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UK’s nuclear power plan looking gloomy as utility pulls out

SSE’s withdrawal from a major nuclear project in its home market casts a shadow over U.K. government plans to build a fleet of new nuclear reactors ……

Furthermore, public opinion has turned against nuclear power following the Fukushima disaster. 

SSE Pullout From UK Nuclear Casts A Pall Over Sector

-Scottish & Southern Energy selling stake in NuGen nuclear group to partners

–SSE move casts a shadow over U.K. government plans for new nuclear power in U.K.

–SSE to focus on renewables, gas-fired power stations and carbon capture and storage

–Analysts see the U.K. building less new nuclear than originally planned

WSJ, By Selina Williams 23 Sept 11 LONDON (Dow Jones)–U.K. utility Scottish andSouthern Energy PLC (SSE.LN) Friday exited a major new nuclear project in the U.K.,announcing it would sell its 25% stake in the NuGeneration Ltd. consortium topartners Iberdrola SA (IBE.MC) and GDF Suez SA (GSZ.FR) for an undisclosed sum. Continue reading →

September 24, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, UK | Leave a comment

Nuclear energy got huge startup subsidies, renewable energy gets pittance

Early subsidies to nuclear dwarf all others

Energy subsidy showdown: Fossil fuels, nuclear, biofuels vs. renewables, Smart PlanetBy Kirsten Korosec | September 23, 2011 Renewable energy has snagged just a fraction of the federal subsidies that fossil fuels and nuclear received when they were emerging technologies, according to a new report from venture capital firm DBL Investors. Continue reading →

September 24, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, ENERGY, history, USA | Leave a comment

Strike at Rio Tinto’s Rossing uranium mine

Strike at Rio Tinto’s Rossing mine, IOL, September 23 2011  Workers at Rio Tinto’s Rossing mine in Namibia on Friday started an indefinite strike at the uranium mine after rejecting management’s latest offer that was meant to settle a dispute over production incentives, a union official said.

“Workers have shot down the management offer. The strike has started as planned at 0800 (10:00 SA time) this morning,” Mineworkers Union of Namibia Rossing branch representative Ismael Kasuto told Reuters. – http://www.iol.co.za/business/international/strike-at-rio-tinto-s-rossing-mine-1.1143719

September 24, 2011 Posted by | employment, Namibia | 1 Comment

Florida’s nuclear power project – long delay, skyrocketing costs

 

 

the online date, if the reactors ever even come online, has bumped back to 2021 and 2022 and the estimated cost has skyrocketed to upper estimates of $22.5 billion!…

        Round 3 – Florida Paying for Risky Nuclear Costs, Clean Energy Footprints, 22 Sept 11, Last month, SACE again participated in the nuclear cost recovery hearings for Progress Energy Florida (PEF) and Florida Power & Light (FPL) at the Florida Public ServiceCommission (PSC) in Tallahassee. This is the third consecutive year that these Florida utilities have asked the PSC to approve millions of dollars in ratepayer increases to pay in advance for proposed nuclear power projects that have an uncertain future, especially in a post-Fukushima world.

Utilities gained this ability in 2006 when the Florida Legislature passed anti-consumer legislation. SACE has intervened on behalf of Florida consumers every year to highlight the risks of these proposed nuclear power projects and the resulting unfairness in charging Florida ratepayers in advance. And every year the PSC has unfortunately granted the utilities’ wishes in full.

Could the third time be the charm? The PSC is set to vote in just over a month, on October 24, 2011. Continue reading →

September 23, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, USA | Leave a comment

Rossing uranium mine first hit by rains, now by union strike

Namibia mine union readies for strike at Rossing Reuters 21 Sept 11,  – Namibia’s Mineworkers Union of Namibia (MUN) on Wednesday served Rio Tinto’s Rossing uranium mine with a strike notice after failing to reach a deal in talks over output incentives, with a stoppage expected to start on Friday. Continue reading →

