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Up to date costs of Sizewell C nuclear are over  £40 billion, not the  £20 billion quoted.

 Letter: Dr Sarah Darby, Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford.

Nuclear power’s bill: You cite the estimated cost of Sizewell C
nuclear power station as £20 billion (“Starmer powers ahead with plan
for new nuclear plant”, news, Apr 10). But this was the original estimate
and is a long way from the more recent figure of £40 billion, which itself
is well below any final sum once the costs of capital, decommissioning and
disposal are factored in.

The prime minister and the power company EDF
appear determined to see nimbyism as the main obstacle to nuclear power.
Yet the laws of physics and the experience of engineers tell us that
nuclear plants remain a complex, risky, time-consuming and expensive method
of producing steam to run turbines. It is not too late to steer the funding
in more productive directions. As industrialists and policymakers
increasingly recognise, renewables, efficiency and storage offer attractive
options for meeting our energy needs.

 Times 12th April 2025 https://www.thetimes.com/comment/letters-to-editor/article/times-letters-tariffs-backdown-america-donald-trump-lrmsg87k6

April 14, 2025 Posted by | business and costs, UK | Leave a comment

Tory peer helped secure meeting with minister for Canadian nuclear firm he advises

Ian Duncan ‘facilitated an introduction’ for Terrestrial Energy, which was seeking government funding

Rob Evans and Henry Dyer, Guardian 10th April 2025,

 A Conservative peer helped to secure a meeting with a minister for a
Canadian company he was advising while it was seeking government funding
worth millions of pounds. Ian Duncan was on an advisory board of
Terrestrial Energy, a nuclear technology company, when he “facilitated an
introduction” between its chief executive and a new energy minister while
the company was applying for a government grant. The revelation raises
questions for Duncan about whether his actions broke House of Lords rules.
The meeting with Andrew Bowie, the nuclear minister at the time, enabled
the chief executive of Terrestrial Energy to lobby for easier access to UK
government funding. Lord Duncan of Springbank has been an adviser to the
company since 2020, after he was recruited by another peer, Lady
Bloomfield. He took the position months after a stint as a junior climate
minister. He does not receive a salary for the role, but was given share
options at the outset of his appointment.

These give him the right to buy shares in the company at a preferential rate if they become profitable. In March, the company announced a deal that would result in its shares being listed on a US stock market at the end of the year, with the company valued at about $1bn. The move could allow Duncan to make a significant profit……………………………………………………………………

Peers are banned under House of Lords rules from seeking to “profit from membership of the house”. They are barred from making use of their position to “help others to lobby” members of either house, ministers or officials, “by whatever means”.

Dr Jonathan Rose, a political integrity expert at De Montfort University, said Duncan’s conduct appeared to be “extremely problematic”. “I think there needs to be an investigation specifically into Lord Duncan to understand whether he actually did break the rules. It seems to me that he is providing parliamentary advice and services, which he’s not allowed to do.”

Details of Duncan’s conduct are being published by the Guardian as part of the Lords debate, a series examining the role of the House of Lords and the conduct of its members, at a time when the government is proposing to reform the upper chamber.

 Guardian 10th April 2025, https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/apr/10/tory-peer-helped-canadian-firm-advising-secure-meeting-minister

April 14, 2025 Posted by | secrets,lies and civil liberties, UK | Leave a comment

Labour leader to improve investment for Sizewell nuclear plant

However, campaign groups opposed to Sizewell C, including Together Against Sizewell C (TASC), have accused the prime minister of ignoring cost and time overruns and the environment impact of the project.

“the prime minister is prepared to pre-empt the spending review – and potentially flout the national pre-election period – by soon announcing that the government will commit billions more in taxpayers’ money to Sizewell C, in a flawed attempt to bolster his growth agenda.”

By Dominic Bareham, 11 April

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is set to give the final go ahead for the Sizewell C nuclear power station at the government’s spending review in the summer.

Reports in the national media suggested the Labour leader would approve investment for the nuclear plant – as well as unveiling plans for small modular reactors (SMR) around the country – before a government spending review in June.

A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) confirmed a decision on whether to proceed would be taken in the spending review and the new plant would play an “important role” in helping the UK achieve energy security.

In July 2022, Kwasi Kwarteng, the then Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, gave the go ahead for the Suffolk coastal plant, which is expected to cost in the region of £20 billion and provide power for six million homes.

