New Nukes
Professor David MacKay, the government’s chief scientific adviser on climate change, has said what many people have long believed. You cannot meet Britain’s future energy needs and reduced carbon emissions without a big expansion of nuclear power. As we report today, he believes we should aim to be producing four times the amount of electricity from nuclear as now. Alternative energy sources such as wind, solar and wavepower will never provide more than a fraction of the country’s energy needs. Relying on gas, coal and oil, with an increasing proportion imported, does not square with Britain’s international climate commitments.
Sunday Times 4th Oct 2009 more >>
THE government’s chief scientific adviser on climate change has proposed a quadrupling of Britain’s nuclear power generation to cut greenhouse-gas emissions. Professor David MacKay believes nuclear power could be the only way Britain can meet its soaring demand for electricity while keeping emissions under control. At the heart of his thinking lies a prediction that, by 2050, Britain will need three times more electricity-generation capacity than it has now. This is partly because the only way to cut the surging emissions from road transport roughly a third of all UK emissions is to make most vehicles electrically propelled. Millions of electric vehicles would need regular recharging. MacKay also wants to see an end to the use of gas for central heating and the replacement of boilers with heat pumps that extract heat from the atmosphere. They run on electricity.
Sunday Times 4th Oct 2009 more >>
Hutton
John Hutton the former business secretary and long-standing supporter of the nuclear industry, has rebuffed EDF Energy’s offer to become a senior adviser. He told the Observer he wanted to concentrate on writing three books before seeking private sector employment when he stands down as an MP at the general election. Nuclear industry insiders said the Labour MP for Barrow-in-Furness may have decided that it was too soon to take a senior role with EDF after having such high-level dealings with it in government. EDF had said that the paid role on its stakeholder advisory panel would have involved him dealing with “strategic issues”.
Observer 4th Oct 2009 more >>
Wylfa
Whilst the Welsh Economic Development Minister supports the building of a new power station within the constituency he has represented for the last 22 years, the Environment Minister is diametrically opposed to such a decision and even recently called for a public inquiry into any new nuclear facilities in Wales. Such a confused message from the Cabinet certainly doesn’t help the development of the energy sector within Wales and could jeopardise the potential of billions of pounds of investment into our poorest county.
Western Mail 3rd Oct more >>
Dylan Jones-Evans Blog 3rd Oct 2009 more >>
Chapelcross
Nuclear chiefs say nearly 300 staff are expected to keep their jobs at the Chapelcross plant in Dumfriesshire for the next 12 years. And almost 400 employees and 150 contractors will remain on site until 2011 as work to run down the former atomic power station near Annan continues.
Carlisle News and Star 3rd Oct 2009 more >>
Hunterston
A campaigner who has fought hard to bring nuclear issues out into the open and the public domain has defended the importance of quarterly monthly meetings with nuclear bosses. Mrs Rita Holmes, a Fairlie community councillor, disagreed with a North Ayrshire Councillor who was seeking to try and limit the amount of time at the Site Stakeholder group meetings. Representatives from both Hunterston ‘A’ and ‘B’ stations attend the events as do representatives from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate, and Hunterston Estate. Mrs Holmes said: “It is important that we meet face to face. A meeting which lasts three hours when we only meet four times a year? It is a really serious thing we are talking about here. Nobody is forcing people to be here. The people come from the community councils because they are interested in the power station and what is happening and we are here on behalf of the communities where we live.”
Largs & Milport Weekly News 3rd Ocr 2009 more >>
Nuclear War
SECRET Government papers show only a “small proportion” of people in Scotland would have survived a nuclear attack during the height of the Cold War.
Sunday Express 4th Oct 2009 more >>
Germany
A senior figure in Germany’s Free Democrats has threatened to drop plans to extend the lives of national nuclear plants if power companies take issue with conditions the next government attaches to such extensions.
Reuters 3rd Oct 2009 more >>
Iran
Israel’s prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has handed the Kremlin a list of Russian scientists believed by the Israelis to be helping Iran to develop a nuclear warhead. He is said to have delivered the list during a mysterious visit to Moscow.
Sunday Times 4th Oct 2009 more >>
The head of the UN’s atomic watchdog was expected to hold meetings in Tehran on Sunday, after Iran was forced into an apparent climbdown over its nuclear programme in talks this week.
Sunday Telegraph 4th Oct 2009 more >>
BBC 3rd Oct 2009 more >>
Climate
The shadow Climate Change Secretary insists the environment is still a priority for Cameron, despite its absence from the Tory leader’s 10 key pledges.
Independent on Sunday 4th Oct 2009 more >>
Renewables
A 50 million fund set up by the UK government to help develop wave and tidal power has come under fire for failing to fund any Scottish companies. The only company to receive a grant so far has been a tidal generation firm based in Bristol, one of whose backers, Rolls Royce, helps run the organisation which gives out the grants.
Sunday Herald 4th Oct 2009 more >>
Energy Efficiency
Homeowners in Scotland are to be offered loans for insulation and other energy efficiency measures. Details of the pilot scheme are to be announced by the Scottish government later in the week. Finance Secretary John Swinney said it would help people struggling to pay their energy bills and play a role in meeting climate change targets. Opposition politicians criticised the plan, saying it was unlikely to go far enough. Mr Swinney said improved energy efficiency was a key part of the government’s economic recovery plan. Scottish Labour said more urgent action was needed, claiming the previous administration provided insulation and new central heating systems for 100,000 homes. Green MSP Patrick Harvie said the scheme was a “pale imitation” of the one his party had proposed.
BBC 4th Oct 2009 more >>
Scotland on Sunday 4th Oct 2009 more >>
