Youth & Student CND 19th June 2017, On the Saturday just gone, 17th June, while the rest of London sweltered at
the mercy of the hottest weekend so far this year, enthusiasts, activists,
and journalists alike, descended from across the world to Conway Hall,
Holborn,to take part in the first nuclear power conference in 30 years, No
Need for Nuclear: The Renewables are Here hosted by the Campaign for
Nuclear Disarmament. With over 150 attendees of all ages, and 17 speakers
comprised of distinguished academics, MPs and industry representatives, the
conference was deemed a great success. The conference was graced with a
keynote address from Caroline Lucas MP, all the way from New York where the
UN disarmament meetings are taking place. The conference was broken into 4
sections: What’s wrong with Nuclear power? and The Politics of Nuclear
Power followed by UK Energy Demand, Energy Supply, and The Renewables after
lunch. http://www.yscnd.org/uk/what-you-missed-at-the-noneedfornuclear-conference/
June 21, 2017
Posted by Christina Macpherson |
opposition to nuclear, UK |
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Utility Week 19th June 2017, Mongoose Energy has launched a new crowdfunding platform to secure
financing for community energy projects. The company hopes the platform
will widen the pool of potential investors, bring down the cost of capital
and enable greater innovation in funding. “More people want a bigger say
in where their power comes from, where their investments go, and in
improving their own communities,” said former energy secretary and
chairman of Mongoose Energy, Sir Ed Davey. “Launching our own
crowdfunding platform means we can dispatch better energy, better financial
returns and better social dividends to UK community investors.” Mongoose
Crowd will offer people the first ever opportunity to invest up to £20,000
per year in community energy schemes via the Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA)
for peer-to-peer lending which the government launched in April last year.
http://utilityweek.co.uk/news/Community-energy-crowdfunding-platform-takes-off/1305532
June 21, 2017
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decentralised, UK |
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China Daily 15th June 2017, China’s CGN a step closer to bringing its nuclear technology to UK: China’s
goal of boosting its nuclear technology sector took a big step forward on Wednesday with the creation of three new companies in the UK by China General Nuclear Power Corporation. The new entities are: Bradwell Power
Corp, which will be responsible for the 100 percent Chinese-built Bradwell B nuclear plant; General Nuclear System Ltd, which will shepherd China’s Hualong technology through the exacting five-year UK approval process; and General Nuclear International, which will manage CGN’s projects in the UK.
He Yu, CGN chairman, said: The unveiling of three companies is a solid step forward for CGN to expand its operation in the UK. With its new subsidiaries unfolding, the company is confident that it will grow steadily in the field of nuclear technology in Britain.”
The United Kingdom will formally assess the Hualong One technology as part of a deal reached last year, in which Chinese investment will help build the Hinkley Point C nuclear plant, in which France’s EDF is a major participant, and which will
feature French technology. CGN and EDF have been working together for more than 30 years on nuclear development and construction in China.
Under last year’s agreement, CGN and EDF will collaborate on three UK nuclear plants: Hinkley Point C, in Somerset; Sizewell C, in Suffolk; and Bradwell, in Essex.
CGN intends to use Hualong One technology at Bradwell, which could be the first nuclear plant in a developed economy to use Chinese technology. The companies will seek to get the Hualong One technology approved in the UK via an assessment known as the Generic Design Assessment process. It usually takes about five years to complete.
China hopes that UK approval of its technology will open the door to its use in other countries because the UK’s appraisal regime is considered by industry experts to be the strictest in the world. The proposed Bradwell project is in an early
pre-planning stage, something that is likely to continue for many years, via investigative work and public consultation, before detailed proposals will be produced, allowing a planning application to be made.
http://europe.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2017-06/15/content_29748140.htm
June 19, 2017
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China, marketing, UK |
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Scottish Energy News 16th June 2017, The Royal Society of Edinburgh – Scotland’s National Academy – has set up a
new Inquiry Committee to look at Scotland’s Energy Future. The inquiry
aims to contribute to the important debate around Scotland’s energy
supply, demand and use, as well as moral and environmental
responsibilities.