September 22, 2011 Posted by | employment, Namibia, Uranium | Leave a comment

Giant industrial company Siemens abandons nuclear energy, favors renewables

Siemens to quit nuclear industry BBC News, 19 Sept,11,  German industrial and engineering conglomerate Siemens is to withdraw entirely from the nuclear industry…  chief executive Peter Loescher said, announcing that the firm will no longer build nuclear power stations.  ”The chapter for us is closed,”

A long-planned joint venture with Russian nuclear firm Rosatom will also be cancelled, although Mr Loescher said he would still seek to work with their partner “in other fields”….
The latest decision appears to imply a step back from building “conventional islands” – the non-nuclear plant in nuclear power stations – an area in which Siemens has remained active….
U-turnHe also gave his backing to the German government’s planned switch to renewable energy sources, calling it a “project of the century” and claiming Berlin’s target of reaching 35% renewable energy by 2020 was achievable…. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14963575

September 19, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, Germany | Leave a comment

Sadety worries delay nuclear power in South Africa

South Africa Delays Bids for Nuclear Plants on Safety Concerns, Bloomberg By Jana Marais – Sep 15, 2011  South Africa postponed the opening of bids for its nuclear power-plant build program to next year because of safety concerns following the meltdown of reactors in Fukushima, Japan, South African Energy Minister Dipuo Peters said.

Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd., the state-owned South African power utility, will be the main driver of the country’s nuclear power plants and will invite partners, Peters told reporters in Johannesburg today…http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-15/south-africa-delays-bids-for-nuclear-plants-on-safety-concerns.html

September 17, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, South Africa | Leave a comment

Low demand for uranium: AREVA limits production

Areva suspends some uranium production after Japan quake Google News, 16 Sept 11, PARIS — French nuclear giant Areva is suspending uranium production at two plants because of low demand from Japanese power stations in the wake of the Fukushima disaster, a spokeswoman said Thursday. Continue reading →

September 16, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, France, Uranium | Leave a comment

Japan can shut down all nuclear power by 2012

“With only 11 out of 54 reactors online at the height of summer and little impact to daily life, Japan has already proven that by conserving energy it does not need nuclear power”, 

Permanent Nuclear Shutdown in Japan Possible by 2012: Report,  September 12, 2011 Tokyo- (PanOrient News) Japan can switch off all nuclear plants permanently by 2012 and still achieve both economic recovery and its CO2 reduction goals, according to a new Greenpeace report.

Released today, the Advanced Energy Revolution report for Japan, shows how energy efficiency and rapid deployment of renewable technology can provide all the power Japan needs. Continue reading →

September 13, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, Japan | Leave a comment

Economic pain of Japan’s nuclear disaster

Six Months: Counting the Cost, WSJ, By Yoree Koh, 11 Sept 11,  The March 11 disasters have taken a heavy toll on Japan, in every conceivable way. In other posts, JRT looks at the impact on survivors’ lives and challenges for the future. Below is an update on the aftermath of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis as seen in the simplest of measures – numbers……..

Nuclear Effect:

23 – number of times the government ordered bans on distribution of certain produce from select prefectures due to radiation contamination as of Sept. 10, according to the Ministry of Health.

26 – the number of different types of food items, including vegetables, fish and beef, at various points banned from distribution due to radioactive contamination, as named in orders released by the Ministry of Health as of Sept. 10.

380 tons – the amount of beef from cattle suspected of being fed rice straw with high concentrations of radioactive cesium the government purchased, according to the Nikkei business daily…..

Y120,000 – maximum monthly compensation Tokyo Power Electric Co. is to pay each evacuee between March and August for the anguish they suffered because they had to flee from their homes.

