Nuclear Waste
THE State of Nevada is writing a letter to Cumbria County Council outlining why an underground nuclear dump in Cumbria should be opposed. A new action group – Radiation Free Lakeland – has gained the support from the American state after the council expressed an interest to the government in hosting an underground dump.
North West Evening Mail 7th Jan 2009 more >>
Cumbria county council, and the smaller Copeland and Allerdale councils, are gagging to host Britain’s giant deep dump for high-level waste. They do not put this to the vote, but justify their support by saying that the US is building a similar one at Yucca mountain in Nevada. What the councils may not know is that Nevada wants nothing to do with the depository and the state has drawn up a 1,000-page document stating exactly why not. All Cumbrian councillors should soon receive a letter from the state governor “setting the matter straight”.
Guardian 7th Jan 2009 more >>
West Cumbria is at the forefront when it comes to the global nuclear industry and boasts considerable expertise in renewable energy; including offshore wind farms, oil and gas. The area has many strengths and assets that are of national and international importance and it is vital that West Cumbria grasps the opportunities that will arise through the nuclear decommissioning process taking place at Sellafield. Britain’s Energy Coast Masterplan sets out how this will be achieved and outlines how the area’s expertise can be used as a springboard for the regeneration of the area to help diversify the local economy; significantly improve the prospects of local communities; and raise the sub region’s profile as a superb place to live, work and visit.
Guardian Jobs 7th Jan 2009 more >>
New Nukes
THE promotion of Copeland as an ideal location for new nuclear power stations continues and meetings, reportedly “with favourable results’’ have been held with the National Grid, reactor designers and the utilities. A nomination of Copeland to be a “selected site’’ is expected to be sent to the government in early spring 2009. Copeland Council says the inclusion of Sellafield as a potential site “for one or more’’ new nuclear power stations is important to West Cumbria’s socio-economic development. Suitable land is available next to the licensed site which would meet the relevant criteria. A recent report to Copeland Council by its leader, Elaine Woodburn, said: “There is considerable support in West Cumbria and the wider area, for new build.
Whitehaven News 7th Jan 2009 more >>
British Energy
EDF began taking day-to-day control of Britain’s nuclear industry yesterday, with the chief executive of British Energy now reporting directly to the UK head of the Paris-based company. A day after declaring its 12.5 billion takeover of East Kilbride headquartered British Energy wholly unconditional, EDF appointed five of its executives to the board of directors of what is now its UK subsidiary. In a statement, EDF said management of British Energy would now answer to Vincent de Rivaz, who had been promoted to head the enlarged EDF Energy, the company’s UK operation.
Scotsman 7th Jan 2009 more >>
Companies
French company ONET Technologies, a division of ONET Group, has bought Gravatom, a UK nuclear engineering company, for an undisclosed sum. Gravatom designs and manufactures nuclear engineering solutions and employs 130 people in two UK sites, in Fareham and Workington.
The Manufacturer 7th Jan 2009 more >>
Construction News 7th Jan 2009 more >>
Bradwell
NUCLEAR waste allegedly leaked from a site at Bradwell power station for 14 years before the problem was discovered. A court heard yesterday how the poor original design of a sump used to hold the waste and the lack of routine inspection or maintenance led to the leaks. The owners of the former power station face a total of 11 charges brought under the 1993 Radioactive Substances Act of unlawfully allowing waste to leak from a decontamination unit.
North Essex Gazette 7th Jan 2009 more >>
Wylfa
An announcement that energy giant RWE npower has secured grid connection and land for a new nuclear power station at Wylfa, Anglesey, has been greeted as a nuclear nightmare and a target for terrorists. Liberal Democrat Shadow Minister for the Environment, Mick Bates AM said it would take Wales a step closer to a toxic nuclear future that will become a lethal legacy for future generations.
News Wales 7th Jan 2009 more >>
Eastern Europe
A week after Russia’s Gazprom cut back gas supply into Ukraine, a growing shortage in Europe has resulted in calls to re-open shut-down nuclear power plants.
World Nuclear News 7th Jan 2009 more >>
Nuclear power may be the winner from a shutdown of Russian gas exports that has highlighted Europe’s vulnerability and limited energy options. Bulgarians shivered in their homes on Wednesday as one of the most affected countries rationed supplies following its switch to gas stores. The question is whether the fear factor of no heating during a freezing mid-winter will prompt strategic changes in EU-wide energy policy and investment, for example to increase coal, nuclear or renewables or alternative routes to other suppliers.
Guardian 7th Jan 2009 more >>
As the floodlights go off on important landmarks and gas-powered taxis are forced off the road, Bulgaria is demanding the right to crank up one of its Soviet-era nuclear reactors. The poorest state in the European Union is also the worst hit by the gas-pricing row between Moscow and Kiev that has seen Russian gas supplies cut off to at least a dozen countries in Central and Eastern Europe. In the coldest week of the year, more than 15,000 households have already lost all heating. Two million more, whose heat is produced in gas-fired central heating plants, have suffered from a dramatic drop in pressure that has left them shivering.
Times 7th Jan 2009 more >>
India
The United States will enter the fray against France and Russia this week in the scramble to supply nuclear power equipment worth an estimated $150 billion to India. The US is sending what is thought to be its largest ever trade mission to Delhi and Mumbai, including representatives of 30 companies that deal with civilian nuclear projects, to pitch for contracts related to India’s atomic energy industry. The move comes after India’s status as a nuclear pariah, with which other nations were not allowed to trade nuclear fuel and equipment, was controversially ended last year.
Times 7th Jan 2009 more >>
Proliferation
HOW do you manage a global boom in nuclear power while discouraging weapons proliferation? Uranium and plutonium are most likely to find their way into weapons via the enrichment and reprocessing of fuel for nuclear power plants. If all of the countries now planning to go nuclear also handle their own fuel cycles, the proliferation risk could skyrocket. The answer may be to put the fuel cycle entirely under international control. Many governments, international agencies and arms control experts are calling for the establishment of international fuel banks, and eventually fuel production plants, that would pledge to supply nuclear materials to any country so long as it meets non-proliferation rules.
New Scientist 7th Jan 2009 more >>