It will also look to inform the policy- and decision-making at a Scottish, UK and international levels in relation to
resources needed at acceptable financial, moral and environmental costs.The
committee, which is expected to sit for around 18 months, will consider how
Scotland can meet the future energy demand and how to ensure that the
energy used is secure, affordable and environmentally justifiable. It will
also examine all areas of the debate around Scotland’s energy future in
the context of its commitment to combat global climate change and the
environmental imperative to reduce carbon emissions. http://www.scottishenergynews.com/
June 19, 2017
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ENERGY, UK |
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The Canary 14th June 2017, The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) has criticised what it calls the
“ill-advised” appointment by Theresa May of Michael Gove as Environment
Secretary. Its condemnation comes ahead of a conference on renewable
energy. And The Canary spoke exclusively to CND General Secretary Kate
Hudson about climate change, renewables and the future under a potential
Conservative-led government.
The CND was formed in 1957, with the specific goal of campaigning for an end to nuclear weapons. But over the years, the
group has broadened its remit, and on Saturday 17 June it will be holding a
conference on renewable energy. Entitled No need for nuclear: the
renewables are here, it will be tackling: What’s wrong with nuclear
power; The politics of nuclear power; Energy demand and energy efficiency;
The scope of renewables in the UK. Hudson told The Canary, tackling nuclear
power is nothing new for the CND. In fact, she says the group has been
addressing renewables for “decades”: CND is best known for being
anti-nuclear weapons but for some decades now we have also had an
anti-nuclear power stance. The technologies are inextricably linked and the
radiation impacts are of shared devastation. Nuclear power is dirty,
dangerous, expensive and absolutely unnecessary. Renewables now demonstrate
that final point beyond all question. The idea that nuclear power is worth
the risk is finished. Many countries already recognise that and it’s time
for the UK to kick its nuclear addiction in the interests of people and
planet. https://www.thecanary.co/2017/06/14/major-campaign-group-slammed-ill-advised-appointment-climate-change-skeptic-government/
June 19, 2017
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opposition to nuclear, UK |
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Herald 16th June 2017, Sarah Beattie-Smith, Senior Climate and Energy Policy Officer, WWF
Scotland: THIS week the Scottish Government announced that it hit the
annual target for cutting climate changing emissions. The news that
emissions fell by three per cent from 2014 to 2015 was welcomed by us and
many other environmental groups.
It’s yet more evidence that we can meet ambitious targets and it should drive even stronger action to embrace the
benefits of a low-carbon Scotland – from cleaner air to job creation and
from improving health to cutting fuel poverty. The hit target shows that
real progress has been made on waste and on energy, particularly on
renewables, which now meet more than half of Scotland’s electricity demand.
That progress means that, for the first time, the energy sector is no
longer the biggest emitter.
That unwelcome honour now falls to transport –
a sector where emissions have barely changed in 30 years. Indeed, emissions
from transport went up by 0.4 per cent in 2015, largely due to increased
road traffic. Such poor progress on emissions underline the urgent need for
bold, transformative action.
Across the world, other nations are setting high ambitions on switching from polluting fossil-fuelled cars to low or
zero-carbon electric vehicles. In India, a target has been set to end the
sale of new petrol and diesel cars in favour of 100 per cent electric
vehicles by 2030. In Norway, that target is for 2025. In Scotland, our goal
is to phase out just half of fossil-fuelled vehicles by 2030, and only in
urban environments. That equates to only 27 percent of new cars being
electric by 2030.
If Scotland is to retain its reputation as a world leader
on climate change, we need to at least keep up with other nations, if not
exceed their ambition.
http://www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/15351342.Scotland_must_keep_up_the_pressure_on_climate_change/
June 19, 2017
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climate change, UK |
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Morning Star 16th June 2017, Ian Fairlie: THE Labour Party’s recent election manifesto says a Labour
government would support nuclear power as part of a low-carbon energy mix and that it would continue to support Hinkley C. The reason is that Jeremy Corbyn needs trade union support and some major unions think that nuclear
power will furnish many jobs.
