Hinkley
Plans to build an £18 billion nuclear power station in Somerset were thrown into chaos after the admission that engineers may have falsified vital safety tests. The revelation plunged the French nuclear industry into a new crisis, prompting fears that dozens of reactors in France and possibly the UK could be dangerous. Britain’s nuclear safety regulator, the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), said last night that it was seeking answers from EDF, the troubled state-owned electricity company planning to build two European pressurised reactors at Hinkley Point. The ONR said that it was “aware of reports of possible falsification of manufacturing and quality control” at a French state-owned factory that has manufactured key components used in more than half of France’s 58 nuclear reactors. The factory, owned by the collapsed nuclear reactor manufacturer Areva, is due to produce the reactors to be used at Hinkley. A spokeswoman for Areva, a sister company of EDF, acknowledged that there were questions over the safety and reliability of France’s nuclear industry. “Obviously, this is a major issue in terms of confidence,” she said. “We have got our people mobilised to bring transparency here, and we are determined to do that.” Areva admitted on Monday that information on the safety of the reactor pressure vessels it has been making for French nuclear plants since the 1960s is either missing or wrong. Mycle Schneider, an expert on the French nuclear industry, said that hundreds of large components manufactured at the Le Creusot plant were not properly accounted for. About 50 are believed to be in use inside French nuclear power stations but smaller components could be in reactors owned by EDF in Britain, he said. A similar scandal in Japan in 2005 led to the shutdown of 17 nuclear reactors.
Times 4th May 2016 read more »
Areva
France’s ailing nuclear giant, Areva, faced a major scandal on Tuesday after the country’s nuclear watchdog confirmed there have been “irregularities” in 400 parts produced in its reactors since 1965, and that “around 50 are currently in service in France’s nuclear power plant fleet”. France’s independent Nuclear Safety Authority, ASN, said the “irregularities” were listed in an audit it had ordered from Areva after it detected a “very serious anomaly” in a reactor vessel in the country’s Flamanville EPR nuclear plant, the same model Britain plans to use for two new plants at Hinkley Point. The fault in the vessel destined to house the plant’s nuclear fuel and confine its radioactivity was detected last year. “These irregularities consist in incoherencies, modifications or omissions in manufacturing dossiers,” ASN said in a statement. The revelation came hours after Areva’s director general admitted that 400 documents assessing whether parts of nuclear plants met required standards may have been “falsified”.
Telegraph 3rd May 2016 read more »
Irregularities have been found in around 50 Areva-made components installed in French nuclear reactors, nuclear regulator ASN said on Tuesday. It said that after the discovery of weak spots in the reactor vessel of the EPR reactor under construction in Flamanville, France last year, Areva began a review of manufacturing procedures at its Creusot steel forging plant. In a statement, ASN said it had been informed by Areva that its investigation had found evidence of irregularities in about 400 components produced since 1965, of which some 50 are believed to be in use in French nuclear plants.
Reuters 3rd May 2016 read more »
Daily Mail 3rd May 2016 read more »
The investigation launched after the discovery of “anomalies” in the structure of the Flamanville nuclear plant in France have revealed inconsistencies in the production records of nuclear components manufactured at a factory in Le Creusot. The European Pressurised Reactor is touted as the safest in the world, but delays in construction in France, Finland and China are turning the new-generation plants into a financial nightmare. The ESR may now have to be scrapped as the fragility at the base of the lid is too dangerous to ignore.
Euro News 3rd May 2016 read more »
French state-owned nuclear group Areva said on Monday that some reports on manufacturing and quality control at its Creusot Forge unit, which supplies the nuclear market with large forgings and castings, may have been falsified.The company commissioned an external review of the subsidiary last year to identify the causes of possible flaws in its practices and quality control after weak spots were found in the steel of the EPR nuclear reactor it is building for utility EDF in Flamanville.
Reuters 2nd May 2016 read more »
Dounreay
Planned air transports of high-enriched uranium from Dounreay in Scotland to the US state of Tennessee would risk of accident or a terrorist seizure of weaponisable nuclear material, writes Ernie Galsworthy. The motive for the transport appears to be purely commercial – and would thus put the public at needless risk for the sake of a cut-price nuclear waste / fuel deal between US and UK authorities.
