News 2011 Key, reports relating to:
February 23 UK power plant investment needed to keep lights on, warns Centrica chief Sam Laidlaw (The Telegraph). 22 EDF’s U.K. Hinkley nuclear power site faces protests next month (Bloomberg Businessweek). 22 Hendry: UK's nuclear reactor fleet could be extended beyond 2025 (Business Green). 22 CBI calls on Chancellor's Budget to support nuclear power (Energy & Environmental Management). 21 British Gas offers £50 insulation incentive (The Guardian). 21 David Cameron defends windfarm plans to Tory MPs (The Guardian). 20 Centrica seeks clarification ahead of plans for closer nuclear ties with France (The Telegraph, Roland Gribben). 20 UK could become leading exporter of wave and tidal power, say MPs (The Guardian). 17 Activists occupying new nuclear site accuse EDF of 'ignoring democracy' (The Guardian). Picture includes Marianne and Gerry's "DIM NIWCS" placards. 17 No more nukes? (Tom Burke blog). It seems the Treasury has baulked at taking on the counterparty risk of the proposed CfD/FITs that were supposed to deal with this. It is now looking as if these will be regulatory instruments rather than justiciable contracts. Hardly a confidence booster for investors in risky, high capital, long-life projects. 17 Why we must phase out nuclear power (The Guardian, Caroline Lucas). Despite persistent denials by ministers, [the carbon price floor] is clearly a subsidy by another name, making a mockery of the coalition pledge not to gift public money to this already established industry. The Energy Fair group is arguing that the cap on liabilities for nuclear accidents is technically a subsidy and therefore illegal under EU law – and is now taking the case to the European commission. 17 I Nuclear power is an expensive gamble that may (or may not) pay off (The Guardian, John Vidal). 17 I Centrica faces big questions on nuclear despite Franco-British summit (The Telegraph, Damian Reece). 17 UK and France sign nuclear energy agreement (BBC News). 14 Sellafield faces nuclear option as overspending threatens plant's future (The Independent). 10 Renewables helped France avoid freezing in the dark (RenewableEnergyWorld.com). 9 Ed Davey throws weight behind green energy by opening giant UK windfarm (The Guardian). 8 Energy minister Greg Barker says decision to cut feed-in tariffs was justified by fall in cost of solar panels (The Guardian). Greg Barker MP, Minister of State for Climate Change, said "There is the potential for solar power to become competitive with fossil fuels without subsidy within the lifetime of this parliament [before May 2015]. Solar has gone from being one of the most expensive forms of renewable energy to one of the cheapest." 7 Leaping UK carbon emissions deliver two red-hot lessons (The Guardian, Damian Carrington). The biggest single cause of the first rise in the nation's carbon footprint since 2003 [two-thirds of the entire rise] was from the increased heating of homes during cold weather at the start and end of 2010. ... Virtually all of the rest of the leap in the UK's carbon emissions comes from technical problems forcing nuclear power stations to shut down. The biggest reactor in the country, Sizewell B, was offline for six months, meaning more coal and gas had to be burned to fill the electricity gap, pumping more climate-warming gases into the air. Other reactors had problems too in 2010 and more recently events as varied as a rogue school of jellyfish and winter tornadoes have closed atomic energy plants. When a wind turbine explodes, as in a recent storm, a megwatt of power is lost. When a nuclear plant falls off the grid, 1000 megawatts is lost. The comparison puts the lie to the sceptics charge that wind power is "unreliable". 7 Letter from Andy Atkins Chief executive, Friends of the Earth, David Nussbaum Chief executive, WWF, John Sauven Executive director, Greenpeace (The Guardian, scroll down). 7 KPMG refuses to publish controversial green energy report (The Guardian). 6 Nuclear somersault: New Energy Secretary changes his tune and says he won't block reactor plans (Daily Mail). Ed Davey said ‘There have been understandable concerns given the expensive mistakes made in the past which the taxpayer is still paying for. But the Coalition agreement is crystal clear – new nuclear can go ahead so long as it’s without subsidy.’ 6 All work on Hinkley Point C nuclear power station must be halted (Stop Nuclear Power Network UK). Katy Attwater, Stop Hinkley’s spokesperson, said: "This scrupulously researched report shows that two of the National Policy Statements, EN-1 and EN-6 [2], approved by Parliament, are based on false information and the public has no alternative but to deem them invalid. MPs have, likewise, no alternative but to consider them fraudulent, re-open the debate and bring those responsible for this corruption to account." 6 Computer systems of French reactors need reinforcement: NPCIL (IndianExpress.com). The assessments were done post-Fukushima. “The report indicates that EPR has several evolutionary safety features, which had evolved through operating experience. The lessons learned from past nuclear accident had been incorporated into the design. EPR design has features for prevention and mitigation of severe accidents such as core catcher etc. It has aircraft/missile resistant containment for reactor building and fuel building, which allows much higher margin to sustain natural calamity of higher order,” said an NPCIL official. 4 The nuclear industry quietly pulls out of the nuclear business (SimplyInfo). See also U.S. should bring an end to the nuclear era (US News, Jim Riccio, Greenpeace). 4 Anglesey windfarm developers invite public to learn more about plans (Daily Post). 3 French nuclear set to become more expensive than wind power (European Wind Energy Association). 3 A nuclear-free future: if Germany can do it, why can't we? (Stop Nuclear Power Network UK). 