New Nukes
Interview with Chris Huhne: We’ve been clear all along that under the coalition government, new nuclear power stations can go ahead, provided they receive no public subsidy. Developers have indicated to me that they are able to take forward their plans without public subsidy.
Whitehaven News 2nd Sept 2010 more >>
Nuclear as part of the UK’s energy mix has received a strong backing from the Liberal Democrat members, with 68% members voting in favor of nuclear in a recent voice poll.
Energy Business Review 2nd Sept 2010 more >>
British Energy
British Energy’s output from its 15 nuclear reactors reached 3.5 TWh in August, up 3% from July, following the restart of the UK generator’s Dungeness B-21 reactor on August 19. The 550 MW Dungeness B-21 unit in Kent generated power for the first time in a year in August, following an extended outage to repair a pipe adjacent to a boiler reheater. Five of the UK’s 19 nuclear reactors remained offline Wednesday, after planned and unplanned outages at several UK nuclear plants this year. The 1,260 MW Sizewell B nuclear reactor in Suffolk has been offline since March 17 due to higher than normal moisture levels within the containment building. The 660 MW Heysham-28 nuclear reactor in Lancashire has been offline since March 26. The 610 MW Heysham-11 nuclear reactor situated close to reactor 28 was shut on June 4 for planned maintenance, while BE’s 460 MW Hunterston B-8 in North Ayrshire was also shut on July 30 for planned maintenance. Finally, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s 540 MW Wylfa 3/4 nuclear reactor in Wales has been closed since April 6 for planned maintenance.
Platts 2nd Sept 2010 more >>
NDA
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has published the draft of its updated Strategy for consultation. A statutory requirement under the Energy Act, this document follows on from the NDA’s first Strategy document published in 2006, which described its strategic approach to the 19 sites across the UK for which the NDA is accountable. In its first five years the NDA has made significant progress on a number of fronts to tackle the unprecedented challenges it faces. Before the NDA was established there was no coherent strategy for decommissioning and clean-up in the UK and the nature and scale of the task inherited by the organisation in 2005 was ill-defined and poorly costed.
NDA 1st Sept 2010 more >>
Sellafield
A new boss has been appointed in charge of Sellafield nuclear plant’s police. Supt Duncan Worsell, 45, is the Civil Nuclear Constabulary’ s new operational unit commander at the plant.
BBC 2nd Sept 2010 more >>
Germany
Much of the debate revolves around whether to scrap a plan devised by an earlier government to cease nuclear-power generation by 2022. The decision will affect Mrs Merkel’s political standing and the public finances, as well as Germany’s energy future. With roughly a quarter of generation capacity due to reach retirement age by 2020, decisions made now will shape the energy profile of Europe’s biggest economy for years. There is “a window of opportunity for good changes or for messing up the situation for the next 50 years,” says Olav Hohmeyer, an economist at the University of Flensburg.
Economist 2nd Sept 2010 more >>
Poland
Poland’s plan to ready itself for the deployment of nuclear power plants have been put back by two years, with 2022 now the likely date for the start-up of its first reactor.
World Nuclear News 2nd Sept 2010 more >>
US
There could be “significant benefits” in the implementation of reprocessing and recycling technology under a new waste management strategy, industry executives have told the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future. Today, America is focused on a once-through strategy for managing used nuclear fuel, meaning that uranium-based fuel is used once and then sent for disposal. However, most of the energy potential of the fuel still remains after one cycle, and this material can be recycled.
World Nuclear News 1st Sept 2010 more >>
Iran
Blair: I’ve written before that bombing Iran should remain an option, whether the Left likes it or not. I think – as opposed to Gideon Rachman and others – that a nuclear Iran would be a radically different threat to, say, the one posed to our security now by North Korea or Pakistan. Most Israelis would agree.
Telegraph Blog 2nd Sept 2010 more >>
His advocacy of military action against Iran if it remains intent on getting nuclear weapons ignores the lessons of Iraq and Afghanistan. The west no longer has the capacity to remake the world by force. A convert to Catholicism, Mr Blair might also check his Catechism. Among St Augustine’s rules for just war is a provision it must have a real prospect of success.
FT 3rd Sept 2010 more >>
Submarines
Four British submariners nearly died when huge waves pounded their boat as they left its base, newly released Ministry of Defence papers have revealed. One wave knocked an officer off his feet while three other personnel were left trapped in an exterior locker for half an hour in Plymouth Sound, Devon. The incident happened on the nuclear-powered submarine HMS Sovereign in February 2006 – 10 months before two US sailors were killed after being washed off the deck of the submarine USS Minneapolis-St Paul, also in the Sound.
Daily Mail 3rd Sept 2010 more >>
Renewables
A coalition of green, countryside and housing groups has warned energy secretary Chris Huhne not to cut subsidies for green electricity and heating as part of the government’s spending review. The 22 groups, including green energy trade body the Renewable Energy Association, the National Farmers Union and the Federation of Master Builders, said in a letter to Huhne that cutting schemes that subsidise household generation of renewable energy would jeopardise job creation, energy security and greenhouse gas targets. The move was sparked by comments from the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s minister of state, Charles Hendry, who recently said he was “closely reviewing” the £27bn renewable heat incentive (RHI) scheme due to start in April next year to encourage the take-up of green heating devices such as heat pumps, and the £8bn feed-in tariff (FIT) launched in April which pays small-scale generators of green electricity.
Guardian 3rd Sept 2010 more >>
Eaga, the £250m energy efficiency company, said it is in talks to access 250,000 roofs for installing solar panels, as it revealed a 10pc increase in full-year pre-tax profits.
Telegraph 3rd Sept 2010 more >>
