News releases
- 2013-05-31. NO VALID JUSTIFICATION FOR SUBSIDISING NUCLEAR POWER.
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Energy Fair claims 'explosive PV growth' set to outstrip nuclear (HeatingandVentilating.net, 2012-11-19).
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Report: ‘Explosive’ UK PV growth will diminish need for nuclear (Solar Power Portal, 2012-11-16).
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UK: Renewables eliminate need for nuclear power (PV Magazine, 2012-11-14).
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Renewable energy boom is creating a shrinking market for nuclear power (Click Green, 2012-11-13).
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The disappearing market for nuclear electricity - report (Yahoo! Finance, 2012-11-13).
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The disappearing market for nuclear electricity -- report (Sys-Con Media 2012-11-13
- 2012-11-06. NUCLEAR POWER MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE THAN OFFSHORE WIND POWER—NEW CALCULATIONS. This has been quoted by Martin Horwood MP, in a speech in the UK Parliament in a debate about subsidies for nuclear power on 2013-02-07. Here is the relevant extract:
The Energy Fair group of energy consultants and academics has stripped out all subsidies and says that the real cost of nuclear power is at least £200 per MWh, which is much more than the cost of offshore wind power at £140 per MWh or that of onshore wind power at less than £90 MWh. If EDF has done similar sums—there have been rumours in the industry of asks as high as £165 per MWh for the strike price—that raises the extraordinary possibility that nuclear power, a mature and not very competitive industry started in 1956, might be asking for a strike price comparable with or even higher than that of the newly emerging wind industry.
Some of the news reports arising from this news release:
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Nuclear power much more expensive than offshore wind power - new calculations (EIN News, 2012-11-06).
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Britain's nuclear push may stall as risks mount (Reuters, 2012-11-07). Energy Fair, a research group of energy economists opposed to nuclear, said in a report last month that the true cost of nuclear could even be over 200 pounds per MWh once "hidden subsidies" are taken into account. The research group said these would include government allocations of public money to limit its liability for accidents, offset the cost of nuclear waste and decommission power stations.
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New calculations show nuclear is "much more expensive" than offshore wind power (Renewable Energy Focus, 2012-11-06).
- Nuclear: The path to power (Building.co.uk, 2012-06-08). But the whole system is subject to a legal challenge at the European Commission by protest group Energy Fair. Gerry Wolff, leader of the group, says: “The proposed ‘contracts for difference’ is a blank cheque to a nuclear industry that is already heavily subsidised.” Energy Fair’s complaint centres on the argument that guaranteeing returns to particular generating technologies, including nuclear, doesn’t meet with European competition rules. Although the government is still in discussions with the Commission to ensure its system is permissible, it is not clear when this will be fully resolved.
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Subsidies for new nuclear reactors are a “bet the farm” investment (Enformable Nuclear News, 2012-05-24).
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Poor people will foot the bill for nuclear white elephants (Market Oracle, 2012-05-24).
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2011-11-07. Lawyers say nuclear subsidies may be unlawful, English (PDF), Arabic (PDF).
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- Lawyers say nuclear subsidies may be unlawful (ResponseSource, 2011-11-16).
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Lawyers say nuclear subsidies may be unlawful (Green Living Review, 2011-11-16).
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Green groups make second formal complaint to Brussels over nuclear subsidies (Utility Week, 2011-11-10). See also Decc confident nuclear contracts are not illegal under state aid rules (Utility Week, 2011-12-07).
- Energy Fair lawyers say proposed nuclear subsidies in UK may be unlawful (News Blaze, 2011-11-08).
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2009-11-07. In response to information posted on mailing lists:
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2009-10-29: The real cost of nuclear power disguised by subsidies.
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2011-02-23: A complaint to the European Commission about subsidies for nuclear power.
Articles
- Subsidies for nuclear power (PDF, in Wirtschaftspolitik, pp 12-13, article by Gerry Wolff, 2013-09-16).
Letters to the press
See also:
Letters to politicians
- In mid April 2012, all MEPs were sent personalised emails, each one urging action to halt moves to allow nuclear power to benefit from the same kinds of subsidies as are allowed for solar power and wind power:
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In mid April 2012, all members of the French Assemblée Nationale and the French Senat were sent personalised emails, in French, each with a copy of our press release NEW-BUILD NUCLEAR POWER: A HIGH-RISK GAMBLE, and an introduction suggesting that, if EDF were to go ahead with its UK nuclear projects, it would risk a downgrade in its credit rating, with a consequent risk of a downgrading of the credit rating for the whole of France:
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Other letters
- In late April 2012, copies of our report on The financial risks of investing in new nuclear power plants (PDF) were sent to the CEOs of nuclear companies, ratings agencies and other relevant companies. A sample copy of our covering letter may be seen here.
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