclear power station will offer major opportunities for the Barrow area, as well as west coast towns like Millom. NuGeneration Ltd, made up of Spanish energy firm Iberdrola S A, French energy firm GDF Suez SA, and Scottish and Southern Energy, plans to build three reactors capable of generating 1.6 gigawatts of power on the 470-acre site next to Sellafield. The consortium has agreed to buy the land for £70m if the scheme goes ahead. Building on the multi-billion pound project will start in the second half of this decade, creating up to 5,000 construction jobs, and the power station is due to open in 2023 with 700 to 800 permanent jobs. Mr Keen runs St Andrews Engineering in Barrow and Scurrah Nassau in Millom. The firm, which includes BAE among its customers, was involved in the build of the Heysham 2 power station between 1979 and 1988. He recruited a huge force of 180 welders from Barrow and across the country to work on pipework and turbines for the power station.
NW Evening Mail 28th June 2011 more >>
Uranium
KATCO, a joint venture (JV) between French nuclear group Areva and Kazakhstans Kazatomprom, plans to raise its annual uranium production to 4,000 tons in 2012. The venture will complete a planned expansion next year which will allow it to ramp up production. KATCO intends to increase its uranium output to 3,500 tons this year from 3,354 tons in 2010. The company, which invested a total of $550m in the development activities, operates two mines Tortkuduk and Muyunkum, which utilize the in-situ leaching process to mine uranium.
Energy Business Review 27th June 2011 more >>
US
Flooding along the Missouri River has overspread much of one nuclear power plant’s boundaries, forcing it onto emergency generators, and threatens a second plant downstream.
Christian Science Monitor 27th June 2011 more >>
Concerning news from Nebraska, where one (Calhoun) nuclear power plant is shut down and waiting for flood waters to recede to start up again (something that may not be until the Fall) and another (Cooper nuclear power plant) has mostly been in operation but is under threat as well now. The news is that, yesterday, a dam (or AquaDam) built around the Cooper nuclear power plant and other flood protection systems broke. And that may just be a sign of things to come.
IB Times 28th June 2011 more >>
Flooded nuclear plant declared safe. Video footage.
Independent 28th June 2011 more >>
A protective berm holding back the Missouri river floodwaters from the Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant has collapsed.
Nuclear Engineering International 28th June 2011 more >>
A wildfire burning near the desert birthplace of the atomic bomb advanced on the Los Alamos laboratory and thousands of outdoor drums of plutonium-contaminated waste Tuesday as authorities stepped up efforts to protect the site and monitor the air for radiation. Officials at the nation’s premier nuclear weapons lab gave assurances that dangerous materials were safely stored and capable of withstanding flames from the 93-square-mile fire, which as of midday was as close as 50 feet from the grounds. A small patch of land at the laboratory caught fire Monday before firefighters quickly put it out. Teams were on high alert to pounce on any new blazes and spent the day removing brush and low-hanging tree limbs from the lab’s perimeter.
CBS 28th June 2011 more >>
Channel 4 News 28th June 2011 more >>
Video Footage of the Wildfire.
Telegraph 28th June 2011 more >>
Russia
Russia has no plans to submit its nuclear reactors directly to EU-style safety stress tests, Kirill Kormarov of Russian state energy corporation Rosatom told Platts in Brussels late Monday. “We don’t want to fulfill the EU stress tests–we’ve done tests already,” Kormarov, who is deputy general director for global business development at Rosatom, said on the sidelines of an industry debate on the future of nuclear in central and eastern Europe. The EU agreed common criteria in May for safety tests to be carried out on all 143 EU reactors starting June 1. The move came in response to Japan’s nuclear crisis at Fukushima earlier this year, and the EC has also pushed for the EU’s neighbors to agree to a similar nuclear safety review.
Platts 28th June 2011 more >>
Japan
Tens of thousands of children living near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant are to be given personal radiation monitors, as concern grows over the long-term health effects of exposure to radiation. Dosimeters will be given to 34,000 children aged between four and 15 living in Fukushima city, 45 miles from the plant, after abnormally high radiation readings were recorded in the area.
Guardian 28th June 2011 more >>
Tokyo Electric Power Co. led Japanese utilities in rallying around a nuclear future, defying growing public opposition to atomic energy after the worst radiation accident in 25 years. Shareholders of Tepco, as the utility is known, voted to continue with nuclear power yesterday at the companys first annual meeting since the crisis at its Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant wiped about $36 billion off the utilitys market value. Shareholders of Chubu Electric Power Co. and Kyushu Electric Power Co. also backed continuing with the status quo at meetings, voting down proposals against nuclear power.
