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 Christina Macpherson |
Iran, politics international, UK |
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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.
August 25, 2018
Posted by Christina Macpherson |
decentralised, UK |
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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:
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No statutory, enshrined Right of Withdrawal from the process.
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No Sovereign Wealth Fund for Cumbria – in perpetuity.
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Plethora of expert opinion against the geology – NOT rebutted by the NDA
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No proposals for a Strategic Environmental Assessment
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Allerdale ruled out nem con. by all Cabinet Members.
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Copeland too small without infringing designated and protected areas.
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Significant democratic deficit. No credible local or Cumbria-wide support.
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Huge potential for planning blight/property devaluation
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Received no commitment to invest in international standards of safe surface or sub surface storage (e.g. Sweden); the ‘twin-track’ approach, in effect.
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The adverse findings of the NAO and the highly critical comments by the Public Accounts Committee (Margaret Hodge et al)
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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 Christina Macpherson |
UK, wastes |
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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 Christina Macpherson |
Legal, legal, UK |
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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 Christina Macpherson |
climate change, UK |
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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 Christina Macpherson |
business and costs, UK |
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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 Christina Macpherson |
decommission reactor, UK |
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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 Christina Macpherson |
safety, UK |
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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 Christina Macpherson |
PERSONAL STORIES, UK |
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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 Christina Macpherson |
business and costs, politics international, UK |
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Fierce debate sparked by ‘nuclear mud’ digging on Bristol Channel coast, Mud is being dug up and moved from Hinkley Point nuclear power station, Bristol Live By David Williamson, Daniel Chipperfield , 16 Aug 18
Plans to dig up mud from Hinkley Point nuclear sites on the Somerset coast and dump it in South Wales have been met with controversy.
Work will start next month dredging roughly 300,000 tonnes which will be moved to land near Cardiff, but protesters say there’s a chance the mud could be contaminated with radiation, making it unsafe…. Wale’s Online’s poltiical editor David Williamson has been investigating the issue as protesters call on Natural resources Wales to suspend the licence for the dredging.
The Mud Is Coming From A Stretch Of The Seabed Along The Somerset Coast That Has Been A Centre Of Nuclear Power Generation For Decades.
Hinkley Point A Stopped Producing Electricity In 2000 After 35 Years Of Operations; Hinkley Point B Has Been Generating Electricity Since 1976.
EDF Now Wants To Take Mud And Sediment So It Can Drill Six Vertical Shafts For The Cooling Water System For The New Hinkley Point C Power Station.
The Energy Giant Claims The Material Is “No Different To The Sediment Already At The Cardiff Grounds” And Is “Not Classed As Radioactive Under UK Law”.
But Campaigners Do Not Believe Detailed The Tests That Have Been Carried Out Are Sufficiently Thorough…….Dr Richard Bramhall Of The Low Level Radiation Campaign – A Former Member Of The UK Government’s Committee Examining Radiation Risks Of Internal Emitters (CERRIE) – Has Voiced Worries About The Tests.
In A Letter To NRW He Raised Concerns The Tests Did Not Assess Whether Uranium, Plutonium And Other Alpha-Emitting Elements Were Present In Minute “Particulate” Form.
As Larger Fragments Break Up, Any Given Amount Of Particulate Matter Will Become More Mobile, Be More Easily Inhaled Into The Deep Lung And The Lymphatic System, And Will Emit More Radiation,” He Said.
Tim Deere-Jones, A Self-Employed Marine Pollution Consultant, Argues Years Of Discharges From The Existing Nuclear Stations Mean More Detailed Study Is Needed.
He Said: “Those Sediments Had Been In Receipt Of Discharges From The Hinkley A Nuclear Station And The Hinkley B Nuclear Station… If You’ve Got 300,000 Tonnes Of That Stuff Being Dredged And Dumped So Close [To South Wales] You Need To Know Exactly What You’ve Got In It In Terms Of Radioactivity.”
Tim Deere-Jones, A Self-Employed Marine Pollution Consultant, Argues Years Of Discharges From The Existing Nuclear Stations Mean More Detailed Study Is Needed.
He Said: “Those Sediments Had Been In Receipt Of Discharges From The Hinkley A Nuclear Station And The Hinkley B Nuclear Station… If You’ve Got 300,000 Tonnes Of That Stuff Being Dredged And Dumped So Close [To South Wales] You Need To Know Exactly What You’ve Got In It In Terms Of Radioactivity.”
