New nukes
Government must not exclude public debate or reach for quick fix diktats to speed up decisions on new nuclear power stations, the Town and Country Planning Association warned today, in response to Kate Barker’s major report on land use planning.
24Dash.com 5th Dec 2006
The shake-up in the planning system unveiled yesterday will speed up controversial proposals for nuclear power stations, waste incinerators, motorways, wind farms, and other large projects. Under the proposals by Kate Barker, a former economic adviser to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), decisions on individual applications would be taken by a new independent Planning Commission after full consultation.
Guardian 6th Dec 2006
Independent 6th Dec 2006
Finland
French nuclear energy giant Areva will take a charge of 500 mln eur this year for extra costs because work on the Olkiluoto 3 reactor in Finland is 18 months behind schedule, Les Echos reported, without naming its source. ‘The initial calendar was perhaps too ambitious’, the business daily cited an Areva spokesman as saying. ‘The difficulties met since the start of work are not surprising. It is not a bag of chips that we are constructing in Finland but a nuclear reactor, which, what’s more, is the first of its kind,’ the spokesman said. ‘Despite the 18 months delay, construction of the Finnish EPR (European pressrised water reactor) will not take any longer than usual nuclear sites. We tend to forget, but Chooz, the last reactor completed in France, by EDF, went into service four years later than envisaged,’ he told Les Echos. Finnish energy company TVO announced yesterday that construction of the world’s first third-generation nuclear reactor is now 18 months behind schedule. ‘Today’s estimate is that the unit will be completed at the turn of 2010-2011,’ the head of the project Martin Landtman said in a statement.
Forbes 5th Dec 2006
Delays are reported in the construction on Finland’s fifth commercial nuclear reactor. The third reactor at the Olkiluoto plant on Finland’s west coast is expected to be complete at the end of 2010 or early 2011.
YLE News 4th Dec 2006
The completion of Finland’s fifth nuclear reactor will be further delayed, until early 2011, because of construction and planning complications, power company officials said Monday. The 1,600-megawatt reactor is now expected to be in operation almost two years later than originally planned, TVO project director Martin Landtman said.
AP 4th Dec 2006
Oldbury
OLDBURY power station could be the perfect site for green power production after its nuclear reactors are shut down, according to energy-conscious local councillors. Local consultation is already underway on the station’s potential reuse following decommissioning in 2008. Now South Gloucestershire Council is being urged to step in to champion tidal and marine current power generation on the site.
Thornbury Gazette 4th Dec 2006
British Energy
In its recent six-month review, British Energy (BE) told investors and shareholders it was bullish about reopening its troubled Hinkley Point B and Hunterston B nuclear power plants – closed since cracks were discovered in boiler tubes – by the end of the year. That was news to the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII), which must first inspect the sites and give its approval. The NII responded to a request by anti-nuclear campaigners, under the Freedom of Information Act, to state: “There has been no correspondence between NII and BE that specifically states any expected restart dates.”
Guardian 6th Dec 2006
Aldermaston
On 29 June this year there was a fire at Britain’s nuclear bomb factor at Aldermaston in Berkshire. Radioactivity leaked, three workers were contaminated and a building was evacuated. The incident, which has not been publicised before, was caused by spontaneous combustion. Plutonium and uranium, as well as being potential nuclear explosives, have the unfortunate habit of bursting into flames on contact with air.
Rob Edwwards.com 5th Dec 2006
Decommissioning
Nuclear decommissioning is a combination of high-tech science and knocking buildings down, says the man in charge of the programme. Sir Anthony Cleaver, chairman of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, says the task of cleaning up nuclear sites will take up to 100 years to complete and could cost in the region of £70bn.
FT 6th Dec 2006
Iran
Robert Gates, nominated to replace Donald Rumsfeld as U.S. defense secretary, on Tuesday said Iran was trying to acquire nuclear weapons and its leaders were lying when they said the program is strictly civilian.
Reuters 5th Dec 2006
Proliferation
You would think, from comment this week, that Tony Blair’s recommitment to Trident would, on its own, bring down the cause of curbing nuclear proliferation. Hardly: it makes at least a gesture towards shrinking the deployment of missiles; Britain has helped to devise some of the more imaginative ways of trying to persuade countries to give up nuclear ambitions; it represents no change of policy. Much more damaging to anti-proliferation efforts is the US pact to help India with nuclear power. That unnecessary offer, born of America’s new desire to court India, might have been redeemed if the US had pressed for tough terms. Instead, its concessions grew more egregious in the past six months; the version passed on November 16 by the Senate overturned US policy and was an assault on arms control efforts.
Times 6th December 2006
Trident
The case for Trident is based on pessimism rather than prudence – the ‘just in case’ scenario.
Guardian 6th Dec 2006
Michael Ancram MP: On Monday, the Prime Minister launched the debate on the replacement for Trident. There seemed to be an assumption abroad that ,while Labour is divided on this issue, the Conservatives are unanimous in supporting the next generation of the Trident deterrent. There were already signs on Monday that this would be an unwise misapprehension. There is in the Conservative Party a significant and growing group – of whom I am one – who have a healthy scepticism about Trident in today’s and, more importantly, tomorrow’s world.
Independent 6th Dec 2006
In A PERFECT world, we could all get rid of nuclear weapons and live happily ever after. Unfortunately, in the real world, things are not like that, which is why Tony Blair is pressing MPs to support the upgrade of Britain’s Trident nuclear defence.
Aberdeen Press and Journal 5th Dec 2006
Defence White Paper
Nuclear Decision likely to protect jobs in Derby. Rolls-Royce could be among the winners after Tony Blair announced a new fleet of nuclear submarines.
Derby Evening Telegraph 5th Dec 2006
THE Peterborough Labour Party has called on the Government to consider decommissioning nuclear weapons. At a recent meeting, where members were invited to meet the newly selected parliamentary candidate Ed Murphy, there was a discussion on nuclear weapons. Members felt that development of new systems would be against international law and the non-proliferation treaty.
Peterborough Evening Telegraph 5th Dec 2006
TONY Blair spelled out in detail what he thought the future of Britain’s nuclear deterrent should be. There will be four new submarines, unless it becomes clear three is enough. The Prime Minister told Parliament: “The reason this decision comes to us now is that if, in 2007, we do not take the initial steps toward maintaining our deterrent, shortage of time may prevent us from being able to do so.
North West Evening Mail 5th Dec 2006
New Scientist 5th Dec 2006
Catholics, Methodists, Baptists and Reformed are among those who have called for Britain to be bold in reversing, rather than further fuelling, the global nuclear arms race on moral and strategic grounds.
Ekklesia 5th Dec 2006
Ekklesia 5th Dec 2006
The Government faced further pressure over Trident from the Church today after the Archbishop of Canterbury spoke of the ‘grave’ ethical questions posed by nuclear weapons.
Daily Mail website 5th Dec 2006
The Royal Academy of Engineering has urged the government to invest in training of nuclear engineers to ensure that its newly unveiled nuclear submarine programme can be built in the UK.
New Civil Engineer 5th Dec 2006
Michael Meacher has slammed plans to replace Britain’s nuclear warheads claiming the health service will suffer if taxpayers are forced to pay the £75 billion costs running costs.
Oldham Chronicle 5th Dec 2006
Tony Blair last night warned that Britain cannot afford to lose the Westcountry’s nuclear submarine skills base by delaying a decision on replacing Trident.
Western Morning News 5th Dec 2006
