New Nukes
It is one thing for a green pressure group to claim nuclear power is too expensive, but quite another when the charge comes from the head of an atomic industry pioneer such as General Electric. Some investors say that Jeff Immelt, GE chief executive, was merely stating an inconvenient industry truth when he told the Financial Times at the weekend that nuclear power was really hard to defend financially, and most countries were moving to a mix of gas and renewable energy. Fundamentally, [Mr] Immelt is right. In the end its going to be a combination of gas, wind and solar, says Samer Salty, chief executive of Zouk Capital, a London private equity investor in clean energy projects. Nuclear industry executives say Mr Immelts comments reflect conditions in only one country: the US. Steve Kidd, deputy director-general of the World Nuclear Association, says: Cheap gas prices make it difficult for new nuclear plants to compete economically but we would question the likelihood of these price levels continuing much longer and their relevance to the situation elsewhere in the world”. If you have to pay £7bn per reactor, it becomes a real challenge to justify building them both economically and politically.
FT 2nd Aug 2012 more >>
Sellafield
THE government wants to see all cars banned from Sellafield nuclear site. The drastic plan is to bus in thousands of workers from two huge car parks which would have to be built nearby. The cost of the off-site parks outside Main Gate and Calder Gate on the Seascale side of the site is put at millions of pounds, but planning permission would be needed. An estimated 5,000 vehicles enter and leave Sellafield every day. The car ban plan is part of a massive security clampdown which has already seen more nuclear police armed to protect the site against potential terrorism, a new guard force to check vehicles going in and out, and at the moment construction of an extra 11-mile security fence costing an estimated £5 million. The Civil Nuclear Constabulary has recently recruited a significant number of new officers licensed to carry firearms and the Mitie contractors guard force is said by unions to be spot on in its security duties.
Whitehaven News 2nd Aug 2012 more >>
Amec
A MEMBER of Nuclear Management Partners, which runs Sellafield, has landed a big contract in Slovakia. Amec has a three-year order to provide waste treatment services to the Bohunice nuclear power plant. The international engineering and project management company will apply specialist technology to retrieve and treat 600 cubic metres of waste at the plants two nuclear reactors which ceased operation in 2008 and 2010.
Whitehaven News 2nd Aug 2012 more >>
EDF
ENERGY giant EDF is seeking more partners to share the costs of new nuclear plants in the UK, bosses have said. The French based company – which wants to build two reactors at Sizewell – has also appointed a financial adviser to consider its options. A spokesman said the project had moved on a great deal and the company would be making a final investment decision later this year.
East Anglian Daily Times 1st Aug 2012 more >>
Electricite de France saw profits rise 4.6 percent in the first half of the year as growth in renewable energy offset lower nuclear output. The state-controlled utility said Tuesday that it also saw an 8.2 percent jump in sales to 36.2 billion ($44.3 billion). For the January-to-June period, net income was 2.8 billion. That growth comes despite more and longer planned outages at nuclear plants this year than last. But hydropower, which struggled last year, and other renewable energies made up the difference. Excluding one-off charges, the group’s net income grew 10.3 percent.
Fox News 3rd Aug 2012 more >>
Hinkley
Protest Reclaim Hinkley – 8 October 2012
Stop New Nuclear 2nd Aug 2012 more >>
EDF Energy is investing £3m to help cut congestion caused by deliveries to Hinkley Point, where the new nuclear station has been planned. The plans involve using number plate recognition cameras between the M5 and Hinkley Point so lorries only use designated routes.
BBC 2nd Aug 2012 more >>
Sizewell
ANGELA PIEARCE is the head of the Sizewell C power station project. She joined EDF Energy three years ago from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), where she specialised in energy policy. She and her partner have a two-year-old daughter and are expecting their second child in September. Here she explains why she believes nuclear power has an important role in the UKs energy future and how local people have an exciting opportunity to shape Suffolks nuclear future.
East Anglia Daily Times 3rd Aug 2012 more >>
Radwaste
PLANS for an underground nuclear waste repository are to be fast-tracked by more than a decade. Britains first burial of waste from nuclear power stations was to happen by 2040 but the government has asked the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to carry out research into the potential options for acceleration to 2029. A new report on Implementing Geological Disposal, seen by a national newspaper, said the government is determined to press ahead with acceleration, despite the inherent risks. It said: Acceleration remains an enduring ambition for ministers but no decisions will be taken until NDAs further work is complete.
NW Evening Mail 2nd Aug 2012 more >>
Nuclear Skills
A report compiled by Laking Aran Moorhouse, part of the Phaidon Capital Group suggests that the UK is set to face a challenge for recruiting experienced talent for the nuclear industry.
Global Recruiter 2nd Aug 2012 more >>
Government investment is needed to ensure the construction industry can meet demand for planned new nuclear reactors in the UK. Responding to a Department of Energy and Climate Change select committee inquiry into the potential barriers to the success of the new nuclear build programme, CITB-ConstructionSkills has identified a number of issues it says must be addressed if the programmes timetable is to be met.
Construction News 2nd Aug 2012 more >>
Bechtel
Bechtel has inked a deal to provide project management consulting services to the China Nuclear Power Engineering Corporation (CNPEC), a unit of the China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group (CGNPG). The company will provide CNPEC with training and education to help the establishment enhance its ability to manage nuclear projects. Bechtel nuclear power business line president Greg Ashley said that CNPEC has selected Bechtel to help the firm improve processes and procedures to ensure its nuclear projects stay on time and on budget.
Energy Business Review 2nd Aug 2012 more >>
Nuclear Engineering International 2nd Aug 2012 more >>
Nuclear Ships
Australia, which tries to tread a fine line between supporting its closest ally, the US, and not upsetting China, its biggest trading partner, yesterday rejected a proposal to base a US nuclear aircraft carrier group near Perth, saying it did not want US bases in the country.
Belfast Telegraph 3rd Aug 2012 more >>
Independent 3rd Aug 2012 more >>
Iran
Chief negotiators for the EU and Iran agreed on Thursday to hold more talks about Tehran’s nuclear work, but the European Union gave no sign progress was imminent in the decade-long dispute.
Trust 2nd Aug 2012 more >>
US
The U.S. government’s only facility for handling, processing and storing weapons-grade uranium was temporarily shut this week after anti-nuclear activists, including an 82-year-old nun, breached security fences, government officials said on Thursday.
Trust 2nd Aug 2012 more >>
Guardian 3rd Aug 2012 more >>
Daily Mail 3rd Aug 2012 more >>
UAE
Australia has signed a nuclear supply treaty with the United Arab Emirates in a deal Foreign Minister Bob Carr said would see the Gulf state become Canberra’s first Middle Eastern uranium customer.
Middle East Online 2nd Aug 2012 more >>