Since then, the government has approved various tranches of funding for the project, including £2.7 billion in the autumn budget, in addition to £1.2 billion made available to the project since July last year.

However, campaign groups opposed to Sizewell C, including Together Against Sizewell C (TASC), have accused the prime minister of ignoring cost and time overruns and the environment impact of the project.

………….. a TASC spokesperson said the funding for Sizewell C would have been better spent on renewables.

He said: “It is staggering that Starmer is willing to sacrifice one of the UK’s most biodiverse areas and the precious Suffolk Heritage Coast for an ideological pursuit of growth in the form of new nuclear.

“Few can disagree that nuclear power is costly, potentially dangerous, slow to deploy, capital (not labour) intensive and is not ‘clean,’ condemning future generations to deal with the toxic legacy of thousands of tonnes of spent nuclear fuel.”

Campaigners launch legal challenge against Sizewell C planning decision

Alison Downes, from fellow campaigners Stop Sizewell C, said: “Despite huge pressures on public funding, news reports suggest the prime minister is prepared to pre-empt the spending review – and potentially flout the national pre-election period – by soon announcing that the government will commit billions more in taxpayers’ money to Sizewell C, in a flawed attempt to bolster his growth agenda.

“The reality is that Sizewell C will cost at least £40 billion for less than a thousand long term Suffolk jobs at the station.

“Yet very unpopular cuts are being made to other areas of spending, and even in the energy field that money could be put to better use.

“It could, for example, be used to bolster the Warm Homes Plan, which would lower household bills, reduce energy consumption and create many thousands of sustainable jobs nationwide, improving Labour’s chances of winning the next election.”

April 14, 2025 Posted by | politics, UK | Leave a comment

Keir Starmer set to approve nuclear plant in bid to power up economic growth.

The prime minister is pinning his hopes of economic growth on a major nuclear plant and a series of mini nuclear sites

Archie Mitchell, Political correspondent, Independent 10th April 2025

Sir Keir Starmer is expected to approve a major nuclear power plant alongside a slew of mini reactors in a bid to boost Britain’s stagnant economy.

The prime minister will approve investment for the construction of the Sizewell C nuclear plant in Suffolk before the June spending review, The Times reported, as well as unveiling plans for a fleet of small modular reactors (SMRs) across the UK.

Sizewell C is expected to be up and running in 2035 and will provide 7 per cent of Britain’s energy demand at a cost of £20 billion……………………

Sizewell C is yet to be signed off by the government.

A decision on whether to give Sizewell C the green light has formed part of the government’s upcoming spending review, but Sir Keir has been bringing announcements forward in response to Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The PM has been desperately trying to spur on growth amid fears the US president’s trade war will cause Britain’s economy to stagnate and force further cuts in the autumn Budget.

EDF, the French energy giant that owns and runs Britain’s nuclear fleet, and the government, which has committed £6 billion so far, were the first backers of the project.

But they have been trying to raise billions more from prospective investors, including British Gas owner Centrica.

The government in January was forced to deny reports the expected costs of Sizewell C had spiralled to £40bn due to inflation and the knock-on effects of delays at Hinkley Point C.

Whitehall sources told The Independent the government is hugely supportive of Sizewell C, but that an announcement on its approval and funding would not come before June.

Sources told The Times Sir Keir wants to make a “nuclear moment” by combining the approval of Sizewell C with an announcement on a generation of SMRs.

The government has been running a competition to develop the reactors, which are potentially cheaper, much faster to build and easier to deploy, with Rolls-Royce and GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy the frontrunners. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/starmer-nuclear-growth-trump-tariffs-b2730868.html

April 13, 2025 Posted by | politics, UK | Leave a comment

Starmer appoints ex-Office of Fair Trading chief to lead nuclear regulatory taskforce

The prime minister has appointed ex-Office of Fair Trading boss John Fingleton to head up the country’s nuclear taskforce

Energy Voice, By Jessica Mills Davies, 10/04/2025

The UK government’s nuclear taskforce will be led by John Fingleton, formerly the boss of the Office of Fair Trading, following his appointment to spearhead the unit.

The Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce, which was set up to accelerate the development of new nuclear power stations across the country, is poised to embark on an overhaul of UK planning regulation.

