Iran
The European Union plans to condemn Iran’s expansion of efforts to enrich uranium, a possible path to atom bombs, at a U.N. nuclear watchdog meeting but stress a negotiated solution remains possible.
Reuters 6th March 2007
Eon, Germany’s biggest importer of natural gas, is pursuing its first gas supply contract with Iran in an effort to reduce its dependence on Russia. The company yesterday confirmed it was in talks with liquefied natural gas producers over a supply contract. “One of the producer countries is, of course, Iran,” said an official. Centrica, the UK’s biggest residential energy supplier, is also looking at Iran as a potential source of gas supplies following the decline in North Sea gas production.
FT 7th March 2007
Australia
More Australians expressed support for nuclear power than opposition when expressed as a solution to climate change, but support was notably lacking for nuclear power in respondents’ local areas.
World Nuclear News 6th March 2007
New nukes
Mention nuclear power in Northern Ireland and you will be drowned out by cries of “close Sellafield”. It is as if Sellafield is the only nuclear facility on the other side of the Irish Sea. In fact, the west coast of Scotland and England has the most intensive nuclear industry of any part of the UK. But it’s a fact realised by very few people in Northern Ireland. And they may soon be hearing news that they will not like. The government is about to reveal its White Paper on energy, which may well recommend that more nuclear power stations be built. Some of those could well be along the Irish Sea.
BBC 7th March 2007
New nuclear power plants have a role in Britain’s future energy mix, with a cleaner use of fossil fuels, renewable power and closer controls on electricity consumption, the chief executive of Scottish & Southern Energy said.
Telegraph 7th March 2007
Dungeness
The planned expansion of Lydd airport in Kent, southeast England, could pose problems for any nuclear reactors that may be built at a nearby power station, British Energy said in an objection to the plans. The company fears the proposed longer runway could bring too many big aircraft close to its Dungeness nuclear power station, where it says a new nuclear plant may be built under government plans to replace Britain’s ageing reactors.
Reuters 6th March 2007
BE’s Letter of Objection 2nd March 2007
Hinkley
WEST Somerset Council has clarified its position on nuclear power, after it was claimed the authority had agreed to oppose the building of a new power station at Hinkley Point. Council spokesman, Stacey Beaumont, said although the council’s Local Plan Policy did say the council opposed further nuclear development, it did not include the replacement of existing stations once they had been de-commissioned. She said: “The Local Plan Policy EN/5 states the council will resist the development of further nuclear power generation capacity at Hinkley Point. The policy does, however, allow for the site’s nuclear power generation capacity to be replaced. “The council does not have a policy that states it will oppose the construction of a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point if it is to replace Hinkley A or B stations, providing it does not exceed their generating capacity.”
Somerset County Gazette 6th March 2007
Western Daily Press 6th March 2007
Trident
Politicians, celebrities and a former military leader joined forces last night to speak out against renewing the Trident nuclear weapons system. They voiced their opposition on board the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise which docked in central London as part of a campaign to oppose buying a new generation of nuclear weapons.The ship was used to blockade the Faslane nuclear base in Scotland last week which led to the crew being arrested and kept in solitary confinement.Last night’s event followed publication of a report by Greenpeace which claimed that the true cost of replacing Trident was £75 billion, around four times higher than the Government’s estimate.
Telegraph 7th March 2007
Ministers have been warned by MPs against any “lowering of the threshold” for launching Britain’s nuclear weapons. The cross-party Commons defence committee said that the Government’s deliberate ambiguity over exactly when it would mount a nuclear strike should not be a cloak for widening the circumstances in which nuclear weapons would be used.
Local Guardian 7th March 2007
BBC 7th March 2007
Herald 7th March 2007
A MINISTERS’ offer to cut the number of nuclear warheads in Britain’s arsenal when replacing the Trident system was an empty gesture with no clear military or legal significance, MPs will say today. The Commons Defence Committee is delivering its verdict a week before MPs debate the government’s white paper proposing a new nuclear deterrent.
Scotsman 7th March 2007
The government’s proposals to maintain its nuclear deterrent are not necessarily legally justifiable, MPs have said.
Responding to the government’s white paper on replacing the Trident nuclear deterrent published in December last year, members of the defence select committee argued that legal opinions are divided on the continued use of a nuclear deterrent.
View London 7th March 2007
Europe
Brussels is considering a fresh approach to opening European Union energy markets amid indications that national leaders will this week signal their opposition to a forced break-up of big electricity and natural gas companies. The European Commission is looking at a compromise plan under which regional grid operators could be established to help spur -competition and investment in the sector.
FT 7th March 2007
Utilities
Eon’s hopes of securing control of Endesa faded last week when Enel, the Italian electricitycompany, unexpectedly bought almost 10 per cent of the Spanishcompany in a raid on the markets last week.
FT 7th March 2007
