Community owned windfarms could be good for UK
Windfarms: is community ownership the way ahead? http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/nov/05/windfarms-community-ownership
On the Danish island of Samsø many of the wind turbines are owned by the residents. Is that the way around nimbyism? Patrick Kingsley guardian.co.uk, 5 November 2012 “I can’t single-handedly build a new Jerusalem,” said John Hayes, the Tory energy minister, last week, “but I can protect our green and pleasant land.” What was he on about? Windfarms. He wants them stopped because he says locals don’t like them.
But that isn’t always the case. Take Samsø, a pretty island off the coast of Denmark. In the late 90s, Samsø’s 4,000 elderly farmers were famous for their early crop of new potatoes. Smothering their isolated Eden with windmills was far from a priority.
Yet 15 years later, that is exactly what’s happened. These conservative islanders have installed 11 onshore windmills, while another 10 lie just off the coast. Astonishingly, Samsø is now one of the world’s largest carbon-neutral settlements. To find how it happened, I visited the island this spring while researching my new book, How to be Danish. The answer? Community ownership. Sixteen of the 21 new turbines are owned either by local co-operatives, or by individual farmers. This means that the turbines haven’t been sprung on the locals. Instead, the latter are invested in the former, both emotionally and financially. The excess energy created by the turbines is sold back to the national grid – and the profit creates a handy annual dividend for each local. “There’s money in it,” smiles 66-year-old Erik Andersen, who owns a herd of rare Red Danish cows. “It’s a good investment.”
So wind power doesn’t always alienate locals. Denmark has over 6,000 turbines – 2,000 more than Britain, despite being a sixth of the size. This is partly down to its topography: it’s flat, so there’s a lot of wind. But it’s also to do with how the Danes involve local communities. Around 70-80% of those turbines are co-owned by local groups – little wonder there’s more of them.
Could it happen in Britain? An ICM poll suggests so: while only one in two Britons would back a windmill within two miles of their home, 68% would support one that was community-owned. John Hayes, take note.
How the UK’s new nuclear deal with Hitachi just can’t really work
Another shotgun wedding for the UK nuclear lob
by daryanenergyblog November 3, 2012 “…….There is a proposal in Japan for a referendum on Nuclear energy with three options on the table . Option one is 30% of Japanese electricity from nuclear (essentially business as usual but with a cap on future nuclear growth). Option two is 15% (many older reactors near fault lines closed, some new reactors later but only as a replacement for plants taken out of service and not on a like for like basis) and option three is 0% (a phase out of nuclear energy completely, which as I’ve previously shown is feasible). The Japanese government seems to favour the middle option but opinion polls suggest that it might be the zero nuclear option. Either of these last two would mean a massive cut in nuclear reactor orders in Japan, if not a complete halt.
So naturally Hitachi are having to hedge their bets and look overseas for buyers of their wares. This would explain the choice of reactors. While previously the Horizon deal had focused on French or American designed PWR‘s (Pressurised Water Reactor), Hitachi seem to be keen on BWR‘s (Boiling Water Reactor), notably their own brand ABWR reactoror the as of yet untested ESBWR. However, these reactors have never been certified for use in the UK. It will take a few years to get that paper work cleared and redesign the reactors as required. There have also been some technical problems with the ABWR‘swhich has led to them providing a much lower level than expected level of reliability and on-grid availability (as this table from the IAEA illustrates).
Also, the UK engineering firms will need time to plan for this change in reactor. While thebulk of reactor cores world wide might well come from the Japanese Steel Works (JSW) on Hokkaido Island, the majority of any UK based ABWR (the steam turbines, heat exchangers and auxiliary equipment) will be build by other contractors many here in the UK, notably companies such as Forgemasters and Rolls Royce. They need to be given time to retool and book spots on the production line before any plant can be built. Also there is a waiting list in JSW and by switching reactor types the UK may have just lost its place in the queue.
A Looming Energy Gap
This will explain why Hitachi are talking about a delivery date of the first new plant in the mid to early 2020′s. However, by this date the UK nuclear fleet will be down to between 1 and 3 reactors (Torness and Heysham retire in 2023, further Torness is in Scotland which may not be part of the UK by that date!) and a capacity of between 1,200 – 3,700 MW, from a present capacity of 10,500 MW and a former peak of 14,000 MW. While Hitachi seem to be proposing 6 reactors, it will take at least a decade or two (or three!) to bring this capacity online and even 6 ABWR’s would still fall well short of the historical maximum installed capacity (about 40% short in fact)…… http://daryanenergyblog.wordpress.com/2012/11/03/shotgun-wedding-hitachi-uk-nuclear/
UK’s planned new nuclear reactors all too close to Dublin, Ireland
New N-plant closer than Sellafield, warn Greens
http://www.herald.ie/news/new-nplant-closer-than-sellafield-warn-greens-3280668.html By Fiona Dillon, November 02 2012 THE GOVERNMENT is being called on to object to to plans to build a nuclear plant that’s closer to Dublin than the controversial Sellafield site.
Engineering giant Hitachi is in the process of buying Horizon Nuclear Power, which has rights to build reactors at Wylfa on Anglesey, North Wales.
