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UK: Licences may be needed to import nuclear materials under Brexit no deal.

Whitehaven News 24th Aug 2018 Licences may be needed to import nuclear materials under Brexit no deal.
And Government confirms a new domestic nuclear safeguards regime will come
into force. A paper – one of 24 released by Whitehall outlining
preparations and scenarios that could play out if no Brexit deal can be
agreed before Britain leaves the EU in March – on civil nuclear
regulation states that an import licence may be required to bring nuclear
material, equipment and technology from EU countries to Britain.

Licences are not required under current arrangements, but the document warns that
after March 29 2019 “importers may need to obtain an import licence for
imports of relevant nuclear materials from the EU”. It adds: “The UK will
engage with importers on any new arrangements that will apply from this
date and provide further guidance on these.”
http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk/news/business/Licences-may-be-needed-to-import-nuclear-materials-under-Brexit-no-deal-da1a1c41-2c5f-4b57-b961-372fe47e7687-ds

August 25, 2018 Posted by | politics international, UK | Leave a comment

Britain is now contributing to upgrade of Iran’s Arak nuclear reactor

Middle East Monitor 23rd Aug 2018 , Iran announced on Wednesday that Britain would contribute in upgrading the
Arak nuclear reactor after the United States withdrew from the nuclear
deal. “Experts from Britain will replace their US counterparts during
reactor redesign process,” said Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran’s Atomic
Energy Organization.

Under the nuclear deal, experts from both the United
States and China were redesigning the Arak heavy water reactor to reduce
the amount of plutonium produced by the reactor as a by-product. In the
same vein, Iranian officials said that the choice of Britain as a partner
of China was not their call, according to media reports.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180823-tehran-britain-will-help-upgrade-arak-nuclear-reactor/

August 25, 2018 Posted by | Iran, politics international, UK | Leave a comment

Success of London’s community renewable energy projects: mayor Sadiq Khan launches second round

Solar Power Portal 23rd Aug 2018 London’s mayor Sadiq Khan has today launched a second round of funding for community energy projects following the success of the first, which
funded the initial stages of 11 solar projects set to be installed by the end of the year.
First mooted a year ago when deputy mayor Shirley  Rodrigues sat down with Solar Power Portal in City Hall, the first round of the London Community Energy Fund (LCEF) awarded £150,000 to fund a range
of solar project feasibility and scoping activities.
Phase two will bringforward an additional £150,000 that as last time will offer grants of up
to £15,000 per project to support the development stages of community
energy projects.
https://www.solarpowerportal.co.uk/news/sadiq_khan_launches_second_phase_of_community_energy_funding_as_solar_push

August 25, 2018 Posted by | decentralised, UK | Leave a comment

Hot weather continues to cause lower nuclear power production in France

S&P Global 20th Aug 2018 , Delayed reactor returns slash French nuclear availability nearly 9 GW.  Available nuclear power generating capacity in France fell sharply by almost 9 GW after EDF delayed the return of multiple nuclear plants, while high temperatures continued to restrict production at its Saint Alban power station, the operator said. This amounted to a total nuclear output loss of around 2.37 TWh, according to S&P Global Platts calculations.
In updates over the weekend and on Monday, EDF announced plans to delay the return of its 1.31-GW Nogent-1 reactor by more than five weeks to September 19, after initially expecting a two-day outage that started on late Thursday night. Also restarting on September 19 is EDF’s 890-MW Dampierre nuclear unit-1, where production stopped on Saturday. The return of Dampierre-3, with the
same generating capacity on the other hand, was delayed by two days after it was taken off the grid on August 6. The 1.31-GW Golfech-2 reactor, which was taken off the grid for planned outage in May, is now expected to restart on Friday, extending the outage by four days. The restart of both 915-MW Cruas-4 and 1.495-GW Civaux-1, which was scheduled for Tuesday, was set to return on Friday and Saturday, respectively, EDF said.
Environmental issues in France due to high temperatures heating river water, which is used for cooling nuclear reactors, continued to hurt power production at EDF’s St Alban-2 power unit.       https://www.spglobal.com/platts/en/market-insights/latest-news/electric-power/082018-delayed-reactor-returns-slash-french-nuclear-availability-nearly-9-gw

