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Lincolnshire nuclear waste burial can go ahead only if the local community suports it

Plans to dispose of nuclear waste from across the UK in Lincolnshire can
only go ahead with the support of a “willing community”, officials have
said. Radioactive Waste Management (RWM), a government agency, has
identified a potential site at a former gas terminal in Theddlethorpe, near
Mablethorpe. However, opponents said the move would impact tourism and
lower house prices in the area. A working group has now been formed to
examine the proposals.

 BBC 12th Oct 2021

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-58890290

October 14, 2021 Posted by | UK, wastes | Leave a comment

They don’t even know if the geology of Theddlethorpe, Lincolnshire is suitable for nuclear waste burial

The mining engineer in charge of the multi-billion pound scheme to bury
nuclear waste deep under the sea bed off the Lincolnshire coast has
admitted it is not known if the site is even suitable.

Government agency Radioactive Waste Management wants to build a plant at the old gas terminal
at Theddlethorpe to receive “high-level” material for storage at a
“geological disposal facility” (GDF) in clay rock 500 metres below the
North Sea. A GDF contains solid radioactive waste encapsulated in concrete
or glass and packaged in a concrete or metal container which is stored in
underground tunnels and vaults.

If Theddlethorpe went ahead, vaults would
be constructed and rubbish dumped over the plant’s 100-year operational
life before the site is finally sealed off. Local talks and the process of
identifying a search area for the facility can now begin following the
launch of a working group on Tuesday, October 12, after the county council
agreed to join the group. But the site would probably not receive its first
trainloads of waste until the 2040s at the earliest, even if the numerous
planning hurdles were successfully cleared and the public gives its
consent. Head of siting Steve Reece said that RWM is not entirely certain
at this stage if Lincolnshire even has the right geology.

 Lincolnshire Live 12th Oct 2021

https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/local-news/officials-honestly-dont-know-lincolnshire-6047422

October 14, 2021 Posted by | UK, wastes | Leave a comment

A particular threat to health: Why it is vital to stop the dumping of mud from Hinkley Point C in the Severn Estuary.

 Richard Bramhall: A particular threat to health: Why it is vital to stop
the dumping of mud from Hinkley Point C in the Severn Estuary. In 2018 the
French state-owned company Électricité de France (EDF) dug more than
100,000 tonnes of radioactively contaminated mud from the bed of the Severn
near Hinkley Point. Ignoring widespread protests they dumped it back into
the water less than two miles from Cardiff. This was to allow construction
of huge inlets and outlets for water to cool the reactors in the new
nuclear power station – Hinkley Point C – which EDF is building in
Somerset.

EDF held an old licence for the 2018 dump but it expired before
they could shift their target volume of nearly a million tonnes. They
applied to renew the dumping at Cardiff but, because of strong opposition
in Wales and more protective Welsh environment law, they switched to a site
at Portishead near Bristol.

This August the Marine Management Organisation
granted a licence for the Portishead operation and dumping immediately
began again. Campaigners on both sides of the estuary have now applied for
a Judicial Review. The legal challenge identifies many scientific and
regulatory issues.

This article concerns only one:- the health impact of
radioactive particles in the mud. Every nuclear power station in the world
vents dust particles. They are licensed to do this. Filters trap fragments
bigger than about 5 microns (thousandths of a millimetre) but thousands of
billions of smaller particles are released, as data published by the UN
show. Particles this size are inhalable and are biologically very mobile.
The greatest proportion are made of uranium.

 Nation Cymru 10th Oct 2021

A particular threat to health: Why it is vital to stop the dumping of mud from Hinkley Point C in the Severn Estuary

October 12, 2021 Posted by | environment, health, UK | 1 Comment

First George Monbiot Award for Nukiller Greenwash to Springfields Nuclear Fuel Manufacturing Plant in Cumbria – On Anniversary of the Windscale Fire — RADIATION FREE LAKELAND

PRESS RELEASE Springfields Nuclear Fuel Manufacturing Plant Wins the first George Monbiot Nukiller Greenwash award. To mark the anniversary of the 1957 Windscale [ Sellafield ] fire in Cumbria,  the Close Capenhurst Campaign and Radiation Free Lakeland have awarded the first George Monbiot Award to the Springfields Nuclear Fuel Manufacturing plant in Lancashire.   George Monbiot […]

First George Monbiot Award for Nukiller Greenwash to Springfields Nuclear Fuel Manufacturing Plant in Cumbria – On Anniversary of the Windscale Fire — RADIATION FREE LAKELAND

October 12, 2021 Posted by | climate change, spinbuster, UK | Leave a comment

Questions over water supply for the new £20billion nuclear plant for Sizewell, UK

 A regional water supplier is scrambling to work out how to provide enough
water if Sizewell C is approved, after the Environment Agency proposed a
large cut to the amount it can take from the River Waveney. EDF, the
company behind plans for the new £20billion nuclear plant, insisted today
it had a “clear and deliverable” strategy for its water supply.

