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Despite Germany’s nuclear phaseout, the secure supply of electricity in Germany will remain guaranteed at the current high level for the foreseeable future.




Renew Economy 16th May 2021 Germany’s target of achieving greenhouse gas neutrality by 2045 has a
very important sub-goal: The expansion of renewable energy capacity to
provide green power for transport, heating and making hydrogen. But running
such an integrated energy system on fluctuating renewables alone will
require not just more wind turbines and solar panels, but a power network
that ensures the delicate balance of supply and demand at all times, while
conventional capacities are shut down.

So far, the power supply in Germany
remains one of the most reliable in the world. The government and grid
operators are confident it will stay this way despite the challenges of
electrifying the nation and experts highlight the importance of European
power grid integration. But others predict that the country will soon be in
need of back-up capacity. Germany’s conventional power generation
capacity is beginning to dwindle. In December 2022, the country will have
over 23 gigawatts (GW) less nuclear power capacity than ten years ago. In a
reply to parliamentarians, it wrote in March 2021:

“All analyses of
supply security known to the federal government and carried out in
accordance with the latest scientific findings come to the conclusion that
the secure supply of electricity in Germany will remain guaranteed at the
current high level for the foreseeable future. The analyses also take into
account the phase-out of nuclear energy and the end of coal-fired power
generation.

https://reneweconomy.com.au/shutting-down-nuclear-and-coal-can-germany-keep-the-lights-on/

May 18, 2021 Posted by | ENERGY, Germany | Leave a comment

OVER 440 safety incidents have been recorded at Scotland’s nuclear bases over the last three years,

The National 16th May 2021, Faslane and Coulport** OVER 440 safety incidents have been recorded at Scotland’s nuclear bases over the last three years, with events becoming increasingly more frequent.
More than 80% of the incidents occurred at HM Naval Base Clyde at Faslane,
where most of the UK’s nuclear submarine fleet is located. A number of
safety incidents were also recorded at the Royal Naval Armaments Depot at
Coulport, home to the nuclear warheads. SNP MP Deirdre Brock, who obtained
the figures, told The Scotsman: “This is an appalling safety record and
it just should not be tolerated. Scotland has an arsenal of weapons of mass
destruction sitting just a few miles from our biggest city.

https://www.thenational.scot/news/19306574.swiqpdhqwhd/

May 18, 2021 Posted by | incidents, UK | Leave a comment

Both Germany and Britain are decarbonising while nuclear production is greatly reducing

Nuclear Phase-Out – UK & Germany**

Even-handed analysis of data from Germany and the UK indicates that it is
still easily possible to dramatically reduce carbon emissions whilst
greatly reducing the amount of energy coming from nuclear power.

One thing not usually appreciated in the arguments about the impact of nuclear power
plant retirements in Germany is that in reality much the same process has
occurred, for different reasons, in the UK.

In both Germany and the UK the
falling proportion of electricity coming from nuclear power has gone along
with dramatic reductions in carbon emissions from electricity in both
countries.

Peering through the fog of the current debate one would almost
think that ‘pro-nuclear’ UK was busy cutting its carbon emissions by
increasing nuclear output whilst ‘anti-nuclear’ Germany was busy
increasing them, or at least not reducing them, by its phase-out policy.


Yet nothing of the sort has been happening. Both the cases of Germany and
the UK knock the pro-nuclear arguments on the head that say that increases
in renewable energy cannot reduce carbon emissions without maintaining
nuclear production. Clearly they can!

100% Renewables 16th May 2021

How nuclear run-downs in UK and Germany are not stopping electricity being decarbonised

May 18, 2021 Posted by | ENERGY, Germany, UK | Leave a comment

EDF’s Sizewell B nuclear station: steel components wearing out. EDf to close Hinkley Point B in Somerset and Hunterston B in Scotland early.

Times 17th May 2021, Steel components in the heart of Britain’s most modern nuclear power
station are wearing out more quickly than expected, forcing EDF to carry
out lengthy unscheduled repairs.

The French energy giant is having to keep
Sizewell B in Suffolk offline for three months longer than planned to deal
with the safety issues. …

EDF said it had found wear to some of Sizewell’s stainless steel “thermal sleeves”, which form part of
the mechanisms that insert control rods into the reactor core to shut it
down. Experience at a reactor in France has shown that extreme wear could
eventually result in parts of the thermal sleeves coming loose and
obstructing the control rods. EDF is assessing the cause and extent of the
wear at Sizewell and how many components need to be replaced before it
seeks permission to restart the plant. It insisted the damage was
“nowhere near” the stage where it would prevent control rods
functioning, and that in any event the reactor could still be shut down
safely.

EDF has said it will close Hinkley Point B in Somerset and
Hunterston B in Scotland permanently by next year, earlier than planned,
because of cracks in their graphite cores. It is also considering closing
Dungeness B in Kent as soon as this year. The plant was not scheduled to
close until 2028 but has been offline since 2018 because of corrosion.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sizewell-b-nuclear-plant-forced-to-stay-shut-over-safety-concerns-0d9l2mkkq

May 18, 2021 Posted by | safety, UK | Leave a comment

On the violence in Israel and Palestine — IPPNW peace and health blog

IPPNW endorses this statement issued by the Middle East Treaty Organization on 13 May: “The latest violent conflict between Palestine and Israel further destabilises an already volatile region. The Middle East continues to face insecurity, instability and carnage from the manmade catastrophe in the Saudi-led war on Yemen, the on-going Syrian war, Iraq’s internal turmoil, and in faltering states such as Libya and Somalia. METO unequivocally condemns all forms of violent conflict raging across the region by all parties involved. We stand in solidarity with the civilians who are paying the ultimate cost of war with their lives and shattered hopes of a better future.”

On the violence in Israel and Palestine — IPPNW peace and health blog

May 18, 2021 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

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