Scotland
Labour will not rule out building a new nuclear power station, the First Minister has said. But Jack McConnell insisted his party would not give the go-ahead for one to be built until the issue of how to deal with nuclear waste had been resolved. The issue was raised during First Minister’s Questions by Green co-convener Robin Harper. He asked Mr McConnell: “Can the First Minister clarify whether he and his party will be campaigning in this election for the building of new nuclear power stations in Scotland?”
IC Scotland 29th March 2007
New nukes
According to research by Industrial Info Resources, nuclear energy is the only installed and proven energy option that will keep up with the growing population while reducing greenhouse gases and the problems of global warming. By 2050, the world will need three times the amount of nuclear produced energy than exists today, the research showed.
Manufacturing.net 29th March 2007
Nuclear Weapons
An administration proposal to build a new generation of more reliable nuclear warheads to replace the current stockpile was met with skepticism Thursday from key lawmakers who will decide how much money to give the program.
Guardian website 30th March 2007
Iran
Iran cannot lawfully be punished for exercising its right under the NPT.
Mathaba.net 30th March 2007
Most Iranians see Britain as an old colonial power that’s still meddling in their affairs.
Guardian 30th March 2007
BNG
Nuclear chiefs have been thanked for their continued support of the Prince’s Trust.
North West Evening Mail 29th March 2007
Uranium
Uranium prices are closing in on $100 a pound — a 10-fold increase in five years — and prices could climb sharply higher yet as more governments embrace atomic energy despite dwindling supplies of yellow cake to power the reactors.
Middle East Online 29th March 2007
Climate
A six-million-tonne question mark was placed over Britain’s climate change strategy yesterday with the release of figures showing that UK greenhouse gas emissions, which the Government has pledged to cut radically, are actually soaring.
Independent 30th March 2007
Over his 11 Budgets, Mr Brown could have brought in many more, and more radical, measures to tackle climate change than he has. He has in fact done very little. Most of his green taxes have pretended to change behaviour, but in reality merely raise revenue; many simple but effective measures have never been considered. To take just one example: in his recent budget, Mr Brown said he would apply to the EU for VAT on energy-saving materials to be reduced from 17.5 per cent to 5 per cent. Cue applause. But the Association for the Conservation of Energy has been calling for this since at least 1989.
Independent 30th March 2007
Sellafield
SELLAFIELD played hosts this week to a visit from representatives of so-called nuclear watchdog groups, from various parts of the country. The chairmen of stakeholders groups which keep a community eye on activities at the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s 23 sites, toured Sellafield where the lion’s share of the NDA’s clean up money will be spent.
Whitehaven News 29th March 2007
Six short-listed bidders to run Sellafield have been announced.
Whitehaven News 29th March 2007
Nuclear Waste
THE Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has denied claims it is going too fast in trying to fill up the Drigg low-level radioactive waste repository by importing low-level materials from nuclear sites in other parts of the country. But, within days of the concerns being raised, the government announced that Sellafield’s owners would in future be responsible not only for creating a UK strategy for the low-level material but also to find a replacement for the Drigg site. Creating a UK-wide strategy for managing low level waste from the nuclear industry including at what point in the future a replacement (or replacements) for the national disposal near Drigg might be required and planned to be developed by the NDA.
Whitehaven News 29th March 2007
