Horizon
The future of Britains nuclear power is at risk, with one of the three groups looking to build the next generation of reactors on the brink of splitting up. RWE, which owns npower, is in talks with partner E.ON about the future of its involvement in their joint project to open a reactor by 2020. According to people familiar with the situation, RWE is looking for a way to pull out of the Horizon Nuclear Power scheme. Costs, currently estimated to be £1million a week, are one of the reasons why the firm is looking at an exit strategy, sources said. But a larger factor is the value of costs RWE has incurred in Germany with the compulsory closures of the countrys nuclear power plants, they added.
This is money 6th Oct 2011 more >>
New Nukes
Fuel Cycle Stewardship in a nuclear renaissance: Report launch with a keynote speech from Rt Hon Chris Huhne MP, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change. 13th Oct 2011.
Royal Society 6th Oct 2011 more >>
Support for new nuclear power stations in the UK has actually gone up since the Fukushima disaster, Charles Hendry has said. The Energy Minister said despite the Japanese catastrophe halting the nuclear programme in Germany, polls had shown support for the energy source in the UK has increased, he told a fringe meeting at the Conservative conference in Manchester. Mr Hendry said: Fukushima was a massive wake-up call and reminds us we can never rely on just one technology. But on public opinion, I think it has been quite extraordinary to see the reaction since Fukushima. A number of opinion polls have shown support has risen. There is more support than in France and more political consensus, which is quite remarkable.
Cumberland News 6th Oct 2011 more >>
MINISTER for Energy & Climate Change Charles Hendry has spoken about the employment and economic opportunities new nuclear build will bring to the country. At the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, Mr Hendry reaffirmed that 5,000 jobs would be created in the construction of each new nuclear power station. One is earmarked for Copeland on nearly 500 acres of land surrounding Sellafields existing licensed nuclear site. Up to three reactors could be built there initially. And the Spanish-led consortium planning the multi-billion pound development said the recent withdrawal of one of its partners, Scottish & Southern Energy, made no difference subject to a final investment decision being made around 2015.
Whitehaven News 6th Oct 2011 more >>
Hinkley
Images from the Stop New Nuclear alliance’s Hinkley action weekend: camp in Nether Stowey (30 Sept to 4 Oct), march and rally in Bridgwater town centre (Sat 1 Oct) and 9-hour mass blockade of Hinkley Point nuclear power station (Mon 3 Oct), all in West Somerset, south-west England.
Indymedia 6th Oct 2011 more >>
You Tube 3rd Oct 2011 more >>
Torness
A REACTOR at Torness Nuclear Power Station near Dunbar has been shut down. The decision to take unit two offline was to carry out a repair to one of the auxiliary cooling systems. A spokeswoman for EDF Energy said: Although it was still operating within the normal range, we decided to take it offline because safety is always our first consideration and we take a very conservative approach to our operations. Cooling to the reactors was maintained at all times and there were no health or environmental impacts. The unit will be returned to service as soon as the repair is completed, although for commercial reasons we will confirm the exact date of return to service only after the unit has re-synchronised to the National Grid.
East Lothian News 6th Oct 2011 more >>
Radwaste
Submission of the Nuclear Free Local Authorities to the DECC Consultation on Managing Radioactive Waste Safely: Desk Based Identification and Assessment of Potential Candidate Sites for Geological Disposal.
NFLA 30th Sept 2011 more >>
Community representatives from Cumbria say their trip to France this week to find out more about radioactive waste disposal there, has been a very useful experience. Members of the West Cumbria Managing Radioactive Waste Safely Partnership travelled to a research facility in the country to see how the local community feels about it. Cumbria might have an underground disposal facility built in the future. The trip was criticised by campaigners here though, who described the trip as nothing more than a jolly.
Lakeland Radio 6th Oct 2011 more >>
THE leader of Copeland Borough Council says a fact-finding mission to France has been really useful. Councillor Elaine Woodburn and fellow members of the West Cumbria Managing Radioactive Waste Safely Partnership this week visited an underground research facility managed by the French nuclear waste management agency.
NW Evening Mail 6th Oct 2011 more >>
Whitehaven News 6th Oct 2011 more >>
Consultant Parsons Brinckerhoff today announced it has signed a four-year contract with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) to provide technical support for developing an underground disposal facility that it is hoped will isolate radioactive materials from the environment for thousands of years. Parsons Brinckerhoffs work will be undertaken through its involvement with the Orchid group which was originally formed in 2005 to bring together expertise from across industry to meet the needs of repository engineering. The Orchid group consists of Nuvia, Gardiner & Theobald, National Nuclear Laboratory, SKB International, University of Manchester, Oxford Technologies, Nuclear Technologies and the British Geological Survey.