August 24, 2018 Posted by | climate change, France, Legal | Leave a comment

Director of Cumbria Trust calls on Cumbria County Council to reject nuclear waste dumping in National Parks

Eddie Martin’s letter to the county’s peers https://cumbriatrust.wordpress.com/2018/08/23/eddie-martins-letter-to-the-cumbrian-county-peers/   August 23, 2018by cumbriatrust

CONSERVATION OF THE NATIONAL PARKS

As the former Leader of Cumbria County Council, it was my Cabinet and I who rejected the last search process for a radioactive waste, Geological Disposal Facility in West Cumbria, orchestrated by the MRWS process, for a substantial number of reasons. including:

  1. No statutory, enshrined Right of Withdrawal from the process.

  2. No Sovereign Wealth Fund for Cumbria – in perpetuity.

  3. Plethora of expert opinion against the geology – NOT rebutted by the NDA

  4. No proposals for a Strategic Environmental Assessment

  5. Allerdale ruled out nem con. by all Cabinet Members.

  6. Copeland too small without infringing designated and protected areas.

  7. Significant democratic deficit. No credible local or Cumbria-wide support.

  8. Huge potential for planning blight/property devaluation

  9. Received no commitment to invest in international standards of safe surface or sub surface storage (e.g. Sweden); the ‘twin-track’ approach, in effect.

  10. The adverse findings of the NAO and the highly critical comments by the Public Accounts Committee (Margaret Hodge et al)

  11. But, nonetheless, emphasising the County Council’s total commitment to urgent alternative investment in Sellafield and West Cumbria – not least, the infrastructure, but with no forthcoming guarantees from the government.

Nothing has changed, except for yet another rebranding exercise and a White Paper which seeks to sideline county councils.

I am now writing to you – ahead of the House of Lords debate on 6th September on the “Draft NPS for Geological Disposal Infrastructure” – as a Director of Cumbria Trust(cumbriatrust.org)

The conclusions reached by the House of Commons BEIS Committee on the Draft NPS for Geological Disposal Infrastructure should be a matter of great concern for those who value and respect the National Parks, and for Cumbrians in particular. The failure to exclude designated areas, including AONBs and National Parks, from the search process for geological disposal is both alarming and irrational, in that it demonstrates a clear lack of understanding of the protection in law given to these areas.

Major developments can only be permitted in exceptional circumstances where it can be demonstrated that there are no alternative sites available outside the National Park (LDNPA Core Strategy CS12). The fact that other UK sites outside a National Park may not have volunteered is of no relevance. Voluntarism is not a concept recognised by planning law, and as such, should a site within a designated area be selected, there would be a requirement to survey the entire non-designated land area (around 91% of the UK) to demonstrate that no alternative exists. This highlights the absurdity of the failure to exclude designated areas, something which even Nirex understood three decades ago. This is not simply a matter of failing to learn from past mistakes, but of introducing new and significant mistakes as they go along, and Cumbria Trust believes it simply must not go unchallenged.

I would also refer you to the Sandford Principle – Section 62 of the Environment Act 1995 –enjoyment of the National Parks ‘shall be in a manner and by such means as will leave their natural beauty unimpaired for the enjoyment of this and future generations’. You will also be aware that as a World Heritage Site, the Lake District has adopted a Statement of Outstanding Universal Value, and that its inclusion in a search area will undoubtedly threaten that status, requiring notification to the World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS.

We would encourage you to speak up strongly for the protection of our designated areas and for Cumbria in particular.