In February, Keir Starmer moved to slash “red tape” in the industry to enable more nuclear power plants to be approved across England and Wales.

Those reforms are designed to enable small modular reactors to be built for the first time. That is the intended result of the government abolishing a set list of approved sites for nuclear development so that nuclear power stations can be built anywhere in the country.

The energy department said that contract negotiations to progress a competition for these small reactors, held by Great British Nuclear, are “currently underway”, and that a panel of nuclear experts will be appointed to the taskforce in due course.

In a controversial move, the government is also getting rid of expiry dates on nuclear planning rules, in an effort to avoid projects timing out.

These changes to nuclear planning rules were proposed after the pre-development stage Sizewell C nuclear plant in Suffolk was taken to court by local activists.

The Department for Net Zero and Energy Security said that the government committed a further £2.7 billion in public funding to Sizewell C last month………………………..

The independent taskforce will seek to identify how nuclear power regulation can incentivise investment in new projects more quickly and cost efficiently, it said………….

Fingleton said he will “work closely with business, regulators and other interested individuals and groups to identify how regulation can better enable and incentivise investment in this area”…………………. https://www.energyvoice.com/renewables-energy-transition/570966/starmer-selects-fingleton-to-head-up-nuclear-taskforce/

April 12, 2025 Posted by | safety, UK | Leave a comment

NFLAs ‘shout up’ for National Parks to be spared from nuclear development

Despite our objections and those of many in the antinuclear community, Energy Ministers and departmental civil servants remain intent upon introducing a new National Planning Statement, called the EN-7, which gives considerable latitude to prospective developers to site new nuclear plants more widely, subject to meeting certain criterion (called the ‘criteria-based approach’) and lifts any time limits (called ‘the removal of a deployment deadline’).

10th April 2025, https://www.nuclearpolicy.info/news/nflas-shout-up-for-national-parks-to-be-spared-from-nuclear-development/

NFLAs ‘shout up’ for National Parks to be spared from nuclear development

The Nuclear Free Local Authorities have made an emphatic plea to the government for National Parks to be definitively spared from development and for further ‘specific consideration’ to be given to the challenges attendant to siting so-called Small and Advanced Modular Reactors (SMRs and AMRs).

Despite our objections and those of many in the antinuclear community, Energy Ministers and departmental civil servants remain intent upon introducing a new National Planning Statement, called the EN-7, which gives considerable latitude to prospective developers to site new nuclear plants more widely, subject to meeting certain criterion (called the ‘criteria-based approach’) and lifts any time limits (called ‘the removal of a deployment deadline’).

Interestingly neither of these notions was popular amongst respondents in the initial consultation on the policy with only 47% supporting the first and 50% the second; which begs the NFLAs to ask the question: why change the existing policy which is based on a government led strategic assessment of sites to in effect a ‘free-for-all’?

As we did in response to the first stage consultation, so in the second the NFLAs ‘shout up…against new nuclear in any of our National Parks and on sites adjoining or threatening Sites of Outstanding Natural Beauty or Immense Heritage Value’. The Welsh NFLA affiliates are particularly passionate in seeking to defend Trawsfynydd, which lies at the heart of Eryri, the premier National Park of Wales, from new development. As we point out:

‘The principle that National Parks can be excluded from future nuclear development has already been established by Government diktat. Any part of the Lake District National Park in England has been specifically (and in our view rightly) excluded from any consideration as a prospective site of a future Geological Disposal Facility. Surely then Trawsfynydd being at the heart of the Eryri National Park should enjoy the same protection in law?

In our view, to do otherwise exposes UK Government policy as hypocritical and inconsistent, implying that the premier National Park of Wales is not worthy of the same protection as the premier National Park of England and unfortunately conveys the impression that Wales remains a rank colonial possession, rather than a nation in its own right, whose natural assets are open to exploitation by any major nuclear development of the most egregious kind’.

Only 59% of respondents in phase one backed the inclusion of ‘SMRS and AMRs alongside large-scale GW technologies’ within the policy, with the NGO community calling for a separate policy. Despite this, Ministers intend this policy to be one-size-fits-all. In this second phase consultation, the NFLAs have referenced the lack of ‘specific consideration’ of the ‘additional, and not entirely defined, challenges’ that accompany the inclusion of SMRs and AMRs.

