Times 8th Sept 2018 , Plans for a new nuclear power station in Cumbria are set to move closer to
collapse next week, with the company developing the Moorside project
expected to confirm that it is laying off the majority of its staff.
Nugen, owned by Toshiba, the troubled Japanese conglomerate, has been consulting
throughout August on job cuts among its 100 employees after failing to
secure a buyer. It is understood that it is preparing to sign off on cuts
on Monday and to brief staff on Tuesday, with the most likely option
resulting in the loss of at least 50 jobs.
If no buyer for Nugen is found
before the end this year then the venture is likely to be abandoned
altogether. Nugen’s Moorside scheme, neighbouring the Sellafield atomic
waste site on the Cumbrian coast, has been in doubt since early last year,
when financial problems engulfed Toshiba. A sale to Kepco, the South Korean
utility, has stalled amid political change in South Korea and a British
government rethink of the financial support on offer for nuclear plants,
after widespread criticism of the high costs of Hinkley Point.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/staff-layoffs-leave-cumbria-nuclear-plans-on-the-brink-5mfgkcz3j
September 10, 2018
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business and costs, UK |
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NuClear News Sept 18
Jeremy Leggett, former Chair of SolarCentury, has used 30 pictures and charts to show why the UK nuclear renaissance plan is doomed to failure. It’s a great way to get a point across. But sometimes it’s useful to have it written down too.
The UK’s first ever National Infrastructure Assessment says at least half of all UK power should be renewable by 2030, and can be at no extra cost. It urges the Government to grab the golden opportunity to ditch nuclear and go with cheaper solar and wind. Solar Power Portal 10th July 2018 No2NuclearPower nuClear News No.110, September 2018 19 https://www.solarpowerportal.co.uk/news/grab_the_golden_opportunity_to_go_green_uk_urged_to_ditch_nuclear_in_favour
EDF is in deep financial trouble: The utility upon which the UK Government’s plans for a nuclear renaissance depend faces an existential threat with no obvious escape route.
On 25th July 2018 there was yet more bad news for EDF. 33 welds need repairing. Nuclear fuel now to be loaded Q4 2019. EDF says costs up €0.4bn to €10.9bn FT 25th July 2018 https://www.ft.com/content/1b2473c8-8fdd-11e8-b639-7680cedcc421
In august 2016 a major reversal in opinion on nuclear power amongst business leaders was reported. There was a big majority for new nuclear in 2015. In 2016 only 9% strongly agree. 75% of IOD members support strong solar and wind policies. Guardian 19th August 2016 http://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/aug/19/businesschiefs-attack-uk-government-failure-to-secure-energy-supply
In a remarkable U-turn the UK Government agrees to a £5bn public stake in welsh nuclear power station. The total cost of Wylfa to be shared with Hitachi and the Japanese Government is estimated at £16bn. The price of power is expected to be £75-77/MWh – more than solar and wind. Guardian 4th June 2018 http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jun/04/uk-takes-5bn-stake-inwelsh-nuclear-power-station-in-policy-u-turn
. · It seems that Whitehall’s obsession with civil nuclear is in fact a military romance. So argue researchers at the Science Policy Research Unit. They find evidence of desperation to keep expertise for submarine reactors alive. Guardian 29th March 2018 http://www.theguardian.com/science/political-science/2018/mar/29/why-is-ukgovernment-so-infatuated-nuclear-power
And then there is global warming. If governments do not shut down residual nuclear programmes it seems climate change impacts will at some point – in the case of the many reactors on coasts and rivers – do the job for them.
- Nuclear regulators around the world have used out-of-date scientific understanding of sea level rise. Ensia: “A number of scientific papers published in 2018 suggest that climate change will impact coastal nuclear plants earlier and harder than industry government or regulatory bodies have expected.” Ensia 8th Aug 2018https://ensia.com/features/coastal-nuclear/
This summer’s heatwave forced 3 Nordic reactors to be curbed and 1 to close. EDF may close 4 reactors. Seawater off Sweden and Finland was too warm for reactor cooling. Reuters 1st Aug 2018 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nordics-nuclearpowerexplainer/in-hot-water-how-summer-heat-has-hit-nordic-nuclear-plantsidUSKBN1KM4ZR Reuters 1st Aug 2018 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-francenuclearpower-weather/frances-edf-may-halt-four-nuclear-reactors-due-to-heatwavestatement-idUSKBN1KM56C
September 10, 2018
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politics, UK |
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“Panglossian puffery”, says David Lowry. The report ignores the security and nuclear waste problems of small modular reactors.