New Civil Engineer 6th Oct 2011 more >>
CUMBRIANS Opposed to A Radioactive Environment (Core) is pleading with the government to pull the plug on West Cumbrias radioactive waste repository moves. Just as a West Cumbrian councils team went out to France on a four-day mission to build up knowledge about the £12 billion project, Core said the process should be put on hold or abandoned altogether until at least 2015, when proposed parliamentary boundary changes could see Copeland join with Windermere. West Cumbrias Managing Radioactive Waste Safely Partnership is due to advise local authorities early next year on whether to go further than just expressing an interest in the possibility of having an underground waste facility in the area. But Cumbrias long-established anti-nuclear group warns against moving towards the next crucial stage of the process the decision to participate. CORE spokesman Martin Forwood said: The government has to pull the plug on the process now. A decision to participate by the councils before the constituency boundary changes are ratified in 2015 would be untenable and in direct contravention of the governments own guidelines on community volunteerism.
Whitehaven News 6th Oct 2011 more >>
Letter: We strongly believe it is right for members of the West Cumbria Managing Radioactive Waste Safely Partnership to visit the research facility, which is managed by the French waste management agency (editorial, September 29). It is important that the people who are looking at this issue have the chance to see a site like this first-hand and talk to local people.The Government provides funding for the Partnership to look at the issues that would be involved in West Cumbria taking part in the search for somewhere to put a repository. This is not funding that would otherwise go towards the councils day-to-day work.
Whitehaven News 6th Oct 2011 more >>
Sellafield
THE Windscale pile reactors, which havent worked since Britains worst nuclear accident 54 years ago, is the source of one of Sellafields greatest achievements. The latest site milestone comes with the retrieval of nuclear fuel from the reactors 60-year old storage pond, earmarked as one of the sites key risk reduction areas. The Pile Fuel Storage Pond (PFSP) was Sellafields first nuclear fuel storage pond and to this day remains the worlds largest open air facility of its kind.
Whitehaven News 6th Oct 2011 more >>
Companies
GRAHAM Evans MP has welcomed an industrial contractors decision to base its headquarters in Halton. Hertel, a subsidiary of Dutch company Hertel Group, opened its Preston Brook office in July. Mr Evans welcomed the companys relocation as excellent news. Its projects include work at Runcorns Rocksavage petrochemicals plant and Fiddlers Ferry in Widnes. It also has projects at Stanlow Oil Refinery near Ellesmere Port and the nuclear stations at Sellafield, Wylfa and Trawsfynydd.
Runcorn & Widnes Weekly News 6th Oct 2011 more >>
Supply Chain
A TOP Sheffield lawyer, with links to firms at the heart of the civil nuclear construction programme, is challenging Sheffield City Region companies to compete to become part of a £20 billion UK nuclear supply chain. Martin McKervey, a partner at national law firm Nabarro, works with leading energy suppliers at the heart of the nuclear new-build debate. He says nuclear power is set for massive global expansion, with around 30 countries getting ready to make huge investments in new plants, but local firms still need to do more to be ready for the challenges ahead. The fact that the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (NAMRC) is based locally is a clear indication that the region lies at the very heart of the UKs nuclear future, but its vital that firms prepare now to meet the challenges ahead, says Mr McKervey.
Sheffield Star 6th Oct 2011 more >>
IAEA
The Iranians “tricked and misled us”. Olli Heinonen, the former deputy director of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, offers his first assessment of his 27 years at the global nuclear watchdog. He addresses Iran’s nuclear program, his concerns about the security of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal and mistakes made in Fukushima.
Der Spiegel 6th Oct 2011 more >>
Iran
The first Iranian nuclear power station is inherently unsafe and will probably cause a “tragic disaster for humankind”, according to a document apparently written by an Iranian whistleblower. There is a “great likelihood” that the Bushehr reactor could generate the next nuclear catastrophe after Chernobyl or Fukushima, says the document, which has been passed to The Times by a reputable source and is attributed to a former member of the legal department of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran. It claims that Bushehr, which began operating last month after 35 years of intermittent construction, was built by “second-class engineers” who bolted together Russian and German technologies from different eras; that it sits in one of the world’s most seismically active areas but could not withstand a major earthquake; and that it has “no serious training progr amme” for staff or a contingency plan for accidents.