There have been many recent reports of concerns amongst the nuclear industry and the academic community about the radioactive waste produced by smaller reactors and the security implications of a wider rollout of smaller reactors. The NFLAs have therefore requested that final version of EN-7 should require ‘SMR, AMR, Micro reactor developers to submit robust statements about their proposals to address radioactive waste management, safety, security and proliferation concerns’.

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April 12, 2025 Posted by | environment, opposition to nuclear, UK | Leave a comment

UK Government convenes AI Energy Council, but could be ignoring hidden climate impacts in supply chains


 Edie 10th April 2025, Sidhi Mittal

The UK Government has officially launched its AI Energy Council, with its first meeting outlining five key priorities for aligning the country’s clean energy ambitions with the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI).

However, while the Council focuses on integrating AI intro the UK’s energy system, Ministers are being warned that they are overlooking the strain which AI supply chains are putting on energy systems overseas.

The Council is led by Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband. Representatives from companies including Microsoft, Google, Amazon, ARM, EDF and ScottishPower sit on the Council, alongside energy regulator Ofgem and the National Energy System Operator (NESO).

The Council this week met for the first time, and agreed on focus points for the year ahead. These include preparing the UK’s energy grid for the electricity demands of AI and computer infrastructure, accelerating renewable energy adoption, and ensuring AI’s role in the energy sector contributes to the transition to net-zero.

Emphasis was also placed on using AI to improve grid flexibility and ensuring its safe, secure deployment in the energy system.

This move comes amid growing pressure for the UK’s AI ecosystem to deliver more public benefit. A recent report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) found that only 15% of AI firms in the UK are developing solutions aimed at social challenges such as public health or environmental sustainability, despite 20% having received public funding.

IPPR’s head of AI Carsten Jung said: “Too many companies are focussed on generic process improvements rather than coming up with new, better products. And too few innovations are aimed at solving big societal problems, such as public health and climate change.

“This quantity over quality, profit over purpose, speed over substance, approach is a hugely missed opportunity.”

But as the UK attempts to shape a greener AI-powered future through initiatives like the AI Energy Council, the global supply chain it relies on presents an emissions challenge far beyond its borders.

AI chip boom in East Asia drives fossil fuel surge

New research from Greenpeace East Asia has found that electricity demand for manufacturing AI chips has risen more than 350% between 2023 and 2024. East Asia—home to the bulk of global AI chip production—is seeing this growth largely powered by fossil fuels………………………..

Greenpeace East Asia’s supply chain project lead Katrin Wu said: “While fabless hardware companies like Nvidia and AMD are reaping billions from the AI boom, they are neglecting the climate impact of their supply chains in East Asia.

“Across East Asia, there are many opportunities for companies to invest directly in wind and solar energy, yet chipmakers have failed to do so on a meaningful scale.

“Hardware companies can overcome renewable energy bottlenecks by investing directly in wind and solar capacity, signing power purchase agreements, and leveraging their influence to advocate for a higher ratio of renewable energy in the grid.”……………………………………………………………. https://www.edie.net/uk-government-convenes-ai-energy-council-but-could-be-ignoring-hidden-climate-impacts-in-supply-chains/

April 12, 2025 Posted by | technology, UK | Leave a comment

EDF urged to tackle ‘nuclear rats’ infestation at Somerset power plant site

Unite and GMB trade unions have warned French energy giant EDF that urgent action is needed to tackle the massive rodent outbreak at the construction site of Hinkley Point C nuclear reactor in Somerset.

Katie Timms, Joshua Whorms,  Somerset Live 9th April 2025

“Nuclear rats” have reportedly overrun the construction site of a new nuclear reactor in Somerset, raising alarm among workers about their health and safety as they contend with the pervasive rodent problem.

Trade unions Unite and GMB have urgently called on French energy giant EDF to take immediate action to address the significant rodent infestation at the Hinkley Point C nuclear reactor site.

Concerns are mounting for the wellbeing of the workforce tasked with constructing Britain’s first new nuclear power station in decades due to the burgeoning rat population, reports the Daily Star.

An insider at the site disclosed to the Observer: “They’re all over. You see them just sat there, looking at you. It is worse near the canteens, where I guess it started. But they are everywhere now.

“The more men working on the site, the more rubbish on the site and the canteens are not clean either. It has just become worse over time,” the source elaborated.