The Nuclear Free Local Authorities (NFLA) says this is yet another attempt to promote the benefits of SMRs despite large and quite possibly insurmountable hurdles to cross. The Government suggests the report was produced by an ‘independent’ group, yet at least half of the group have strong links to the nuclear industry, including the Nuclear Industry Association. The UK appear to be one of the few governments pursuing a strategy of promoting SMRs. Even France and Finland, the only other countries in Europe currently developing large nuclear projects, have no plans to develop such technology. Indeed France has just commissioned a whole raft of new smaller-scale solar energy projects.
the finance sector is accurate in being sceptical of new nuclear developments given the rapidly decreasing costs of renewable energy.
Rolls-Royce warned last month that it was preparing to shut down the [Small Modular Nuclear Reactor] project if the government did not make a long-term commitment to its technology.
Panglossian SMRs , NuClear News Sept 18, The government should subsidise the deployment of small modular nuclear reactors in order to speed the transition to a low carbon energy system, according to an independent review into the technology commissioned by Ministers. The Expert Finance Working Group on Small Reactors (EFWG) said in a report that government should offer subsidies for small nuclear reactors to help de-risk the technology and kickstart cost reductions. (1)
Small modular reactors (SMRs) generally have a capacity less than 600MW, with the costs ranging from £100 million to £2.3 billion, which the experts suggest could be delivered by 2030. The EFWG has recommended the government to help de-risk the small nuclear market to enable the private sector to develop and finance projects – it believes SMRs could be commercially viable propositions both in the UK and for an export market.
The report says the “Government should establish an advanced manufacturing supply chain initiative, as it did with offshore wind, to bring forward existing and new manufacturing capability in the UK and to challenge the market on the requirement for nuclear specific items, particularly Balance of Plant (BOP), thereby reducing the costs of nuclear and the perceived risks associated with it.”
Nuclear Energy Minister Richard Harrington said: “Today’s independent expert report recognises the opportunity presented by small nuclear reactors and shows the potential for how investors, industry and government can work together to make small nuclear reactors a reality. Advanced nuclear technologies provide a major opportunity to drive clean growth and could create high-skilled, well-paid jobs around the country as part of our modern Industrial Strategy.” (2) Continue reading →
September 10, 2018
Posted by Christina Macpherson |
Small Modular Nuclear Reactors, spinbuster, UK |
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radioactive waste from one of the UK’s most important nuclear
decommissioning projects. Businesses in Lancashire, Cumbria and West
Yorkshire are joining forces to produce self-shielded boxes which will
store legacy waste from the First Generation Magnox Storage Pond (FGMSP) at
Sellafield. The 66-year old open air pond was originally used to store
nuclear fuel from the UK’s first generation of nuclear power stations. It
has been prioritised for clean-up by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
The clean-up work requires the manufacture of hundreds of boxes to store
material taken out of the facility.
http://www.thebusinessdesk.com/yorkshire/news/2025845-northern-collaboration-sellafield-n-plant-clear
September 10, 2018
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UK, wastes |
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by Jeff Gillan , 9 Sept 18, LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Nevada’s elected officials reacted with alarm Thursday to a Department of Energy proposal to send a ton or more of weapons-grade plutonium to the Nevada National Security Site.
The security site, formerly known as the test site, has seen small amounts of plutonium before but that was for weapons testing.
This proposal, from the Department of Energy, would be the first time, according to Nevada officials, that plutonium would be stored here, potentially indefinitely.I have been made aware that @Energy intends to store plutonium in Nevada with no timeline for removal. I will fight this at every level,” Governor Brian Sandoval, R-Nevada, tweeted.
The plutonium up to a ton would be sent here by 2020 from South Carolina because a facility there has not been finished that would re-purpose the material. Another ton would be scheduled to be sent here in 2021.
“Doe is addressing South Carolina’s concerns by screwing Nevada,” tweets Congresswoman Dina Titus…….
Plutonium, at the security site, is a separate issue [from Yucca nuclear waste dump plan] . However, conservationists see another agenda by sending plutonium here.