But this is a myth, a shibboleth. The real situation is that renewable energy already provides far more jobs than
nuclear does now, and will provide far more jobs more quickly than nuclear ever would — even if current government plans were to succeed. The problem is that promoting nuclear power diminishes the prospects of creating new jobs in renewable energy industries — eg in establishing a large offshore wind manufacturing base.
Let’s look at the Hinkley C site, for example. Although about 4,500 jobs would exist each year during the
main phase of construction, EDF has admitted most would be temporary and filled by overseas workers. And if it were ever completed, it would only employ 900 workers. In fact, Hinkley C would be a remarkably poor bet for Britain and British unions, as industry insiders expect 90 per cent of the work at Hinkley, and all high-tech work, would go to French firms. For example, in 2013, EDF Energy completed a very large gas-fired power station at West Burton in Nottinghamshire where 100 per cent of the engineering contracts — even the concrete — went to French firms.
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-b8c7-Does-nuclear-power-really-provide-jobs
June 19, 2017
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employment, UK |
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Nation Cymru 14th June 2017 When Theresa May triggered Article 50 a couple of months ago, she also
signalled her intention that the UK leave the obscure EURATOM treaty. The
treaty covers nuclear power, an issue which neither the Remain nor Leave
camps even mentioned during the referendum campaign.
How this decision will affect plans for a new nuclear power station at Wylfa on Ynys Môn does not
appear to have been noticed in Wales at all. But what is interesting is
that EURATOM is central in the UK’s trade in nuclear materials.
The nuclear fuel used in our power stations is actually owned by EURATOM and
its safe handling and storage is overseen by that organisation.
When May took over as PM, the core of her Government’s energy strategy was the
commitment to building new nuclear power stations, starting with Hinkley
Point C in Somerset, just 12 miles from the South Wales coast across the
Bristol Channel.
They don’t think that they have a problem, either because the UK will miraculously renegotiate a highly complex set of
regulations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) within the two-year deadline, somehow arrange an extension of that deadline or perhaps not leave EURATOM after all. https://nation.cymru/2017/analysis-brexit-and-wylfa-bs-nuclear-fuel/
June 16, 2017
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politics international, UK |
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Cuts to police who guard nuclear weapons could be ‘catastrophic’ http://news.sky.com/story/cuts-to-police-who-guard-nuclear-weapons-could-be-catastrophic-10916066 It is claimed national security could be compromised as fewer firearms officers would be available for an emergency. Further cuts planned for the police force which guards the UK’s nuclear arsenal could be “catastrophic”, according to a leading police officer.
The Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) guards the country’s Trident nuclear deterrent, among other responsibilities.
The force is already understaffed with about 2,300 officers, according to the Defence Police Federation (DPF).
DPF chairman Eamon Keating will use a speech later to warn that plans to “reset” its strength to below that level will “harm national security”.
The MDP’s officers are all trained to use firearms and Mr Keating says cutting numbers means fewer available to help in a national emergency as part of Operation Temperer.
Temperer kicked in after the Manchester terror attack, when the threat risk was deemed critical. In that case, the military were deployed to help police.
“After a decade of budget and personnel cuts, it beggars belief the MoD would demand a further £12.5m from the police force entrusted with guarding Trident,” Mr Keating will tell the DPF’s annual conference.
“This ‘reset’ is an ill-considered decision that prioritises cost over security, and makes no sense given the financial value of the assets we protect,” Mr Keating will say.
Just a year ago the MDP had 2,600 officers – that was already a third down on previous levels after budget cuts in 2010.
The federation will also demand more detail on Conservative manifesto plans for an “Infrastructure Policing Force” by merging the MDP, the Civil Nuclear Constabulary and British Transport Police.
