EDF
French state-controlled utility EDF is considering looking for more partners for its nuclear projects in Britain to help it share costs and limit its debt burden, its chief financial officer said on Thursday. EDF, along with junior partner Centrica , plans to build four new 1,600-megawatt (MW) European Pressurised water Reactors as Britain looks to reform its power market to reward producers of low-carbon energy, including nuclear power. “EDF’s goal has always been and remains to be in control of the operations, to control the projects … but this does not mean that we absolutely need to control 80 percent of the projects,” CFO Thomas Piquemal said in a conference call. “This is why we are looking into opening up a little bit more our capital in these projects by finding new partners.”
Reuters 31st July 2012 more >>
Radwaste
Allerdale Council is giving the clear impression in its draft Local Plan that the nuclear dump WILL come to Cumbria despite the fact that the Council has yet to decide on whether to move to the next stage. The Local Plan has been out for consultation in recent weeks. In the section on Economy the plan mentionsGeological Disposal Facility and goes on to say that there should be a robust safety case, support of the community, and a package of community benefits for the preferred site. But the MRWS Partnership has denied that there are any preferred sites at this stage. First of all the 3 Councils, Allerdale, Copeland and Cumbria, have to decide whether they want to go forward. There are no ifs or buts in this document just a set of conditions over the preferred site as though such a site already exists.
Save Our Lake District 30th July 2012 more >>
Fast Reactors
Plutonium is the nuclear nightmare. A by-product of conventional power-station reactors, it is the key ingredient in nuclear weapons. And even when not made into bombs, it is a million-year radioactive waste legacy that is already costing the world billions of dollars a year to contain. And yet, some scientists say, we have the technology to burn plutonium in a new generation of “fast” reactors. That could dispose of the waste problem, reducing the threat of radiation and nuclear proliferation, and at the same time generate vast amounts of low-carbon energy. It sounds too good to be true. So are the techno-optimists right or should the conventional environmental revulsion at all things nuclear still hold?
Guardian 30th July 2012 more >>
Oldbury
OLDBURY Power Station is moving swiftly with its decommissioning process. Staff are right on schedule according to site director Mike Heaton and making great strides towards reducing hazard at the plant in preparation for defuelling. Since the end of generation on February 29, a total of 465 hydrogen cylinders, previously required for the turbine, have been removed as well as 200 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Approximately 67,000 cubic litres of turbine oil have also been taken away to be recycled.
Gloucestershire Gazette 30th July 2012 more >>
Heysham
EDF Energy restarted its 610-megawatt Heysham 1-1 nuclear unit in Britain on Monday following a nearly two-week refuelling outage, the company said.
Reuters 30th July 2012 more >>
Dash for Gas
DECC permanent secretary resigns, ROC banding review that was supposed to come out in early July gets delayed .and delayed: A letter from George Osborne to Ed Davey is leaked (by whom I wonder?) and reveals the extent of Treasurys alternative energy policy: RO banding is eventually released which shows only a 10% cut in the onshore wind ROC; DECC press release randomly rhapsodises about gas after setting out the new RO bands: Ed Davey in a press conference says that DECC loved gas all along (and really gets on just great with Treasury) and any doubters should check in the Carbon Plan and they will see; doubters check in the Carbon plan and there isnt really anything there and breathe. Confused? You will be after this episode of this blog. Now weve definitively got Treasurys gas policy in place and not DECCs. We can expect this to be reflected in the freshly rescribed gas strategy when it emerges. And all for a stay of execution on on-shore wind subsidy which lets be clear I welcome, but I hope wont be reviewed out of existence in the new further review date of 2014, another concession to the letters demands. All in all a kingdom for a horse, as someone once said.
Alan Whitehead MP 30th July 2012 more >>
Companies
CB&I, an engineering group based in Texas, has struck a deal to pay $3bn for the Shaw Group, a Louisiana-based energy services company that is developing the first US nuclear power plants in a generation.
FT 30th July 2012 more >>
Russia
President Vladimir Putin oversaw the start of construction of one of Russia’s newest generation submarines on Monday and vowed to boost nuclear naval forces to safeguard the country’s position as a leading sea power.
Reuters 30th July 2012 more >>
Japan
Renewable energy advocate Tetsunari Iida lost the race for Yamaguchi governor yesterday though his office said he forced a change in the debate that made his opponent come out against building a nuclear plant in the area. The new governor — Shigetaro Yamamoto, a former bureaucrat at the land and transport ministry — said he would suspend plans by Chugoku Electric Power Co. to build the Kaminoseki atomic plant. Iida ran on scrapping the plan.
