Horizon
Nuclear new build firm Horizon Nuclear Power said yesterday it was in the final stages of selecting a reactor design for its site in North Wales.
New Civil Engineer 7th Mar 2012 more >>
Radwaste
Loweswater Parish Council has tonight voted by a clear majority to oppose further steps towards geological disposal. It joins Cockermouth Town Council and Seaton, Above Derwent and Threlkeld Parish Councils in an emphatic NO.
Radiation Free Lakeland 6th March 2012 more >>
In 1994, Josefina de Vasconcellos (then aged 90) got in touch with the anti-nuclear campaign group, CORE (Cumbrians Opposed to a Radioactive Environment). She sent them a handwritten and illustrated set of papers in a critical response to the Sellafield Repository Project information leaflet and suggested that it should be re-drawn by a professional trade artist and as near as possible in style to the Sellafield original. In her papers Josefina condemns nuclear energy in general but the underground dumping of nuclear waste in Cumbrias fractured geology in particular. Although CORE met up in Ambleside with Josefina several times, due to lack of funds, her leaflet was never produced and the papers have been gathering dust in COREs archives ever since. While the value of these hand drawn papers in monetary terms is substantial the real value lies in the message. Josefina died in 2005. CORE have very generously agreed to this previously unseen work being exhibited in Rock Solid? Expo. Josefina de Vasconcellos 1904- 2005 “a gifted musician, composer, poet, dancer and inventor – but much more than any of these, she was a figurative sculptor with a strong religious faith to whom other people mattered very deeply”
Rock Solid Expo 6th March 2012 more >>
Terror
In a stark message, the Deputy Prime Minister will say materials to make a dirty bomb are so readily available that no police force can hope to contain such a threat. And while such an atrocity was unthinkable just a generation ago, no country can now afford to ignore the potential risk, he will add. Last year, The Daily Telegraph disclosed that al-Qaeda is actively trying to secure nuclear material and recruiting rogue scientists to build a radioactive “dirty” bomb. Mr Cleggs warning comes as tensions over Irans nuclear programme continued to grow yesterday.
Telegraph 7th Mar 2012 more >>
Old Nukes
According to market sources on Monday morning, power prices in the UK were bolstered by low nuclear power generation, but wind generation stopped any additional gains. The cause for the lower nuclear output is due to the shutdown of Oldburys 434 MW reactor and scheduled maintenance on unit 2 of EDF Energys 1,150 MW Heysham-1 nuclear plant. This maintenance began on Thursday. Further cause for the lack of output was the unscheduled maintenance of two units of its 1,191 MW Sizewell B nuclear reactor, which had suddenly gone offline. Officials are currently investigating the cause of the malfunction.
Green Chip Stocks 5th Mar 2012 more >>
Heysham
We’d like to invite you to two events this coming weekend to mark the anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear disaster and our opposition to the plans to build new nuclear power stations in the UK. Fri 9th March, 8pm, upstairs in the Gregson, Lancaster: film evening; Sat 10th March, 11am antinuclear bike ride to Heysham, followed by picnic at 3pm at the power station.
Indymedia 6th Mar 2012 more >>
Wylfa
MORE than 7,600 homes will be built in Gwynedd and on Anglesey over the next 15 years if a joint housing masterplan for the region is approved. This is nearly 2,000 fewer than the Welsh Government wants for the two counties but would still see 286 homes built in Gwynedd and 225 on Anglesey every year. This plan anticipates an increase in jobs of between 2,100 to the golden scenario of 3,400, which relies on Wylfa B and other Energy Island projects coming off.
Daily Post 6th Mar 2012 more >>
Dounreay
Cardboard tubes inside rolls of paper towels have emerged as a solution to a problem operating a piece of equipment used to treat radioactive waste. The sludge mixer stirs radioactive material dredged from the Dounreay Fast Reactor in Caithness, with cement, inside 200 litre steel drums. Workers were having difficulty fitting the machine’s motor drive to the spindle of its mixing paddle. They have been using the tubes to make it easier to access the spindle.
BBC 6th Mar 2012 more >>
Sizewell
A fault has caused Sizewell B power station’s nuclear reactor to shut down, halting electricity generation. EDF Energy said it was the first unplanned stoppage for three years, after the reactor was tripped by an electrical fault in another part of the Suffolk plant, on Friday. The company said the shutdown of the reactor took place safely and post-trip procedures operated as expected. Work is under way to discover the cause of the fault and resume production.
