Wylfa
Isle of Anglesey County Council will later this month ask the public for its views about the new nuclear build on the island. Island residents will have six weeks to voice their opinion on the New Nuclear Build Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) draft document when the consultation is launched on Monday, February 17th. Horizon Nuclear Power’s Wylfa Newydd proposals signify a huge potential infrastructure development for the Island, which could also bring many other associated projects. Developing a new nuclear build SPG will set out the Council’s vision and objectives for Wylfa Newydd and become be an important material consideration in assessing other planning applications linked to the project.
News Wales 3rd Feb 2014 read more »
Hinkley
The European Commission (EC) has delivered what can only be called a scathing initial verdict on the UK Government’s deal with French state owned EDF to build the first new nuclear reactors in the UK for a generation. It concludes the measures are definitely state aid and therefore illegal under EU law. The initial analysis – published on the Commission website – suggested that the deal may not be proportionate and risked substantially overpaying EDF. The Commission said additional support to EDF (on top of market prices) could end up costing anywhere between £5bn and £17.6bn.
Greenpeace 3rd Feb 2014 read more »
The UK’s plan to build a new nuclear plant has hit a fresh stumbling block after the European Commission sent the government a letter questioning the deal’s legality on Friday. We summarise the commission’s “damning critique” of the UK’s new nuclear deal. The fight is far from over. The commission is currently consulting on whether to change the state aid rules. If it decides to relax the regulations, it could improve the chances of the nuclear deal getting approved. Here’s what to expect in the coming months: Member states have until mid-February to respond to the commission’s consultation; The commission will decide on the new rules in June; In the meantime, it will continue to consider the UK’s request to exempt the Hinkley Point deal from the current state aid rules, but may not make up its mind about that until next year; That leaves plenty of time for the UK government to lobby the commission and mobilise its allies – primarily France – in the continuing fight to get its new nuclear power plant built.
Carbon Brief 3rd Feb 2014 read more »
See also.
Carbon Brief 3rd Feb 2014 read more »
The £16 billion future of a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point in Somerset was thrown into doubt last night after the European Commission published a damning report into the deal between the Government and EDF.
Western Daily Press 3rd Feb 2014 read more »
Politics
With the Conservative Party set to fight the next election on a platform built largely on the UK’s recent return to economic growth, it seems somewhat counter-intuitive for Tory MPs to publicly question the entire concept of GDP. But that is precisely what a group of Conservative modernisers will do tomorrow with the launch of a wide-ranging new report on the how to improve productivity and efficiency across the UK economy. For Sandys it is critical that a shift in thinking on resource efficiency and economic metrics happens soon. She draws a parallel between the UK’s current position as it seeks to find a new sustainable model for economic growth and those emerging economies that had to pick between fixed line or mobile phone infrastructure. “If we make the wrong choice and build a fixed line economy rather than a mobile economy we are going to end up looking very out of date,” she warns. Although with the cost of numerous commodities at or near historic highs and continuing to rise, the failure to embrace resource efficiency could mean that looking out of date becomes the least of our problems.
Business Green 3rd Feb 2014 read more »
Conservative MP Tim Yeo has suggested his support of gay marriage, tackling climate change and staying in the EU are to blame for his deselection, after members in his South Suffolk constituency narrowly voted to stop him running for parliament again in 2015. Yeo, one of the longest-serving MPs in the Commons, is the second Conservative in just a few days to be told by a local party that he cannot stand in the next election, after Anne McIntosh was rejected by activists in Thirsk and Malton last week.
Guardian 3rd Feb 2014 read more »
Times 4th Feb 2014 read more »
Europe
Binding emissions reduction targets and an expansion of the EU’s carbon trading scheme are among the recommendations a group of leading European electricity firms have submitted to policymakers, as they prepare to debate the bloc’s next wave of climate and energy policies. Trade body Eurelectric yesterday handed a manifesto to EU Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger that calls for European and national policymakers to take measures that would “re-orient energy policy towards cost-efficiency and competitiveness”.
