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UK’s nuclear power plans for Hinkley Point are ‘stumbling’

Hinkley Point plan hit by fresh criticism as police anticipate protest action  http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/Hinkley-Point-plan-hit-fresh-criticism-police/story-16337609-detail/story.html, June 11, 2012 Western Daily Press Plans to build Britain’s first nuclear power station for 20 years in the West Country have been hit by a barrage of new criticism.

Police have warned that the massive construction project will become the focus of major protests and attract a small army of transient and foreign workers. Anti-nuclear campaigners say plans by EDF Energy to construct two reactors at Hinkley Point C in Somerset are “stumbling”, with 30 major issues still unresolved. Continue reading →

June 13, 2012 Posted by | opposition to nuclear, UK | Leave a comment

Yet again, radioactive materials found at Dalgety Bay, Scotland

More radiation discovered on beach, Google Hosted News, (UKPA) – 13 June 12 A third significantly radioactive particle has been recovered from a beach at the centre of a contamination scare, it has emerged. Tests are now being carried out on the particle found by scientists in front of the headland at Dalgety Bay, Fife at the end of April.
It was discovered outside the area which is cordoned-off to the public, but in a section of beach said to be used infrequently.
More than 2,000 radioactive particles are thought to have been uncovered since October last year, when high-activity radiation was found at the bay and parts of the beach were closed….. “The source, which further demonstrates the need for a comprehensive investigation
of the contamination, is currently undergoing testing.”
Radioactive material was found on the Dalgety Bay foreshore 22 years ago. The contamination is thought to stem from residue of radium-coated instrument panels used on military aircraft which were incinerated and put in landfill in the area at the end of the Second World War. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5jAo-QrsuKQSJecRRyOFjfxRnjx8w?docId=N0240891339516232548A

June 13, 2012 Posted by | environment, UK | Leave a comment

Gloom in UK Parliament about the doubtful future of nuclear power

“It is a worry for the government that EDF is so downbeat. They are the only horse left in this race and if they falter it might mean the end of the whole [nuclear] programme.

The planned reforms, laid out in the government’s recent paper, have come under fire from some energy companies as a veiled subsidy for nuclear power

UK nuclear plans ‘need saving by David Cameron and Francois Hollande’ Commons committee chairman Tim Yeo says heads of state must intervene, after EDF casts doubt on its UK investment Fiona Harvey, environment correspondent guardian.co.uk,   12 June 2012  The prime minister must step in urgently to rescue the UK’s nuclear power programme, or risk it failing, a senior Tory has warned after French nuclear company EDF gave a downbeat report on the prospects for a new fleet of reactors in the UK.

Chairman of the influential energy and climate change committee and former Tory cabinet minister Tim Yeo said that Cameron must speak to his French counterpart, Francois Hollande, in order to decide what conditions are necessary for the state-owned French utility to fulfil its planned investment.

“This is something that can only be done by the heads of government of Britain and France,” he told the Guardian. “There may need to be special arrangements for nuclear [separate from the regulation and subsidy of other forms of power]. Given the size of this investment – billions and billions, with a return on investment coming well into the 2020s – this has to involve the heads of government.”
Yeo was speaking after the committee’s MPs questioned EDF Energy chief executive Vincent de Rivaz and several other energy company senior directors. De Rivaz was “very downbeat” on the prospects for new nuclear power stations, said Yeo. Continue reading →

June 13, 2012 Posted by | politics, UK | Leave a comment

UK’s Thorpe nuclear reprocessing plant not economically viable

Extending Thorp’s life would require investment “well in excess of £1bn”, the NDA said, including the construction of £600m of storage tanks for the highly-radioactive “liquor” that is produced by reprocessing.

“It would be very expensive to carry on much longer,” said Bill Hamilton, head of stakeholder relations at the NDA. “If there was a market out there, there would be a reason to invest, but there is no major appetite.”

