Politics
Simon James: The Lib Dem standing up for the nuclear industry Simon James is a Lib Dem councillor with parliamentary ambitions. Here, the former Goth and lighting engineer discusses his day-job as the Nuclear Industry Associations public affairs supremo with Adam Hill.
Public Affairs 29th June 2012 more >>
Tom Greatrex: Shadow Energy Minister: New nuclear makes sense from the perspective of climate change, security of supply and jobs and growth. Alongside renewables and carbon capture and storage, nuclear energy has an important role to play in reducing our carbon emissions and securing future energy supply. The investment opportunities afforded by new nuclear could make a valuable contribution to kick starting our economy again and getting people back to work. With the right focus, there are opportunities for jobs, skills, economic benefit and potential exports often overlooked in the ideological debate about nuclear energy. It is incumbent on the government to seize these opportunities. Otherwise I fear that it is something we may all come to regret.
Huffington Post 30th June 2012 more >>
Sizewell
N-PLANT bosses have handed in their proposals to build an emergency response centre (ERC) on the Suffolk coast for use in the event of nuclear fallout or disaster.
East Anglian Daily Times 28th June 2012 more >>
Lowestoft Journal 28th June 2012 more >>
Areva
French nuclear company Areva said it plans to spend nearly 2 billion on the modernization of industrial plant equipment, deployment of new technologies, and on ongoing improvement of safety mechanisms as a response to the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident in March 2011. The post-Fukushima improvements are expected to total about 200 million on top of the modernization program, an Areva spokesman confirmed June 29.
i-Nuclear 29th June 2012 more >>
Amec
UK international engineering and project management company AMEC has acquired Serco Groups Technical Services (TS) business for £137 million cash, the companies said in separate statements June 29. TS is based at a number of sites in the UK and has around 600 staff providing consulting and project solutions for customers including the Ministry of Defence, EDF, Magnox and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
i-Nuclear 29th June 2012 more >>
Construction News 29th June 2012 more >>
New Statesman 29th June 2012 more >>
Build 29th June 2012 more >>
Money AM 29th june 2012 more >>
Construction Index 29th June 2012 more >>
Nuclear Waste
Research agencies in Germany have joined forces to develop what they believe will be the worlds first virtual underground research laboratory. The project is being run by the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources, DBE Technology GmbH, Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation. Developed under the VIRTUS project, the futuristic lab is designed to carry out virtual experiments on detailed models of repository mines. This is expected to aid the study and visualisation of processes and their interactions, particularly around stored nuclear waste.
Process Engineering 29th June 2012 more >>
Nuclear Course
THE University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), in conjunction with partners Sellafield Limited and University of New Mexico, will co-deliver and host the prestigious Nuclear Criticality Safety (NCS) workshop this September at its Westlakes campus in Whitehaven.
Whitehaven News 29th June 2012 more >>
Microgeneration
This week’s Micro Power News: 8MW solar farm planned; Anaerobic Digestion Boom; 1,000 solar panels to be installed by South Wales Housing Association; solar farm share offer; Daventry Council goes solar; Argyll & Bute Council draws up Renewable Energy Action Plan.
Microgen Scotland 29th June 2012 more >>
Japan
Japan’s nine nuclear power utilities have rejected calls from some of their shareholders to reduce or even eliminate the use of nuclear energy. Tokyo Electric Power Co’s (Tepco’s) shareholders approved a ¥1 trillion ($12.5 billion) injection of state funds which effectively nationalizes the company.
World Nuclear news 29th June 2012 more >>
Two Japanese nuclear reactors are set to restart next month, despite tens of thousands of people throughout Japan pouring into the streets in protest. But warnings from scientists about the potential for earthquakes in the region could pose one last hurdle.
Nature 29th June 2012 more >>
More than 15,000 anti-nuclear protesters blocked streets outside the Japanese prime minister’s office on Friday, beating drums and chanting slogans against the restart of reactors nearly 16 months after the world’s worst nuclear disaster in 25 years.
Reuters 29th June 2012 more >>
Fukushima crisis update 26th to 28th June 2012.
Greenpeace International 29th June 2012 more >>
France
Electricite de France SA plans to reinforce the concrete base of its Fessenheim atomic reactors by the middle of next year so it can avoid being forced to close the generator early, according to the industry regulator. The base has to be made thicker or the reactors will be halted, said Andre-Claude Lacoste, head of Autorite de Surete Nucleaire. EDF apparently wants to carry out the work. The watchdog is considering plans submitted by the utility, Lacoste told reporters today. The work at the nations oldest reactors will improve containment if theres a core meltdown.
Bloomberg 28th June 2012 more >>