Mr Keating will add: “The Government must urgently rethink this catastrophic decision that further undermines police officers hamstrung by fitness tests inappropriate to the job they do, and a pension age different to the Home Office and Armed Forces.”
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “We are confident that the strength of our force keeps our people, sites and equipment safe.
“It also enables us to play our part in protecting the public, as we did when we supported the armed police response to the tragic events in Manchester last month.”
June 16, 2017
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safety, UK |
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Scottish Energy News 15th June 2017, The UK electricity supply industry – which includes Scottish Power and
Perth-based utility SSE as grid operators – have formally set out for the
first time how the role of local electricity networks will change as the UK
‘smart’ energy grid becomes a reality.
A ‘smart’ grid will give British households, businesses and communities the ability to take
advantage of a new range of energy technologies and services to take
control of their energy and lower their costs – including renewable
generation, energy storage and BPVs (battery-powered cars).SSE has led the
way in demonstrating the benefits of a distributed system operator
transition through the Northern Isles New Energy Solutions (NINES) project
in Shetland.
“The NINES project was the first time active network management was deployed at scale in the UK. The headline result was that NINES enabled a 200% increase in renewable energy alongside a significant reduction in diesel generation, which is traditionally used to meet fluctuations in supply and demand.” http://www.scottishenergynews.com/
June 16, 2017
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ENERGY, UK |
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Common Space Michael Gray , 13 June 17, SCOTTISH CAMPAIGNERS will join the global movement to ban nuclear weapons this week in New York as pressure builds on the rogue nuclear states to ditch weapons that threaten the future of life on earth.
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (Ican) has made substantial progress in establishing a Nuclear Ban Treaty, with 123 countries backing progress towards a weapons ban last October at the United Nations. The UK was one of 38 nations opposed.
A cross-group civil society delegation of six will represent Scotland at the June-July session on the recently published draft Treaty document. With support from over 40 states, the Treaty will have legal status and, if successful, will enter a process of ratification. ….https://www.commonspace.scot/articles/11159/scottish-6-join-historic-global-conference-agree-nuclear-weapons-ban-treaty
June 14, 2017
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politics international, UK, weapons and war |
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Renew Economy 13th June 2017, Wind, solar and energy efficiency have replaced the vast majority of power
previously provided by the UK’s coal fleet, a new analysis shows.
Since the start of the coalition government in 2010, coal’s role in the
generation mix has fallen to historic lows, culminating in the country’s
first coal-free day since the 19th century earlier this year.
But the gap has not been plugged by natural gas, the UK’s now primary source of
electricity. Renewables and energy efficiency have together covered nearly
85% of the power the UK no longer gets from its coal plants. http://reneweconomy.com.au/wind-solar-energy-efficiency-replaces-coal-generation-uk-33657/
June 14, 2017
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renewable, UK |
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Cornish Times 12th June 2017People in Saltash and Torpoint are being given important safety information on what to do in the event of a nuclear emergency at Devonport Dockyard. Homes and business that fall within the official public information zone are being sent a booklet which provides information about radiation, together with instructions to follow in the event of an accident. The booklets, which are updated once every three years to comply with Radiation
(Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations, tell thepublic what to do in ‘the very unlikely event’ that this happens. http://www.cornish-times.co.uk/article.cfm?id=110309
June 14, 2017
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safety, UK |
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The Nuclear Industry Is in Financial Meltdown, http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-nuclear-industry-is-in-financial-meltdown/5594253 By Ian Fairlie, Global Research, June 11, 2017 The Ecologist 9 June 2017 Most British politicians – waking up after a General Election which sent a strong message that the UK electorate don’t want railroading by its leaders – sail along blissfully innocent of nuclear’s impending denouement, not only in the rest of the world but in the UK too, writes IAN FAIRLIE.
The UK political situation on nuclear power is pretty uninspiring, apart from the Greens. Few political supporters of nuclear power appear to be aware that nuclear power is in free-fall around the world – especially in Western Europe and in the US, where many reactors are being closed without replacement.