Times 7th Oct 2011 more >>
Japan
A worker at Japan’s disaster-stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant has died, its operator said, adding that the death was not necessarily related to radioactive leaks.
Telegraph 6th Oct 2011 more >>
US
According to the most recent issue of the “Monthly Energy Review” by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, with data through June 30, 2011, renewable energy has passed another milestone as domestic production is now greater than that of nuclear power and continues to close in on oil.
Electric Light & Power 3rd Oct 2011 more >>
According to a new report, ratepayers in Florida and Georgia would be better served by investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy resources, rather than building new nuclear reactors in those states. The report, Big Risks, Better Alternatives, was released today by Synapse Energy Economics, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based consulting and research firm. The report, prepared for the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), takes a close look at two nuclear power projects: Progress Energys proposal to build Levy 1 and 2 in Florida, and a Georgia Power-led consortium plan to build two new reactors, Vogtle 3 and 4, at an existing nuclear power facility in Georgia. Both projects were proposed in 2006 to meet then-anticipated growth in electricity demand. The report evaluates both nuclear projects and compares them with other low-carbon alternatives that could meet projected consumer demand at lower cost and risk.
Common Dreams 7th Oct 2011 more >>
Belgium
Today, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that one of its nuclear inspectors had been exposed to radiation during a 4 October inspection of the Belgoprocess nuclear waste facility in Dessel, Belgium. The inspector, along with an inspector from EURATOM and a Belgoprocess employee, apparently received a dose of radiation after a vial or flask of plutonium accidentally fell on the floor, according to releases from the company and the Belgian Federal Nuclear Control Agency (AFCN). Plutonium is dangerous if ingested, but the amount received by the inspectors was less than the legal limit, the AFCN says. No radiation has been released beyond the site.
Nature 5th Oct 2011 more >>
Germany
A disused nuclear power station in Germany has been converted into the Wunderland Kalkar amusement park, following the government’s decision to abandon all nuclear energy plants. Wunderland Kalkar is most likely the first of many more creative conversions to come, with approximately fifteen more power plants to be be completely abandoned by the year 2022.
Gizmag 6th Oct 2011 more >>
Germanys decision to ditch nuclear power because of safety fears was undermined yesterday with the disclosure of plans in neighbouring Poland to build an atomic plant in its western border region near to Berlin. Brandenburg state, which borders Poland, said that it had voiced strong objections after learning of four possible locations being considered for a reactor, including one just 170 miles (275km) from the German capital.
Times 7th Oct 2011 more >>
Vietnam
Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) has signed an agreement with a consortium of Japanese companies to progress the design, construction and operation of the country’s second proposed nuclear power plant. Meanwhile, Rosatom will help establish a nuclear energy information centre in Hanoi.
World Nuclear News 6th Oct 2011 more >>
India
An increase in anti-nuclear sentiment after the Fukushima disaster in Japan in March has stalled India’s ambitious plan for nuclear expansion. The plan, pushed forward by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, aims to use reactors imported from the United States, France and Russia to increase the country’s nuclear-power capacity from the present 4,780 megawatts to 60,000 megawatts by 2035, and to provide one-quarter of the country’s energy by 2050. But now there are doubts that the targets will ever be met if safety fears persist.
Nature 6th Oct 2011 more >>
Finland
The environmentalist group Greenpeace has announced it will start a campaign against the Fennovoima-owned nuclear power plant planned for construction at Pyhäjoki on the northwest coast. The group is appealing to German shareholders to withdraw support for the project. The Greenpeace effort is to be targeted at the Germany energy giant E.ON, that owns a good one-third of Fennovoima. Jehki Härkönen, an energy affairs spokesperson for Greenpeace says that a withdrawal of support by German owners would have a significant impact on the project.
YLE 6th Oct 2011 more >>
Fennovoima has chosen Pyhäjoki on Finland’s western coast as the site for its nuclear power plant. Final preparatory works could be started as early as late 2012.
Nuclear Engineering International 6th Oct 2011 more >>
Construction Index 7th Oct 2011 more >>
Submarines
A consultation on dismantling decommissioned nuclear-powered submarines in the Westcountry is to be launched later this month. The yards at Devonport in Plymouth and Rosyth in Scotland have already been named as the two candidate sites for cutting up 27 submarines both past and current classes.