“This is about a test run to see what storage and transportation of nuclear material looks like to Nevada,” says Andy Maggi, the Executive Director of the Nevada Conservation League.
State officials reacted to the proposal with alarm.
“Not only does shipping up to one metric ton of plutonium across the country likely present risks to those living along the proposed transportation routes, storing this material just a few miles from #LasVegas could threaten the health and safety of Nevadans and our tourism economy,” tweets Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nevada.
“I have serious concerns with (Department of Energy) Secretary Perry recklessly pushing this proposal forward without properly assessing the impact that transporting and storing up to one metric ton of weapons-grade plutonium would have on Nevadans’ health and safety. I urge DOE to conduct a full environmental analysis,” said Rep. Jacky Rosen, D-Nevada, in a statement.
Yucca Mountain will take years – if ever – to become operational. One worry is also that DOE could reclassify the plutonium as nuclear waste and send it to Yucca when it’s ready.
“That’s not an inconceivable scenario,” says Greg Lovato, the Administrator of Nevada’s Division of Environmental Protection.
In the meantime, Nevada plans to fight plutonium coming here.
“We’re looking at all legal options because we believe that the supplemental analysis issued by the department is insufficient for this type of activity,” says Bradley Crowell. https://news3lv.com/news/local/department-of-energy-introduces-plan-to-store-plutonium-in-nevada
September 10, 2018
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- plutonium, USA |
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There’s renewed anger in Chatsworth, Simi Valley, over Santa Susana Field Lab clean-up By SARAH FAVOT |September 2, 2018 Frustrated with the pace of cleanup of a former rocket engine test site on the border of San Fernando and Simi valleys, area residents have stepped up their call for the safe disposal of hazardous and radioactive materials.
Criticism of the massive, long-planned clean-up is not new. But tension re-emerged Thursday night, as the state’s Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) held a public hearing at El Camino Real Charter High School in Woodland Hills. DTSC officials, who are overseeing the cleanup, wanted to hear comments about the U.S. Department of Energy’s proposed plans to decontaminate and demolish the former Hazardous Waste Management Facility and Radioactive Materials Handling Facility at the site of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory.
Nestled between Simi Valley and Chatsworth, the land was developed in the 1940s to test rocket engines and conduct nuclear research. Boeing now owns most of the site, which has been the focus of residents’ ire over stalled clean-up and the management of those clean-up.
“This is a crime against humanity,” said Melissa Bumstead, who led a protest before the hearing, referring to what she said has been the mishandling of the clean-up of radioactive materials at the site.
Bumstead believes that her daughter’s cancer was caused by the release of radiation from the site. She said during hospital visits she met other parents who live within a few miles of the site whose children also had cancer. Some others who spoke at the meeting said they have cancer or have fought cancer.
In 1989, the Department of Energy released a report admitting that a partial meltdown of a sodium reactor had occurred in 1959 in Area IV of the land, where the two facilities set to be closed are located.
The Radioactive Materials Handling Facility, one of the buildings set for closure and demolition, was used to treat and store radioactive and mixed waste. Mixed waste has both chemical and radiological constituents. Radioactive waste included uranium and plutonium. The facility’s permit expired in 2003.
The Hazardous Waste Management Facility was used for storage and treatment of non-radiological alkaline metal wastes. The building ceased operation in 1997……….
Some of the residents who gave public comments Thursday night have attended many other DTSC meetings. Many echoed sentiments of frustration and mistrust with the agency. Some held up yellow signs during the meeting that read “DTSC lied, Our kids died” and “Broken Promises.”
“It’s the same old stuff,” Dorri Raskin, of Northridge, said. “It’s very frustrating. It’s disappointing with the lies.”
Another public hearing on the plan will be held Sept. 8 at the Simi Valley Senior Center, 3900 Avenida Simi, Simi Valley at 10:30 a.m.
Public comment on the plans has been extended to Oct. 12. Comments can be emailed or sent to Laura Rainey, DTSC senior engineering and project manager, 5796 Corporate Ave., Cypress, CA 90630, laura.rainey@dtsc.ca.gov.
Correspondent Marianne Love contributed to this report.
