Energy Security
Malcolm Wicks — Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s special envoy on energy security and a former energy minister — will recommend accelerating plans to build a new generation of nuclear reactors to avoid becoming dependent on imported gas. Wicks, who has worked on the report for almost a year, is expected to call for the UK to boost the share of electricity generated from nuclear to as much as 30-to-40 percent from 13 percent last year.
Reuters 5th Aug 2009 more >>
Britain should treble the share of electricity it generates from nuclear power to avoid sleepwalking into a dangerous dependency on imported gas, Gordon Brown will be warned today. Malcolm Wicks, the Prime Minister’s special envoy on energy security, is to publish a report this morning arguing that the country’s national security is at stake and recommending an acceleration of plans to build a new generation of nuclear reactors.
Times 5th Aug 2009 more >>
FT 5th Aug 2009 more >>
The scale of the challenge facing energy policy is illustrated by the list of planned investments in electricity generation compiled by New Power, the industry journal. Companies have set out plans or begun construction on 30,000MW of gas-fired generation, compared with about 8,100MW of coal-fired power, 1,800MW for onshore wind power and 9,200MW for offshore wind power, according to published announcements. EDF of France and a consortium of Eon and RWE of Germany, which are the two groups likely to be first to build nuclear power stations in Britain, say they want to invest in about 12,000MW of new nuclear capacity between them. However, the first of those reactors will not be operational until the end of 2017 at the earliest.
FT 5th Aug 2009 more >>
Sellafield
The NDA’s asset disposal programme involving land adjacent to Sellafield, Cumbria, has moved to the next phase with the closure of the period for companies to express an interest in taking part in the process. Companies had until 17:00 hours on Monday 3 August 2009 to put themselves forward.
NDA 4th Aug 2009 more >>
Spanish energy firm Iberdrola has expressed an interest in buying land which is likely to become the site of a new nuclear reactor near Sellafield ahead of a deadline for interest today. Expressions of interest are due in for the site, being sold by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, today, and the Spanish firm confirmed it has made a bid. Other companies tipped to express an interest in the land include Sweden’s Vattenfall and Germany’s RWE.
Cumberland News 4th Aug 2009 more >>
Environment bosses are taking enforcement action against Sellafield Ltd following a radiation leak at the site earlier this year. Radioactive liquid was discovered to be leaking from a pipe at the Magnox reprocessing plant in January. Although the leak caused no impact to the environment or affected local people, the company has now been issued with an enforcement notice. The Environment Agency said it was taking action to ensure an incident like this does not happen again.
Carlisle News and Star 4th Aug 2009 more >>
Supply Chain
New construction jobs will be created in the West Midlands if engineering firms “gear up” for proposed nuclear projects. This is the view of the West Midlands Business Council (WMBC), which said that the government’s intention to expand nuclear power could create “thousands of jobs” in the region.
Career Structure 4th Aug 2009 more >>
Career Engineer 4th Aug 2009 more >>
The biggest firms in the world’s nuclear industry are looking to Lancashire to invest multi-million pound budgets. Paul Haworth, project delivery director of the National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL), has said that global energy firms were looking to the county as a base location when they looked to cash in on the renaissance of the UK nuclear industry.
Lancashire Evening Post 5th Aug 2009 more >>
Oldbury
Villagers living near the possible site of a new nuclear power station near Bristol staged a five-hour protest to prevent contractors getting on to the land.
Stop Nuclear Power 4th Aug 2009 more >>
Low Level Waste
A temporary storage area for nuclear waste has opened to ease pressure while work continues to create a new £20 million vault at Drigg. Operations began on the so-called “island slab” yesterday, which will be used to keep low-level radioactive waste until work on the new store is complete. Bosses at the Low Level Waste Repository (LLWR) in west Cumbria have created the stop-gap area as space runs out in vault eight at the store.
Carlisle News & Star 4th Aug 2009 more >>
Electricity Supply
Lower demand for electricity in the recession drove down profits by 77pc at Drax, the owner of Britain’s largest coal-fired power plant.
Telegraph 5th Aug 2009 more >>
Guardian 5th Aug 2009 more >>
Iran
If diplomatic efforts fail to halt Tehran, then there is only one last obstacle the open threat by Israel to destroy Tehran’s nuclear sites before it can complete an atomic weapon.
Times 5th Aug 2009 more >>
Letter: You do not have to be an Israeli diplomat to think that the more fingers there are on the nuclear trigger, the more likely it is that one of them will eventually belong to a psychopath who is deterred by no considerations of retaliation, self-preservation or anything else.
Times 5th Aug 2009 more >>
China
The head of China’s leading nuclear power developer is under investigation by the discipline department of the Communist Party, state news agency Xinhua reported on Wednesday. Kang Rixin, who is also the party boss of China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC) is under investigation for ‘seriously violating discipline’, Xinhua said on its website, citing officials from CPC’s Central Committee for Discipline Inspection. That terminology is usually used to indicate a corruption investigation.
Yahoo 5th Aug 2009 more >>
North Korea
AS ALWAYS it is hard to read the mind of North Korea, and never more so than now, after a string of provocative missile tests by the regime and speculation over Kim Jong-il’s health and grip on power. It is widely believed that he is about to transfer power to his youngest son Kim Jong-un. The Bill Clinton visit may pave the way for a breakthrough in the tortuous nuclear dispute between the US and North Korea.
Irish Independent 5th Aug 2009 more >>
Independent 5th Aug 2009 more >>
Italy
Italian utility Enel and France’s EDF have announced plans to join forces to build nuclear power plants in Italy. The two companies are to create a 50:50 joint venture company to be called “Sviluppo Nucleare Italia Srl and be headquatered in Rome. The company will carry out feasibility studies for four reactors.
Utility Week 4th Aug 2009 more >>
Vestas
The owners of a wind turbine company on the Isle of Wight won a court ordertoday to end a fortnight-long factory sit-in by workers, as another group of protesters occupied a second site belonging to the Danish company.
Guardian 5th Aug 2009 more >>
Climate
MPs accused ministers today of “backsliding” on the government’s commitment to cut its own carbon emissions, noting that departments have reduced the amount of energy they get from renewable sources. The environmental audit committee (EAC) also warned that the taxpayer may end up having to foot the bill for purchasing carbon credits from the private sector if it fails to meet its own target of a 12.5% reduction in carbon emissions by 2012.
Guardian 5th Aug 2009 more >>
Independent 5th Augv 2009 more >>
Renewables
India has decided to push ahead with a vastly ambitious plan to tap the power of the sun to generate clean electricity, and after a meeting chaired by the prime minister, Manmohan Singh, it wants rich nations to pay the bill. Although India has virtually no solar power now, the plan envisages the country generating 20GW from sunlight by 2020. Global solar capacity is predicted to be 27GW by then, according to the International Energy Agency, meaning India expects to be producing 75% of this within just 10 years.
Guardian 5th Aug 2009 more >>
Fusion
Steuart Campbell: Fusion reactors will be very expensive and very large, with huge radiation and explosion hazards. They are not even needed; we can generate electricity from nuclear fission for 1,000 years. The joke about nuclear fusion is that it is 40 years away, and always will be.
Scotsman 5th Aug 2009 more >>
