Wylfa
Horizon Nuclear Power announced appointment of former Wylfa site director Greg Evans as its new operations director for Wylfa Newydd. Wylfa Newydd will help keep generations of young people on Anglesey says the adopted lslander who will build the near 1,000 strong team that will run the nuclear plant.
Daily Post 6th May 2015 read more »
For the economy to flourish in Wales then it needs a ready stream of ‘shovel ready’ transformational infrastructure projects.
Wales Online 6th May 2015 read more »
Politics
The UK Labour Party has proven not only that it is backwards looking on energy policy but that it cannot even face reality and change direction. Less than two weeks after the French government announced dangerous defects in the reactor pressure vessel for EDF’s grossly over-cost and late nuclear reactor project at Flamanville, and a little over a month after Bouygues was fined by a French court for using illegal workers at the work site, the Labour Green Plan announced, on April 20th, that: “ Labour also supports the development of new nuclear in the UK“. But why is the note of Ed Miliband’s meeting with Vincent de Rivaz on Feb 20th 2010 still being withheld?
Mining awareness 3rd May 2015 read more »
Energy Policy
IAN Marchant, the former boss of Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE), has called on government to settle electricity sector policy for a generation as the country goes to the polls. Mr Marchant, who chairs renewable firm Infinis Energy, delivered a stinging critique of current UK energy policy in a keynote speech to the All-Energy conference in Glasgow yesterday. Asked later to name one issue for the new UK Government to tackle when it takes office after today’s election, he highlighted the “fundamental question of regulation of competition – and that applies to both generation and retail.” Mr Marchant said: “Let’s resolve this for a generation. Are we going to go down the regulated route and make it work properly – and there are a whole things you would do – or are you going to go to markets and make them work properly, and then t here’s a lot of tearing up to be done.
Herald 7th May 2015 read more »
Keith Anderson, Scottish Power’s Chief Corporate Officer, has detailed his company’s ‘manifesto’ for the UK’s new prime minister – setting out for ‘key asks’ to secure investment and keep the lights on. And he also warned that while Scottish Power does not want to close down Longannet – the coal-fired power station which is capable of generating around half of Scotland’s electricity – the company will not flinch from doing so if need be. Scottish Power was pleased to win the CfD for 714MW offshore capacity at East Anglia One at a price below £120/MWh. Thanks to engineering, procurement and operational efficiencies, this is lower than anything previously seen in large scale offshore wind. It also enables more investment in technological change with a larger supply chain to help bring down costs further. The industry is on track to levelise costs below £100/MWh by 2020. Scottish Power Renewables is progressing a pipeline of over 1 GW onshore wind projects – mainly within Scotland. We have almost 500 MW of consented capacity (including the 288 MW Kilgallioch project) and 130 MW awaiting planning decision along with a further development pipeline of some 800 MW. As more intermittent wind comes on to the system, there will be a greater potential role for pumped storage to provide cost-effective balancing services. This view is supported by National Grid. They estimate that an additional 4.5GW of new reserve is required by 2020. But current market conditions will not support such investment, so the new Government will need to look again at possible incentive mechanisms. For example, there could be an opportunity to expand our Cruachan pumped storage plant and there may be other storage opportunities elsewhere.
Scottish Energy News 7th May 2015 read more »
Chernobyl
A donor conference has secured financing for the completion “on schedule by the end of 2017” of the new safe confinement (NSC), the protective structure being built to cover the destroyed reactor 4 on the site of the nuclear accident in Chernobyl, Ukraine, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said.
NucNet 30th April 2015 read more »
Capacity Markets
Subsidies levied on household energy bills have helped drive a boom in polluting “diesel farms” across the UK to meet periods of peak electricity demand, the Guardian has found. Almost a quarter of Britain’s back-up power under one programme for the National Grid is being provided by tiny fossil fuel power stations – some of which have been built on farmland by entrepreneurs. The mini-power stations are brought into play by grid managers when there is a rapid surge in demand for power, for example when large numbers are watching major sporting events such as the World Cup or Wimbledon finals or during major TV events such as the final of Strictly Come Dancing. In the coming weeks the grid is to offer through auction a new set of subsidies to diesel farms under a scheme designed as insurance against the lights going out.
Guardian 6th May 2015 read more »
Nukes vs Climate
More than three dozen societies for nuclear professionals around the world have signed the ‘Nuclear for Climate’ declaration, calling for nuclear energy to be recognized for its contribution towards combatting climate change.
World Nuclear News 6th May 2015 read more »
Europe
Diplomats in Brussels have struck a deal to reform the EU’s emissions trading system, giving a boost to efforts to reduce emissions across the 28-nation bloc. The move will remove carbon permits from the market, making it more expensive to pollute within the EU, in the hope it will drive investment towards low-carbon alternatives. The EU’s emissions trading system (ETS) is the cornerstone of the region’s climate policy.