September 10, 2018
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USA, wastes |
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North Korea spotlights economic development, not nuclear might, as it turns 70 Eric Talmadge, The Associated Press
CTV News, September 9, 2018
PYONGYANG, Korea, Democratic People’s Republic Of — North Korea held a major military parade and revived its iconic mass games to celebrate its 70th anniversary on Sunday, but in keeping with leader Kim Jong Un’s new policies the emphasis was firmly on building up the economy, not on nuclear weapons.
The North rolled out some of its latest tanks and marched its best-trained goose-stepping units in the parade but held back its most advanced missiles and devoted nearly half of the event to civilian efforts to build the domestic economy.
It also brought the mass games back after a five-year hiatus. The games are a grand spectacle that features nearly 20,000 people flipping placards in unison to create huge mosaics as thousands more perform gymnastics or dance in formation on the competition area of Pyongyang’s 150,000-seat May Day Stadium.
The strong emphasis on the economy underscores the strategy Kim has pursued since January of putting economic development front and centre. ………Kim attended the morning parade but did not address the assembled crowd, which included the head of the Chinese parliament and high-level delegations from countries that have friendly ties with the North…….
Kim’s effort to ease tensions with President Donald Trump has stalled since their June summit in Singapore. Both sides are now insisting on a different starting point. Washington wants Kim to commit to denuclearization first, but Pyongyang wants its security guaranteed and a peace agreement formally ending the Korean War………
Soon after the anniversary celebrations end, Kim will meet in Pyongyang with South Korean President Moon Jae-in to discuss ways to break the impasse over his nuclear weapons.
The “new line” of putting economic development first has been Kim’s top priority this year. He claims to have perfected his nuclear arsenal enough to deter U.S. aggression and devote his resources to raising his nation’s standard of living…….https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/north-korea-spotlights-economic-development-not-nuclear-might-as-it-turns-70-1.4086040
September 10, 2018
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North Korea, politics, politics international |
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Nuclear Finance NuClear News http://www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/NuClearNewsNo110.pdf Sept 18 Consumers could pay for new nuclear power plants years before they are built. The government is considering using a controversial financing system to build new nuclear power stations which would see customers charged for construction costs long before a project has actually been built. The fact that Mark Corben – former chief financial officer at the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for the Thames Tideway Tunnel – has moved to the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to advise on development of a new finance model for funding new nuclear projects, confirms that the Government is seriously considering this method of finance. (1
The approach, called the Regulated Asset Base (RAB) model, has been described as an “open cheque book” for developers, as consumers could be locked into paying the costs of a project going wrong – like construction taking longer than planned, or prices spiralling – indefinitely until it’s complete.
Shadow energy minister Alan Whitehead MP said: “The problem with this model as applied to new nuclear power stations is that it transfers all the risk of construction from the developer to the customers, with the rather wobbly promise of benefits to come in the future.” Like other publicprivate finance models, the RAB model has a sticky history. The government has already supported the use of RAB for the Thames Tideway Tunnel, a £4.2bn project to revamp 15 miles of sewer lines in North London, which Thames Water says a RAB model has helped lower costs. As well as taking a RAB approach to financing the Thames Tideway, the government offered a “contingent financial support” package which guarantees public money when certain parts of the project go wrong. It’s this transfer of liability first to the consumer, and then also the taxpayer, which helps lower risk and attract investors. A similar package may be offered to nuclear developers.
In 2017, the cross-party British Infrastructure Group of MPs, chaired by Conservative exminister Grant Shapps, raised concerns that bill payers had been asked to write a “blank cheque” for the project. The National Audit Office (NAO) has also been critical of the Thames Tideway contract, as it still isn’t clear how much consumers will have to pay. The idea of a RAB approach has already proven popular with the nuclear industry. EDF boss Humphrey Cadoux-Hudson recently told the Financial Times that he is in talks with dozens of private investors over financing Sizewell C, the French giant’s post-Hinkley nuclear project in Suffolk – and that the RAB model could be pivotal.