BBC 6th Mar 2012 more >>
Enformable 6th Mar 2012 more >>
Stress Tests
European Union safety tests on nuclear plants should be completed by around the middle of the year as time is needed to ensure they are thorough enough, EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said. In comments ahead of the anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear disaster on March 11, Oettinger said stress tests would be completed “not later than summer”. “Thoroughness is more important than delivering quick results. Our multinational teams still need some time to finish the tests. Not later than summer we will publish the results,” he said in a statement. A June council meeting of energy ministers is expected to receive a report on the stress tests, as has long been planned. The full process might not be completed by then. The tests are expected to be followed up later this year by a Commission proposal, which could seek to reform EU nuclear safety legislation, and officials have been debating questions, such as whether regulatory authorities are sufficiently independent.
Reuters 6th Mar 2012 more >>
Engineering & Technology 6th Mar 2012 more >>
Planning
Today’s entry reports on the laying before Parliament of an order removing references to the Infrastructure Planning Commission from secondary legislation. We have long been told that the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) was due to be abolished on 1 April 2012 (or possibly 6 April), but as the date approached some of us were beginning to have doubts given the lack of legislative confirmation that this would actually happen. Oh me of little faith – today planning minister Greg Clark has laid before Parliament regulations that remove references to the IPC from all Planning Act secondary legislation, to take effect on 1 April.
Bircham Dyson Bell 6th Mar 2012 more >>
Cumbria
Direct Rail Services, a subsidiary of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority that operates freight trains, has held talks with Cumbria county council on taking over the running of passenger services on the coastal branch line between Carnforth and Carlisle.
FT 6th March 2012 more >>
RWE
Germany’s abrupt change in nuclear policy has put a dent of 1.3 billion ($1.7 billion) in RWE’s results for FY2011. It also boosted power prices and raised carbon dioxide emissions, the company said in its annual report to shareholders.
World Nuclear News 6th Mar 2012 more >>
RWE, Germany’s second-biggest utility, plans to sell fewer assets after finding another 1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) of cost cuts and raising its capital as it positions itself for a future without nuclear power in its home market.
Reuters 6th Mar 2012 more >>
RWE, the German utility, reported an 18 per cent drop in full-year earnings, weighed down by the cost of phasing out nuclear power in its home market and losses in its energy trading and wholesale gas business. But the company forecast greater stability for the next two years.
FT 6th Mar 2012 more >>
The company, which supplies more than six million customers in the UK, said profits were £313m in 2011, compared to £232m the previous year. Npower, which is owned by German utility giant RWE, lifted average tariffs for gas by 15.7pc and electricity by 7.2pc last October – but has since lowered gas bills by 5pc. The company said the surge in profits was driven by improved income from its power generation assets, as well as higher cost savings, while it also invested nearly £1 billion in clean energy in the UK. Volker Beckers, RWE Npower chief executive, said the company recognised that many people are “concerned” about rising energy costs and Npower would invest in new energy infrastructure to reduce the UK’s exposure to volatile energy prices.
Telegraph 6th Mar 2012 more >>
RWE denies its UK subsidiary nPower is up for sale.
Telegraph 6th Mar 2012 more >>
Consumer groups have rounded on RWE npower after its profits soared by more than a third in the same year that it raised bills to record levels. They demanded to know why the German-owned company had failed to pass on savings to consumers as operating profits rose by 34 per cent to £313 million.
Times 6th Mar 2012 more >>
US
When the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently approved two new nuclear reactors near Augusta, Ga., the first such decision in 32 years, there was plenty of hoopla. But it’s too soon for nuclear boosters to pop their champagne corks. Japan’s Fukushima disaster continues to unfold nearly a year after the deadly earthquake and tsunami unleashed what’s shaping up to be the worst nuclear disaster ever. Meanwhile, a raft of worldwide reactor closures, cancellations, and postponements is still playing out. The global investment bank UBS estimates that some 30 reactors in several countries are at risk of closure, including at least two in highly pro-nuclear France. Nearly four decades after the Three Mile Island accident, nuclear power remains expensive, dangerous, and too radioactive for Wall Street. The industry won’t grow unless the U.S. government props it up and the public bears the risks.
Huffington Post 5th Mar 2012 more >>
Japan
Workers in rubber boots chip at the frozen ground, scraping until they’ve removed the top 2 inches (5 centimeters) of radioactive soil from the yard of a single home. Total amount of waste gathered: roughly 60 tons. One down, tens of thousands to go. And since wind and rain spread radiation easily, even this yard may need to be dug up again. The work is part of a monumental task: a costly and uncertain effort by Japan to try to make radiation-contaminated communities inhabitable again. Some contractors are experimenting with chemicals; others stick with shovels and high-pressure water. One government expert says it’s mostly trial and error.
Huffington Post 5th Mar 2012 more >>
A set of glowing green chandeliers made from uranium is being installed at Nassauischer Kunstverein (NKV) in Wiesbaden, Germany. Part of the group exhibition Keeping up Appearances (18 March-6 May), the work is timed to coincide with the one-year anniversary on 11 March of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant disaster in Japan.