Carbon Brief 6th May 2015 read more »
Guardian 6th May 2015 read more »
Canada – radwaste
Today, the Minister of the Environment, Leona Aglukkaq, received the Report of the Joint Review Panel for the proposed Deep Geologic Repository (DGR) for Low and Intermediate Level Radioactive Waste project in Ontario. Under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012, the federal government will now review the Panel’s report before issuing a decision statement on whether the project may proceed. If the project is authorized to proceed to the next phase of the permitting process, the decision statement will include conditions related to the project that will be legally binding on the proponent. Prior to the federal government’s decision on the project, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency will invite Aboriginal groups and registered participants to comment on potential conditions relating to possible mitigation measures and follow-up requirements that could be necessary, if the project is authorized to proceed. These comments will be taken into account by the Minister of the Environment for the decision statement.
CEAA 6th May 2015 read more »
Canadian Government 6th May 2015 read more »
Joint Review Panel Report (457 pages) 6th May 2015 read more »
A Canadian environmental assessment concludes burying hazardous nuclear material near the shore of Lake Huron in a deep underground bunker is the best way to deal with the waste. The report on the proposed deep geological repository or DGR — released late Wednesday — finds little risk to the lake as multiple critics have argued. The 430-page report concludes “the relative position of the proposed project within the spectrum of risks to the Great Lakes is a minor one, albeit one that demands strict attention and regulation.” And it says the project “is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.”
City News 7th May 2015 read more »
A federal review panel has given its stamp of approval to a controversial plan to bury nuclear waste on the shores of Lake Huron.
Globe and Mail 6th May 2015 read more »
CBC 6th May 2015 read more »
Poland
Hitachi, Mitsubishi and Toshiba and other Japanese companies are “very interested” in participating in the construction of Poland’s first nuclear power plant, Yosuke Takagi, Japan’s deputy economy, trade and industry minister, said yesterday following a meeting with Polish Deputy Treasury Minister Zdzislaw Gawlik.
World Nuclear News 6th May 2015 read more »
Cyprus
Australian scientists have designed and installed solar energy technology in Cyprus to help the island nation shift away from fossil fuels and also tackle its chronic water shortages.
Guardian 7th May 2015 read more »
NPT
John Kerry: “For over 45 years, the NPT has embodied our shared vision of a world without nuclear weapons…There are no shortcuts in this endeavor, and each step must be carefully taken to ensure that the security of all is increased along the way. We have not yet achieved the ultimate goals enshrined in the treaty – on this, we all agree – but it is only by seeking common ground and reinforcing shared interests that we will succeed in realizing a world free of nuclear dangers.
David Lowry’s Blog 6th May 2015 read more »
The conventional wisdom among nuclear-weapons powers is that their arsenals can only be dismantled multilaterally, step-by-step—yet the associated co-ordination dilemmas keep proving insuperable.
Open Democracy 6th May 2015 read more »
Local Energy
SCOTLAND’S long history of home-grown energy continues, with communities reaping the benefits, writes Joss Blamire. Localism is often an unpopular concept, mired as it is in connotations of parochialism and insularity. Wind power provides the muscle behind many of these schemes. But, while looking inwards might not always be a good thing, increasingly as a society we are starting to see the benefits of keeping elements of our modern life closer to home. Locally sourced produce is already a staple on restaurant menus, with the miles travelled by food inversely-proportional to its worth. Renewable energy has always embraced localism – the first hydro-electric schemes were built to power Scotland’s burgeoning aluminium industry, and the sector continued its connection with home-grown electricity when the post-war Power from the Glens scheme brought the first energy to remote comm unities in the country’s far north. For many reasons – climate change key among them – we’re now more aware than ever that travel costs, and that local is often best. The closer we can produce the electricity and heat we use to the place where we’ll use it, the better. Villages and towns across the country – from Point on Lewis to Balerno near Edinburgh – are already producing, or are about to produce, their own power, using it to energise their ambitions for a cleaner, greener and more prosperous future.
Scotsman 7th May 2015 read more »
Speaking at the opening of All-Energy – the UK’s largest event for the energy sector – the leader of Glasgow council outlined the city’s plans for growth and sustainability. As part of Glasgow’s ‘Energy and Carbon Master Plan’, Councillor Gordon Matheson spoke of carbon reduction projects through a variety of initiatives such as a new recycling and a renewable energy centre. He also highlighted the city’s green street-lighting project – ‘a first of its kind in the UK’ – which will see the replacement of 10,000 street lanterns with low energy versions along main arterial roads leading into the city.