We know from the last process that Ennerdale (specifically the Ennerdale granite intrusion which runs from the shore of Buttermere in the north to Nether Wasdale in the south) was identified by the MRWS geologist, Dr Dearlove, as a potential site for geological disposal, as was a second site (in the Mercia Mudstone Group rocks) near Silloth. If we allow this Draft NPS to proceed unchallenged these areas are likely to find themselves back in the spotlight. If an area such as Copeland volunteers, no test of public support is required until around 20 years into the process, during which time 20-30 deep boreholes will be drilled over the course of a decade. LDNPA planning permission would not be required since they now come under NSIP (Planning Act 2008) legislation.

For all of these reasons, designated areas must be protected and any new search process should exclude them from the beginning. My colleagues and I would urge you to use the debate on 6th September to push for that exclusion. Thank you.

Yours sincerely

Eddie Martin

August 24, 2018 Posted by | UK, wastes | Leave a comment

Dumping of Hinkley nuclear’s radioactive mud would break the law

Medium 22nd Aug 2018 , The dumping of radioactive mud would break the law because the project has
had no Environmental Impact Assessment carried out to ensure that the
radioactive mud has been properly assessed as to the risk to the
environment and people’s health!

Without such an assessment it would also
fall foul of Section 4 of the Environment Wales Act 2016 which requires
full consideration of all relevant evidence and gather evidence on
uncertainties, the Well-being of Future Generations Act 2015 which requires
public bodies in Wales to think about the long-term impact of their
decisions, to work better with people, communities and each other and the
Marine Works (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Amendment) Regulations
2017.    https://medium.com/@tomstanger/hinkley-c-a-project-literally-stuck-in-the-mud-an-update-a7891d8803de

August 24, 2018 Posted by | Legal, legal, UK | Leave a comment

Blackwater Against New Nuclear Group (BANNG) points out the climate change threats to proposed Bradwell B new nuclear power station

BANNG 22nd Aug 2018 , Fake news has arrived on the shores of the Blackwater estuary!! It takes
the form of the recent, widely distributed CGN/EDF glossy and upbeat
‘Community’ Newsletter, which gives information about what is happening
at the site of the proposed Bradwell B new nuclear power station.

The Blackwater Against New Nuclear Group (BANNG) feels compelled to respond to
this Newsletter, which it considers to be a partial and misleading piece of
smooth ‘nuke speak’ that gives all the upsides and none of the
downsides of a new nuclear power station at Bradwell.

So what does the Newsletter actually tell us? It says ‘The project is at an early
stage’. But nowhere is there the slightest hint that Bradwell B might not
go ahead. In fact, early stage or not, so sure is CGN/EDF of success that
an indicative project timeline is provided, showing that construction
‘begins’ in 5 – 7 years from now. It tells us that comments can be
made on the Generic Design Assessment (GDA) process.

But the new Blackwater Nuclear Community might well ask if there is any point in commenting on
this given the obvious confidence of CGN/EDF that the Hualong 1000 reactor,
not yet in use anywhere in the world, will pass the regulators’ tests.

BANNG thinks that there is every point in commenting and would encourage
our fellow residents of the new Blackwater Nuclear Community to do so. If
you find a GDA process difficult to comment on (and who doesn’t?), simply
draw attention to the fact that all the digging of boreholes and marine
surveys cannot disguise the fact that the site is in Flood Zone 3 and,
therefore, totally unsuitable for potentially dangerous new nuclear
reactors.

Words such as ‘flooding’, storm surges’, ‘other coastal
processes’, ‘all predicted to get worse with climate change’,
‘madness’ could be woven into your comments, along with ‘the
Blackwater is a Marine Conservation Zone’ and ‘potential harm to marine
and human life’.

August 24, 2018 Posted by | climate change, UK | Leave a comment

Hitachi makes plans to rein in the ballooning cost of Wylfa nuclear power project

Nikkei Asian Review 23rd Aug 2018 , Japanese industrial group Hitachi seeks to rein in the ballooning cost of
its British nuclear power plant project by naming a manager and clarifying
the roles performed by the company and its partners. U.S. engineering
company Bechtel will serve as a project manager for the proposed Wylfa
Newydd power plant from now on, overseeing design, construction and cost
control, while Hitachi and Japanese plant builder JGC will handle design
and construction, Hitachi said on Wednesday.