Bloomberg 29th June 2011 more >>
Asahi 29th June 2011 more >>
Tokyo Electric Power Co. faced a six-hour barrage of heavy flak from shareholders Tuesday at their annual meeting, with management blasted over how it has handled the world’s worst nuclear accident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.
Japan Today 29th June 2011 more >>
Many DPJ members now suspect that Kan may be trying to remain in power as long as possible, and that he could dissolve the Lower House for a snap election to appeal to voters who have started calling for use of non-nuclear power in the face of the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant.
Japan Today 29th June 2011 more >>
The accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant has brought to light the cascading problem of spent nuclear fuel that threatens to overwhelm Japan’s nuclear power plants. Local governments are demanding that electric power companies remove the spent nuclear fuel from nuclear power plants, but plans for a reprocessing facility and an off-site storage facility are on hold. According to a survey by The Asahi Shimbun, while the nation’s 17 nuclear power plants are capable of holding 83,000 spent nuclear fuel assemblies in storage pools, 70 percent of the combined storage capacity has already been used.
Asahi 29th June 2011 more >>
Bulgaria
Bulgaria signed grant agreements on Tuesday to receive 73.8 million euros ($105.3 million) for energy projects as compensation for shutting down four units at its Kozloduy nuclear plant ahead of joining the EU in 2007. The Balkan country had already received a total of 575 million euros as compensation from an EBRD-operated international decommissioning support fund for Kozloduy as the plant’s partial closure cost the country its position as a top electricity exporter in the region.
EU Business 28th June 2011 more >>
Germany
Germany will have to build an additional 8-17GW of coal and gas-fired generation capacity by 2020 to compensate for the country’s planned faster nuclear phase-out and the increasing share of intermittent renewable power, energy and water association BDEW said. Berlin will have to create the necessary political framework to make investments in new capacity attractive, given that renewable power will cut into the load hours of the fossil fuel-fired generation fleet. Power plants will not be built just on the basis that a federal or state government decides it is necessary, BDEW president Hildegard Muller said. We need additional investment incentives which we have to discuss and develop on a political level and with all parties involved she said.
Argus Media 28th June 2011 more >>
France
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has confirmed plans to invest 1 billion ($1.4 billion) in future nuclear programs including fourth generation reactor research.
World Nuclear News 28th June 2011 more >>
eGov Monitor 28th June 2011 more >>
Nuclear Engineering International 28th June 2011 more >>
Renewables
With recent news indicating that both solar and wind power generation is on the the rise and looking stronger every year, it might be natural to wonder if renewable energy is dethroning fossil-fuel based electricity production. Greenpeace seems to think things are certainly moving that direction, but it notes in a new report that more must be done if renewable energy is to take over as the dominant method of generating power.
IB Times 28th June 2011 more >>
Climate
David Cameron must end his silence on climate change and “step up to the plate” to provide international leadership, the former government chief scientific adviser Prof Sir David King says on Wednesday. Barry Gardiner MP, who is Ed Miliband’s special envoy on climate change, said: “If Cameron had spent a quarter of a billion pounds tackling climate change instead of bombing Gaddafi he could have transformed Britain’s energy infrastructure to meet our 2025 targets, protected a million hectares of rainforest from deforestation, or fitted solar [panels] to 100,000 homes. It is clear that he thinks Libyan oil is a bigger priority.”
Guardian 29th June 2011 more >>
David King’s article: we need to fully grasp the nettle of the role that nuclear power must play, and also ensure the £200bn investment needed in our energy infrastructure is spent on equipment fit for the second half of this century, not the first. With this action the UK is again setting the bar high for other countries, and we must use this position in muscular bilateral and multilateral negotiations with other nations.
Guardian 28th June 2011 more >>
Greg Barker says climate change campaigners needed to be careful not to dismiss sceptics such as the former Conservative chancellor Lord Lawson of Blaby. “We need to make sure don’t behave in an arrogant or offhand way because that really pisses people off,” he said. “The big shift in thinking on climate change policy is a recognition that we need to rebalance our economy. But decarbonisation must not mean de-industrialisation,” he said. “On the contrary, we actually need to build an economy that has more advanced manufacturing where we stop just reducing our carbon emissions by sending stuff offshore to less regulated markets and actually see the energy challenge of the next two decades as a real opportunity to see more advanced manufacturing here in the UK, importing less and looking to successful advanced economies like Germany as the way forward rather than thinking we can simply be ever more dependent on the services sector.”
Guardian 28th June 2011 more >>
