New Nukes
RWE npower and E.ON UK have announced the appointment of Alan Raymant as the new Chief Operating Officer for the companies’ nuclear joint venture. Alan is currently Director of Operations and Asset Management for E.ON’s distribution business in the UK and has extensive experience within the company’s generation business, including heading up its renewables portfolio.
Power Engineering 6th Aug 2009 more >>
A report on UK energy security prepared at the request of the UK government has recommended that the country should aim for nuclear to supply some 35-40% of its electricity beyond 2030.
World Nuclear News 6th Aug 2009 more >>
Electricity Supplies
With gas too risky, coal too dirty, nuclear too slow and renewables too unreliable, Britain is in a bind. What can it do to get out of it? At this stage, there is no lightning-bolt solution, but two things would prevent matters from getting worse. The first has to do with infrastructure. Companies must be cajoled or bribed into building gas storage. At the moment there is barely a week’s worth, so there is nothing to lessen the impact of price rises and the shenanigans of foreign powers. More cross-Channel power cables would help, allowing Britain to import electricity directly from its better-supplied neighbours (and also helping create a Europe-wide power grid, thus improving security for all EU members). Second, carbon must be taxed if firms are to invest in long-term, expensive, technology-heavy projects such as nuclear plants, cleaning up coal and taming renewable sources of power.
Economist 6th Aug 2009 more >>
Proliferation
Governments that care about the spread of the bomb will make a big effort to shore up the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) at next year’s five-yearly review. The Obama administration, unlike its predecessor, talks of ratifying the test-ban treaty. America and Russia are busy cutting warheads. Nuclear officials from America, Russia, Britain, France and China will meet in London next month to explore ways to build confidence for future disarmament. Yet all will be in vain unless better ways can be found to deal with a practical problem as old as the nuclear age: how to stop nuclear technologies that can be used legitimately for making electricity from being abused for bomb-making. Efforts to tackle it are in a muddle.In order to dissuade others tempted to follow in Iran’s nuclear footsteps, some governments have been working on ways of enticing them down obviously peaceful paths. These have included ideas for “fuel assurances”, so that countries do not feel the need to invest in the most sensitive fuel-making technologies, and also nuclear co-operation agreements.
Economist 6th Aug 2009 more >>
Companies
Iberdrola’s potential involvement with nuclear power outside of Spain has stepped up in recent days after talks with Russian firms over Kaliningrad and involvement in the Sellafield land sale.
World Nuclear News 6th Aug 2009 more >>
Bulgaria
RWE AG’s plan to expand in Bulgaria’s nuclear market is on the brink of collapse because financing for the 4 billion-euro ($5.75 billion) project couldn’t be obtained. Bulgaria’s government will probably announce the end of the plan to build two nuclear reactors at the Belene site next week. It will be the second time in a month that a nuclear expansion project by the German utility fails, the newspaper said. A court in The Netherlands in July blocked RWE from participating in the Borssele nuclear site, FTD said.
Bloomberg 7th Aug 2009 more >>
Italy
Italy’s A2A SpA was “upset” by a deal on nuclear business between rival Enel and EDF, its French partner in Edison, the utility’s chairman said on Thursday.
Interactive Investor 6th Aug 2009 more >>
North Korea
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.
Glasgow Evening Times 6th Aug 2009 more >>
China
The head of China’s nuclear power programme is under investigation for “grave violations of discipline”, Chinese state media reported, citing the Communist party’s top disciplinary body. There were no details of the allegations against Kang Rixin, the president and party secretary of the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), but the phrasing usually indicates a corruption case. It is not clear whether the 56-year-old has been suspended from his post.
Guardian 7th Aug 2009 more >>
Turkey
Greenpeace activists are protesting at Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s offer to help Turkey build nuclear power plants. Hours before Mr Putin was due to arrive for an official visit, about 10 protesters unfurled a banner that read “No to Atom please” in downtown Ankara and posted pictures of Putin and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on mock nuclear reactors.
Express 6th Aug 2009 more >>
A consortium of Russia’s Inter RAO, Atomstroiexport and Turkey’s Park Teknik will revise down the price they charge from what would be Turkey’s first nuclear plant.
Yahoo 6th Aug 2009 more >>
Hiroshima
The mayor of Hiroshima today backed Barack Obama’s call for the abolition of nuclear weapons when he spoke at a ceremony to mark the 64th anniversary of the atomic bombing of the Japanese city. Tadatoshi Akiba said he was speaking for the global “Obamajority” in calling for the elimination of all nuclear weapons by 2020.
Guardian 7th Aug 2009 more >>
Climate Change
One relatively cheap solution, however, is gaining favour among many different groups and is endorsed today by an independent study that compares the costs and benefits of all the main ideas. A wind-powered fleet of 1,900 ships would criss-cross the oceans, sucking up sea water and spraying it from the top of tall funnels to create vast white clouds.
Times 7th Aug 2009 more >>
Telegraph 7th Aug 2009 more >>
Plans to reduce global warming by blasting jets of water into the atmosphere or placing mirrors in space could have devastating consequences, two climate scientists warn today. They say that while such ideas may be highly effective, they could lead to severe droughts. Susan Solomon, a climate scientist at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Gabi Hegerl, a climate scientist at the University of Edinburgh, caution against the entrepreneurial “we can fix this thing” approach and say that a calm, methodical inquiry is needed.
Times 7th Aug 2009 more >>