Few seem aware of the legal, technical, regulatory, and economic difficulties faced by utilities in building the handful of new reactors and of the crippling costs of shutting down the many old ones. None appears aware of nuclear’s financial meltdown across the globe.
In a perceptive new article published by a prestigious US Ivy League University, Is Nuclear Power Coming To An End? Fred Pearce, a distinguished UK science writer, wrote:
“Now come the bankruptcies. In an astonishing hammer blow to a global industry in late March 2017, Westinghouse – the original developer of the workhorse of the global nuclear industry, the pressurized-water reactor (PWR), and for many decades the world’s largest provider of nuclear technology -filed for bankruptcy after hitting big problems with its latest reactor design, the AP1000.
“Largely as a result, its parent company, the Japanese nuclear engineering giant Toshiba, is also in dire financial straits and admits there is ‘substantial doubt’ about its ability to continue as a going concern.
“Meanwhile, France’s state-owned Électricité de France (EDF), Europe’s biggest builder and operator of nuclear power plants, is deep in debt thanks to its own technical missteps and could become a victim of the economic and energy policies of incoming President Emmanuel Macron.
“This is no short-term trend. While gas and renewables get cheaper, the price of nuclear power only rises. This is in large part to meet safety concerns linked to past reactor disasters like Chernobyl and Fukushima and to post-9/11 security worries, and also a result of utilities factoring in the costs of decommissioning their aging reactors.”
Pearce concludes by stating
“…the industry is in crisis. It looks ever more like a 20th-Century industrial dinosaur, unloved by investors, the public, and policymakers alike. The crisis could prove terminal.”
Most British politicians sail along blissfully innocent of nuclear’s impending denouement, not only in the rest of the world but in the UK too. The Government’s nuclear plans at Hinkley, Wylfa and Moorside are doubtful at best and moribund at worst.
First Anti-Nuclear Conference in 30 Years
We might shake our heads at the ignorance and irrationality of some of our senior politicians. However we should perhaps not despair too much, because on 17th June, CND is convening a one-day National Conference in London with a stellar array of speakers. No Need For Nuclear Conference
The Conference will explicitly discuss the incoherence and irrationality of the nuclear policies adopted by the main parties. Apart from Chernobyl or Fukushima anniversaries, this is the first anti-nuclear conference in the UK in about 30 years. As such, it marks the long overdue re-emergence of an important issue.
The UK anti-nuclear groups are relatively weak, under-resourced and fragmented, which means there has been little recent opposition to the Government’s irrational energy policies.
Perhaps this conference will help change that. No Need for Nuclear Conference booking:
Dr Ian Fairlie is an independent consultant on environmental radioactivity. He was formerly a senior scientist in the Civil Service and worked for the TUC as a researcher between 1975 and 1990.
June 12, 2017
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business and costs, UK, USA |
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Hitachi scrambles to divest UK nuclear risks after Toshiba fiasco.
Nikkei Asian Review 9th June 2017 Hitachi will curtail its financial risk in the construction of two nuclear power plants in the U.K. by divesting itself of the local subsidiary that will build and operate them, the Japanese conglomerate announced Thursday.
The news came at an event held here to draw partners to invest in Horizon Nuclear Power, which Hitachi acquired in 2012 as a wholly owned subsidiary. If Hitachi fails to do so before construction starts in 2019, forcing it to bear practically all the financial risk of the project, it will suspend its plans for the 2 trillion yen ($18.1 billion) project.
Hitachi is proceeding cautiously with its own nuclear energy business studying Toshiba’s troubles in the U.S. with Westinghouse Electric. Hitachi now is appealing to energy companies and others to invest in Horizon so it can turn the company into an unconsolidated subsidiary and is prepared to reduce its stake to as low as zero. Operation of the power plants would be entrusted to Horizon. http://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Hitachi-scrambles-to-divest-UK-nuclear-risks-after-Toshiba-fiasco
June 12, 2017
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business and costs, Japan, UK |
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