Cumbria’s reprocessing plant to close Financial Times -8 June 12 By Rebecca Bream  One of the more problematic facilities in the UK nuclear industry, the Thorp reprocessing plant at Sellafield in Cumbria, is set to close, reflecting a worldwide drop in demand for its services.
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, which is responsible for cleaning up the UK’s nuclear reactor sites and dealing with radioactive waste, said on Thursday that Thorp would close in 2018 when its existing reprocessing contracts end. Continue reading →

June 8, 2012 Posted by | reprocessing, UK | Leave a comment

Sellafield nuclear reprocessing to shut, but no plan for waste disposal!

and they still want to keep on making the stuff!

 the authority said it was “still many years from making final decisions on the design” of the dump and even where it would be located.

Construction on the UK’s national nuclear waste dump, to be built deep underground, is expected to start in 2075, though a location has not yet been chosen.


Controversial Thorp plant at Sellafield to be shut down, Irish Times, MARK HENNESSY, London Editor, 7 June 12, SELLAFIELD’S CONTROVERSIAL Thorp nuclear reprocessing plant is to close. The facility will be shut down in six years’ time, Britain’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has said.

The decision will mean that spent nuclear rods produced by the British nuclear industry after 2018 will have to be buried untreated in a temporary nuclear storage dump for up to a century.

“Our strategy to close Thorp following completion of the reprocessing contracts has potentially wider policy implications for spent fuel management in the UK,” the authority acknowledged. Continue reading →

June 8, 2012 Posted by | UK, wastes | Leave a comment

UK’s nuclear reprocessing plant to close

Sellafield’s Thorp plant to close, The Independent, ALAN JONES , EMILY BEAMENT   07 JUNE 2012  A nuclear reprocessing site which has been in operation for 20 years is to close in 2018 after current contracts are completed, it was confirmed today.
The Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant (Thorp) at Sellafield in Cumbria,
… was commissioned in the early 1990s…. The NDA said in a statement that the closure decision was confirmed after it completed a strategic review of the options for the management of oxide fuels.

It added: “Oxide fuels include the remaining overseas-derived spent fuels that are being stored at Sellafield pending reprocessing in Thorp and also the spent fuels coming from the UK’s fleet of AGR (advanced gas-cooled reactors) power stations owned and operated by
EDF Energy….. Other decommissioning and reprocessing facilities and waste treatment plants on the Sellafield site remain in operation.

June 8, 2012 Posted by | reprocessing, UK | Leave a comment

Summer days doubling solar electricity output in Britain

Weatherwatch: long days of sunshine double electricity output http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2012/jun/03/weatherwatch-sunshine-solar-power?newsfeed=true Paul Brown  3 June 2012  The last nine days of May saw a record production of solar power in Britain. The clear dry air meant sunlight was strong, more than doubling the daily average electricity output. Long hours of daylight are currently giving the thousands of households that invested in solar power under the original high level of subsidy considerable income. Continue reading →

June 4, 2012 Posted by | decentralised, UK | Leave a comment

UK govt trying to sneak in subsidies for nuclear power, against EU rules

The main new nuclear subsidy will come via so-called contracts-for-difference (CFDs), which allow utilities to claim a top-up from energy bill payers if the electricity price falls below an agreed “strike” price. 

Currently, state subsidy for nuclear would contravene EC competition rules.

 “I think we’re near the end game now and I will be interested to see whether the government has the nerve to abandon nuclear completely or whether it will force through a couple of reactors to save face.”

Is there a UK nuclear power plan B? Guardian UK, Damian Carrington, 1 June 12, The government won’t say, despite ploughing on with a subsidy policy that grows more absurd with every new revelation Is the government conducting contingency planning for a scenario in which no new nuclear plants are commissioned in the UK in next few years?

You would think it is a vital question, given the nation’s binding climate change targets, all the old nuclear and coal plants that will close shortly and rising energy bills. New nuclear reactors are essential to solving all these problems, say ministers, yet utilities such as E.on, RWE and SSE have all abandoned their nuclear plans as uninvestable and the sector’s cheerleader EDF has put its plans on hold.

