Energy Supplies
Jonathan Stern: Why is it necessary for those writing about the future UK energy situation to refer to “the lights going out”? The outcome is likely to be far less dramatic. It’s quite correct that a great deal of old coal and nuclear capacity will be retired over the next few years. For the rest of this decade, that will be replaced by as much renewables as can be built (mostly wind) and gas. Most of the gas-fired power generation which is needed has already been built; around 4GW is currently not in operation because it is unprofitable and most of the rest is running at far lower load factors than in previous years. If “the lights threaten to go out”, existing gas-fired generation will run at higher load factors and more can quickly be built. This is unlikely to leave consumers “at the mercy of Russia and Kazakhstan” (neither of which supply the UK with any significant volumes of gas); but there will be increased dependence on Norway, Netherlands, Qatar and perhaps the US.
Guardian 7th May 2013 read more »
Sizewell
RESULTS of a public consultation scrutinising proposed changes to safety procedures should there be an incident at one of Suffolk’s nuclear power stations have been revealed. The majority of the 292 responses – from residents, town and parish councils and other interested parties – were in favour of the plans, which set out what to do if there is an emergency at either Sizewell A or B. The consultation was launched by The Suffolk Resilience Forum (SRF), which is responsible for drawing up safety procedures for the county’s nuclear sites, as part of a routine three-yearly review. It proposes extending the current emergency zone from 2.4km to 4km – in line with international guidelines.
East Anglian Daily Times 7th May 2013 read more »
Hinkley
The chief executive of EDF Energy is set to leave the UK if his company’s deal to build the country’s $22bn nuclear reactor at Hinkley Point falls through.
Power Engineering 7th May 2013 read more »
Heysham
EDF Energy has shut down one of its nuclear reactors at Heysham 1 after smoke was seen coming from one of the turbines. Turbine two at the 1,160MW plant in Lancashire was shut down at 6pm on Thursday 2 May as a precautionary measure after an on-site team saw the smoke coming from some lagging. The incident was dealt with using a dry powder extinguisher the fire and rescue service attended the site as usual practice.
Utility Week 7th May 2013 read more »
Energy Live 7th May 2013 read more »
Dounreay
The decommissioning of the UK’s centrepiece for fast reactor nuclear research and development is providing local learners with jobs and skills for the future. Twenty-two apprentices are working towards EAL qualifications at Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd (DSRL), near Thurso, Caithness, adding to the thousand or so people who have already undertaken apprenticeships at the facility since 1955.
Works Management 7th May 2013 read more »
Springfields
A nuclear fuel factory is to shrink as part of a plan to make it more efficient, its new boss has revealed. Mick Gornall, the new managing director of Springfields Fuels, said its site at Salwick, near Preston, was to undergo a “site transformation” with unused buildings being demolished. The buildings which once housed up to 2,000 workers manufacturing Magnox fuel for nuclear power stations, which ceased manufacture in 2008, will be among the first to go in the coming months. He said the moves would make the site more efficient by slashing both energy and business rates bills for the business.
Lancashire Evening Post 7th May 2013 read more »
ONR
Quarterly News January to March published – includes an explanation of ONR’s role in the Geological Disposal Process,
ONR 7th May 2013 read more »
ONR has produced its first, standalone, fully costed Annual Plan setting out our priority objectives and key activities to deliver them, key performance indicators and budget for 2013-14. The Plan demonstrates our ways of full programme working across ONR and embedding of the organisations new operating model.
HSE 7th May 2013 read more »
ONR Bulletin.
ONR 7th May 2013 read more »
NFLA
A Kazakh artist who was born without arms says he could not get permission to enter the UK last month because he could not give fingerprints. Karipbek Kuyukov planned to attend an anti-nuclear conference in Edinburgh. But he got a letter from the British Consulate in Istanbul saying his “biometrics were of poor quality” and asking him to resubmit his application. The UK Home Office said his visa was not refused and it may have been the result of a “miscommunication”. Mr Kuyukov, 44, who was forced to cancel his attendance at the conference, spoke of his disappointment.
BBC 7th May 2013 read more »
Companies
Enel, Italy’s largest utility and its most indebted, said its core profits fell 4.2 per cent in the first quarter as electricity demand continued to decline in Europe, particularly in its main markets in Italy and Spain.
FT 7th May 2013 read more »
Ireland
Energy companies are plotting a raid across the Irish Sea as the auction of one of Ireland’s largest utilities begins this week. Centrica, SSE and ScottishPower are among the likely bidders for Bord Gáis Energy, the state-owned electricity and gas supplier, which is expected to fetch about £1 billion. Continental players, such as GDF Suez, of France, and E.ON, of Germany, and private equity groups have also been suggested. The company, part of the Bord Gáis group, has 775,000 customers, representing 70 per cent of the residential gas market and 20 per cent of the residential electricity market. It also owns a €400 million gas plant and wind farms able to generate electricity for 270,000 homes, when the wind blows. It is being privatised as part of the Irish Government’s €3 billion sell-off plan to shore up the country’s finances.