 Ipswich Star 7th Oct 2021

https://www.ipswichstar.co.uk/news/business/sizewell-c-questions-over-water-supply-8392154

October 12, 2021 Posted by | UK, water | Leave a comment

Delay and huge cost in refuelling UK nuclear submarine

A Scottish-based submarine is still covered in scaffolding in a dockyard in southern England six years after the start of a multimillion-pound refurbishment, raising fears that taxpayers could be hit with a bill
topping half a billion pounds — more than twice the original estimate — and putting Britain’s nuclear deterrent at risk.

The Trident missile-armed HMS Vanguard was supposed to return to the Faslane naval base on the Clyde in 2018 after a three-year-long refuelling and refit but the Ministry of Defence has confirmed that it is still being worked on in Devonport dockyard. Defence sources say the £3.75 billion submarine is not expected to rejoin the fleet until the middle of next year at the earliest — four years late — raising fears about the ability of the Royal Navy to sustain Britain’s continuous at sea nuclear deterrent.

 Times 10th Oct 2021

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/millions-sunk-into-seven-year-refurb-of-trident-submarine-9qj5x2zxm

October 11, 2021 Posted by | UK, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Scottish police alerted to ‘suspicious activity’ of Taliban ally near nuclear weapons base,  


Scottish police alerted to ‘suspicious activity’ of Taliban ally near nuclear weapons base,  
ARAB NEWS, October 08, 2021,

  • Local residents in Scotland said they saw eight men arrive at Waheed Totakhyl’s Scotland home and leave just 20 minutes later
  • He has previously expressed support for the Taliban, sold Osama bin Laden pizzas, and called for the death of US soldiers

LONDON: Residents living near a military complex holding nuclear submarines in Scotland, UK, have alerted police to suspicious activity on land rented by a supporter of the Taliban adjacent to the naval base, Sky News reported.

Waheed Totakhyl once publicly called for the death of US soldiers in Afghanistan and his brother is currently serving as a military commander for the Taliban in Kabul.

He rents a farm less than five miles away from a critical Royal Navy submarine base, which holds submarines equipped with nuclear weapons. 

Local residents said they have witnessed a number of men visiting him in recent weeks. They alerted local police to the activity, telling them that on Aug. 10 eight men arrived on Totakhyl’s farm in two vehicles and then left just 20 minutes later.

Local residents said the men claimed to be Afghans who had traveled there from London — a trip that takes around eight hours each way……….. https://www.arabnews.com/node/1944131/world

October 9, 2021 Posted by | safety, UK | Leave a comment

Legal challenge launched to stop waste from nuclear plant construction being dumped in the Bristol Channel

News in brief: Legal challenge launched to stop waste from nuclear plant
construction being dumped in the Bristol Channel. Campaigners from England
and Wales have formed a new group to oppose the dumping of sediment from
the construction of a nuclear power station in the Severn Estuary and are
taking legal action to block the plans.

The Save the Severn Estuary /
Cofiwch Môr Hafren campaign involves the Geiger Bay coalition and groups
from the English side of the estuary, and is seeking to halt the dumping of
sediment from the construction of the Hinkley C power station in the Marine
Protected Area (MPA) near Portishead, Bristol.

The group is urging the
Marine Management Organisation (MMO) to revoke the license granted earlier
this year to EDF to dump the waste, which they say puts the MMO in breach
of its international obligations to protect marine environments such as the
Severn Estuary. They are also demanding the UK’s Secretary of State for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, George Eustice, acknowledges the ban
on any dumping that causes harm in the Marine Protected Area and instruct
the MMO appropriately.

 Nation Cymru 7th Oct 2021

News in brief: Legal challenge launched to stop waste from nuclear plant construction being dumped in the Bristol Channel

October 9, 2021 Posted by | legal, UK | Leave a comment

Rolls Royce wants to supply data centres with their massive energy needs, by small nuclear reactors

Rolls-Royce said to be pitching small nuclear reactors to power data centers … while Boris Johnson proposes more big nuclear power stations for the UK, October 05, 2021 By Peter Judge 

Rolls-Royce is planning to offer small nuclear reactors to US-based cloud operators so their hyperscale data centers can have net zero emissions and be independent of the electric grid, according to media reports.