Ecologist 3rd May 2016 read more »
Moorside
NUGEN is declining to comment on speculation that it has approached a South Korean energy giant to invest in a nuclear power station at Moorside, Sellafield. According to the Sunday Times, NuGen has approached Korea Electric Power Corporation (Kepco) as a potential investor in the project. The report says that Toshiba and ENGIE – formerly GDF Suez – are finding raising the £10bn needed to fund Moorside “a challenge” and have approached Kepco and other potential investors. It adds that Kepco held talks about joining the NuGen consortium in 2013, but no deal materialised. NuGen confirmed to the News & Star that it was talks with potential investors but declined to confirm whether Kepco was one of them.
In Cumbria 4th May 2016 read more »
Nuclear company NuGen is about to start offshore drilling as it steps up preparations to build a nuclear power plant at Moorside, Sellafield. It is due to give the go-ahead for plans for three Westinghouse AP1000 rectors in 2018, with construction starting two years later. Work to assess the site is gathering pace. NuGen began drilling at Moorside in December and was due to begin the first phase of off-shore drilling this week. It says the results will inform the design and layout of Moorside, and support licensing, planning applications and other consents. The first phase involves drilling 11 boreholes into the seabed, and the collection and testing of geological samples. NuGen’s second stage public consultation on proposals for Moorside begins on May 14. Details are available at nugenconsultation.com.
Whitehaven News 3rd May 2016 read more »
Cybersecurity
Recent high-profile cyber attacks on nuclear facilities have raised concerns about their cyber security vulnerabilities. This is of particular import because of the potential – even if remote – for the release of ionising radiation as a result of a cyber attack. Given the sensitivities surrounding the nuclear industry, even a small-scale cyber security incident at a nuclear facility would be likely to have a disproportionate effect on public opinion and the future of the industry itself.
Politics Home 3rd May 2016 read more »
Politics
Six former energy ministers have taken jobs in the energy sector since 2008. Each time, the appointments watchdog ruled they must not exploit the ‘privileged information’ they picked up in office. This did not stop their employers deciding they were worth hiring. In May 2012, Charles Hendry signed a deal for the UK to get geothermal electricity generated by Iceland. A year later he was installed in a £1,000-a-day job as director of Atlantic Superconnection, a firm building a 650-mile undersea cable to carry the electricity.
Daily Mail 3rd May 2016 read more »
New Nuclear
CAMPAIGNERS have called for a ban on a seminar on nuclear energy at the UK’s biggest conference on green energy being launched in Glasgow on Wednesday saying it is “unsuitable”. The free-to-attend two-day annual conference and exhibition on renewable energy and sustainable technologies at the SECC in Glasgow is promoted as bringing together the UK’s largest group of buyers from the bioenergy, solar, offshore and onshore wind and wave & tidal sectors, as well as those involved in energy storage, transmission and onsite generation. There is to be a keynote speech by Tom Greatrex, chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association. Other talks surround prospects for small reactors in the UK, and advice on the skills to enter and succeed in the nuclear industry. There will be a presentation on scenarios for the deployment of new nuclear power stations. But the complaints are expected to fall on deaf ears, as the one-and-a-half hour session due to start at 11am, was still on the agenda last night. Pandora Swan, who started the petition, said she was “surprised” that the conference were to have a seminar on nuclear life cycle.
Herald 4th May 2016 read more »
Decommissioning
One of the North East’s leading independent engineering companies – Red Marine – has successfully transferred its world class offshore engineering expertise to develop an innovative remotely operated vehicle concept for the nuclear decommissioning sector. Named the STOBOT – after its creator Mark Stobo, a Senior Engineer at Red Marine – the unique submersible vehicle will be developed to remove sludge, residuals and debris from storage ponds at nuclear power stations. The company is confident that its innovative solution will offer a step change in productivity when decommissioning nuclear waste storage facilities such as the B29 and B30 ponds at Sellafield.
Materials Handling World 3rd May 2016 read more »
Energy Policy
The idea that renewable energy can power the UK is an “appalling delusion”, according to the final interview given by former chief scientific adviser, the late Professor Sir David MacKay. The sensible energy and climate change plan for the UK, MacKay said, was for the country to focus on nuclear power and carbon capture storage technology, which traps the carbon dioxide from fossil fuel burning. In that scenario, the amount of wind and solar the UK needed would be almost zero, he said. However, solar could be a very important power source in other countries, he said, where sunny summers coincided with a big demand for electricity for air conditioning. Prof MacKay also said electric cars are going to be a “massive hit” but said he was “very disappointed” by the lack of progress on CCS, after the government cancelled a pioneering £1bn programme at the last minute.
Guardian 3rd May 2016 read more »
Wind and solar a waste of money for UK, Prof Sir David MacKay said in final interview.