Times 8th May 2013 read more »
Japan
The Wall Street Journal published an article on May 1 entitled “Japan’s nuclear plan unsettles US.” It indicated concerns in Washington that the opening of a huge reprocessing plant could be used to stockpile plutonium for the future manufacture of nuclear weapons. The Rokkasho reprocessing facility in northern Honshu can produce nine tonnes of weapons-grade plutonium annually, or enough to construct up to 2,000 bombs. While Japanese officials insist that the plutonium will be used solely to provide nuclear power, only two of the country’s 50 nuclear power reactors are currently operating.
Global Research 7h May 2013 read more »
Fukushima Crisis Update 2nd to 6th May.
Greenpeace 7th May 2013 read more »
Rieko Sato has one of the toughest jobs in Japan. Not only is she working in the upper echelons of the company at the centre of the nation’s nuclear crisis – but she is a woman. Ms Sato, 48, last month assumed the historic accolade of becoming the first female corporate officer at Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco), the largest electric utility in Japan.
Telegraph 8th May 2013 read more »
US
In America’s Sunshine State (Florida) and nearby states of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, proposals for new nuclear power plants stand in stark contrast to lower risk, less expensive energy alternatives. Consumers in these states have already donated $6 Billion to the utilities’ nuclear ambitions. The charges that can be collected without the consumer seeing a benefit are estimated for the reactors: Summer 2 & 3, (South Carolina) $10.4 billion; Vogtle (Georgia) $14.5 – $18.2 billion; Levy (Florida), $15.1 to $21.6 billion, and Turkey Point (Florida) $12.8 to $18.7 billion. Where nuclear power proposals do not face a test of competition or even comparison with alternatives, lawmakers should require utility regulators to have power companies conduct a comprehensive integrated resource planning process where energy efficiency and renewables are on a level playing field with other supply options. If the owners of a nuclear power plant are willing to take a risk with their own money, maybe they don’t need to justify their choice. But if the money at risk is YOURS, and there is NO review, seems like the state government should get more involved in protecting the consumer.
Renew Economy 8th May 2013 read more »
Electricity generation at Dominion’s Kewaunee nuclear power plant in Wisconsin ended today after almost 40 years of operation. The utility announced in October 2012 that it would close Kewaunee by mid-2013 after failing to find a purchaser for the plant. It subsequently informed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that operation would cease on 7 May.
World Nuclear News 7th May 2013 read more »
Three peace activists endangered U.S. national security last year when they breached a secure facility where enriched uranium for nuclear bombs is stored, a federal official testified on Tuesday at their trial on charges of sabotage and destruction of federal property.
Reuters 7th May 2013 read more »
Renewables
Graph of the Day: Just how much have solar PV, wind prices fallen?
Renew Economy 8th May 2013 read more »
A common refrain, from skeptics to allies alike, is that renewable energy is a great idea, but not feasible because oil, gas, and coal will always be cheaper. Leaving aside the fact that fossil fuels are a finite resource and are the primary driver behind a warming planet, is it really true that renewable energy is more expensive? Brian McConnell made a graph that shows what has happened to the price of energy (in gigajoules) since 1980 for solar power, natural gas, crude oil, and then residential electricity.
Climate Progress 6th May 2013 read more »
A major new development to test cutting edge wind technology in an offshore environment before commercial deployment was given the green light today by Energy Minister Fergus Ewing. Mr Ewing granted consent for an offshore demonstration wind turbine with an installed capacity of up to 7 MW at the Fife Energy Park in Methil. The development for Samsung Heavy Industries will test new designs and models for offshore wind turbines to increase the reliability and efficiency of the power they produce.
Scottish Government 7th May 2013 read more »
Times 7th May 2013 read more »
STV 7th May 2013 read more »
Business Green 8th May 2013 read more »
Scotsman 8th May 2013 read more »
Herald 8th May 2013 read more »
Samsung Heavy Industries has secured £6m from Scottish Enterprise to help it develop an offshore wind turbine test centre in Fife.
BBC 7th May 2013 read more »
At times it may seem like a catch 22. You want to reduce your energy costs, you know there are plenty of ways to save and make money from renewable technologies and other energy efficiency products, but you have no capex to spend. Fortunately, whilst banks are reluctant to lend money, despite what they may say, there are organisations out there with dedicated pots of money, purely to fund such projects. Here are three simple ways to access the funds to implement your project, without upfront costs.
Renewable Solution 7th May 2013 read more »
Jeremy Leggett: Europe is on the brink of a trade war with China in one of the fastest-growing global industries. America and China are already engaged in battle. The job-rich and emissions-low solar photovoltaics industry is heading for severe impairment, at best.