Hitachi is building two reactors on the Welsh island of Anglesey through U.K. subsidiary Horizon
Nuclear Power. Before the reorganization of roles, Hitachi, JGC and Bechtel
had been undertaking the project as three-way joint venture. The new
arrangement is designed to let Horizon reduce costs on the Wylfa project by
placing orders directly for turbines and other equipment.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Hitachi-names-Bechtel-as-manager-for-UK-nuclear-project

August 24, 2018 Posted by | business and costs, UK | Leave a comment

Demolition of Windscale Pile One Stack at Sellafield

Energy Voice 20th Aug 2018, The site of Britain’s worst nuclear accident is to be dismantled as part
of the wider decommissioning of the Sellafield nuclear plant. The planned
demolition of the 360 foot structure will begin later this year. A giant
crane has been constructed to bring it down. The 152m crane is the tallest
structure ever built at Sellafield, just six metres shorter than the
Blackpool Tower. It will begin work this autumn, removing and lowering
chunks of the chimney cut out using diamond wire saws. Duncan Thompson, the
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s Sellafield Programme director, said:
“The complex task of decommissioning and demolishing the Windscale Pile
One Stack has reached an important stage. It is another example of the
ingenuity that goes into solving the UK’s decommissioning problems.
https://www.energyvoice.com/otherenergy/nuclear/179544/watch-sellafield-nuclear-chimney-to-be-demolished/

August 24, 2018 Posted by | decommission reactor, UK | Leave a comment

Finland company looks to China’s lucrative nuclear decommissionig and nuclear waste market

Finnish firms target Chinese radwaste market, WNN, 23 August 2018

Based on expected installed nuclear generating capacity of 50 GWe by 2020, China’s annual used fuel arisings will amount to about 1200 tonnes at that stage, the cumulative total being about 14,000 tonnes then.

“As China becomes increasingly mindful of environmental integrity and reduces its use of fossil fuels, [its] zero-carbon nuclear energy solution requires enhanced focus on radioactive waste management,” the companies said in a joint statement. “Finnish expertise has an important role in disposing of Chinese radioactive waste and building a cleaner future together with shared respect for nature and the environment.”……….Finnish waste management company Posiva – jointly owned by Fortum and TVO – launched Posiva Solutions in June 2016. The business, it said, would “focus on the marketing of the know-how accumulated from the design, research and development efforts in the final disposal of used nuclear fuel, as well as on associated consulting services”. http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Finnish-firms-target-Chinese-radwaste-market

August 24, 2018 Posted by | China, Finland, wastes | Leave a comment

Continued safety worries at UK’s Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE).

Further safety fears at nuclear weapons site, Basingstoke Gazette, By Dan Whiteway   23 Aug 18 FURTHER safety concerns have been raised in regards to the running of the UK’s nuclear warhead assembly facility. The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) has required immediate safety changes to be put in place at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE).

If sufficient progress is not made on reducing risk at the facility, the ONR has said that operations may need to stop altogether.

There has been a series of announcements related to safety concerns at AWE, including the ONR placing the Aldermaston and Burghfield facilities into special measures. This is the sixth consecutive year that Aldermaston has been in special measures, and the third year in a row for the Burghfield site.

AWE said after being put into special measures, an investigation was undertaken…….http://www.basingstokegazette.co.uk/news/16594315.further-safety-fears-at-nuclear-weapons-site/

August 24, 2018 Posted by | safety, UK | Leave a comment

Russia has lost a nuclear-powered missile at sea

Russia is preparing to search for a nuclear-powered missile that was lost at sea months ago after a failed test, CNBC 221 Aug 18 