Other employees have described the situation as “quite grim”. Amidst the project exceeding its budget by a billion pounds, workers have voiced concerns that financial constraints imposed by EDF are compromising their working conditions and impacting their wages.

These persistent issues led to industrial action last November, with hundreds of electricians, pipe fitters, and welders ceasing work due to security worries…………………….

The Star previously reported on the alarming sight of “cat-sized rats” which ignited concerns about a potential outbreak of a rare bacterial disease in the UK’s second largest city.

Residents have reported sightings of enormous “rats the size of cats” prowling their streets, as industrial action by waste collectors has resulted in rubbish accumulating in the streets of Birmingham. There is growing concern among experts about these oversized rodents potentially leading to locals contracting Leptospirosis…………………………………
https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/edf-urged-tackle-nuclear-rats-10094730

April 12, 2025 Posted by | environment, UK | Leave a comment

Declassified MoD document reveals US Visiting Forces across Britain are exempt from nuclear safety rules

 CND 7th April 2025

At a time of heightened nuclear dangers, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament has uncovered shocking evidence that US military bases across Britain are exempt from UK emergency radiation regulations.

This means that bases like RAF Lakenheath, which is being prepared to host deadly new US nuclear weapons, is under no legal obligation to have emergency radiation plans in case of nuclear accidents.

A declassified exemption order shows that the government is putting so-called ‘national security’ before people’s safety.

CND is calling on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to announce in Parliament that no US nuclear weapons will be welcomed in Britain and that the exemption on adhering to legally required safety standards is revoked.

A letter from CND’s lawyers Leigh Day has forced the Ministry of Defence to declassify a significant nationwide exemption certificate, issued in March 2021 by former Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, on the grounds of ‘national security’. 

The certificate exempts Visiting Forces – primarily US military personnel – engaged in work with ionising radiations, from any legal enforcement of safety standards, using powers under Regulation 40 of the Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 and Regulation 25 of the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulation 2019. This means they are not legally bound to have in place plans and measures for emergency situations involving radioactive materials and nuclear weapons.

This is particularly dangerous given US preparations at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk for a new nuclear weapons mission. However, the exemption not only covers RAF Lakenheath but all US military bases across Britain. 

There are at least 10,000 US Department of Defence personnel stationed at 13 RAF bases. Nuclear material for Britain’s own nuclear weapons programme is regularly transported through RAF Brize Norton and RAF Fairford regularly hosts the US B2 nuclear-capable stealth bomber. 

The government’s exemption means that local councils will never be told about the presence of nuclear weapons at these bases – and are therefore not obliged to produce their own emergency plans for a radiological accident. This puts the British population at even greater risk.

CND is calling on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to announce in Parliament that no US nuclear weapons will be welcomed in Britain and that the exemption on adhering to legally required safety standards is revoked. The majority of the British public don’t want US nuclear weapons in this country. 

CND is upping pressure on the government, supporting two weeks of protest actions from Monday 14 April, culminating in a blockade of the base on Saturday 26 April. The peace camp and actions are organised by the Lakenheath Alliance for Peace, of which CND is a member………………………………………………………………………………………………. https://cnduk.org/declassified-mod-document-reveals-us-visiting-forces-across-britain-are-exempt-from-nuclear-safety-rules/

April 11, 2025 Posted by | safety, UK | Leave a comment

Radiation Monitoring – Scottish university in ‘world-first’ for nuclear technology

A “cutting-edge” radiation detector module for nuclear experiments has
been developed by staff and students at the University of the West of
Scotland (UWS) that will be deployed at the world’s top laboratories. The
detection module, which can be used for nuclear experiments, will have
“far-reaching impact” on the areas where radiation detection is required.

 Herald 7th April 2025,
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/25068881.scottish-university-world-first-nuclear-technology/

April 11, 2025 Posted by | technology, UK | Leave a comment

Hartlepool Nuclear site moved into enhanced regulatory attention

The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) has moved Hartlepool Nuclear Power Station operated by EDF into enhanced regulatory attention for safety.

ONR has made the decision based on evidence gained from ongoing targeted engagements at the site which have identified areas where improvements are required.   

The change in regulatory attention level does not relate to EDF’s recent decision to extend the operating lifetime of the station in County Durham, which is subject to ongoing safety standards being demonstrated.