Much of the work around taking a RAB approach to financing nuclear power has been carried out by Dieter Helm, professor of Energy Policy at the University of Oxford and a figure respected by government. Writing in a blog about the model’s application to nuclear last month, Helm highlighted a number of open issues – such as which regulator would set the RAB for nuclear projects, as well as the “very severe lobbying pressures” any regulator would come under when making its RAB evaluations. Helm concludes that the RAB may be an efficient approach to financing nuclear power, but still doesn’t address fundamental issues about its cost competitiveness with other technology like wind and solar, or what do with all its radioactive waste. “It is for society to decide whether it wants new nuclear or not,” he said. “The market cannot decide.” (2)
Finally the Government has, after I feared so long it would, chosen the doomsday option to fund new nuclear power stations – one that will be disastrous for the consumers and taxpayers, says Dave Toke, reader in Energy Policy at Aberdeen University. After years of swearing that they would not offer subsidies to nuclear power, and saying that in the future the terrible drain of (historical) over-spending on nuclear power would stop, the Government has gone back to square zero. Essentially, under the Government’s proposals nuclear developers will have no real limit on what they can spend to build the power stations. It is a recipe for national disaster. No private developer is willing to take the construction risks of funding nuclear power in the UK, whatever ‘strike price’ is offered for the electricity that might be generated in future.
For Hinkley Point C the French state will pay for the inevitable cost overruns that come along with building the plant, combined quite probably, with an out-of-contract bailout by the British Government when the going gets tough. But now the Government is casting around for another nuclear power plant to be built, – Wylfa or Sizewell C – but neither developer (Hitachi or EDF) wants to take the risk of paying the almost inevitable losses on the project. So enter the Government’s new proposals which will no doubt be promoted as a simple accountancy trick to lower costs. But it hides the fact that taxpayers will take the losses. Under the RAB arrangements electricity consumers will start paying extra on their bills from when construction starts, which could be anything from 7-10+ years ahead of any energy being generated. (3)
September 10, 2018
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politics, UK |
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India Can Export Nuclear Power Plants, Economic Times, September 7, 2018
But Westinghouse has had billions of dollars of cost overruns in its nuclear reactors in the US, and stands to gain from joining hands with Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) to better manage its project implementation.
The fact is that NPCIL has been able to streamline project implementation with standardised designs and equipment, and is implementing at least 10 new pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs) nationally.
In sharp contrast, the US, which is building nuclear plants after a long hiatus, seems to have rather rusty expertise when it comes to construction of nuclear power plants.
There is much potential for export of India’s indigenous PHWRs, and the Joint Statement rightly calls for India’s “immediate accession” to the Nuclear Suppliers Group. …….https://blogs.economictimes.indiatimes.com/et-editorials/india-can-export-nuclear-power-plants/
September 10, 2018
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India, marketing |
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Bechtel & Wylfa NuClear News Sept 18, http://www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/NuClearNewsNo110.pdf Reports in the Japanese press that Bechtel is to withdraw from its key role in building Wylfa Newydd due to concerns over the project’s profitability, and the drastic rise in construction costs, (1) were swiftly denied. (2)
Nevertheless all mention of the joint venture Hitachi set up earlier in the year with Bechtel and JGC Corporation called Menter Newydd, (New Venture in Welsh) –to help deliver the Wylfa Newydd project – seems to have disappeared. The detailed allocation of work between Horizon and Menter Newydd remained to be worked out, but the new joint venture was expected to lead a significant proportion of on-site construction activities. At that time it seemed that Horizon would be the owners of the nuclear plant and Menter Newydd would be the builders.
The Wales Online website from 22nd May 2016 which announced the establishment of Menter Newydd said “Menter Newydd is a joint venture of Hitachi Nuclear Energy Europe, US giant Bechtel Management Company and Japanese firm JGC Corporation (UK) and will be responsible for the construction of Wylfa Newydd, overseen by Horizon Nuclear Power.” (3)
Bechtel now describes itself as a “project management contractor (PMC) to help deliver a new, two-reactor nuclear plant in Wales for Horizon Nuclear Power”: (4) Clearly a downgrading of its role.
