Hinkley
China has become a global infrastructure expert by building on the experience and project management skills acquired from years of working in developing nations, according to Simon Taylor, professor and director of the Master of Finance program at the University of Cambridge’s Judge Business School. Now it may become a major infrastructure investor in developed economies, a shift that is starting to happen but one that Taylor said may really take off because of a particular project. That project is the construction of two nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point C in Somerset, the United Kingdom, led by energy group Electricite de France SA. State-owned nuclear giants China General Nuclear Power Group and China National Nuclear Corp are discussing an estimated 35 percent equity stake in a project that could end up costing around 24 billion pounds ($37.5 billion). “If it (the Hinkley Point project) can be made to work, it will be a powerful indicator of China’s willingness and ability to get involved with even the most complex projects in rich countries,” said Taylor, who specializes in the economics and financing of energy infrastructure. Apart from capital, Taylor said the project management expertise Chinese companies bring to the table and EDF’s longstanding relationship with China, including a joint venture with CGN to build two reactors at the Taishan nuclear power plant in Guangdong province, could help seal the deal.
China Daily 9th Dec 2014 read more »
Dounreay
New vehicles are being used to monitor for radioactive particles at three beaches near a Scottish nuclear power plant. Sandside, Strathy and Murkle are regularly checked for pollution from Dounreay. Tiny particles linked to the reprocessing of nuclear fuel rods were flushed into the sea through the site’s liquid discharge pipe in the 1970s. Thousands of the fragments have been found and removed from beaches. The Metrac H5 all-terrain vehicles, already used for monitoring beaches near Sellafield in Cumbria, are now patrolling Sandside, Strathy and Murkle. They have replaced Hill Cat ATVs, which have been used for a number of years but will be retained for use in peak periods of particle detection work.
BBC 7th Dec 2014 read more »
Wylfa
Concerns about the lack of detail and impact a nuclear power station could have on Anglesey have been raised by the island council’s chief executive. Richard Parry Jones has sent a 10-page letter to Horizon bosses calling for more detailed information about their Wylfa Newydd power plant proposals. Horizon – a subsidiary of Hitachi which bought the site in 2012 for about £700m – put its plans on show this autumn. It said it was disappointed by the concerns raised by Anglesey council. A Horizon spokesperson said: “However this is the beginning, not the end, of the consultation process and this is what the process was designed for.”
BBC 8th Dec 2014 read more »
Moorside
ENGINEER Amec Foster Wheeler has secured its first major deal since the group completed a merger deal. The business, whose offices in the North-East includes sites in Darlington and Middlesbrough, has been awarded the environmental services deal for the proposed new nuclear power station at Moorside, Cumbria.
Northern Echo 8th Dec 2014 read more »
Nuclear Safety
A nuclear-safety showdown pitting European regulators against their U.S. and Russian counterparts will be revisited this week as officials debate a possible compromise on preventing another disaster like the Fukushima Dai-Ichi meltdowns. Improving safety in the face of aging European and U.S. reactors is the subject of meetings in Washington on Dec. 3 and in Vienna starting Dec. 4, where officials are trying to determine how far regulators can go to mitigate the effects of meltdowns. European attempts to strengthen international rules drew U.S. and Russian opposition in October, when diplomats said the costly proposals threatened to fracture an international treaty.
Bloomberg 1st Dec 2014 read more »
Submarine Waste
People in Copeland are being asked for their views on plans that could see Sellafield store radioactive waste from dismantled nuclear submarines. Sellafield is one of five sites under consideration to house intermediate level waste from 27 soon-to-be dismantled Royal Navy subs. The Submarine Dismantling Project will oversee the disposal of the subs that are due to have left Naval service by the mid 2030s. The 19 which have already left service are stored afloat at Rosyth and Devonport where the dismantling will take place at a rate of about one per year. The radioactive waste taken from the subs will be stored at either Sellafield; Chapelcross near Annan; Aldermaston and Burghfield, both Berkshire or Capenhurst in Cheshire. Once a site is chosen – expected to be in mid-2016 – it will be used for interim storage of reactor components until after 2040, when the UK Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) is planned to come into operation, say officials.
Carlisle News & Star 8th Dec 2014 read more »
Submarines
EXPERTS are warning the Royal Navy’s fleet of nuclear submarines could suffer a major catastrophe after it emerged there have been 44 fires in just four years. One MoD source said: “Any one of these fires could have easily developed into a situation which could have led to a catastrophe.”
Express 8th Dec 2014 read more »
Utilities
Scottish Power is facing a major crackdown from the energy regulator because of its “unacceptable” call waiting times and a “drastic” drop in overall customer satisfaction. Earlier this month Ofgem said that the supplier would be banned from recruiting new customers unless it fixes its serious customer service problems.
Telegraph 8th Dec 2014 read more »
US – radwaste
Areva TN, a unit of Areva, has received two contracts, which have a combined value of more than $70m, to deliver used nuclear fuel storage solutions. Under the long-term contract with FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company (FENOC), Areva TN will supply dry used fuel storage equipment, and related services to the Davis Besse and Beaver Valley nuclear power plants, located in Ohio and Pennsylvania, respectively. Located in Oak Harbor, Ohio, US, the Davis-Besse nuclear power station features a single pressurized water reactor and is operated by the FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company.