Scottish Energy News 7th May 2015 read more »
The UK’s largest community-owned wind farm – Beinn Ghrideag, near Stornoway – has successfully completed construction this week. This milestone has seen 3 x 3MW Enercon wind turbines installed on-site, with first energy production expected to be achieved in early summer.
Scottish Energy News 7th May 2015 read more »
Renewables – wave power
Fergus Ewing, Scottish Energy Minister, yesterday launched a worldwide competition run by the Orkney-based European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) to offer free environmental technology verification to encourage technology developers. In his keynote address at the All-Energy conference in Glasgow, Ewing announced that the winner of the competition will be taken through the full verification process and will be provided with a Statement of Verification for their technology.
Scottish Energy News 7th May 2015 read more »
Green Deal
The energy efficiency Green Deal scheme needs a ‘radical overhaul’ and is a ‘critical issue’ that the new energy minister must address, the Energy and Utilities Alliance (EUA) has said.
Utility Week 6th May 2015 read more »
Energy Storage
Since Tesla dropped the Powerwall, numerous claims have been made about what this means for households and the grid, ranging from ‘The Powerwall changes everything’ to why it’s ‘just another toy for Rich Greenies’. In order to guide the economic discussion, I’ve created a simple calculator which allows people to investigate for themselves the household economic impact of solar plus batteries at Tesla prices! To access calculator, click on this link. It will download to your laptop or computer. The most notable impact is that the entire evening peak demand is covered by the battery. With solar and battery combination, the households source 92% of their energy from solar, versus just 36% with solar only.
Renew Economy 7th May 2015 read more »
It’s the holy grail of home owners who have invested in solar panels – the ability to store power for use when the sun isn’t shining. A growing number of households, thought to number in the few thousands, are using hi-tech blackboxes that store up solar energy to use at night. Currently, solar panels create “free” electricity as it is being generated, but if home owners need power at night, the energy is drawn from the National Grid and bought from their energy supplier as usual. Used in conjunction with efficient solar panels the new devices could cut bills by 60pc, manufacturers claim. But experts are more sceptical. Some have dismissed the gadgets as “overpriced and oversold”, because savings are cancelled out by the £2,500 outlay of buying and installing one of the blackboxes, as well as regularly replacing internal batteries.
Telegraph 6th May 2015 read more »
According to Forbes Tesla’s Powerpack battery is so cheap that windmills plus battery might be cheaper than nuclear power already.
IT Portal 6th May 2015 read more »
Fossil Fuels
Scientists say shale boom to blame for Oklahoma’s earthquakes, prompting calls for industry crackdown. To hunting, shooting and fishing, a rugged Oklahoman named Mark Crismon has added one more hobby: seismography. Festooned on the walls of his backyard shed are antlers and bushy tails that once belonged to deer he has killed over the years. But these days his mind is on earthquakes. Mr Crismon’s wares are arranged around a laptop connected to a seismometer from a local university, which is buried 3ft under his garden. It carries a nonstop feed of wavy lines recording the amplitude of ground vibrations across the state. At least once an hour, a sudden burst of spikes signals a tremor that someone will have felt – each one representing an unexpected new threat to the US’s oil and gas revolution. But Mr Crismon – and scientists who have studied the issue – say it i s not all good news. They blame the shale boom for triggering a spate of earthquakes that are shredding nerves and damaging homes. “It just tears everything. I got cracks everywhere,” says Mr Crismon, who compares the state to a war zone. “Instead of having bombs you got earthquakes.”
FT 6th May 2015 read more »
A way to save Longannet’s future has been mapped out by oil and gas industry veteran Algy Cluff. He believes his company’s Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) development project can secure its future and help meet the UK’s energy needs. A study has found as much as 335 million tonnes of coal near Kincardine and Cluff Natural Resources is seeking permission to build the UK’s first deep offshore underground coal gasification project to extract it. In the company’s annual report, Mr Cluff said: “I believe the closure of Longannet poses a threat to the rest of the UK too and should lead to an increasing recognition of the importance of coal gasification in the country’s energy equation.” Mr Cluff said he was encouraged that a Scottish Government committee would this week report on how Scotland’s energy mix should be constructed.
Dundee Courier 5th May 2015 read more »
Climate
Record carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations in the atmosphere were recorded worldwide in March, in what scientists said marked a significant milestone for global warming. Figures released by the US science agency Noaa on Wednesday show that for the first time since records began, the parts per million (ppm) of CO2 in the atmosphere were over 400 globally for a month. The measure is the key indicator of the amount of planet-warming gases man is putting into the atmosphere at record rates, and the current concentrations are unprecedented in millions of years.
Guardian 6th May 2015 read more »
Carbon Brief 6th May 2015 read more »
