Energy Supplies
Lobbying by Britain looks set to have secured a key concession in EU plans to cut power station emissions due to be voted through the European Parliament this week. The extra time will be much-needed breathing space as Britain struggles to avoid an “energy gap” as polluting coal-fired plants are closed down by existing EU rules on pollutants such as sulphur dioxide at the end of 2014. After months of discussion, the European Parliament’s Environment Committee is expected to agree to shift the deadline for the next stage of cuts from the end of 2015 to mid-2019. Even with the hard-fought concessions Britain’s energy supplies over the middle of the decade will be tight. The first nuclear power stations are not scheduled to be up and running before 2017, even if the highly rigorous construction timetable is met without a hitch. And plans for massive increases in the amount of off-shore wind power are also both financially and logistically ambitious. Sceptics warn that Britain may be forced to throw up gas-fired power stations, which are quicker and cheaper to build than either nuclear or renewable generation, leaving the country over-reliant on foreign suppliers, particularly Russia. There are also questions about whether the planning process would enable replacements to be built in time, if at all. Scottish Power plans to convert its Cockenzie coal-fired power station to a new gas plant were vetoed by East Lothian Council last week, moved by complaints from local residents about the scheme’s impact on nearby communities.
Independent 3rd May 2010 more >>
With the looming prospect of a hung parliament, experts believe there is a real possibility that crucial decisions on new nuclear power stations and other major infrastructure investments could be delayed – leading to more reliance on imported gas. Experts are warning that hung parliament could mean that the UK has little choice but to increase its reliance on imported gas, since the Liberal Democrats’ fervent opposition to nuclear power could throw a spanner in both Tory and Labour plans to rely on this as a major new influx of power.
Telegraph 3rd May 2010 more >>
Nuclear vs Climate
Despite vast improvements in safety, nuclear power’s supposedly zero-carbon image remains marred by two major issues: storing long-lived radioactive waste and preventing weaponization. In addition, “peak uranium” is predicted, and fossil fuels are required during its life cycle for instance during mining and enrichment along with plant construction. Therefore, uranium is presently neither a guilt-free answer nor a long-term solution. Dr. Mark Diesendorf, author of “Greenhouse Solutions with Sustainable Energy On top of the perennial challenges of global poverty and injustice, the two biggest threats facing human civilization in the 21st century are climate change and nuclear war. It would be absurd to respond to one by increasing the risks of the other,” he said.
Epoch Times 2 May 2010 more >>
NPT
The legal dam that has held back the nuclear floodwaters for 40 years is cracking. With 189 member countries, the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) is the sole global legal and diplomatic barrier to the spread of nuclear weapons. But the threat of new nuclear-armed countries, the slow pace of reduction of existing nuclear arsenals and the spectre of nuclear terrorism have shaken confidence in the regime. If it collapses, we could witness a cascade of proliferation. The treaty’s central bargain is simple: countries without nuclear weapons commit themselves to never getting them, and those with nuclear weapons commit themselves to getting rid of them. It is perhaps the most successful security pact in history.
Guardian 3rd May 2010 more >>
The days preceding the opening of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference at the UN in New York on the 3 May 2010 have been both compelling and exhausting. Many international NGOs and their supporters have been busily engaged at the ‘Disarm Now’ International NGO Conference at the Riverside Church in Harlem, an historic and symbolic venue for the peace movement in the US.
Ekklesia 3rd May 2010 more >>
Hillary Clinton says Iran is in breach of the NPT.
Channel 4 News 3rd May 2010 more >>
The unresolved Iranian nuclear crisis threatens to overshadow the conference in New York.
BBC 3rd May 2010 more >>
The conference reviewing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, being held in New York for most of May, will have to overcome competing ambitions that might hinder it from taking decisive steps towards stopping the spread of nuclear weapons and moving to what President Barack Obama has called “a world without nuclear weapons”.
BBC 3rd May 2010 more >>
The American government will disclose for the first time the exact size of the US nuclear stockpile at a major United Nations nuclear disarmament summit, according to officials.
Telegraph 3rd May 2010 more >>
Submarines
Two British nuclear submarines went to sea with a potentially disastrous safety problem that left both vessels at risk of a catastrophic accident, the Guardian can reveal. Safety valves designed to release pressure from steam generators in an emergency were completely sealed off when the nuclear hunter killers Turbulent and Tireless left port, a leaked memo discloses. The problem went undetected on HMS Turbulent for more than two years, during which time the vessel was on operations around the Atlantic, and visited Bergen in Norway, the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, and Faslane naval base near Glasgow.
Guardian 3rd May 2010 more >>
robedwards.com 3rd May 2010 (with leaked documents available to view) more >>
Telegraph 3rd May 2010 more >>
Trident
The UK government’s plans to replace Trident submarines could be thrown into disarray by growing doubts over their future in the US. The US Defence Secretary, Robert Gates, is today expected to challenge the American Navy’s plans to spend up to $80 billion (£52 bn) on 12 new submarines to replace the existing Ohio-class boats which carry Trident nuclear missiles. Because the UK programme is so dependent on the US, this could hugely increase costs and jeopardise Labour and Conservative promises to replace the Trident nuclear weapons system. Gates is due to give a speech to a major US naval conference in Maryland. According to his aides, he will raise a series of questions about the Ohio replacement programme, due to commence in 2027.
Caledonian Mercury, 03 May 2010 more >>
