Radwaste
RADIOACTIVE waste left over from nuclear bomb tests in the 1950s has been dumped at a landfill site on Teesside within the last three years. As much as 388 tonnes was buried at a landfill site near Port Clarence, Stockton, in 2008. The site, on the north side of the River Tees is within a mile of Middlesbrough town centre, and directly across the water from Middlesbrough FC’s Riverside Stadium. The toxic waste was left over after controversial UK weapons tests in Christmas Island in the Pacific – now part of the Republic of Kiribati island nation – during the height of the Cold War.
Officials have stressed that the waste poses no threat to the public.
Middlesbrough Evening Gazette 4th March 2011 more >>
Sizewell
LOCAL residents are calling for action to prevent the establishment of an anti-nuclear camp on the car park and beach near the Sizewell power station site over the Easter weekend. They say activists taking part in the annual camp – timed to mark the anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster – have in the past been allowed to ignore a ban on camping and overnight parking which is enforced among ordinary members of the public.
Lowestoft Journal 4th March 2011 more >>
Sellafield (New Reactors)
Caution is the watchword for Nu Generation, the Joint Venture which plans to build new reactors near Sellafield in West Cumbria. The multi-national JV, made up of Iberdrola, GDF Suez and SSE, is adopting a long-haul approach to development as it works towards a decision as to whether to build new reactors on land it has acquired near Sellafield in West Cumbria. It is looking to make its investment decision in 2015, with electricity generation coming on stream in 2023 at the earliest. NuGen is indebted to RWE for ensuring strong public support for the Sellafield site, When the German utility delivered a masterclass in how not to approach public engagement over its proposed new build developments nearby.
Nuclear Engineering International 4th March 2011 more >>
Old Reactors
EDF Energy’s 500-megawatt (MW) Hunterston B7 nuclear reactor in Britain restarted on Friday afternoon. The reactor’s maximum export limit stood at 90 MW at 1517 GMT, according to National Grid data. The unit went off line on Feb. 4 for an unplanned outage. Two reactors at EDF Energy’s Dungeness nuclear power plant remained off line on Friday. Reactor B21 is due to return to service on Tuesday and reactor B22 is expected to follow on March 12, according to National Grid’s latest forecast data.
Reuters 4th March 2011 more >>
Hinkley
PEOPLE in Sedgemoor are being asked for their views on a new Supplementary Planning Document which will help inform proposals and assist potential developers in formulating their plans for a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point.
Burnham & Highbridge Weekly News 3rd March 2011 more >>
Sedgemoor District Council March 2011 more >>
Wikileaks
Leaked memoranda from the US embassy in London to Washington from 2007-9 reveal angst over Iran’s nuclear power programme, concern about international fuel banks, and the head of the IAEA, according to a series of nuclear power-related documents published by Wikileaks and UK newspaper The Daily Telegraph earlier this year. The most notable findings are summarized here.
Nuclear Engineering International 4th March 2011 more >>
Chernobyl
Below is a link to a reconstruction of the Chernobyl radioactive plume by the French Government’s official agency on radiation and nuclear matters, the Institut de Radioprotection et Surete Nucleaire. It is based on weather patterns for the time period April 26 to May 6 1986 when the fire was burning inside the stricken reactor, and on known Cs-137 measurements. It is a remarkably graphic illustration of the huge extent of the radioactive contamination of East and West Europe (and eventually the rest of the Northern Hemisphere) caused by the Chernobyl catastrophe. After you have opened the web page please wait for 1 or 2 minutes while the film (15 MB) is downloaded to your computer: it then should start automatically.
Zero Degree Burn March 2011 more >>
Burghfield
The Atomic Weapons Establishment is seeking planning permission for a new Conventional Manufacturing Rationalisation facility at Burghfield. This facility would bring together a number of precision manufacturing processes needed to manufacture the non-nuclear parts of a nuclear weapon, and would contain facilities for activities essential for constructing and refurbishing nuclear warheads (various metalworking processes, ceramics machining and quality insurance and inspection). No decision has yet been made by Parliament that refurbishment or replacement of the warheads should go ahead. The public are entitled to give their views on this planning application. Please use the following form to email an objection to West Berkshire Council and if you wish, copy in AWE. Please make your objection personal to you and your circumstances by modifying the following text, especially if you live nearby.
CND March 2011 more >>
Join the CND Cut Trident contingent on the March for the Alternative: Jobs, Growth, Justice demo, Saturday 26th March 11am, Victoria Embankment, London – march to a rally in Hyde Park
CND March 2011 more >>
Faslane
Barr & Wray – the Glasgow-based pool, spa and pumps specialist – has secured an “important” six-figure contract with the Ministry of Defence. The firm, which was founded in the late 1950s and has some 85 staff, will design, supply and install salt water cooling systems, fire fighting pumps and associated control units at the Faslane naval base. The equipment will primarily be used when Royal Navy submarines are in dry dock for repair and maintenance.
Scotsman 5th March 2011 more >>
Gulf
The US National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the US State Department have announced the creation of a new Gulf Nuclear Energy Infrastructure Institute (GNEII) at the Khalifa University of Science, Technology, and Research in Abu Dhabi. The Institute will strengthen nuclear energy security, safeguards, and safety infrastructure development throughout the Persian Gulf.
Nuclear Engineering International 4th March 2011 more >>
Construction work started at a site close to the UAE border with Saudi Arabia last December, and the first reactor is scheduled to go online in 2017, despite expected delays. The UAE managed to convince potential supplier countries of its peaceful intentions with a pragmatic approach to nuclear energy and a shrewd negotiation strategy. The country sequenced its international negotiations smartly, offered far-reaching concessions, espoused transparence and gained endorsements from well-known nuclear experts. Crucially, the UAE commands an effective security apparatus able to contain eventual terror threats, enjoys a stable government and is awash with cash. Its transparent and open approach has been lauded as a new “gold standard” for nuclear energy acquisition.
Oil Price 4th March 2011 more >>
Test Veterans
MORE local people have stepped forward to offer harrowing accounts of how they or their loved ones have suffered after being exposed to blasts from nuclear weapons being tested in the 1950s and 60s.
St Helens Star 4th March 2011 more >>
Microgeneration
This week’s Micro Power News highlights a new green gas certification scheme; complaints from the Renewable Energy Association about delays in announcing the details of the renewable heat incentive; Chesterfield Council’s plans to install renewable energy on its own buildings; Sheffield’s plans to become self sufficient in energy in ten years; Newcastle’s plans to train council employees to enable the council to install renewable technologies; plans for solar bungalows in Durham; York’s plans to install solar panels for 1,000 council tenants, and Bristol’s £50k fund for community renewable projects; Liverpool wants to become Europe’s green capital.
MicrogenScotland 4th March 2011 more >>
