New Nukes
Little or no progress was made on recognizing the contribution of nuclear power to mitigating climate change at the Conference of Parties to the Kyoto Protocol in Copenhagen in December 2009.
IAEA 2nd Sept 2010 (see para 9) more >>
Prof Stephen Thomas: Since the birth of the new Conservative/Lib Dem coalition, environmentalists and nuclear advocates have weighed every word on nuclear power uttered by Chris Huhne, the Lib Dem heading the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). Far less attention has been paid to the continued disintegration of the most likely technology option for the UK, the French European Pressurised Water Reactor (EPR).
Parliamentary Brief 1st Sept 2010 more >>
Nuclear Research
Building work will start next month on a £20 million nuclear research centre in west Cumbria which will create 40 jobs. The centre, at Westlakes Science and Technology Park near Whitehaven, will be run by the University of Manchester.
Carlisle News & Star 3rd Sept 2010 more >>
Energy Supplies
Energy policy in the UK is at a crossroads, and the decisions made now will reverberate for decades. At least 43 gigawatts of new electrical generation capacity, equivalent to half of Britain’s current total, will be needed by 2020, as all but one of its nuclear plants are retired and coal-fired power stations closed to meet EU air pollution standards. Electricity output may need to double by 2020 as domestic heating, industry and transportation electrify, but there are very different ideas as to how this should be done, and the role of energy efficiency has been neglected. Nuclear power is still fraught with risks, from unresolved issues over sharing of nuclear waste and decommissioning responsibilities with government, to lack of a final repository for nuclear waste. Even with streamlined planning and safety approval for nuclear, utilities remain nervous of competition from gas turbine plant, and are looking for a much higher levy on carbon. There is no guarantee a large-scale programme will materialise, and existing plants could end up with windfall gains, though at least some plants will probably get built.
Independent 3rd Sept 2010 more >>
The Government has committed Britain to a fresh round of building nuclear fission power stations, despite opposition from environmentalists and those concerned about nuclear proliferation. But the science of nuclear power is not in dispute. Nuclear power stations have proven to provide a steady “base load” whether the wind is blowing or the sun is shining, and of course, they do not require fossil fuels – although there is the question about continued supplies of uranium and what to do with the nuclear waste. Many distinguished scientists have supported nuclear rebuild, saying it is a sensible and viable alternative to dirty coal-fired power stations. They believe they are a critical part of the energy mix that should see us through, hopefully, to the day when nuclear fission reactors are replaced by safer, cleaner nuclear fusion reactors.
Independent 3rd Sept 2010 more >>
Hinkley
STOP Hinkley protest group is staging a weekend of activities in response to French energy giant EDF’s plans to bulldoze barns and remove ancient hedges for the proposed Hinkley Point C. Although it might be years before it gets approval for the next generation nuclear power stations, EDF is already poised to conduct site preparation work. Stop Hinkley brand the move “immoral” and are holding an Action Weekend on September 11 and 12.
This is Somerset 26th August 2010 more >>
Aldermaston & Burghfield
The NII/HSE have published their Q2 2010 report for AWE Aldermaston and Burghfield
HSE 3rd Sept 2010 more >>
Scotland
FIRST Minister Alex Salmond yesterday called on Scotland’s financial services industry to help pump cash into green projects to boost the economy and save the environment. He insisted harnessing investment from countries like China to fuel renewable energy and low-carbon infrastructure could deliver “real gains”. An estimated 60,000 green jobs could be created by 2020 across Scotland – in an industry expected to be worth £4.3TRILLION worldwide in five years.
The Sun 4th Sept 2010 more >>
Scotsman 4th Sept 2010 more >>
Israel
UN atomic watchdog chief Yukiya Amano urged Israel to come clean about its undeclared nuclear weapons capability during a visit to the country in August, an IAEA report revealed Friday.
Middle East Online 3rd Sept 2010 more >>
Iran
Iran would retaliate by striking Israel’s nuclear facility if Israel attacked its nuclear activities, armed forces chief of staff Hassan Firouzabadi said on Friday.
Yahoo 3rd Sept 2010 more >>
Korea
Support for nuclear power in South Korea has increased following the country’s first overseas order, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said in August. The Korea Nuclear Energy Foundation – an information body under the Knowledge Economy Ministry – and Korea Research said that 88.4% of 800 Koreans surveyed said that development of the nuclear industry is necessary.
Nuclear Engineering International 3rd Sept 2010 more >>
Energy Efficiency
The coalition government is set to extend a planned domestic green retrofitting scheme to cover up to 3 million business premises, in a move which could provide a huge boost for the £10bn commercial refit market. Plans for a “pay as you save” scheme to persuade householders to install energy-saving measures in their homes were announced by the previous government in March this year and endorsed by the coalition under the “green deal” banner.
Building 3rd Sept 2010 more >>