The enhanced regulatory attention level reflects the effort ONR is using to influence improvements in areas including conventional health and safety, the number of site incidents and the production of nuclear safety cases.

 ONR 7th April 2025, https://www.onr.org.uk/news/all-news/2025/04/nuclear-site-moved-into-enhanced-regulatory-attention/

April 11, 2025 Posted by | safety, UK | Leave a comment

Ex-Hinkley boss called ‘greedy toad’ over bribes

A senior manager at a nuclear power plant has been described to a tribunal as a “greedy little toad” over claims he accepted bribes.

Ashley Daniels, who worked at Hinkley Point C in Somerset under the French energy company EDF, accepted an £11,000 quad bike from a subcontractor looking to secure more work, the employment tribunal in Bristol heard.

Mr Daniels, who the BBC understands no longer works for the company, was not the subject of the tribunal, which was brought by a former employee of the subcontractor.

The tribunal heard Mr Daniels also received gifts including £2,000 hospitality tickets for a boxing match and a refill for his Montblanc fountain pen.

The hearing, for a claim of unfair dismissal, was brought by engineer Garrick Nisbet against the subcontractor, Notus Heavy Lift Solutions.

Mr Nisbet was dismissed without notice in April 2023 in the belief he had gifted the quad bike to Mr Daniels – at the time the head of lifting and temporary works at Hinkley – to “ensure that work was directed” to Notus, the hearing was told.

Speaking about messages he had sent regarding the alleged bribes, Mr Nisbet told the tribunal Mr Daniels was “cheeky and a greedy little toad”.

In other messages, the tribunal heard, he said the purchase of the quad bike would give Notus “a bit of breathing space”, later saying Mr Daniels was “hard to say no to”.

‘Clearly bribes’

Hinkley Point B halted operations in August 2022 having come to the end of its life, with Hinkley Point C under construction since late 2018………….

 BBC 8th April 2025 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn7xv8vyzp3o

April 11, 2025 Posted by | secrets,lies and civil liberties, UK | Leave a comment

£2.7bn more taxpayer funding for Sizewell C confirmed

 

The government has announced that a further £2.7bn of taxpayer cash has made available for Sizewell C, bringing the total to £6.4bn ahead of the final investment decision (FID) on the nuclear power station.

A FID is needed before main construction can start on the planned nuclear power
station in Suffolk. The FID will confirm who is to pay for the construction
and through what model.

As of January, £2.5bn of contracts had already
been agreed for works towards the project. It is expected that the FID
decision, which is not a foregone conclusion, will come at or around the
conclusion of the Spending Review, scheduled for 11 June 2025.

Rumours have swirled around which investors might help with getting the FID over the
line. Centrica chief executive Chris O’Shea said the multinational energy
company’s stake in Sizewell C could be “between 1% or 2% and 50%”,
and EDF has been slowly having its stake in the plant eroded by taxpayer
cash injections while it inputs no further of its own funds.

NCE approached
DESNZ to clarify the status of the previously announced £5.5bn development
expenditure (Devex) scheme, and what the total figure for public investment
in Sizewell C stands at. A DESNZ spokesperson confirmed that the £2.7bn
announced on 4 April is not from the Devex fund. “The government has
committed £3.9bn from the Devex scheme – so £1.6bn is left,” the
spokesperson told NCE. “£8bn has been ringfenced for Sizewell C, and
£6.4bn made available for the project.”

  By Tom Pashby, New Civil Engineer 7th April 2025, https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/2-7bn-more-taxpayer-funding-for-sizewell-c-confirmed-07-04-2025/

April 10, 2025 Posted by | politics, UK | Leave a comment

Disconnection of nuclear plants during severe space weather highlighted as risk to grid stability

08 Apr, 2025 By Tom Pashby

Nuclear power station operators’ reactions to severe space weather could negatively impact the stability of the electricity transmission grid, a space weather expert has told NCE……………….