Telegraph 3rd May 2016 read more »
US
In advance of New York’s April 19 primary, presidential candidate Bernie Sanders characterized the 40-plus-year-old Indian Point nuclear power station located 36 miles north of Midtown Manhattan as “a catastrophe waiting to happen” that should be shut down. Sanders’ statements in New York were no surprise. His ambitious plan to combat climate change includes a phase-out of the nation’s nuclear power plants, which currently account for about one-fifth of U.S. electricity production. Instead, he proposes working toward a 100 percent clean-energy system by investing heavily in wind, nuclear and geothermal. Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, has called for investment in nuclear power alongside renewable energy as part of her plan to modernize the U.S. energy infrastructure. She opposes shuttering Indian Point, which is currently being reviewed for license renewal by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
In These Times 3rd May 2016 read more »
‘America’s Fukushima’ Is Leaking. The Hanford Nuclear Reservation sits on the plains of eastern Washington, where the state meets Oregon and Idaho. This is open country through which cars pass quickly on the way to the Pacific coast or, conversely, deeper into the heartland. The site is nearly 600 square miles in area and has been largely closed to the public for the past 70 years. Late last year, though, it became part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, which will allow visitors to tour B Reactor, where plutonium for one of the two atomic weapons dropped on Japan in World War II was produced. But all is not as it seems, with recent reports indicating new breaches in the tanks holding the nuclear waste. Workers on the site have been sickened too, suggesting that the rush to designate Hanford as a park may have been premature. The 177 underground tanks were never a permanent solution, and the government has hired private contractors to build a plant that will solidify the waste and prepare it for permanent safe storage. The project will cost an astonishing $110 billion, according to estimates, making it what many believe to be the most expensive, and extensive, environmental remediation project in the world. Completion is about five decades away. When I visited Hanford in 2013, construction of the Waste Treatment Plant—which will pump nuclear sludge out of the tanks and turn them into a hardened, glasslike substance—was slow and rife with technical challenges. Whistleblowers, meanwhile, were alleging that private contractors had neglected safety and engineering concerns in their rush to complete the job. Otherwise sober observers likened the place to a nuclear tinderbox. “America’s Fukushima?” asked the resulting Newsweek cover story.
Newsweek 3rd May 2016 read more »
Australia
Australia is to become the 14th member of the Generation IV International Forum (GIF). In addition to accepting Australia’s entry, last week the forum’s policy group also elected a new chairman. GIF was initiated in 2000 and formally chartered in mid-2001. It is an international collective representing governments of 13 countries where nuclear energy is significant now and also seen as vital for the future. Most are committed to joint development of the next generation of nuclear technology.
World Nuclear News 3rd May 2016 read more »
Island Energy
Given recent newspaper headlines, one might think it a bit strange to suggest that anyone should actually be encouraged to invest in anything “offshore”. Well, that’s exactly what I’m calling on our politicians to do. However, instead of funds quietly disappearing off to tax-havens such as Panama or the Cayman Islands, I’m proposing an investment that would genuinely benefit society, just off our own shores, on the islands of Scotland. More precisely, I’d like to urge the Prime Minister David Cameron to deliver on his promise last year to help unlock the green energy potential of Scotland’s islands. Establishing a financial mechanism, or “Contract for Difference”, to support renewables on the islands as he committed and enabling them to connect to the National Grid would lead to massive investment into some of our most remote and rural communities. Home to some of the best wind, wave and tidal resources in the entire country it makes total sense for us to try and tap into that island potential to generate clean power for Britain’s homes and businesses. It’s been estimated renewables schemes in the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland could generate five per cent of total UK power demand by 2030. That’s approaching the same output expected from the troubled Hinkley C nuclear power station, but with none of the radioactive mess to clean-up afterwards and for a fraction of the cost.
Herald 4th May 2016 read more »
Renewables
A new report has revealed that independent renewable generation now supplies 7.6 per cent of the UK’s power demand, despite a fall in wholesale prices.
