Hiroshima
Hiroshima’s mayor urged global leaders today to back President Barack Obama’s call to abolish nuclear weapons as Japan marked the 64th anniversary of the world’s first atomic bomb attack. In April, Mr Obama said that the United States – the only nation that has deployed atomic bombs in combat – has a “moral responsibility” to act and declared his goal to rid the world of the weapons. At a solemn ceremony to commemorate the victims of the Aug. 6, 1945, attack, Hiroshima’s Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba welcomed that commitment.
Irish Times 6th Aug 2009 more >>
RTE 6th Aug 2009 more >>
New Nukes
According to the World Nuclear Association there are currently 49 nuclear reactors under construction, with another 136 planned and a further 277 proposed. That sounds like a huge number until you realise that of 436 in operation now, many will need to be decommissioned in the future.
Motley Fool 6th Aug 2009 more >>
A report commissioned by Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said that the UK needs to more than double the amount of electricity generated by nuclear power, as well as boosting renewables, energy efficiency and gas storage to guarantee energy security.
City AM 6th Aug 2009 more >>
MORE than a third of the UK’s electricity should be generated from nuclear energy, an official report urged yesterday. Former energy minister Malcolm Wicks said between 35 and 40 per cent of electricity should be generated from nuclear energy after 2030. He said this would help to improve future energy security by decreasing reliance on imported gas.
Scotsman 6th Aug 2009 more >>
The Ecologist 5th Aug 2009 more >>
ePolitix 5th Aug 2009 more >>
Reuters 5th Aug 2009 more >>
New Civil Engineer 5th Aug 2009 more >>
Proposals to double the proportion of electricity generated by nuclear power have been criticised by the Conservative party, which warned they could open the door for government subsidies for new reactors. A report on energy security commissioned by the prime minister and published on Wednesday argued for an “aspiration” that nuclear power would provide 35-40 per cent of Britain’s electricity after 2030, up from 12-15 per cent today.
FT 6th Aug 2009 more >>
IAEA
The United Nations nuclear watchdog’s board has approved an almost 25 million increase in the agency’s 2010 budget enabling the watchdog to continue its work. The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will receive over 318 million in its regular budget next year, with the biggest funding boost going to work in nuclear security and safety, technical cooperation, nuclear power and nuclear applications.
eGov Monitor 5th Aug 2009 more >>
US
Instead of trying to figure out how to capture carbon from coal-fired power plants or find the massive amounts of capital to build new nuclear power plants while still having absolutely no safe place to store all the waste, we should be focusing on utilizing our robust renewable resources – which are clean, free and abundant. The DOE has already stated that wind could produce 20 percent of the nation’s total electricity needs by 2030. A recent report released by McKinsey & Company showed that by 2020, the U.S. could reduce its energy consumption by 23 percent, simply by deploying an array of efficiency measures. And the USGS has estimated that the United States has enough megawatt-hours of geothermal resources to satisfy 10 percent of U.S. demand – using current, off-the-shelf technologies. So there’s 53 percent of our power – using only wind, energy efficiency and geothermal. And that’s based on today’s technology.
Reuters 5th Aug 2009 more >>
North Korea
Bill Clinton’s successful mission to North Korea presents a “win-win” situation for President Obama. Never mind the nay-sayers, such as the neo-conservative former ambassador John Bolton, who has accused the administration of practically consorting with terrorists by engaging with the unpredictable Kim Jong-il. Contrary to Mr Bolton, who forgot in his previous incarnations working for George Bush that actions have consequences, President Obama has demonstrated that he is a serious strategic thinker, and by dispatching the former president to Pyongyang he has his eye on the long term.
Belfast Telegraph 6th Aug 2009 more >>
United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon said he hoped North Korea’s release of two American journalists would lead to fresh talks on eliminating its nuclear weapons programme.
Belfast Telegraph 6th Aug 2009 more >>
Turkey
Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said on Wednesday the government expects the Russian-led consortium that has offered to build Turkey’s first nuclear power plant to lower its proposed electricity prices.
Interactive Investor 5th Aug 2009 more >>
Czech Republic
Energy company CEZ has opened the public tender for the purpose of selection of a contractor of two nuclear units designed for Temelin location.
Nuclear Engineering International 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.
Interactive Investor 5th Aug 2009 more >>
Submarines
Russian nuclear-powered attack submarines spotted off the US east coast are on a legitimate training mission, a senior Russian military official said today. US defence officials said that two Russian submarines had been patrolling in international waters for several days. While the activity was reminiscent of the cold war, the US officials said the submarines had done nothing to provoke concern.
Guardian 6th Aug 2009 more >>
Daily Mail 6th Aug 2009 more >>
Times 6th Aug 2009 more >>
Renewables
Six workers who have been staging a sit-in at Britain’s only major wind turbine factory for more than two weeks called today for a national day of action to support their attempt to save it from closure with the loss of more than 600 jobs. The men, who say they are determined to remain inside the Vestas Wind Systems plant on the Isle of Wight until bailiffs come to remove them, want people around the country to show support on Wednesday 12 August by downing tools for an hour, holding a rally or hanging up a banner.
Guardian 6th Aug 2009 more >>
Energy Efficiency
Homeowners will be able to borrow up to £10,000 to “green” their homes and pay the money back through their council tax bill, under radical proposals drawn up by a government advisory body. The plans, published today in a report by the UK Green Building Council, flesh out a government proposal aired last month for a pay-as-you-save scheme to improve the efficiency of 7m British homes by 2020.
Guardian 6th Aug 2009 more >>
Owners of poorly insulated homes should not be allowed to sell or rent them until they have invested in energy efficiency measures, the Government’s advisory body on domestic energy use says. The Energy Saving Trust said that the 5.5 million homes in the lowest two bands for energy performance more than a fifth of all homes should also be subject to higher council tax bills and additional stamp duty. It believes that tough measures will be needed to achieve the Government’s target of reducing carbon dioxide emissions from home heating by 29 per cent by 2020 and to “almost zero” by 2050.
Times 6th Aug 2009 more >>
It is cost-effective in the long term to install energy-efficient appliances.
Times 6th Aug 2009 more >>