And what of the JCG Corporation? Virtually no mention of Wylfa on their website. But a notice of changes of Directors dated 8th February 2018 has Tsuyoshi Iwasaki who was Associate Executive Director Project Director for Wylfa Newydd retiring and becoming simply an “advisor” to nothing specific. (5)
According to Asahi Shimbun on 17th August Bechtel has decided to withdraw from its key role in construction and only offer a consulting service. The article goes on to say that Horizon Nuclear Power, now a subsidiary of Hitachi, will be in charge of the construction while receiving advice from Bechtel and Japanese electric power companies. One Hitachi executive played down the significance of Bechtel’s withdrawal from its role in construction. “It only means that roles of companies will change. The impact to the project is not big,” the executive said
But the newspaper says “…if Horizon replaces Bechtel, it faces the risk that the construction costs will become higher than anticipated. Hitachi is aiming to lower its stake in Horizon from the current 100 percent to less than 50 percent as a condition for the start of construction of the nuclear plant, and so it is asking other companies to invest in Horizon. But if other companies are concerned over Horizon’s risk, they will hesitate to invest in it. As a result, Hitachi will face bigger difficulties in raising funds for construction and proceeding with the project.”
The Daily Post, on the other hand says: “Reports that a US construction giant has withdrawn from building Wylfa Newydd are “categorically untrue” But Asahi Shimbun didn’t say they had withdrawn completely – only that they had downgraded their role from lead constructor to more of a consultancy role.
Horizon made a big deal out of its announcement that it had appointed Bechtel as Project Management Contractor (PMC) claiming that it would mean cheaper nuclear electricity. It also said it had signed further contracts with Hitachi Nuclear Energy Europe and JGC New Energy UK Limited (JGC) to continue to provide support during the project’s development stage. Bechtel, who will have nearly 200 employees embedded within Horizon, will oversee the project management of the power station, together with Horizon.
Duncan Hawthorne, CEO of Horizon Nuclear Power, said: “These world-leading companies bring a wealth of nuclear, engineering and construction expertise to complement our growing organisation and will help us replicate the cost and schedule successes of the previous four ABWR reactors. The UK still needs reliable nuclear power to help transform our energy mix, and we are gearing up to deliver that. “Our first power station will be cheaper than what has gone before and after that, with smart financing, supply chain learnings and no need for first time overheads, future project costs will fall further still.” (7)
People Against Wylfa B (PAWB) commented that Bechtel has obviously come to the conclusion that it would not make financial sense for them to take part in such a huge and extortionately expensive project. There is an apparent difference of opinion between Hitachi and Bechtel about the cost of construction with Bechtel’s estimates being higher. If a company as large as Bechtel is getting cold feet, it will be difficult for Hitachi to engage another company to take their place. One idea mentioned was that Horizon could replace Bechtel to manage the construction. The risk linked to that would be huge since Horizon is only a local subsidiary company to Hitachi without any experience of building anything let alone two monster nuclear reactors. Hitachi also has no experience of building nuclear reactors. Their track record is offering their boiling water reactors for other companies to build. If, as reported Bechtel will stay as a consultant to the project that is very different to being an active building partner.
The Westminster Government and the Welsh Labour Government should wake up to what is very obvious to other countries worldwide that nuclear power is a technology that belongs to the middle of the twentieth century. It is dirty, dangerous and a threat to environmental and human health. There is an international trend now that sees the price of renewable energy technologies coming down. Using these various technologies and a comprehensive energy conservation programme in our homes, public buildings and workplaces is the sensible and progressive way ahead. This would create work immediately – unlike Wylfa B – without the enormous risks, both financial and healthwise. (8)
September 10, 2018
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business and costs, UK |
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Le Monde 8th Sept 2018 ,[Machine translation] It’s a low-noise battle that took place for a year
between Nicolas Hulot and EDF, a company he was in charge of. On the one
hand, a minister who has not always been antinuclear, but who has become
convinced in recent years that this energy has no future.
On the other hand, the management of EDF, Bercy and the entire French nuclear industry –
its 220,000 employees, its engineers and its weight in the heart of the
state -, convinced that nuclear power remains an opportunity for the La
France. Between the two,
Emmanuel Macron, long-time proponent of the
nuclear, but which maintains on this subject a policy of “at the same
time”, which for a long time allowed him to provide support to the
partisans and the opponents to the atom. Two questions are quickly at the
heart of this step of two: how to succeed in reducing the share of nuclear
energy in the production of electricity from 75% to 50%? And should we
start in France the construction of new reactors to eventually replace the
current fleet? The answer depends on one essential element: will
electricity consumption increase in the coming years, as EDF argues, or
will it continue to stagnate?
https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2018/09/08/nucleaire-dans-les-coulisses-de-la-bataille-entre-hulot-et-edf_5352068_3234.html
September 10, 2018
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general |
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http://www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/NuClearNewsNo110.pdf NuClear News Sept 18
An application for Development Consent was received by the Infrastructure Planning Inspectorate on 1st June. Horizon was supposed to have submitted its application by the end of March, but this was delayed. On 28th June, the Inspectorate announced that it had accepted the application for examination, and on 6th July it invited interested parties to register. Registration closed on 13th August.