  • Moscow is preparing to recover a nuclear-powered missile lost at sea, according to sources with direct knowledge of a U.S. intelligence report.
  • Russian President Vladimir Putin bragged earlier this year that the new missile had unlimited range.
  • The missile was tested four times between November and February, each resulting in a crash, according to sources who spoke to CNBC on the condition of anonymity.
Amanda Macias | Crews will attempt to recover a missile that was test launched in November and landed in the Barents Sea, which is located north of Norway and Russia. The operation will include three vessels, one of which is equipped to handle radioactive material from the weapon’s nuclear core. There is no timeline for the mission, according to the people with knowledge of the report……
Russian President Vladimir Putin unveiled the new nuclear-powered missile in March, boasting it had unlimited range. Yet, the weapon has yet to be successfully tested over multiple attempts.
Russia tested four of the missiles between November and February, each resulting in a crash, people who spoke on the condition of anonymity previously told CNBC. The U.S. assessed that the longest test flight lasted just more than two minutes, with the missile flying 22 miles before losing control and crashing. The shortest test lasted four seconds and flew for five miles. Russia has denied the missile test failures. ……..https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/21/russias-nuclear-powered-missile-that-putin-claimed-had-infinite-range-is-currently-lost-at-sea.html

August 22, 2018 Posted by | incidents, Russia | Leave a comment

Sweden’s nuclear energy regulator wants nuclear reactor operators to produce plans for guarding against hot weather

Sweden calls for nuclear reactors to be shielded from hot weather, Business Times,  AUG 21, 2018 

[OSLO]Sweden’s nuclear energy regulator SSM has asked plant operators to produce plans in the coming months to shield their reactors from harmful hot weather, its director told Reuters on Monday.

A number of Swedish reactors had to shut down or reduce output as the summer heatwave sent temperatures to record highs in July, with the sea water that is used to cool them becoming much warmer than normal, exceeding safety levels. The last time that SSM, the Swedish radiation safety authority, asked operators to produce plans to modify their reactors was after Japan’s Fukushima disaster in 2011. The cost of those changes, which are due by 2020, was in the hundreds of millions of euros.

“We really have to take into consideration what happened this summer … We have asked them orally to come with suggestions. Of course there will be a cost. I do not know how much at this stage,” said SSM chief Mats Persson said.

The cost of post-Fukushima modifications to Swedish nuclear plants reached as much as 100 million euros (S$155 million) per reactor, Persson said……..https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/energy-commodities/sweden-calls-for-nuclear-reactors-to-be-shielded-from-hot-weather

August 22, 2018 Posted by | climate change, Sweden | Leave a comment

Death of courageous direct action anti nuclear campaigner Sarah Hipperson

Walthamstow Guardian 18th Aug 2018, A prominent anti-nuclear campaigner has died, aged 90. Sarah Hipperson of
Wanstead rose to national attention in 1983 after she joined a protest at
Greenham Common. She passed away on Wednesday (August 15).

The mother-of-five was best known for her role at a women’s camp at the Royal
Air Force station in Berkshire to prevent cruise missiles from being stored
at the site. She was involved in direct action, such as cutting fences and
obstructing vehicles. She served 22 prison sentences, the longest being 28
days, for criminal damage but would proudly boast that she “never paid a
fine.”

August 20, 2018 Posted by | PERSONAL STORIES, UK | Leave a comment

Major American company pulls out of building Hitachi nuclear plant in Britain

U.S. firm pulls out of building Hitachi nuclear plant in Britain, THE ASAHI SHIMBUN, August 17, 2018 Major U.S. construction firm Bechtel Corp. is to withdraw from its key role in building a nuclear power plant in Britain due to concerns over the Hitachi Ltd.-helmed project’s profitability, sources said Aug. 16.

Bechtel made the decision based on its assessment that the drastic rise in construction costs would make it hard to make money on the project, the sources said.

The withdrawal deals a blow to Tokyo-based Hitachi, which lacks experience in nuclear power plant construction. The conglomerate could now face further difficulties in financing the project.

The Japanese government supports the construction project as an “export of nuclear power generation technologies,” but even so, its future is becoming more and more uncertain……..

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.

(This article was written by Keiichi Kitagawa and Hisashi Naito.) http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201808170035.html

August 19, 2018 Posted by | business and costs, politics international, UK | Leave a comment

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