New nukes
Four companies have been given the green light for their reactor designs, moving construction of new nuclear power stations in the UK a step closer. Areva, the largest reactor maker in the world, has received approval from the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate, along with Westinghouse, owned by Japan’s Toshiba, and US giant General Electric. Canada’s AECL has also won approval. Sources close to the nuclear industry said the real competition to win the potentially multi-billion pound work was now on. They added the strongest contenders were Areva, Westinghouse and GE.
Telegraph 9th July 2007 more >>
Toshiba is in advanced talks to sell a 10 per cent stake in Westinghouse Electric, the US nuclear power company of which it acquired control last year, to a state-run Kazakh resources company. The proposed sale to Kazatomprom, likely to be worth nearly Y65bn ($527m), would help Westinghouse’s efforts to improve its supply of uranium, an increasingly important factor in winning contracts to build nuclear power stations.
FT 9th July 2007 more >>
Regulation
Regulator Ofgem may be given new powers to tackle Britain’s long-term gas and electricity needs and counter the short-termist investment strategies of companies that have been blamed for the UK’s energy crisis. Ofgem has written to power companies to tell them that it is to investigate the electricity market, and has asked for “initial thoughts” about “looking significantly further into the future” than the regulator’s existing five-yearly price reviews.
Telegraph 9th July 2007 more >>
Iran
David Miliband, foreign secretary, has warned Iran that the UK government will maintain a tough stance on Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, insisting that the Iranian regime “doesn’t have the right to set off a nuclear arms race in the Middle East”.
FT 9th July 2007 more >>
Telegraph 9th July 2007 more >>
BBC 9th July 2007 more >>
Finland
Finland — eager to avoid power shortages ahead of tighter EU carbon emission policies — is building a fifth nuclear reactor and seeing new plans emerging from an industry keen to build more. This Factbox has key facts about nuclear power in Finland, Europe and the world.
Reuters 8th July 2007 more >>
North Korea
The International Atomic Energy Agency’s governing body is expected on Monday to authorise the dispatch of U.N. monitors to North Korea to verify the shutdown of its atomic bomb programme, diplomats said.
Reuters 9th July 2007 more >>
Guardian website 8th July 2007 more >>
THORP
Ministers are planning to give permission to use British stockpiled plutonium as fuel for German nuclear reactors because of the two-year closure of the Thorp reprocessing plant – a move some industry experts believe is against the law. The government has been forced to consider what it describes as “virtual reprocessing” amid fears that without the use of the plutonium, German reactors would have to be closed down, leading to expensive legal claims against the British Nuclear Group because it cannot fulfil its contracts to supply fuel.
Guardian 9th July 2007 more >>
Carbon Capture
The government has been warned it needs to take a quick decision to spend almost £1bn to experiment with the potential benefits of carbon sequestration and capture to fight global warming. Gordon Brown has spoken about Britain becoming a pioneer in this revolutionary sector and the energy white paper outlined the criteria by which companies would compete for part-funding for trials. However, oil and electricity providers are understood to have privately told ministers they will need more than £300m for each of the three expected experimental facilities, according to industry sources.
Guardian 9th July 2007 more >>