Relevant representations appear on the Inspectorate’s website and include submissions from the Welsh Anti-Nuclear Alliance, Nuclear Free Local Authorities, Together Against Sizewell C, Dr David Lowry, and Dr Carl Clowes. (1)
The NFLA has published its full submission here: http://www.nuclearpolicy.info/news/nflaviews-wylfa-b-nuclear-planning-application-inspectorate-outlining-litany-concerns/
This says it is highly regrettable that the consideration of Horizon Nuclear Power’s application for a Development Control Order for the Wylfa Newydd Nuclear Power Station is reliant on Government National Policy Statements which are totally out of date. Nuclear power stations are clearly not economically competitive, cannot be built when required by 2025 and energy efficiency measures and cheaper low carbon energy alternatives mean there is no longer a need for them.
In what will form its full written response to the Planning Inspectorate, NFLA argue:
- The proposal put forward by Horizon Nuclear Power for this particular site on the Island of Anglesey is totally inappropriate and should not be approved.
- · Building such a large infrastructure project in a remote rural area like Anglesey is likely to increase local unemployment in the longer term, and have a disruptive impact on the local economy. Going ahead with Wylfa Newydd is likely to detract attention from the far greater job-creating potential of other industries, such as a domestic energy efficiency programme, and the offshore renewable industry, and may actually dissuade companies from setting up in Anglesey, as well as damaging existing industry, such as tourism and agriculture, which rely on the areas reputation for a clean environment to attract business.
- · It is also likely to be particularly disruptive to the future of the Welsh Language on the island.
- · Wylfa B would produce nuclear waste which would contain almost 70% of the radioactivity as the existing waste burden, and which will most likely need to be stored on the Anglesey site for at least the next 120 years.
- · If there were an accident at Wylfa B which required the evacuation of an area similar to the area evacuated around Fukushima, experience suggests this would cause complete chaos because of the limited capacity of routes to the mainland. Given that alternatives to Wylfa B do exist which are cheaper and can be implemented more quickly, it is particular perverse to accept the rather devastating impact the proposals will have on designated conservation sites.
- · The impact of sea level rise on the proposed site needs to be thoroughly examined in the light of the latest scientific projections on the impact of climate change.
As we go to press an extraordinary meeting of Anglesey County Council’s planning committee is about to consider Horizon’s application for permission to clear 299ha of land to prepare for construction of the proposed Wylfa Newydd nuclear power plant. This vast swathe of land the size of more than 500 football pitches would be cleared over the next 15 months. It will involve clearing field boundaries, demolishing buildings and relocating protected species. It is likely to take up to 18 months for Horizon to get the Development Consent Order (DCO) required to start building Wylfa B, so it wants to get on with clearing the site now.
Anglesey council’s committee has been advised to approve the proposals, but there is opposition from local groups who feel no work should happen until and if the DCO is approved by the Planning Inspectorate. The developers have said they’ll put the site back to how it is now should the DCO not be granted.