Business Green 4th Feb 2014 read more »
Letter WWF Scotland: Now the dust has settled following publication of the energy and climate proposals from the European Commission we can begin to see the new policy landscape. It’s not a pretty picture. Instead of clarity and ambition, we see hesitancy and ambiguity. By suggesting a greenhouse gas emissions target out of line with climate science, alongside a low and weak renewable energy target which offers no certainty of delivery, these proposals appear to be putting the brakes on modernising Europe’s energy system. If we are to tackle climate change, secure the thousands of jobs renewables have to offer and realise the billions of pounds of investment that could flow to Scotland, the proposal from the EC must be improved by national governments. Despite the commission labelling growth in renewables and energy efficiency as the ‘no regrets option’, and despite the support for strong renewables policy from Denmark, Germany, France, Ireland and others, its proposals are far from encouraging. By backing a weak renewable energy target of just 27 per cent, the EC has listened to those member states, notably the UK among them, in thrall to new nuclear or the false promise of cheap shale gas. The low ambition and the absence of any delivery mechanism mean this proposal is an empty shell that creates uncertainty, increases risks and ultimately costs. The Scottish Government is right to highlight that “ambitious targets can help to unlock the potential of the industry and create jobs far into the future”. Scotland must now help raise the ambition and play a positive role in the European debate, exemplifying what is possible if we strive towards a modern, clean energy system.
Holyrood 3rd Feb 2014 read more »
Small Modular Reactors
After millions of dollars and more than a decade spent developing a small modular nuclear reactor, Westinghouse Electric Co. is pulling back. Danny Roderick, president and CEO of the Cranberry-based nuclear firm, said Westinghouse recently “reprioritized” staff devoted to small modular reactor, or SMR, development and funneled their efforts to the AP1000, the company’s full-scale new generation pressurized water reactor currently under construction in China and the U.S. “The problem I have with SMRs is not the technology, it’s not the deployment — it’s that there’s no customers,” Mr. Roderick said. “The worst thing to do is get ahead of the market.”
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 1st Feb 2014 read more »
Power Engineering 3rd Feb 2014 read more »
South Korea
South Korea gave a green light on January 29 to a $7 billion plan to build two new nuclear reactors, a sign that Korea will push forward with nuclear power despite its recent troubles with the technology. South Korea has 23 nuclear reactors in the country, but shut down its fourth reactor on Jan. 28 due to “technical” problems, raising the prospect of energy shortages this winter.
Oil Price 2nd Feb 2014 read more »
Hungary
Greenpeace activists in Budapest have taken over the famous Liberty Statue to protest the proposed expansion of Hungary’s only nuclear power station. The pact, made between the Hungarian government and Russia, provides for two new reactors at the existing plant in the southern city of Paks.
Euro News 3rd Feb 2014 read more »
Iran
Iran’s foreign minister said Monday that he believed a final deal with world powers over Tehran’s contested nuclear programme was possible within six months.
AFP 3rd Feb 2014 read more »
Reuters 3rd Feb 2014 read more »
Nuclear Weapons
The increasing discussion of the humanitarian impacts of nuclear weapons may be able to move disarmament talks beyond the political disparities between the weapons haves and have-nots – and shift our understanding of the consequences beyond simply national interest.
Open Democracy 3rd Feb 2014 read more »
Energy Efficiency – Glasgow
Glasgow will be markedly less orange in the near future, and its council will be millions of pounds better off, under plans from the government’s green fund. Street lights will be replaced with low-energy LEDs so that the familiar sodium glow gives way to bright white light. As well as saving money, it will be a boon to skywatchers in the surrounding countryside, as LED lights provide more illumination on the ground and less to the clouds. Close to 100% of the light goes downward, unlike conventional street lights which send a third of their glow into the night sky, causing light pollution. The project is the result of a new finance deal from the government-backed Green Investment Bank. Under the deal, councils will receive the cash needed for the replacements upfront, to be paid back over time as the savings materialise. The UK spends 300m a year on lighting public areas, including streetlamps but also motorways and large areas such as hospital or local authority car parks. At least 80% of this expenditure could be saved by replacing the current lights with LEDs, which provide more light for less money.