The solar PV industry grew tenfold globally between 2007 and 2012. The average cost of buying a panel fell more than 75 per cent. Unless there is a trade war, many analysts expect solar electricity to be cheaper than any other alternative in most markets by 2015. Renewable-energy advocates enthuse, based on recent experience in Germany, about its potential, in conjunction with wind, across a nation or a continent.
FT 7th May 2013 read more »
Jeremy Leggett 7th May 2013 read more »
The amount of new solar power installed in Europe fell sharply for the first time in more than a decade last year, in an arresting sign of how the region’s dominance of the global market is drawing to an end. New installation fell from 22.4GW in 2011 to 17GW in 2012, taking Europe’s share of new capacity down from 74 per cent to 55 per cent in what the solar industry said was a “turning point in the global PV [photovoltaic] market that will have profound implications in coming years”. In 2013 it is almost certain that the majority of new PV capacity in the world will be installed outside of Europe,” the report says. “Going forward, the driving forces will be in countries like China, the US, Japan and India. The findings come as the EU solar industry is braced for a possible trade dispute over looming import duties on Chinese solar panel equipment that many fear will worsen the industry’s outlook.
FT 8th May 2013 read more »
A hydro power scheme in Ross-shire has been given planning approval on the 70th anniversary of Scotland’s hydro industry beginning. The £30m scheme near Ardross will be able to supply power to 4,000 homes. SSE will begin construction on the 7.5 megawatt (MW) Glasa scheme later this year. The announcement comes as the first minister is to attend celebrations marking the anniversary of legislation which started the Highland hydro boom.
BBC 8th May 2013 read more »
Energy Efficiency
Just outside Lancaster – a new co-housing development of 41 homes has just been completed here – and all without a developer in sight.The buildings are designed to the Passivhaus standard, which aims to reduce energy consumption. There are huge amounts of insulation and triple glazing; heat and power is provided by a central biomass boiler, solar panels on the roofs and, soon, a hydro plant. All of this should make the energy bills around 10% that of an average home, with plenty of surplus to sell back to the grid.
Guardian 7th May 2013 read more »
Carbon
Energy and Environment Ministers from nine European member states, including the UK, France and Germany, have today set out action they want to see this year to reform the EU’s Emissions Trading System (ETS) to ensure it remains at the forefront of EU policies to combat climate change and drive low carbon investments.
DECC 7th May 2013 read more »
The European Union became a pioneer in tackling climate change by starting the first major cap-and-trade system designed to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by putting a price on them. But analysts are increasingly worried that technical mistakes, Europe’s prolonged recession and the failure of policy makers to strengthen the system is undermining its effectiveness.
New York Times 6th May 2013 read more »
On 18 April Carbon Tracker, a UK-based foundation-led initiative, released its second report, Unburnable Carbon: Avoiding wasted capital and stranded assets. We need a managed, rapid and complete retreat from the use of fossil fuels if disastrous global warming is to be avoided, Jeremy Leggett, chair of Carbon Tracker, tells Caroline Hartnell. We need to replace these high-carbon fuels with renewable energy, and we need to do it fast, as though preparing for war. And yes, foundations do have a huge role to play.
Alliance Magazine 1st May 2013 read more »
Fossil Fuels
A report by energy analysts Poyry for the UK’s Department of Energy and Climate change (DECC) has concluded that new coal plants in Germany, Holland and Spain are extremely unlikely. But the report notes that Germany lacks policies to phase out it’s Lignite coal plants. Germany is the world’s largest producer of lignite or “Brown coal” which can be cheaper to produce but also less efficient and more polluting than conventional coal.
Energy Desk 7th May 2013 read more »
A decision on the North Sea boundary between an independent Scotland and the rest of Britain would be complex and could take years to sort out, experts on law and energy say.
Times 8th May 2013 read more »
Climate
The latest round of UN climate talks wrapped up in Bonn late last week, edging the long-running negotiations closer to the promised international climate treaty in 2015 – although you would be forgiven for not noticing given the near universal media silence that accompanied the negotiations. Given the tortuous history of the UN’s climate negotiations any meeting that ends without a major row represents something of a victory, and the latest Bonn talks appear to have comfortably cleared that admittedly low hurdle.
Business Green 7th May 2013 read more »
The Arctic Ocean is absorbing carbon dioxide at a far greater rate than was previously thought, threatening fish stocks and the livelihoods of indigenous peoples, a report suggests.
Independent 7th May 2013 read more »
Guardian 7th May 2013 read more »
Safe drinking water disappearing fast in Bangladesh. Extreme weather increases salinity of water in coastal areas while excessive demand in Dhaka leaves dwindling supply.
Guardian 7th May 2013 read more »
With islands and atolls scattered across the ocean, the small Pacific island states are among those most exposed to the effects of global warming: increasing acidity and rising sea level, more frequent natural disasters and damage to coral reefs. These micro-states, home to about 10 million people, are already paying for the environmental irresponsibility of the great powers.
Guardian 7th May 2013 read more »
