Proliferation
Despite environmental concerns in the west, nuclear energy still has an aura of modernity in the Middle East.
Guardian 4th April 2007
US
Florida Light and Power is planning new nuclear capacity.
World Nuclear News 4th April 2007
Mergers
Babcock International is to buy International Nuclear Solutions, the nuclear engineering and design services business.
FT 5th April 2007
Iran
Iran’s volte-face over the 15 sailors and Royal Marines may be a public relations ploy to buy time for its nuclear programme.
Telegraph 5th April 2007
Finland
Protesters in inflatable boats landed near the site of Finland’s new nuclear power station on Wednesday, chaining themselves to the gates and demanding a halt to construction.
Reuters/Planet Ark 4th April 2007
Springfields
FYLDE’S nuclear power plant could have a long-term future, it has been revealed.
Organisers of a local consultation exercise say the Springfields plant at Clifton may continue to produce fuel long after its current reactors’ use-by date of 2031.
Blackpool Gazette 4th April 2007
Eastern Europe
In contrast to the older member states of the European Union, the new member states from Eastern Europe appear to be very positive on nuclear power.
Nuclear Engineering International 4th April 2007
North Korea
Asian diplomats have expressed doubts North Korea will meet a 14 April deadline to shut down a key nuclear plant, as agreed under a landmark deal.
BBC 4th April 2007
Protest
You can change the world, says Jeremy Paxman: At 93, Eileen Daffern is still a force to be reckoned with in the campaign against nuclear weapons. Jeremy Paxman has known – and admired her – since the 1980s …
Guardian 5th April 2007
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
Sir Anthony Cleaver, chairman of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, will retire, aged 69, at the end of July when his current three-year term expires.
FT 5th April 2007
Utilities
Investors yesterday piled another £224m on to the stock market worth of Scottish & Southern Energy after the Perth-based utility again became a possible takeover target as German power giant E.ON abandoned its battle to wrest control of Spain’s Endesa. This latest flurry of speculation comes just six weeks after SSE was touted as a likely target for the new-broom chief executive of German utility RWE. Russian gas company Gazprom has also been linked recently to a bid for SSE. Nonetheless, the latest SSE talk follows the £11.6bn acquisition of ScottishPower by Spanish electricity group Iberdrola, which leaves SSE as one of the last few UK-owned energy companies. ScottishPower shareholders just at the end of last week delivered a ringing endorsement of their board’s proposal to put the future in the hands of Iberdrola. Powergen owner E.ON last night would not rule out possible takeovers in the UK now that the Endesa deal was off, but the German giant declined to
comment on a bid for SSE.
Herald 4th April 2007
Scotland
Is global warming real and are humans responsible? If so, what are the parties going to do to cut greenhouse gas emissions, particularly with regard to transport, road building and flights?
Scotsman 5th April 2007