Western Morning News 6th Oct 2011 more >>
Rosyth will have its say on the government’s plans to dismantle the country’s fleet of nuclear submarines. The Ministry of Defence will launch a major public consultation exercise this month, before making any decisions. The news prompted North East Fife MP Sir Menzies Campbell to say: ”This is the right decision but the public will want to be assured that this is a genuine consultation.” The Westminster government has already announced that Rosyth or Devonportor a combination of the two yardsare the candidate sites for where radioactive waste is to be removed from the submarines.
Dundee Courier 7th Oct 2011 more >>
Renewables
Action for Renewables – A mesage from Tony Juniper.
Action for Renewables 6th Oct 2011 more >>
Former Friends of the Earth Executive Director to chair new pro-renewable energy group, Action for Renewables. High-profile journalists, environmental activists and politicians from across the political spectrum form new groups Campaign Advisory Board. Groundbreaking partnership of NGOs, trade unions, grassroots voices and industry to deliver green energy.
Renewable UK 6th Oct 2011 more >>
New organisation, the Renewables Training Network, will bridge skills gap in industry. RenewableUK secures £600,000-worth of support from business for new body, matched by £600,000 of government funding. Paving the way for over 77,500 new jobs in UK wind, wave and tidal industries and supply chain within next ten years.
Renewable UK 6th Oct 2011 more >>
As Germany’s economy minister, Philipp Rösler, arrives in Athens to drum up investment, Greece is hoping solar energy can help it out of its debt crisis. Plans are also afoot to develop about 20,000 hectares of solar power parks for exporting renewable energy to Germany, according to media reports. With the Greek economy poised to contract for a fourth consecutive year, officials say green energy could create 60,000 jobs at a time of record unemployment.
Guardian 6th Oct 2011 more >>
Efficiency
Applying chips to save domestic electricity in Italy would save the equivalent of the output of four nuclear power plants, Matteo Lo Presti of STMicroelectronics told the IEF2011 meeting in Seville this morning. Electricity used by power supplies, accounting for 24% of worldwide electricity consumption could be cut by 90% by using ICs. Electricity used by lighting, accounting to 21% of the worldwide use of electricity could be cut by 80% by using ICs. Electricity used in motor control, accounting for 55% of the worldwide use of electricity could be cut by 40% using ICs.
Electronics Weekly 7th Oct 2011 more >>
CCS
Scottish Power is understood to have pulled the plug on a major green energy scheme at Longannet power station, Fife, close to the Firth of Forth. The threatened scrapping comes amid growing concern that David Cameron and George Osborne want to scale back the green agenda on the grounds that low carbon technology, such as carbon capture storage (CCS) and offshore wind power, cost too much in a time of austerity. The chancellor told the Conservative conference this week that if he had his way the UK would cut “carbon emissions no slower but also no faster than our fellow countries in Europe”. Scottish Power and its partners Shell and the National Grid have just completed a detailed study of the Longannet scheme. They are con cerned about its commercial viability without more public backing.The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) had promised 1bn but the developers are understood to be saying they cannot proceed unless more money is provided to enable them to trial a scheme which involves burying carbon emissions in the North Sea. Both sides insist “talks are ongoing” but well-placed industry and political sources say the process is “pretty much over” and a statement is expected shortly.
Guardian 6th Oct 2011 more >>
BBC 6th Oct 2011 more >>
Herald 7th Oct 2011 more >>
Stuart Haszeldine, Professor of Carbon Capture and Storage at the University of Edinburgh, who has followed the development of the Longannet scheme closely, said that years of indecision and dithering by the UK Government, and reluctance by the power company to innovate, would be to blame if the plans are shelved.
Times 7th Oct 2011 more >>
Politics
The chancellor’s uncoupling from Cameron’s green agenda was not unexpected, said a source close to Chris Huhne, the Liberal Democrat energy and climate change secretary. It follows Osborne’s behind-the-scenes opposition to tough targets for future carbon cuts in May. Osborne’s statements in Manchester caused anger, said th e source, but more for exaggerating the impact of green policies on energy bills than any presaging of policy reversals. “It’s factually not accurate and therefore just scaremongering. It made us wonder whether George actually understands the scale of the reductions in energy bills we are trying to bring about and, in general, what we are trying to do.” What is clear is that the politics have changed, if not yet the policies, according to Tim Montgomery, editor of ConservativeHome. “The government has decided that this is now a vote-losing issue,” he said, following briefings from the government. “Soaring energy prices are what has forced Cameron to change. The government is now in sync with the vast majority of the Tory party who think it is futile to try to tackle climate change without a world agreement.”
Guardian 6th Oct 2011 more >>