Y112.2 billion – total compensation Tepco has paid on a provisional basis to evacuees, farmers, companies and others affected by the accident as of Aug. 30……..http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2011/09/11/six-months-counting-the-cost/

September 12, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, Japan | Leave a comment

Toshiba should diversify, but caught up too much in the nuclear industry

 it means the company’s fortunes are likely to be tied closer to the nuclear-power industry even as the sector faces fresh questions over safety, long delays in the building of new plants

For Toshiba, Nuclear Move Likely Poses Strategic Risks, WSJ, By JURO OSAWA TOKYO, 11 Sept 11, —Just as the nuclear industry faces growing uncertainty brought on by the crisis in Japan, Toshiba Corp. is having to spend more than $1.6 billion to raise its stake in U.S. nuclear-energy company Westinghouse Electric Co. to 87% from the current 67%. Continue reading →

September 12, 2011 Posted by | 2 WORLD, business and costs | Leave a comment

No nuclear renaissance – nuclear power a declining industry

Is this, finally, the “nuclear renaissance” that the industry has been heralding for the past decade?     The answer is no. Construction starts aside, many industry status indicators are on a negative trend…. Production in 2010 was practically identical to production in 2005, and production in 2011 will undoubtedly be lower….

2010–2011 world nuclear industry status report,  Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, By Mycle Schneider, Antony Froggatt, and Steve Thomas | 8 September 2011

Article Highlights   In 2010, there were more nuclear power units under construction worldwide than in any year since 1988. Even before Fukushima, however, status indicators for the international nuclear industry were showing a negative trend. Fewer countries are operating nuclear fission reactors for energy purposes than in previous years, and many countries are now past their nuclear peak. Worldwide nuclear production is generally declining, and many new projects are experiencing construction delays. Even if reactors can be operated for an average of 40 years, 74 new plants would have to come on line by 2015 to maintain the status quo, which is impossible given current constraints on fabricating reactor components. Developments in Asia, particularly in China, do not fundamentally change the global picture. The dramatic post-Fukushima decisions in two of the four largest economies, Japan and Germany, and in several other nuclear countries could accelerate the decline of a rapidly aging industry. Continue reading →

September 9, 2011 Posted by | 2 WORLD, business and costs | Leave a comment

Germany and UK selling out from uranium enrichment company

German Paper: RWE and E.ON Consider Urenco Sale, Nuclear Street,  Sep 8 2011 Reports indicate two German utilities are preparing to sell their stake in Urenco, a uranium enrichment company that recently opened a new centrifuge plant in New Mexico.

Handelsblatt, a German business newspaper, quoted unnamed sources from RWE and E.ON as saying they’ve hired consultants to begin the process of selling their Urenco holdings. The moves follow the German government’s decision to phase out nuclear power after the Fukushima Daiichi accident in Japan.

Urenco’s other owners include the governments of the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. In recent years, the UK also has indicated it wants to sell its 33 percent stake in the company. ….

September 9, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, Germany, Uranium | Leave a comment

Buying support for uranium mining

“In Virginia, there are grave concerns about the industry’s ability to manage all of that radioactive and toxic waste,” said Cale Jaffe, a senior attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center…

Va. company picking up tab for uranium-mining tour, Boston.com, RICHMOND, Va.—A company that wants to mine uranium in Virginia is flying state legislators, local officials and residents to Canada to visit uranium mining and milling operations. By Steve Szkotak, Associated Press / September 7, 2011  

The trip is one of several sponsored by Virginia Uranium Inc. as it lobbies to end a 1982 moratorium on uranium mining so it can tap a 119-million-pound deposit in Southside Virginia. The uranium deposit is believed to be the largest in the U.S. and one of the largest in the world. Continue reading →

September 8, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, USA | Leave a comment

Grim outlook for Australia’s uranium mining industry

Investor support has evaporated and the share prices of most ASX-listed uranium plays have fallen more heavily than the wider market. The share price falls have eroded any chance of capital raisings to fund drilling programs or project development while continued production problems experienced by market leader Paladin Energy have added to the negative sentiment hanging over the sector.

The Merrill Lynch uranium equity index, which tracks global listed stocks, is down 19 per cent over the past month and 23 per cent in the past year. 

More pain for uranium sector as price dips, PETER KLINGER, The West AustralianSeptember 7, 2011 Already battered by headwinds, including strong opposition from environmentalists, WA’s fledgling uranium sector is set for more grief amid expectation the nuclear fuel’s low price will fall another 6 per cent within the next few months. Continue reading →

September 8, 2011 Posted by | AUSTRALIA, business and costs | Leave a comment

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