But the Department for Energy and Climate Change would not tell me if they were developing contingency plans. Continue reading →

June 4, 2012 Posted by | secrets,lies and civil liberties, UK | Leave a comment

UK govt secretly trying to weaken European Union’s climate regulations

Leaked documents reveal UK fight to dilute EU green energy targets Allegations of coalition hypocrisy over green issues as critics say documents show UK has caved in to fossil fuel lobbyists, Fiona Harvey, environment correspondent guardian.co.uk,   3 June 2012 The government has been trying to water down key environmental regulations in Brussels despite trumpeting its commitment to green issues at home, leaked documents show.

The papers, seen by the Guardian, reveal British officials repeatedly trying to prevent the adoption of European Union rules on energy efficiency, curtailing the proposals and making them voluntary rather than mandatory in many cases. In addition, the UK has tried repeatedly to ensure that the EU does not adopt a new target for renewable energy generation. Continue reading →

June 4, 2012 Posted by | climate change, secrets,lies and civil liberties, UK | Leave a comment

Wales would do better with renewables, tourism, than with nuclear power

Anti-nuclear group Pawb’s Anglesey job creation plans, BBC New North Wales, 1 June 12, The existing Wylfa plant has permission to operate until 2014  
One nuclear reactor to be closed
Talks to find Wylfa B investors
Firms drop new Wylfa nuclear plan
An anti-nuclear group has published plans on how it believes jobs can be created on Anglesey. People Against Wylfa B (Pawb) says the fact companies have pulled out of plans for a new nuclear power station shows the economic case is weak.

It proposes an offshore wind farm and the promotion of tourism instead……

At the time talks were continuing to find investors, after the company which was to build a new nuclear power station on Anglesey pulled out…..

Pawb says up to 3,000 jobs could be created on the island, and Dr Clowes said one plan being backed is a proposal for a massive offshore wind farm between Anglesey and the Isle of Man…..

The solar photovoltaic (using solar panels to convert sunlight into electricity) industry is increasing apace. These are seen as Cinderella-type industries… but they are real jobs, here today,” he added. Tourism could also be developed, he argued. He said the Welsh government had put “all its eggs in one basket” by backing Wylfa B and
saw it as the cure-all.

“Many opportunities have been lost,” he added…. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-18292401

June 2, 2012 Posted by | employment, UK | Leave a comment

Better ways than nuclear power to manage electricity

Nuclear is not the only option  The Guardian UK , Alan Mitcham, 25 May 12, I can’t understand why the government is pushing for more investment in nuclear power when Fukushima is so recent. I’ve also heard Ed Davey “squirming” on the BBC and saying we need investment to “keep the lights on”. Keep the lights on?

Maybe 50 years ago this was the primary use of electricity but now most goes on powering masses of superfluous appliances and gadgets. So we should ask ourselves how we might distinguish between essential (keeping the lights on) and luxury (frothing coffee) electricity?

One way would be to install a supplementary DC circuit in every home. Here batteries would be charged at cheap night-time rates or from solar panels, with them supplying a limited amount of essential electricity. The cost for daytime AC power could then be increased significantly so we all start to feel a real level of “financial pain” when we run the tumble-drier,
switch on air-conditioning or leave the TV running when we are not
really watching it.

Phil Booth It ill behoves those of us who have lived long lives of
profligate energy consumption to wring our hands as if nothing can be
done to rationalise UK energy policy. 0ur best efforts make little
impression on the global problem and may not impress India or China,
but to do nothing sends a message about the greed of arrogant
developed nations which they and others will seize with both hands.
And we don’t need to wait for Jenkins’s wise mathematician to deliver
answers. We should begin now by taking aggressive measures to cut
energy use; not a glamorous step but effective, and cost-effective
too….. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/may/24/nuclear-power-not-only-option?newsfeed=true