1 Falling solar prices good for climate, bad for firms (AlertNet). The falls in prices for photovoltaic components, pushed down by economies of scale and fierce competition from China, have made solar nearly as cheap as conventional sources in Germany's electricity grid. ... due to plunging prices for components, solar power prices in Germany have been halved in the last five years and solar now generates electricity at levels only a few cents above what consumers pay. The subsidies will disappear entirely within a few years, the German BSW solar association says, when solar will be as cheap as conventional fossil fuels. January31 France must extend nuclear reactor lifespans-audit (Reuters). France has no option but to extend the lifespan of existing nuclear plants, because any investments in new nuclear capacity or an increase in its reliance on other forms of energy would be too costly and come too late, the French Court of Audit said. 31 Siemens supplies 100 MW of wind turbines to Morocco (Renewable Energy Focus). 31 Ministers 'misled MPs over need for nuclear power stations' (The Guardian). The report is here: A corruption of governance? (PDF, Association for the Conservation of Energy and Unlock Democracy, January 2012). See also Can the UK achieve its carbon targets without nuclear power? (The Guardian, 2012-02-01). 31 Burying electricity power lines 'cheaper than National Grid claims' (The Guardian). 30 Prospects for nuclear power in 2012 (Commodities Now). In the UK, despite the political rhetoric that a new nuclear program would receive no public subsidies, what is now likely to be on offer are Feed-in-Tariffs and longterm Contracts for Differences. These effectively ensure that all power from nuclear plants is guaranteed to be sold at a predictable price set outside the market. EDF is the most likely developer in the UK. Whether it will go ahead with an EPR in the UK is likely to depend on whether the design can survive the problems at Olkiluoto and Flamanville and on how fully the CfDs are guaranteed to cover costs. Since the terms of these contracts will be regarded as commercially sensitive, the public will never know what it has signed up to. But, if construction goes ahead, it can be assumed strong cost-recovery guarantees are in place. How the European Commission will view such contracts, which are blatantly unfair state aid and therefore presumably illegal, remains to be seen. 30 Nuclear disaster prompts rise in renewable deals (The Independent). 26 Germany eyes cutting solar incentives faster (Reuters). Germany added a record 7.5 gw of photovoltaic installations in 2011 after setting a previous record of 7.4 gw in 2010. Germany now gets about 4 percent of its electricity from solar power. Germany has a total of about 25 gw of installed photovoltaic capacity -- about half of the world's total. 26 Japan losing hope for its pricey ‘dream reactor’ (The Washington Post). Japan’s long and expensive pursuit of a super-efficient nuclear reactor — a model once touted as the key to its energy future — now teeters on the brink of failure amid new government concerns about its runaway costs. 26 Japan's ex-premier turns anti-nuclear activist (Wall Street Journal). 26 Japan's stricken nuclear operator set for $13 billion bailout (Reuters). 24 Plans for Sellafield plutonium reactor rejected (The Guardian). 23 Dutch utility puts off plan for nuclear power plant (Reuters). 21 Rally backs farmer refusing to sell land for Wylfa B (BBC News). 20 Department of Energy study shows potential for ocean power production (RenewableEnergyWorld.com). Waves and tidal currents could generate up to one-third of America's electricity usage per year, according to two reports released by the U.S. Department of Energy that assessed the potential for ocean power off the east and west coasts. 17 ČEZ fails to make economic case for expanding Temelín, study says (Czechposition.com). See also Westinghouse moves on Temelin-3, -4 bid as project financing in question (Independent Nuclear News, 2012-01-30). 17 The green deal will be the biggest home energy programme of modern times (The Guardian, Greg Barker). 17 Alstom and SSE announce plan for “world’s largest” wave farm (Business Green). 14 Europe's reliance on nuclear energy a costly obstacle to green power (The National). 13 Germans oppose new plants next door (Spiegel Online). According to European Union law, neighboring countries have the right to raise objections to the construction of new reactors across their borders. The countries undertaking the construction, however, are under no obligation to listen. 13 Distributed energy delivers big, green results in London (Forbes). Combined heat and power (CHP) and district-heating systems delivered a whopping 36,392 tons of avoided carbon emissions in 2010, which accounted for 50% of all carbon emissions reductions, according to an analysis released last week by the Greater London Authority (GLA). 13 Green deal suffers setback as loft insulations set to plummet (The Guardian). 12 Green energy investment soars to $260bn (The Guardian). 12 China's renewables surge dampened by growth in coal consumption (The Guardian). 11 Shale gas bubble: insiders suggest fracking boom is a bust (Huffington Post). 11 French rivals to compete on wind farm bids (Financial Times). See also ScottishPower owner leads wind farm bid (The Herald, 2012-01-12). 11 Child leukaemia doubles near French nuclear plants-study (AlertNet). 11 France 'imagines the unimaginable' (Nature). See also Get tough on nuclear safety (Nature, 2010-01-11). "Whatever happens in the long term, the French plans have an immediate benefit: they raise the post-Fukushima safety bar for other countries. Those governments, regulators and companies that have yet to propose anything close to such far-reaching measures must now explain why not." 9 Investment can cut emissions, UK cities told (Financial Times). "Prof Andy Gouldson of the University of Leeds, who led the research, said it was an attempt to prioritise which areas should attract scant resources. ... Prof Gouldson is calling on the government to underwrite local authority investment programmes. Birmingham is investing £130m to fit thousands of council houses, schools and buildings with solar panels. Money has come from loans, energy companies and commercial banks, who will be paid back through levies on energy bills." 9 Are wind turbines increasing carbon emissions? (The Guardian). 6 China increases target for wind power capacity to 1,000 GW by 2050 (RenewableEnergyNews.com). 4 Renewable sources continue explosive growth (RenewableEnergyWorld.com). |