Small modular reactors (SMRs) are under development by a consortium led by Rolls-Royce, and could potentially power data centers or other infrastructure that needs a steady supply of low-carbon energy, which may not be available from the local electricity grid. However, they will not be available until at least 2030…………. https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/rolls-royce-said-to-be-pitching-small-nuclear-reactors-to-power-data-centers/

October 7, 2021 Posted by | ENERGY, Small Modular Nuclear Reactors, UK | Leave a comment

UK government to generate a colossal public sector loss in building more nuclear power station at Sizewell C

Drunk on the latest fossil fuel energy crisis, the UK Government has handed
the British public a giant nuclear hangover that will leave the country
scrabbling for renewable energy solutions. Boris Johnson has promised 40 GW
of offshore wind by the end of the decade, which, when added to other
renewable energy sources, will generate over three-quarters of current
levels of UK electricity consumption.

But this growth could be threatened
by the nuked-up knee jerk reaction to the current natural gas price crisis
that will plunge the energy budget into a massive deficit and leave the
electricity system dangerously unbalanced. After fossil fuel prices subside
back towards their more usual levels, this will constitute a giant
hangover.

The last time we had an energy crisis, in 2008 and 2011 when oil
prices spiked, the UK ended up with what was regarded as a bad deal to pay
(in today’s money) over £110 per MWh for Hinkley C over 35 years. That
was the hangover after the last crisis. This time it is likely to be worse
as the Government recycles its own half-truths to generate a colossal
public sector loss in building more nuclear power plant at Sizewell C and,
then, it hopes, at Wylfa. These plans would, eventually, ensure that around
20 percent of UK electricity comes from nuclear power, but also ensure that
efforts to balance the much cheaper renewable energy will be poorly
developed at best, and ignored at worst.

100% Renewables 4th Oct 2021
https://100percentrenewableuk.org/how-the-governments-drunken-nuclear-binge-will-threaten-renewables

October 7, 2021 Posted by | business and costs, politics, UK | Leave a comment

Allerdale GDF Working Group’s map of area considered for UK’s nuclear waste dump includes areas already declared unsuitable.

Allerdale GDF Working Group have finally released a map of their search
area today, illustrating where they would like to consider burying the
UK’s vast nuclear waste inventory. However, what they haven’t mentioned
is that a significant proportion of the chosen area has previously been
declared as unsuitable by the British Geological Survey (BGS). Here [on original] is a
map produced by the BGS in 2010 which identifies areas unsuitable for
geological disposal, largely due to the presence of coal and coal-bed
methane.

 Cumbria Trust 6th Oct 2021

Allerdale announces its search area for a GDF

October 7, 2021 Posted by | UK, wastes | Leave a comment

October 27 – Julian Assange’s extradition appeal hearing

Dan Monceaux, 5 Oct 21 Julian Assange’s extradition appeal hearing is approaching on October 27 this year. The Americans (at least the CIA) are hoping to win the right to pluck him from the maximum security Belmarsh Prison in the UK, try him before a Grand Jury in Virginia with no permitted defence… then ultimately incarcerate him for 175 years. He will be committed to a slow, torturous death. This is the most horrendous case of “shooting the messenger” one could ever imagine. Assange is being punished for daring to publish documentary evidence of imperial transgressions to the interested public.October 27 will be a turning point in history… for better or worse.

October 5, 2021 Posted by | Legal, UK | Leave a comment

Extinction Rebellion climate activists vow to cause disruption at Glasgow COP26

EXTINCTION Rebellion activists have said they have “no choice” but to
cause disruption in Glasgow during COP26. Thousands of delegates, world
leaders and media will descend on the city during the first two weeks of
November for the climate summit, which is being held at the SEC.

 Herald 4th Oct 2021

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/homenews/19622529.cop26-extinction-rebellion-warn-no-choice-glasgow-disruption/

October 5, 2021 Posted by | climate change, UK | Leave a comment

Boris Johnson promoting nuclear power as clean, green, renewable.

Boris Johnson will this week announce that all of Britain’s electricity will come from renewable sources by 2035 as he seeks to reduce the country’s dependence on gas and other fossil fuels, The Times has been
told. The prime minister will use his conference speech to commit his party to plans to hugely increase investment in renewable and nuclear energy as Britain faces a crisis caused by a surge in the cost of gas.