May 26, 2012 Posted by | ENERGY, UK | Leave a comment

UK government’s folly in persisting with nuclear power plans

the UK, where the nuclear industry is so embedded in government it supplies staff free-of-charge to work within the energy ministry. Perhaps it’s no wonder that even when half of the UK’s big six energy companies bale out of nuclear on cost grounds, ministers plough on regardless.

while mass-produced renewable energy technologies are pushing the costs downwards, nuclear energy is completing the journey from “too cheap to meter” to “too expensive to count”

Only renewables – not nuclear – could be too cheap to meter  http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/damian-carrington-blog/2012/may/22/energy-nuclear-renewables  Damian Carrington, The Guardian UK, 22 May 12,  Germany’s long support for wind and solar energy is delivering zero-cost electricity at times. In contrast, the UK’s new energy policy seeks to underwrite the rising cost of nuclear  “Too cheap to meter”: that was the infamous boast of the nuclear powerindustry in its heyday. It has been catastrophically discredited by history. Continue reading →

May 23, 2012 Posted by | politics, UK | Leave a comment

Promote clean energy, don’t subsidise nuclear – says Scotland

”  the UK Government must recognise that the purpose of this reform is to support renewable energy, not to provide subsidies for nuclear energy.” 

Government: Renewables not nuclear Google News(UKPA) – 23 May 12, Planned reforms to the electricity market must focus on renewable energy rather than nuclear subsidies, according to the Scottish Government.
The comment follows publication of the draft UK Energy Bill which the British Government hopes will deliver the £110 billion investment needed to build new low-carbon capacity. Continue reading →

May 23, 2012 Posted by | politics, UK | Leave a comment

Britain setting up huge subsidies for nuclear industry, poorly hidden in consumers’ costs

Britain’s proposals appear to be drafted to sidestep E.U. restrictions on state aid that might prevent direct subsidies for the construction of new nuclear power plants.

Britain hopes that this guaranteed price, to be paid by businesses and consumers, will secure the financial commitment from energy utilities to construct nuclear reactors

This proposal has distorted policy in order to try to disguise the massive subsidies nuclear will need, but they remain so huge that the policy will fail anyway,” 

Britain Charts Way to Wider Nuclear Investment, NYT, By STEPHEN CASTLE, May 22, 2012 LONDON — Britain  announced plans Tuesday to finance a new generation of nuclear power plants and renewable energy facilities in a move that illustrates divergent energy policies within the European Union  as it grapples with the challenge of reconciling economic and environmental objectives. While Germany intends to phase out nuclear power and France’s new president, François Hollande, aims to reduce his country’s reliance on it, the British government appears to be moving in the opposite direction with its proposals, aimed at luring investment of £110 billion, or $175 billion, to build new reactors and renewable energy plants. Continue reading →

May 23, 2012 Posted by | politics, UK | Leave a comment

Stop Kent nuclear waste bunker plan says Campaign to Protect Rural England,

Environmental group slams Kent nuclear waste bunker proposal  BBC 20 May 2012 A proposal to build a nuclear waste bunker in Kent has been criticised by an environmental group.

Shepway District Council is considering whether a nuclear disposal facility, where waste is buried underground, could be built at Romney Marsh.

Protect Kent have reacted strongly to the proposal saying it must be “quashed at the outset”.

The council said it has “no formal view” about the proposal.

The Romney Marsh Nuclear Research and Disposal Facility would be buried 200m (656ft) to 1,000m (3,280ft) below ground……. Kent County Council has already signalled its opposition to the idea, saying it would push for a county-wide referendum.

Andrew Ogden, from Protect Kent, local branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said the proposal was “unfeasible”.

“This is an ill-considered idea that must be quashed at the outset,” he said.

“Perhaps more significantly, it is a proposal that is so unfeasible and so unlikely to be given any credence by the government. Shepway District Council are wasting time, energy and money in trying to pursue it.”…..  Shepway District Council will hold a series of public exhibitions  over the next three weeks detailing the proposals. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-18137403

May 21, 2012 Posted by | UK, wastes | Leave a comment

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