Energy Business Review 8th Dec 2014 read more »
China
The Chinese government is set to resume approvals for the construction of coastal nuclear power plants, having suspended approvals and licensing for all new reactor projects in 2011. The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) announced plans on 4 December for the development of unspecified nuclear power plant projects along China’s eastern coast. NDRC secretary general Li Pumin said that construction of the plants would be carried out under strict safety protocols.
World Nuclear News 8th Dec 2014 read more »
The ACP1000 reactor design has successfully passed the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA’s) Generic Reactor Safety Review (GRSR), China National Nuclear Corporation has announced.
World Nuclear News 8th Dec 2014 read more »
Ukraine
Ukraine’s Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology has completed the construction of a nuclear research facility called Neutron Source that will be used to treat cancer. Gottemoeller said Neutron Source was “a great success in the struggle for the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons.” “Ukraine has decided to export highly-enriched uranium from its territory to ensure that such material does not fall into the hands of terrorists. The USA, in turn, has pledged to help remove highly-enriched uranium to low-enriched uranium in Ukraine and to finance the construction of the Neutron Source nuclear research facility,” she said.
World Nuclear News 8th Dec 2014 read more »
Finland
Finnish nuclear power company Fennovoima has secured approval from Finnish government for the construction of 1,200MW Hanhikivi 1 nuclear power plant in Pyhäjoki, which would include Russia’s participation.
Energy Business Review 8th Dec 2014 read more »
Nuclear Weapons
The United States and Britain took part for the first time on Monday in an international conference on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons and were expected to face pressure to do more to eliminate their atomic arsenals. The three other officially recognized nuclear weapon states — Russia, France and China — shunned the Dec. 8-9 meeting. Many of the 157 states taking part are critical of what they see as too slow headway on nuclear disarmament.
Reuters 8th Dec 2014 read more »
Tougher actions to curb the risk of deliberate or accidental nuclear attacks must be introduced, a coalition of political, military and diplomatic figures has warned. Ahead of the Vienna Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons this week, the European Leadership Network urged all states to redouble their efforts to work towards a world without nuclear weapons. The warning comes as “insufficient” action was taken thus far to limit the significant risks of an accidental strike by a nation state, but also because of insecure stockpiles that could be targeted by terrorist groups.
Engineering & Technology 8th Dec 2014 read more »
Rebecca Johnson: The Third International Conference on the Humanitarian Impacts of Nuclear Weapons (HINW) opens in Vienna today, with arguments for humanitarian disarmament growing in strength. This time the UK and the US will attend. What will be the likely outcome?
Open Democracy 8th Dec 2014 read more »
Renewables – wind
Triodos Renewables has extended its offer for private investors to co-own Scottish renewable energy investments by buying into a £5 million share offer to 30 January 2015. Investment has already reached £2 million from over 600 individual investors and the money raised is already being put to work at several UK sites – including Clayfords and Auchtygills in Aberdeenshire.
Scottish Energy News 9th Dec 2014 read more »
Scotland’s fleet of wind farms provided more than 100 per cent of the country’s domestic electricity needs in November, new preliminary figures from WWF show today. According to an analysis by the NGO, wind turbines met 107 per cent of Scottish household power demand during the month, compared to 22 per cent across the rest of the UK.
Business Green 8th Dec 2014 read more »
Renewables – solar
A new flexible solar “cloth” could soon be coming to a roof near you. The Solar Cloth Company is seeking investors to help its lightweight photovoltaic material that can be used on any surface – or even as sails on a yacht – to harvest the sun’s rays. While traditional solar panels weigh between 16kg to 20kg per square metre, this cloth is just 2kg per sq m. The material (pictured left) can be draped over car parks and will bond to the contours of “wavy, beautiful architecture”, said SCC’s founder, Perry Carroll, who has been working on the technology since 2004.
Telegraph 6th Dec 2014 read more »
Renewable Funding
Two of the UK’s biggest banks are set to make it easier for anaerobic digestion (AD) and hydropower plants to secure funding. NatWest and the Royal Bank of Scotland will today announce plans to add AD and hydro schemes to their list of projects for which they will consider future earnings, when considering an application.
Business Green 9th Dec 2014 read more »
Energy Efficiency
Resource Efficient Scotland (RES) – a Scottish Government funded programme – has launched a free package of support to help Scottish organisations to reduce their lighting bills and save money this winter. East Kilbride-based manufacturer, Merson Group has already benefited from the support programme which identified opportunities to save £12,700 per year on warehouse lighting, and a further £1,080 on improved office lighting.
Scottish Energy News 9th Dec 2014 read more »
As households across the country prepare to dust off their Christmas tree lights, new calculations have suggested people could cut their electricity bills by £20 by switching to efficient LED festive lights. Green energy supplier Good Energy has this week teamed up with the National Trust to publish a series of tips on how to have a greener Christmas, including a call for more people to switch to modern Christmas lights that can cut energy use by over 80 per cent.
Business Green 9th Dec 2014 read more »