The North Anglesey Partnership, consisting of Amlwch, Llaneilian, Llanbadrig, Rhosybol, Mechell and Cylch y Garn community councils, has raised concerns over the timing and lack of information made available by Horizon, stating that with “so many unanswered questions,” no site clearance should take place until full approval is in place. Llanbadrig community council’s own submission, while backing the nuclear plant in principle, went on to say: “There is still much doubt about whether this project will proceed, particularly in the prevailing environment of uncertainty exacerbated by the era of Trump and Brexit. “Horizon seem to recognize this uncertainty in their reluctance to proceed with the bypasses ahead of DCO approval. Site clearance should only proceed in parallel with the construction of bypasses when there is certainty that both are necessary. (2)
The move comes at a time of potential political sea change in some attitudes towards nuclear power in Wales. Leanne Wood, the current leader of Plaid Cymru has said she will fully review its energy policies if she is re-elected in the leadership election due to take place in September. There has been support for the project because of the jobs it would bring, but Wood has reportedly said that she doesn’t want the dependence on Westminster funding that the project would bring. (3)
The Nation Cymru website says the Plaid leadership contest is an opportunity to banish the nuclear elephant in the room once and for all. Nuclear power has to be and needs to be a central part of the debate during the leadership election. If not now, when? This issue cannot be allowed to undermine the party, its current or future leaders any longer; it has become Plaid’s ball and chain. How can we welcome voters old and new to believe manifesto promises or have faith in any single AM, MP or Councillor when the party is simultaneously against and pro one of the biggest issues of our time? Nuclear power is a great distraction from Plaid Cymru’s progressive politics and progressive energy policies, a black hole sucking time and resources Wales doesn’t have, denying communities and the country a real chance of a sustainable and secure future. How can any party simultaneously be pro-independence and seriously entertain or endorse any new nuclear build. (4)
Leanne Wood is being challenged by the island’s AM Rhun ap Iorwerth and Carmarthen East and Dinefwr AM Adam Price. Adam Price has said the new power station is incompatible with Welsh independence. Their opponent, Ynys Mon AM Rhun ap Iorwerth, has backed Wylfa Newydd. (5)
September 10, 2018
Posted by Christina Macpherson |
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http://www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/NuClearNewsNo110.pdf NuClear News Sept 18 Kepco, the Korean state-owned nuclear company, which was looking at rescuing the troubled Nugen project at Moorside has strong reservations about the proposed funding model – the Regulated Asset Base (RAB) model. The company is no longer the leading bidder, and according to the Korean press prefers the Contract for Difference (CfD) deal given to EDF for Hinkley C. (1)
Sources in Korea blame the shift in Government policy on support for new nuclear for delaying the deal between Kepco and Toshiba. The Korea Herald, a daily English language newspaper based in Seoul, quoted a Korean government official who claims that the deal for NuGen is being renegotiated because the UK government’s decision to “change profit models for the project”. (2)
Toshiba has opened the door to alternative buyers for NuGen, raising doubts over the future of Moorside. Talks with Kepco, however, are still continuing, despite Kepco being stripped of its preferred bidder status. (3)
Cumbrian MPs have been demanding Government help to make sure nuclear new build happens. Trudy Harrison, Tory MP for Copeland said: “The Government must take a proactive stance. Nuclear new build is not commercially viable without Government support. It is now time for Government to get a grip on our energy policy. In Cumbria we have the skills and experience.” Mrs Harrison is setting up a Moorside strategic partnership, with representatives from Sellafield, Cumbria LEP and councils.
Sue Hayman, Labour MP for Workington, has written to the Government to ask them to act immediately over NuGen. She is co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Nuclear Energy. “NuGen is now in the last chance saloon. The Government must act now or it will be too late, and West Cumbria will not get the 20,000 jobs, economic investment and infrastructure improvements that depend on Moorside.”
Barrow’s MP, John Woodcock, now sitting as an Independent says: “We cannot wait much longer for the government to step in and rescue the stalled £15billion Moorside project”. (4)
NuGen announced it was restructuring as part of a review because of the “prolonged time” it had taken to seal the deal with the Korean utility. Around 100 staff and contractor jobs, including that of chief executive Tom Samson, are at risk under the restructuring plans. (5)
Toshiba has set a deadline to secure a deal by the end of September, according to the Financial Times. The Company is believed to have spent hundreds of millions of pounds on developing the site so far. It was forced to pay close to $139m to buy a 40% stake held by France’s Engie last year. The Korean government is understood to remain keen to progress with the investment because it would give it a foothold in one of the few western nations backing the construction of new reactors. But it has said the investment must pass a “national audit” test before it can proceed. Kepco wants to deploy two of its APR-1400 reactors at Moorside to generate a combined electricity of about 3GW – close to 7% of Britain’s electricity needs. Kepco said it was “too early” to say whether it would be able to meet the criteria for the audit. (6)
Meanwhile, NuGen has provided information to support the Moorside site in Cumbria being carried forward into the UK government’s new national policy statement as a site for a new nuclear power plant. NuGen CEO Tom Samson said, “NuGen remains committed to delivering a nuclear power station at Moorside in Cumbria.” (7)
September 10, 2018
Posted by Christina Macpherson |
business and costs, politics, UK |
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