He Fears That Not All Forms Of Radiation May Have Shown Up In The Tests Carried Out On The Mud.
Https://Www.Bristolpost.Co.Uk/News/Bristol-News/Fierce-Debate-Sparked-Nuclear-Mud-1903706
August 17, 2018
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UK, wastes |
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The Government have issued a clear commitment to developing the UK’s capacity to produce nuclear energy in 2018.
But some MPs are reticent and believe the UK is being taken down the wrong path in its pursuit of a robust sustainable energy mix, writes Dods Monitoring’s Josh White. SNP MPs such as Drew Hendry and Alan Brown have encapsulated this sentiment in the Commons, often taking the Government to task on its decision to prioritise new nuclear over alternatives such as oil and gas and offshore wind.
In July, Hendry accused the Government of locking consumers into paying £20 to £40 more per megawatt-hour and called on it to end to its “obsession with outdated, expensive and risky nuclear”.
Does Hendry have a point? – At face value, there’s no denying that a higher strike price represents a poorer public investment, however, new nuclear stakeholders have argued that the reliability of nuclear energy sets it apart from other cheaper forms of low carbon energy production.
Whilst it is evident that the Government seeks to establish new nuclear as the core of the future UK energy mix, the success of the project will be contingent on finding a solution to the pressing issue of what to do with nuclear waste – a problem unique to nuclear energy.
Currently, the solution on thetable is to store radioactive waste in geological disposal facilities (GDFs) that would be built with community consent, bringing jobs and skills to affected localities whilst also providing a long-term solution to the legacy of higher-activity waste.
The scheme failed to gain traction in 2008 when it was launched as part of the Managing Radioactive Disposal white paper, however, with the need to transition towards a sustainable energy mix greater than ever, the Government is hoping the initiative will attract
more support and uptake this time around.
Politics Home 15th Aug 2018
https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/energy/opinion/dods-monitoring/97592/status-new-nuclear-uk
August 17, 2018
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politics, UK |
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Hinkley Point nuclear site dumping off Cardiff Bay delayed https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-45187727 , 14 Aug 18 The dumping of mud and sediment from a nuclear plant site off Cardiff Bay has been delayed.
August 15, 2018
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UK, wastes |
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Ekklesia 13th Aug 2018 , *Burghfield** The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) has required immediate safety
changes to be made at the UK’s nuclear warhead assembly facility and has
said that even with the changes, operations at the site can only continue
for a limited period of time.
If sufficient progress is not made on
reducing risk at the facility, ONR have said that operations may need to
stop altogether. The UK’s nuclear warheads are assembled in the Assembly
Technology Centre at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE), Burghfield,
using components manufactured at nearby AWE Aldermaston.
The work is carried out in buildings known as ‘Gravel Gerties’ which are designed
to collapse inwards and trap radioactive material if there is a partial
explosion during the assembly process. Burghfield’s Gravel Gerties are
thought to have been built in the 1950s. In May the National Audit Office
revealed that a replacement building is six years late and is expected to
cost £1.8 billion, an increase of 146 per cent over the £734 million
approved for the project in 2011.
http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/26557
August 15, 2018
Posted by Christina Macpherson |
safety, UK, weapons and war |
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Trib Live 9th Aug 2018 The volunteer efforts of a Hyde Park environmental activist and a retired
Washington Township engineer helped about 300 former nuclear workers in the
region collect $60 million from the federal government for cancers likely
caused by their jobs.
A federal entitlement program that was enacted in 2000, the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program pays$150,000 tax-free, plus medical benefits, to workers who became ill,
because of their work for the government or contractors for nuclear weapons
and Cold War-related work.
The illnesses covered include diagnoses of one
of 22 types of cancers. But that program fell short in its early years for
workers from the former Nuclear Materials and Equipment Corp. (NUMEC)
because many of the workers or their families couldn’t find the required
medical records and the company couldn’t come up with the required
documentation.
https://triblive.com/local/valleynewsdispatch/13956792-74/volunteer-activists-credited-with-getting-compensation-for-former-nuclear-workers
August 15, 2018
Posted by Christina Macpherson |
health, Legal, UK |
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