Hinkley
The European Commission has approved proposals by EDF Energy to build and operate a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point in Somerset. The commission presented its opinion to the UK government, under Article 41 of the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) Treaty, concluding that the proposed Hinkley Point C investment “fulfils the objectives of the Euratom Treaty and contributes to develop a sustainable national energy mix.”
Construction Index 7th Aug 2012 more >>
World Nuclear News 7th Aug 2012 more >>
Building 7th Aug 2012 more >>
Somerset Chamber of Commerce is organising a free business breakfast, to be held at the Abbey Manor Business Centre in Yeovil on August 21, as part of its drive to show firms in the region how they can benefit from the new Hinkley Point nuclear development.
Western Echo 6th Aug 2012 more >>
Sizewell
A long awaited public consultation over proposed changes in plans to protect the community near the Sizewell power station site in the event of an emergency is to be delayed on the orders of the UK nuclear safety watchdog. Suffolk anti-nuclear campaigners have been pressing for early changes to the Sizewell plan, partly to reflect the impact of the Fukushima disaster in Japan last year when many thousands of people were evacuated from a 20-kilometre radius. Among the demands is an increase in the radius of the Sizewell emergency zone, currently 2.4 kilometres and excluding almost all of the nearby town of Leiston. The Suffolk Resilience Form, the organisation responsible for drawing up the Sizewell plan, has been working on a review for much of this year and was ready to start a public consultation later this month. However, the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) has now directed that the start of the three-month long public consultation be delayed pending a national report on nuclear emergency planning.
East Anglian Daily Times 7th Aug 2012 more >>
Uranium
The 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan may have spooked the uranium mining sector, forcing even some nations to forego nuclear programs in light of its effectiveness, safety and efficiency, but these factors will not permanently kill nuclear power. In fact, what with the development and growth of nuclear power programs in rapidly developing countries, global demand for uranium is set to stage a strong comeback, according to a report published by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) nuclear energy agency and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
IB Times 7th Aug 2012 more >>
US
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission today voted unanimously to wait before approving licenses for new nuclear plants or renewing the licenses of existing facilities until the dilemma of how to store hot, radioactive waste at sites across the country is resolved. The five-member panel, headed by the newly confirmed Chairwoman Allison Macfarlane, voted to delay issuing licenses until it responds to a federal appeals court ruling in June that the agency did not sufficiently analyze the environmental effects of storing nuclear waste without a permanent solution in sight.
E&E News 7th Aug 2012 more >>
Japan
The name Fukushima could in the future also gain a more positive power industry association as a leader of renewable energy production in the worlds third-largest economy. The head of an association aiming to revive the quiet hot spring resort of Tsuchiyu, Mr Kato is spearheading efforts to build what would be Japans first geothermal power plant inside a national park. And while hot spring owners in Japan are usually the fiercest opponents of geothermal energy, in this case they are its backers. Mr Kato is the managing director of the Tsuchiyu hot spring co-operative. A widely cited estimate puts Japans possible geothermal generating capacity at 23m kilowatts, trailing only the US and Indonesia. But installed capacity totals less than 550,000kW and no new geothermal plants have been built in more than a decade.
FT 7th Aug 2012 more >>
Fukushima crisis update 3rd to 6th August.
Greenpeace International 7th August 2012 more >>
Japan amassed a record trade deficit of 2.5 trillion yen ($31.78 billion) in the first half of 2012, five times greater than the deficit a year earlier, due to a surge in fossil fuel imports following the closure of nuclear power plants.
Reuters 8th Aug 2012 more >>
Nuclear Ships
The Baltiysky Zavod shipyard has won the tender to build Russia’s first LK-60 model nuclear-powered icebreaker. The vessel – the largest of its kind – is scheduled to be delivered to RosAtomFlot by the end of 2017.
World Nuclear News 7th Aug 2012 more >>
Trident
Archdruid Jim Parc Nest has warned First Minister Carwyn Jones not to create a ‘nuclear arsenal’ at Milford Haven. The leader of the Gorsedd of the Bards said the ‘danger of creating a nuclear arsenal in Milford would be a thousand times worse than the storage of ammunition in Tre-cwn’. He said Mr Jones’ statement in which he suggested there would be a welcome for Trident submarines to be based at Milford Haven after Scotland gained independence was ‘remarkable’
Wales Online 7th Aug 2012 more >>
