Waste Transport
The NDA has received advice from Sellafield Ltd and the NDA’s commercial and transport subsidiary, International Nuclear Services that the infrastructure is in place and plans are sufficiently advanced to support the commencement of the VRR (Vitrified Residue Return) programme in the current financial year (2009/10), subject to necessary authorisations and detailed timings to be agreed with Regulators, Customers and Government departments in the UK and overseas.
NDA 28th Sept 2009 more >>
NORWAY has complained it received no warning when a Russian vessel loaded with nuclear waste passed its coastline, it was reported today. The 4,236dwt vessel MCL Trader was carrying nuclear waste as it travelled from Poland to Murmansk, where 12 containers were transshipped.
Fairplay 25th Sept 2009 more >>
Waste Costs Dispute
Martin O’Neill says the government figure for the fixed price waste management costs for new reactors is considerably higher than the industry figure: “There is a gulf between what companies guess new build waste treatment will cost and the government estimate – a rather large gulf. There is a question over the methodology over how the government sum is arrived at,” he said. “The government figure is rather larger than anticipated. There is some anxiety that the government figure adds costs from the weapons programme and there is a degree of smearing the costs. We are a wee bit worried and do not want officials to have a too entrenched position,” he said. Ministers have admitted that there is a ‘gulf’ between the costs for managing nuclear waste.
New Civil Engineer 28th Sept 2009 more >>
EDF
Plans for the revival of Britain’s nuclear power industry were in fresh hands yesterday after the appointment of a new chairman and chief executive of EDF, the state-controlled French energy giant.
Times 29th Sept 2009 more >>
In taking control of France’s second-largest company, with a market value of 71 billion, Henry Proglio has inherited a nuclear-sized headache. An acquisition spree by Pierre Gadonneix, his predecessor, has left the company groaning beneath a 37 billion debt mountain. Mr Gadonneix’s impressively simple solution to the problem to increase French retail electricity prices by 20 per cent was promptly vetoed by the Government and led to his swift removal. EDF is already planning to sell off 5 billion of assets by the end of next year but it seems likely that Mr Proglio may need to accelerate that process. For observers on this side of the Channel, all of this would be of no more than passing interest were it not for the fact that EDF has a central role in Britain’s energy market and is spearheading plans to build a fleet of new nuclear power plants. One possibility is the sale of another chunk of EDF’s stake in British Energy to another utility, a move that would not necessarily derail but could certainly complicate its new-build plans.
Times 29th Sept 2009 more >>
New Nukes
Guide to the nuclear revival. There are several strands of work going on to provide the framework for companies to build new nuclear power stations in the UK. Most are being managed by the Department for Energy and Climate Change.
Utility Week 17th August 2009 more >>
Germany
The pro-business credentials of Germany’s incoming coalition government gave a modest boost to the country’s equity markets yesterday, with investors quick to judge that some of Europe’s biggest power generation companies would be among the corporate winners from Sunday’s general election. Shares in Eon and RWE, the utility companies, led stock market gains yesterday because of expectations that the new government would extend the life of Germany’s nuclear power plants.
FT 29th Sept 2009 more >>
Times 29th Sept 2009 more >>
The policy to shut down 17 nuclear reactors by 2022 is now up for revision after Merkel’s CDU/CSU took 33.8% of the vote and declared it would form a coalition with the FDP on 14.6%. Together they will have a comfortable majority in the Bundestag.
World Nuclear News 28th Sept 2009 more >>
Yahoo 28th Sept 2009 more >>
Iran
Letters: Your editorial states “Iran’s cat-and-mouse game with nuclear inspectors hands a propaganda victory on a plate to Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli premier who has made little secret of his air force’s preparations for a long-range strike”. This “propaganda victory” is easily demolished by relevant facts which you fail to mention. Fact: Israel has not signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. Fact: Israel has had nuclear weapons for at least 30 years. Fact: Israel has done and still does its best to conceal the existence of these weapons. Fact: as recently as 18 September Israel refused a request from the IAEA to open its nuclear plants to inspection. Fact: an unprovoked Israeli attack on Iran would be a violation of the UN charter and a war crime.
Guardian 29th Sept 2009 more >>
On 21 September, Iran notified the International Atomic Energy Agency about an undeclared enrichment facility, sparking charges that Tehran continues to conceal its nuclear activities.
Jane’s 28th Sept 2009 more >>
Iran’s Shahab-3 missile test yesterday was a blustering response to being caught lying again about the scale of its nuclear weapons development.
Mirror 29th Sept 2009 more >>
North Korea
North Korea’s atomic weapons were for deterrent purposes only and will be handled “in a responsible manner” to ensure there was no nuclear proliferation.
Herald 29th Sept 2009 more >>
Trident
Despite a probable majority in the party believing that the gigantic sums of money involved would be better spent on sensible things like looking after – rather than threatening – people, New Labour wants a new suit of Trident missiles. It’s an emperor’s suit of course. It’s a fiction that Trident is an independent deterrent when it can only be used, if anyone was mad enough, with the consent of the United States.
Western Mail 29th Sept 2009 more >>
Climate
Ed Miliband today called on all Labour councils to sign up to the 10:10 campaign and cut their carbon emissions by 10% by next year. Labour-run Manchester city council last week became the biggest local authority to sign up, following 27 others, including Oxford, Coventry, Wirral and five London boroughs. But Miliband said he would be working closely with the Local Government Association, which represents 423 councils in England and Wales, to get all councils and Labour groups on board to support 10:10.
Guardian 29th Sept 2009 more >>
