30 April 2011

Oldbury

THE company behind plans to build a second nuclear power plant at Oldbury has said the project may still not go ahead. Speaking at the Oldbury Site Stakeholder Group (OSSG) meeting recently, Tim Proudler, from Horizon, said there were still several hurdles to overcome. He said: “A future Oldbury isnt clear yet. We are at the beginning of a very long process.” Mr Proudler had been invited to speak to the local community by the OSSG, which normally deals with issues surrounding the current Oldbury Power Station run by Magnox. In a short presentation to local people Mr Proudler outlined what Horizon, a partnership between energy firms E.ON and RWE npower, had already done and what else needed to be done before a planning application could be made.

Gloucestershire Gazette 29th April 2011 more >>

Scotland

Letter: IS NUCLEAR power dirty and dangerous, as some politicians claim? Coal contains both uranium and thorium and these are concentrated at least tenfold when coal is burnt. Danger is usually estimated from the frequency of death. Based on TWhr (tera watts, equal 1,000 gigawatts) of power generated, the annual average number of world deaths from coal is 161, that of oil 40, natural gas four, wind 0.15 and nuclear 0.04. Attitudes to nuclear power need to be based on knowledge, not fearful ignorance.

Scotsman 30th April 2011 more >>

Radhealth

The nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan and the 25th anniversary of the catastrophe in the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine have thrown into relief contradictions in the role played by the World Health Organisation, which civil society organisations have spent years pointing out. An international coalition of NGOs, IndependentWHO, says the multilateral agency has never shown independence in its decisions or actions, in terms of living up to its mandate of protecting the victims of radioactive contamination.

IPS News 27th April 2011 more >>

Japan

May 5 is Childrens Day, a Japanese national holiday that celebrates the happiness of childhood. This year, it will fall under a dark, radioactive shadow. Japanese children in the path of radioactive plumes from the crippled nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi power station are likely to suffer health problems that a recent government action will only exacerbate. On April 19, the Japanese government sharply ramped up its radiation exposure limit to 2,000 millirem per year (20 mSv/y) for schools and playgrounds in Fukushima prefecture. Japanese children are now permitted to be exposed to an hourly dose rate 165 times above normal background radiation and 133 times more than levels the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency allows for the American public. Japanese school children will be allowed to be exposed to same level recommended by the International Commission on Radiation Protection for nuclear workers. Unlike workers, however, children wont have a choice as to whether they can be so exposed.

IPS 29th April 2011 more >>

Huffington Post 29th April 2011 more >>

Criticism of the Japanese government’s handling of the radiation crisis at a nuclear power plant has increased after an adviser quit in protest over what he claimed were unsafe, slipshod measures. Toshiso Kosako, a professor at the University of Tokyo’s graduate school and an expert on radiation exposure, announced late yesterday that he was stepping down as a government adviser. In a tearful news conference, Prof Kosako said he could not stay and allow the government to set what he called improper radiation limits of 20 millisieverts an hour for elementary schools in areas near the plant.

Independent 30th April 2011 more >>

Japan’s chief government spokesman said Saturday that the resignation by a senior science adviser over radiation safety limits for schools around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant was over a misunderstanding, while Prime Minister Naoto Kan defended the government’s handling of the situation.

Nikkei 30th April 2011 more >>

A community bank in Tokyo will offer incentives, including a 1-percent deposit interest rate, to promote non-nuclear energy. Johnan Shinkin Bank said April 28 it will offer 1-percent interest on a one-year deposit and an interest-free loan for the initial year from May 2. People who purchase solar panels, generators, storage batteries or LED lighting worth 100,000 yen ($1,230) or more will be eligible.

Asahi 30th April 2011 more >>

IAEA Update of the situation at Fukushima.

IB Times 29th April 2011 more >>

Europe

The results of stress tests on European nuclear power plants should be clear by the end of the year, EU energy commissioner Gunther Oettinger said in Helsinki Friday.

EU Business 29th April 2011 more >>

Chernobyl

Acivists around the world came together to mark the 25th anniversary of Chernobyl

Greenpeace 27th April 2011 more >>

India

Now is not the time for energy-starved India to increase nuclear dependency. Soaring costs and safety doubts post-Fukushima mean India is unwise to plan a doubling of its nuclear plants.

Guardian 29th April 2011 more >>

Renewables

Total, one of the world’s largest oil companies, is to make a $1.38bn (800m) investment in solar power reversing a trend that has seen Shell and BP cut back their involvement in green energy. France’s biggest company is to purchase 60% of SunPower Corporation, the second biggest solar panel manufacturer in America, and use it as a new springboard into a renewable sector struggling for competitive edge. Shares in SunPower surged 40% after it revealed a “friendly tender offer” from an oil company that had been expected to put major new investment into nuclear rather than solar or wind, at least until the Japanese earthquake raised new questions about the safety of atomic power. “The world future energy balance will be the result of a long-term transition in which renewable energies will take their place alongside conventional resources,” said Philippe Boisseau, president of Total’s gas and power division.

Guardian 30th April 2011 more >>

RENEWABLES will overtake oil, gas and coal as the world’s main energy source by 2025, according to a new survey of operators. The annual Maxwell Drummond International Energy Survey 2011 was led by global consultancy Maxwell Drummond, which has its HQ in London and offices in Aberdeen, Calgary, Houston, Johannesburg, Perth and Sydney. The survey is based on responses from business leaders in major oil and gas operators and contractors in Europe, US, Canada, Asia, Africa, Australasia and the Middle East. Kevin Davidson, chief executive of Maxwell Drummond International, said the results are “illuminating”.