 New Civil Engineer 8th April 2025 https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/disconnection-of-nuclear-plants-during-severe-space-weather-highlighted-as-risk-to-grid-stability-08-04-2025/

April 10, 2025 Posted by | safety, UK | Leave a comment

Nuclear missile ‘cover-up’ fears as secret pact allowing US to bring deadly weapons to UK revealed

US nuclear missiles could be delivered to the UK as the Mirror reveals Ministry of Defence chiefs signed off on a secret pact allowing American forces to bring deadly bombs to UK

Chris Hughes Defence and Security Editor and Ashley Cowburn Political Correspondent, 06 Apr 2025
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/nuclear-missile-cover-up-fears-34997771

British defence chiefs are at the centre of a ‘cover-up’ row over secretly exempting US troops from telling local authorities they are storing nuclear weapons. A declassified document proves former defence secretary Ben Wallace signed the ‘sensitive’ waiver which means local authorities are being left in the dark over the missiles.

The nuclear bust-up centres upon US air base RAF Lakenheath, home of F-35A Lightning II fighters, although the March 2021 waiver exempts all US bases in the UK. Not only are locals being kept in the dark over the possible nuclear missile storage but troops are also exempt from sticking to regulations applied to radiation risks. That means local authorities cannot draft disaster emergency plans.

The MoD was forced to declassify the Ben Wallace document down from ‘sensitive’ to prove to the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament that legally they do not have to tell locals. It clearly says it was signed for ‘national security’ and that they are exempt from Ionisation Regulations 2017 and Radiation Regulations 2019.

Although it is not known publicly if RAF Lakenheath has US nuclear weapons on site, the exemption means nobody outside security-cleared personnel will ever know. CND General Secretary Sophie Bolt said: “The government’s exemption order smacks of a cover-up for a new generation of deadly US nuclear bombs that could be deployed in Britain.

“Nuclear weapons are the most destructive in the world. They put us all at risk every day. Yet the government is more concerned about its special relationship with the US than people’s safety.

“This declassified document shows that not only are US forces exempt from British nuclear safety laws at RAF Lakenheath, they are exempt at US bases right across Britain. This means that local authorities will never be told about any nuclear weapons present in their area. And will be under no legal obligation to produce emergency radiation plans.”

“The government doesn’t want people to know what’s going on. The government has to put a stop to these deadly nuclear risks. That means PM Keir Starmer should announce publicly that US nuclear weapons will not be stationed here.”

The exclusion of US troops from having to tell local authorities about the presence of nuclear weapons has infuriated politician critics in relation to blanket secrecy on nuclear weapons. Senior MP and former shadow chancellor John McDonnell stormed: “This is extremely concerning. “People need to know what risks their government is imposing on them. The ability to hold governments and the military to account is totally undermined by this level of secrecy. “

RAF Lakenheath first hit the nuclear spotlight again in 2022 when American plans to deploy nuclear weapons to the Suffolk airbase were revealed. It emerged again in department of defence documents showing plans to build accommodation for more US troops. The document stated the work was in preparation for the base’s “upcoming nuclear mission,” sparking controversy.

The US Office of the Under Secretary of Defence document sparked further fear as it stated the work was in preparation for the base’s potential ‘surety mission.’ The word ‘surety’ is understood to mean ‘nuclear weapons storage.’

But the UK Ministry of Defence said at the time it had a long-standing agreement within the department and its allies not to discuss nuclear weaponry. The following September a US government contracts award notice showed how £728,379.96 was to be spent on constructing guard facilities known as “hardened ballistic security shelters”.

Twenty-two blast resistant manoeuvrable cabins were being built with bulletproof metal flat sheets welded onto the frame to “to protect our high value assets”of RAF Lakenheath’s defence force, the 48th Security Forces Squadron (48 SFS). The specification for the windows included glass which could withstand an impact from a .30 calibre rifle.

In 2008 it was revealed nuclear bombs had been removed from RAF Lakenheath, which houses 4,000 service personnel and more than 1,500 British and US civilians. It is home to the US Air Force’s 48th Fighter Wing, which operates both the F-15E Eagle and the F-35A Lighting II fighter aircraft.

As well as normal combat duties it is believed the newer F-35A has been flight tested to use the latest variant of the B61-12 thermonuclear bomb. Defence specialising Janes Magazine said the B61-12 was capable of an explosive power of up to 340 kilotons, twenty times the power of the Hiroshima bomb.

On Friday an MoD spokesman, asked about the exemption, replied in a statement: “The UK and NATO have a long-standing policy to neither confirm nor deny the presence of nuclear weapons at any given location.

April 9, 2025 Posted by | secrets,lies and civil liberties, UK, weapons and war | Leave a comment

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