Business Week 30th July 2012 more >>
The anti-nuclear candidate for Yamaguchi prefecture, governor Tetsunari Iida, lost his election contest in Japan at the weekend. Iida trailed former bureaucrat Shigetaro Yamamoto with 185,654 votes to 252,461 votes, the prefecture said today.
Morning Star 30th July 2012 more >>
Anti-nuclear campaigners in Japan have launched the country’s first green party, more than a year after the triple meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi power plant created a groundswell of opposition to atomic energy. Greens Japan, created by local politicians and activists, hopes to satisfy the legal requirements to become an officially recognised political party in time for the general election, which must be held by next summer but could come much earlier.
Guardian 30th July 2012 more >>
Tens of thousands of people protested against nuclear power plants outside Japan’s parliament on Sunday. The protesters, including pensioners, were pressed up against a wall of steel thrown around the parliament building. Some broke through the barriers and spilled onto the streets, forcing the police to bring in reinforcements and deploy armoured buses to buttress the main parliament gate.
Guardian 30th July 2012 more >>
Japan’s government on Tuesday approved its new long-term economic revival plan, which focuses on renewable energy, healthcare and farming, but economists were sceptical about whether it would really help Tokyo hit its growth targets.
Reuters 31st July 2012 more >>
Iran
Iran has significantly stepped up the pace at which it is enriching uranium, shortening the time it would take for it to reach a nuclear threshold, two Israeli newspapers reported on Monday.
Middle East Online 30th July 2012 more >>
US
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a Bulletin to all nuclear power plant licensees requesting information about their electric power system designs and alerting them to a potential design vulnerability that could affect the operation of key safety equipment.
Nuclear Engineering International 30th July 2012 more >>
Nuclear Weapons
As U.N.-led talks on disarmament resume in Geneva Monday, calls are growing for nuclear-armed nations to cut spending on their stockpiles and instead divert resources to development. The amount still being spent on nuclear arms makes no sense, just as continued reliance on the weapons themselves makes no sense, David Kreiger, president of the U.S.-based Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, said.
Common Dreams 28th July 2012 more >>
Renewables
The designation today of the Pentland Firth and Orkney area as a Marine Energy Park confirms what those of us in the industry already know – the north of Scotland is a world leader in wave and tidal technology. Over the last decade, supportive government policies and the establishment of the European Marine Energy Centre have made the north of the UK the global epicentre of ocean energy. Already more than 25 marine energy leases have been awarded in Scotland and the coming years will see leading companies developing the first small wave farms as the industry moves towards commercialisation. The new Marine Energy Park status will further strengthen the region’s reputation and will, we anticipate, help accelerate the industry’s ambitions for commercialisation of the technologies as well as investment in the sector.
Aquamarine Power 30th July 2012 more >>
Scotland’s first Marine Energy Park follows naming of first park in South West of England in January 2012; Welcome boost to UK world-leading sector following confirmation of increase in revenue support last week; Potential for 10,000 jobs provided by the sector by 2020
Renewable UK 30th July 2012 more >>
The Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters in the North of Scotland will today confirm their place on the global marine energy map with the launch of the area as a Marine Energy Park. Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg Barker will welcome the launch of the marine park during a visit to Thurso in Caithness, where he is set to address key players from across the marine renewable energy industry.
DECC 30th July 2012 more >>
Stephen Wyatt, head of technology acceleration at the Carbon Trust, predicted marine energy could realistically provide 13GW of new capacity by 2050, representing 11 per cent of total electricity demand. Under the Carbon Trust’s scenario, marine power could potentially create up to 26,000 jobs, adding £3bn a year to the UK economy.
Guardian 30trh July 2012 more >>
Electronics giants Sharp and Hitachi have today unveiled an innovative finance deal to provide loans to homeowners and businesses, in a bid to boost sales of solar photovoltaics in the wake of deep cuts to feed-in tariffs. Sharp Solar and Hitachi Capital will offer UK customers a series of financing options, which are expected to be rolled out across Europe over the coming months. Businesses and homeowners installing solar PV panels using Sharp-certified installers will be able to apply for loans from Hitachi Capital.
Business Green 30th July 2012 more >>