The site is only 118km from Dublin, compared to Sellafield’s 217km. Continue reading
UK govt sneaking subsidy into new nuclear industry?
“A subsidy is still a subsidy, even if it is given to others.”
New nuclear reactors could be eligible for subsidies, says minister. John Hayes says there will be no market support ‘unless similar support is also made available to other types of generation’ Juliette Jowit, political correspondent guardian.co.uk, 1 November 2012 The nuclear industry could get subsidies from the taxpayer to build new reactors, the new energy minister has said, despite opposition in the coalition agreement and repeated assurances to the contrary. Continue reading
Renewable energy trumping nuclear in Britain
Renewable UK said that last year there were at least 137,000 people involved in the sector, with a further 654,500 jobs in ancillary industries.
Renewable energy will overtake nuclear power by 2018, research says Renewables will provide enough power for one in 10 British homes by 2015 if current growth rates continue Fiona Harvey, environment correspondent The Guardian, 30 October 2012 Renewable energy capacity will overtake nuclear power in the UK by 2018, if current rates of growth continue, and will provide enough power for one in 10 British homes by 2015, according to new research.
The amount of electricity supplied by wind energy alone is up by a quarter since 2010, in a surprisingly good year for the renewables industry. While the government has notably cooled on wind power – more than 100 Tory MPs signed a statement this year opposing new windfarms, and the chancellor of the exchequer, George Osborne, has queried the future of subsidies – the industry has continued to grow, with investment in offshore wind up by about 60% to £1.5bn in the past year. Planning approvals for onshore windfarms also rose, up by about half, to reach a record level, according to the trade association Renewable UK.
Despite the outspoken opposition from many Tory MPs against wind power, there was a rise in the amount of onshore wind capacity approved last year for the first time since 2008. Continue reading
Hitachi, desperate for nuclear sales, will own Britain’s nuclear power enterprise!
Masaharu Hanyu, head of Hitachi’s nuclear division, hinted that the Japanese conglomerate had little choice but to win business abroad.
Hitachi enters Britain’s nuclear sector TOKYO, Oct. 31 (UPI) –– Japan’s Hitachi Ltd. will build up to six new nuclear reactors in the United Kingdom as part of its agreement to acquire Horizon Nuclear Power from German energy companies RWE and
E.ON.
The $1.1 billion deal announced this week propels Hitachi into the “new and uncomfortable” role as the owner of an entire atomic-power enterprise instead of just a contract reactor builder, says a report in the Financial Times.
Domestically, in the wake of the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japan aims to phase out nuclear power by 2040. Continue reading
UK nuclear power plants – safety problems not fixed
Third of U.K. Nuclear-Safety Concerns Unresolved, Regulator Says http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-31/third-of-u-k-nuclear-safety-concerns-unresolved-regulator-says.html
The ONR will “if necessary, consider enforcement action to ensure that appropriate measures are implemented,” said Deputy Chief Inspector Andy Hall. Reactors must be better prepared to respond to natural disasters and other emergencies, the ONR said, calling for plant reinforcements, reviews of cooling systems and ventilation routes for combustible gases.
The regulator’s recommendations last year followed the results of so-called stress tests on U.K. reactors after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan caused a meltdown at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Dai-Ichi plant. The crisis triggered similar reviews in other countries and led some, including Germany, to decide to phase out nuclear power altogether.
“Much work is still to be done to implement the lessons from Fukushima,” the ONR report shows. “We expect the licensees to make proposals on how they intend to meet the required safety outcomes, and to justify why their proposal represents the safest reasonably practicable option for improvement.”
UK would not take part in illegal pre-emptive strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities
Britain views pre-emptive strike on Iran nuclear facilities as illegal Telegraph UK, 26 Oct 12 Britain views a pre-emptive strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities as illegal under present circumstances and would not allow UK military bases to be used for this purpose, according to reports.
The Foreign Office declined to comment on suggestions that British ministers have been advised that a strike on Iran would breach international law because no imminent threat currently exists.
If the US were to attack Iran’s nuclear plants, it could request permission to use the RAF base at Akrotiri in Cyprus and the American military facilities located on the British territory of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. However, The Guardian reports that the Britain would reject any such request under present conditions…..
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/9636134/Britain-views-pre-emptive-strike-on-Iran-nuclear-facilities-as-illegal.html
UK govt – secret nuclear deals over “champagne and croissants.”?
EDF Denies U.K. Nuclear Deal to Be Sealed in ‘Smoke-Filled Room’, Bloomberg News By Sally Bakewell October 23, 2012 Electricite de France SA rejected criticism that its one-to-one talks with the U.K. over the deal it’ll get to build nuclear plants in the country means officials setting rates in a “smoke-filled room” without open scrutiny….. Continue reading
Independent Scotland would demand removal of Trident nuclear base
Nuclear weapons ‘outlawed’ in an independent Scotland, says Salmond, BBC News 21 Oct 12, The leader of the SNP has said that if his party won power in an independent government it would make nuclear weapons illegal.