He is expected to argue that taking all electricity from green sources would be a significant step towards the government’s ambition to hit net zero emissions by 2050, and reduce exposure to fluctuations in gas prices. Thenew target will require significant growth not only in offshore wind generation but also in nuclear capacity to provide a “baseload” of electricity to cope with variable supply and demand. It will mean a minimum quadrupling of offshore wind from the present level over the coming decade.


Johnson is also expected to commit to the construction of at least two large-scale nuclear power plants. Britain’s seven existing nuclear plants provide about 17 per cent of the country’s electricity needs but this
will fall by almost half by 2024. Further plants are due to close between then and 2030. So far only one nuclear power station, at Hinkley Point in Somerset, is under construction. However, ministers are looking to give the go-ahead for up to two more plants, with a funding announcement for at least one being expected in this month’s comprehensive spending review,the conclusions of which are due to be given in the autumn budget on October 27.

 Times 4th Oct 2021

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/all-britains-electricity-to-be-green-by-2035-ns76tl7vm

October 5, 2021 Posted by | politics, UK | Leave a comment

Are small nuclear reactors really the answer to UK’s green energy crisis?

the falling cost of wind and solar power, coupled with new technology to store energy off the grid for times when it is needed, made nuclear largely redundant.

“It’s too expensive, takes too long to develop, and we can’t afford to wait for it”

Are small nuclear reactors really the answer to our green energy crisis? Small nuclear reactors are hailed as an answer to our energy crisis, but Jon Yeomans finds problems remain with the untested technology.

Trawsfynydd’s fortunes could be about to change. It has been proposed as a possible site for a new type of nuclear reactor to be built by a consortium led by Rolls-Royce. Small modular reactors (SMRs) offer the promise of a new fleet of power stations that could be produced in a factory, loaded on to lorries and then trucked around the country for installation on decommissioned nuclear sites.

The government believes these so-called “mini-nukes” will form a key part of its “green recovery”
and is close to approving £215 million in funding to speed their development. The hope is that they could reduce the cost of nuclear power dramatically and help the UK to hit its target of net-zero emissions by 2050. But nothing is ever simple with nuclear.

Can this dream become reality? With large-scale nuclear projects under a cloud, the government
has warmed to the idea of smaller, nimbler technology, such as the SMRs proposed by Rolls-Royce. The Derby-based company is better known for producing aircraft engines, but since the 1960s it has also been responsible for the reactors on Britain’s nuclear submarines. These
pressurised water reactors (PWRs) will form the basis of the SMRs it proposes to build in the UK.

The big selling point of SMRs is that they can be made on a production line, reducing the huge costs of a project such as Hinkley. Rolls claims they solve “the conundrum of how to create
affordable energy, and more of it, with a lower carbon footprint”. It says the scheme could generate £52 billion of “economic benefit” by 2050.

The company’s SMRs will have a price tag of about £2 billion each, once the initial costs of building the factory are out of the way. It is thought Rolls would need to make 16 before the programme could pay its way, with financial support from the government required for at least the first four units. The SMRs would have a capacity of 470MW — enough to power one million homes.

Critics of SMRs note there are few, if any, operating anywhere in the world. The American company Westinghouse is developing a lead-cooled reactor with 450MW capacity which won £10 million in UK government funding last year. NuScale, based in Oregon, is working on SMRs with an output of 77MW.

But its first plant will not be operational until 2027. If the government gives the green light, Rolls will spend the next four years seeking approval from regulators while simultaneously building
the first of a projected three factories in the UK. Company sources suggested the factories themselves could be a “levelling up” opportunity, bringing high-skilled jobs to the regions. It would take another four years for the first reactor to roll off the production line, pushing their start date into the next decade.

Stephen Thomas, professor of energy policy at Greenwich University, said the falling cost of wind and solar power, coupled with new technology to store energy off the grid for times when it is needed, made nuclear largely redundant.

“It’s too expensive, takes too long to develop, and we can’t afford to wait for it,” he said. A report by National Grid ESO (Electricity System Operator) this year envisaged at least two pathways to net zero by 2050 that did not rely on a large increase in nuclear. Instead, the gap in output would be
made up by more renewable energy; more energy storage, in the form of batteries; and changing consumer behaviour to lower energy demand.

 Times 3rd Oct 2021

 https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/are-small-nuclear-reactors-really-the-answer-to-our-green-energy-crisis-pm9mrmtqg

October 4, 2021 Posted by | Small Modular Nuclear Reactors, UK | Leave a comment

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