Guardian 4th Feb 2014 read more »
Renewables – solar
Energy minister says those approaching retirement should consider putting some of their savings into solar panels because they would deliver a better financial return than a pension. Greg Barker, the energy minister, said that anyone approaching retirement should consider putting some of their savings into solar panels because they would deliver a better financial return than a pension. Mr Barker disclosed that 500,000 British homes have installed solar panels, which allow users to generate their own electricity and sell any excess power to energy firms. Installing panels can cost several thousand pounds, but savings on bills and the ability to sell excess power mean households can turn a profit over time.
Telegraph 3rd Feb 2014 read more »
Renewables – Scotland
Funding of almost £3 million has been awarded in the last year to 25 green energy projects aimed at tackling fuel poverty. The cash came from the Scottish Government’s £50m Warm Homes Fund, which provides grants and loans to help with the cost of installing renewable energy systems. Among the organisations to benefit was the West Whitlawburn Housing Co-operative. It received a loan of £1.5m towards a £7.5m scheme which aims to connect 543 homes in Cambuslang to a renewable biomass boiler.
Herald 4th Feb 2014 read more »
CCS
Spending big on carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology would create a UK industry worth up to £35bn that could help reduce household energy bills by £82 a year. That is the conclusion of a report published today by the CCS Association (CCSA) and the Trades Union Congress (TUC), which highlights the vital role the technology could play in tackling emissions cost-effectively
Business Green 3rd Feb 2014 read more »
Guardian 3rd Feb 2014 read more »
Fossil Fuels
Public opposition to shale gas could be rising, despite the government’s attempts to promote the fuel, according to recent UK polls. The closer the industry gets to reality – and to people’s homes – the more worried the public gets.
Carbon Brief 3rd Feb 2014 read more »
Shale gas is no more than a long-term possibility for the UK and should not be a key plank of energy policy for the next decade, one of the most senior Liberal Democrats in the cabinet has warned. Vince Cable, the business secretary, told the Guardian shale gas would not be a reality in the UK for at least a decade, and that energy policies should focus on renewable energy.
Guardian 4th Feb 2014 read more »
Does an activity taking place hundreds of feet below your home constitute a trespass? Resolving this question could well decide the future of this country’s energy supply. Landowners in West Sussex intend to deny permission for shale oil and gas exploration in order to establish what campaigners hope will turn into a nationwide “legal blockade” against fracking. They hope to tie up the drilling companies in so much litigation that they will give up and go elsewhere.
Telegraph 3rd Feb 2014 read more »
Shale gas explorer Cuadrilla will on Tuesday unveil plans for fracking at two sites in Lancashire next year. The company and its partner, British Gas owner Centrica, will begin consultation with residents, ahead of seeking planning permission in coming months to drill and frack the wells.
Telegraph 3rd Feb 2014 read more »
Five Sussex landowners are threatening to block a small exploration company from drilling for oil under their land, in a legal challenge to Britain’s embryonic fracking industry. Solicitors for residents near the village of Fernhurst, West Sussex, have written to Celtique Energie and Ed Davey, the energy secretary, to deny the company permission to prospect for oil under their property. The move comes after the government said it may seek to change trespass law to make it easier for companies to drill under privately owned land. Celtique obtained the agreement of a local landowner to drill a vertical well on his property. But in order to drill a further lateral well, it will need the consent of landowners on adjacent plots.
FT 3rd Feb 2014 read more »
Guardian 3rd Feb 2014 read more »
Climate
Rising temperatures and an increase in the size of the elderly population will mean that more than 7,000 people will die because of the heat in an average year in the 2050s – compared to just 2,000 today. However, milder winters will mean that a smaller proportion of people will die from the effects of the cold.
Independent 4th Feb 2014 read more »