Alex Salmond told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show that Trident, which currently resides at Faslane Naval base on the Clyde, would have to go.
He also said a go-alone Scotland would remain a member of the European Union….. He said: “The UK government has two choices – they either relocate Trident to another part of the rest of the UK or alternatively they could use nuclear facilities in America or France.”
Mr Salmond made a further point that it was possible for a UK government to decide a “much better policy” and decommission its weapons system….. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-20020839
UK government to betray its promise on subsidising nuclear power
The Independent : Who pays the nuclear power bill?
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/letters/letters-who-pays-the-nuclear-power-bill-8219862.html by Dr Paul Dorfman and 8 other UK University dignitaries 21 October 2012 The Government have promised that they would never, under any circumstances, subsidise nuclear power. Ed Davey, the Coalition Secretary of State for the Department of Energy and Climate Change, has stated that “There will be no blank cheque for nuclear – unless
they are price competitive, nuclear projects will not go ahead.”
However, the Coalition Energy Minister John Hayes, is now considering a major U-turn in energy policy by giving a blank cheque to nuclear by “underwriting” construction cost over-runs. This is despite the fact that the key to nuclear is its spiralling cost over-runs. Continue reading
Meeting in UK’s House of Commons supports Kudamkulam anti nuclear movement
Anti-nuke activists in UK express concern over Kudankulam nuclear power plants http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/anti-nuke-activists-in-uk-express-concern-over-kudankulam-nuclear-power-plants/articleshow/16883612.cms 20 OCT, 2012, LONDON: Voicing their opposition to atomic power as a source of energy, anti-nuclear activists in Britain have expressed their solidarity with the protests against the nuclear power plants at Kudankulam in India and Hinkley Point in the UK.
The activists, including doctors and academics, held a meeting at the House of Commons here last night and expressed their concern about the present situation in Kudankulam.
The meeting was hosted by MP Caroline Lucas and organised jointly by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and South Asia Solidarity Group.
Lucas told the meeting that she was “deeply worried about the situation in Kudankulam – both in terms of the nuclear plant and the treatment of local opponents”.
She also condemned British Prime Minister David Cameron’s policy of exporting civil nuclear technology to India.
Kate Hudson, the General Secretary of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, said nuclear power was neither safe nor did it make economic sense.
“Protests against nuclear power in the UK, India, Japan and Germany – and many other countries – show the scale of global public opinion against this dangerous and expensive form of energy,” she said.
“The mass non-violent protests in Kudankulam in India and the repeated demonstrations at Hinkley Point in the UK are powerful expressions of the widespread rejection of nuclear power that governments around the world would do well to heed.”
Amrit Wilson of South Asia Solidarity Group said, “Nuclear energy is on the run in Europe with multinationals like GEC increasingly reluctant to invest in it. Unfortunately as part of the fall out of the notorious US-India Nuclear Deal of 2008, these companies have been running to India with their sub-standard and dangerous reactors. We stand in solidarity with the protesters there.”
Indian government, however, maintains that the Kudankulam nuclear power plant is completely safe and designed to withstand all kinds of natural disasters, and various apprehensions over its safety are baseless.
Northern Scotland goes from nuclear to wind and waves, DW 19 Oct 12, The sparsely populated region of Caithness in northern Scotland once relied heavily on the development of nuclear energy for electric power and for job creation. Now wind and wave energy are set to take over. Continue reading
UK govt’s promotion of nuclear power becoming more chaotic
U.K. Energy Rules to Include Measures Spurring Nuclear By Alex Morales Bloomberg News October 18, 2012 U.K. Energy Secretary Ed Davey promised to give industry more clarity about power market reforms due next month, seeking to allay the concerns of renewable and nuclear power developers that ministers are bogged down in analysis of the problem….. Cameron’s Plan Prime Minister David Cameron said yesterday the government will put
into the legislation a measure forcing energy suppliers to charge each customer at the lowest available rate. The surprise proposal was not included in the May 22 draft, which focused on energy supply rather than demand.
Cameron’s statement caused “chaos in the energy industry,” Caroline Flint, the shadow energy minister for the opposition Labour Party, said in Parliament today. Neil Bentley, deputy director general of the Confederation of British Industry, said the pace of reform is
“frustrating” and risks falling victim to “paralysis by analysis.”….
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-10-18/u-dot-k-dot-energy-law-will-include-measures-spurring-nuclear-power
UK’s Cumbrian nuclear waste site dilemma
About 1,000 construction workers would take an estimated 15 years to complete it at a projected cost of between £12bn and £20bn.
Nuclear waste disposal: Where in Cumbria to bury it? BBC News 8 Oct 12 The need for deep underground nuclear waste storage is becoming crucial Arguments over nuclear waste disposal have been raging for decades, especially in Cumbria where the search continues for a site suitable for storing waste for tens of thousands of years.
Nuclear and scientific experts disagree about geological issues and, combined with Cumbrian public concerns at having an underground repository for nuclear waste, the dilemma continues. Continue reading
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of the week– Nuclear Reactor Information Task Force
14 May – online event From Bombs to Data Centres: the Face of Nuclear Colonialism
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