Utility Week 3rd May 2016 read more »
Renewables – Scotland
A jump in wind power led to turbines producing enough electricity to meet the needs of more than three-quarters of Scottish households in April, new figures reveal. Wind farms provided 699,684MWh (megawatt-hours) of electricity to the National Grid last month, enough to power 79% of average Scottish households, equivalent to 1.9 million homes. The energy output has increased by 15% compared with the same time last year when wind energy provided 608,601MWh of electricity to the grid. Figures released by WeatherEnergy show that high winds meant on eight days in April wind turbines generated enough electricity to supply 100% or more of Scottish homes. Despite the recent wintry weather the data shows that in homes fitted with solar panels, there was enough sunshine to generate an estimated 95% of the electricity needs of an aver age household in Dundee, 87% in Edinburgh, 86% in Aberdeen, 84% in Glasgow, and 83% in Inverness. For those homes fitted with solar hot water panels, there was enough sunshine to generate 82% of an average household’s hot water needs in Inverness, 80% in Dundee, 78% in Aberdeen, 76% in Glasgow, and 74% in Edinburgh.
Energy Voice 3rd May 2016 read more »
Scotland’s wind power sky rocketed last month. The output jumped up by 15 per cent compared with last year’s figures, and upwards of 70 per cent electricity or hot water was provided by the sun through solar panels. Environmentalists are now calling for the next Scottish government to bring forward a new energy strategy that takes Scotland to the “next level” in its use of renewables. The call by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Scotland came as the group published analysis of wind and solar data provided by WeatherEnergy. They found that for the month of April wind turbines in Scotland provided enough electricity for 1.9 million Scottish homes. This represents an increase of 15% compared to that of April 2015. Karen Robinson of WeatherEnergy said: “After a relatively slow start to the year, Scotland’s wind power output is back on the up thanks to s ome powerful winds during the month.
Blue and Green Tomorrow 3rd May 2016 read more »
Renewable Heat
It could already be “too late” for the UK to meet its renewable heat target by 2020, the Energy Saving Trust has warned. Speaking at a conference in London the Trust’s chief executive Philip Sellwood said that, although the energy efficiency of homes is improving, “significant policy gaps” mean it could already be too late for the UK to meet its target of 12 per cent of heat demand from renewable sources by 2020.
Utility Week 3rd May 2016 read more »
Renewables – solar
Award-winning Scottish installer, Solar Kingdom has completed its largest ever roof integrated system, fitting a single roof with 60 panels, or 15kWp – in the process creating significant savings in installation costs. Installed for businessman Craig Muir at Strathore Business Park, near Kirkcaldy, the Strathore Plant Hire main office building (above) was to be re-roofed as part of a major refurbishment. During the process, he decided this was an opportunity to consider a solar installation and invited Solar Kingdom to complete the work. By fitting the solar panels as part of the building renovation, all installation work on the roof became cost-neutral. Scaffolding was already in place and fitting the panels was substitutional for the work of fitting tiles. There were further savings of over £1,000 in cost of roof tiles. Solar Kingdom opted to use the new Viridian Solar Fusion system which is fast and easy for experienced roofers to install. This combination reduced the total cost of the project compared to a conventional installation process.
Scottish Energy News 4th May 2016 read more »
The Emirate of Dubai set a new world record for the cost of solar power on May 1, 2016 with the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) receiving bids for the 800 MW Sheikh Maktoum Solar Park Phase III as low as 3 U.S. cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh).
Renewable Energy World 2nd May 2016 read more »
Renewables – tidal
Sustainable Marine Energy is to invest £4.5 million to deploy an array of its PLAT-O tidal energy systems at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney.
Scottish Energy News 4th May 2016 read more »
Hydrogen
“Hydrogen could be the perfect zero-carbon fuel; burning it creates two products essential to society – energy and water. Use sustainable sources of biomass in its production along with carbon capture and storage (CCS) and you have the potential to deliver carbon-negative power and heat at either domestic or industrial scale.” Dr Hyungwoong Ahn, of Edinburgh University will take part in the Biomass, Biogas and Biofuel session today (4 May; Carron, 16:00 – 17:30) to describe his study of a biomass gasification combined heat and power (CHP) plant with carbon capture.
Scottish Energy News 4th May 2016 read more »
Fossil Fuels
A Saudi Prince talks of his nation’s “dangerous addiction” to oil, and sets out a plan to kick dependency within just a few years. A Bloomberg guru talks of renewables “crushing” fossil fuels around the world. Arguably the most successful entrepreneur ever turns the unveiling of an electric car not due to be delivered for 18 months into the most successful product launch in history. A revered Silicon Valley futurist ponders the seven doublings of the global solar market since 2000 – one roughly every two years – and advises doubters in the technology not to ignore the arithmetic of exponential growth: six more doublings over the next 12 years would mean 100% of global energy from the sun. Plus much more that would have been unimaginable a year ago. That was April in the great global energy transition.
Jeremy Leggett 3rd May 2016 read more »