Art Newspaper 6th Mar 2012 more >>
Greens/EFA co-chair Rebecca Harms says EU nuclear stress tests are being used as a “seal of approval” to restart power stations in Japan, without them meeting proper safety requirements. Speaking at a press conference in the European parliament on Tuesday, Harms said that she had gone to Japan to examine the situation there, adding that “resistance in Japan to the re-commissioning of reactors is very strong”. “Over 70 per cent of Japanese citizens are opposed to a nuclear future,” said the German MEP, before stressing that “problems and poor management of the [Fukushima] disaster have still not been eliminated”.
The Parliament 6th Mar 2012 more >>
Iran
Six major world powers and Iran are to hold fresh talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme, the EU has said. EU foreign policy head Catherine Ashton said she had replied to a letter from Iran on behalf of the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany.
BBC 6th March 2012 more >>
Telegraph 6th Mar 2012 more >>
Scotsman 7th Mar 2012 more >>
Independent 7th Mar 2012 more >>
Morning Star 6th Mar 2012 more >>
Guardian 6th Mar 2012 more >>
The head of MI6 gave a top-secret briefing to the Cabinet yesterday about the growing threat posed by the Iranian regime, which is thought to be seeking an intercontinental missile capability.
Telegraph 6th Mar 2012 more >>
Iran is developing nuclear missiles capable of hitting London, David Cameron warned yesterday. In a chilling echo of the build-up to the war against Iraq, the Prime Minister suggested that the countrys drive to develop the bomb was potentially a direct threat to the UK.
Daily Mail 7th March 2012 more >>
Guardian 6th Mar 2012 more >>
US President Barack Obama said the United States “will not countenance” Iran developing a nuclear weapon but claimed there was still time for Tehran to come to the negotiating table.
Telegraph 6th Mar 2012 more >>
IRAN said it will give the UN nuclear watchdog access to its Parchin military complex, a site where the agency believes Tehran pursued high explosives research relevant to nuclear weapons. An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report last year said Iran had built a large containment chamber at Parchin, south-east of Tehran, to conduct explosives tests that are “strong indicators” of efforts to develop an atom bomb. The IAEA had requested access during high-level talks in Tehran in February, but the Iranian side did not grant it.
Herald 7th March 2012 more >>
Sky News 6th Mar 2012 more >>
North Korea
A newly released satellite image shows that North Korea has made progress in building a light-water reactor to expand its nuclear programme, a private non-proliferation group has said. The 3 February image of the nuclear complex at Yongbyon was taken nearly a month before North Korea agreed to freeze major nuclear activities in return for US food aid.
Guardian 7th Mar 2012 more >>
North Korea’s willingness to cut a surprise deal with the United States on the future of its nuclear programme does not signal any policy shift by the reclusive state’s young new leader, a source with links to both Pyongyang and Beijing said. The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, also warned against applying pressure similar to sanctions on Iran to get it to jettison its nuclear ambitions, saying perceived insincerity from Washington would quickly drive Pyongyang from the table.
Trust.org 6th Mar 2012 more >>
Nuclear Weapons
The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has been accused of profiting from the terrible industry of death by investing more than £3 billion since 2008 into companies which develop and make nuclear bombs around the world. An authoritative new report has lifted the lid of the banks widespread financial support for 16 multinational corporations involved in nuclear weapons factories, missiles, bombers and submarines in the UK, the US and France. Amongst those who have benefited from RBS loans and bond underwriting worth hundreds of millions of pounds are the US giants, Boeing, General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman. Companies active in the UK like Rolls Royce, BAE Systems and Babcock have also been received financial backing worth many tens of millions of pounds.
Rob Edwards.com 6th Mar 2012 more >>
There are signs, like green shoots heralding spring, that the last taboo of British politics is breaking. Liberal Democrats are finally gearing themselves up seriously to question the Conservative attachment to Britain’s Trident nuclear weapons system and commitment to replace it with a “like for like” fleet of ballistic missile submarines.
Guardian 6th Mar 2012 more >>
Fusion
After years of research, a nuclear fusion project is near completion. PE reports on an international collaboration which aims to show that fusion can be a clean and sustainable power source.
Professional Engineering 6th Mar 2012 more >>
Renewables
Yesterday’s deeply flawed report from AF Consult is just the latest in a long line of studies urging political and business leaders to bet billions of pounds and the UK’s future energy security solely based on their predictions that natural gas with carbon capture and storage (CCS) and nuclear will have won the Energy Cost Premier League by 2020. They argue that nuclear can deliver a fleet of new reactors within eight short years, while addressing concerns over long-term costs.
Business Green 6th Mar 2012 more >>
