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Posts Tagged ‘Nuclear Power’

Nuclear is cheapest ‘low carbon’ energy source

Energy secretary gives the green light to nuclear development, despite fears over the management of nuclear waste. In a speech to the Royal Society today, energy secretary Chris Huhne confirmed that the UK is to continue with its plan to build new nuclear power plants that was set in motion by the current Labour Party [...]

Weightman report: nuclear power is safe

The final report by Mike Weightman commissioned after the Fukushima disaster in Japan confirms “no fundamental weaknesses” in the UK’s nuclear licensing program. The report makes 38 recommendations of lessons learned from Fukushima, but stresses that is that nuclear power is safer than it has ever been. The Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) [...]

Weightman to release report on nuclear power

Energy Secretary Chris Huhne is expected to use the report on the Fukushima disaster by Mike Weightman to push the UK’s new nuclear power program. The report on what can be learned from the Fukushima disaster is expected to kick-start the UK’s nuclear programme, despite criticism from Greenpeace and other environmental groups that it has [...]

Germany pushing for European super-grid

Law stating that Germany must outlaw nuclear power generation by 2022 is encouraging more talk of an EU-wide electricity system. After the Fukushima disaster in Japan, Germany decided to shut down its 17 nuclear power stations by 2022, closing the 7 oldest ones immediately. This has turned Germany from a net exporter of electricity, to [...]

Wind farms producing more electricity

Record figures for energy generated from wind power in the UK. Thanks to Hurricane Irene, 7.2 per cent of our electricity was being produced by wind turbines on Tuesday 6th September at 11:58am. The latest reports from the British Wind Energy Association are understandably keen to talk up the renewable source of power, but other [...]

RWE looking at sale of Npower

German utility giant RWE is reportedly assessing the sale of British energy firm Npower RWE, parent company of Npower, is assessing the sale of the UK company in a rethink of strategy. This comes after German parliament last week backed a withdrawal from nuclear power by 2022, following Japan’s nuclear crisis.

Germany to phase out nuclear by 2022

German chancellor Angela Merkel has ordered all of the country’s nuclear power plants to be shut down by 2022. Merkel’s coalition government has performed a complete reversal of policy regarding nuclear power. There have been many anti-nuclear protests in Germany following the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Germany is the largest industrialised nation to go anti-nuclear for [...]

New EU stress tests for nuclear plants

EU Nuclear watchdogs have finalised continent-wide stress tests for all nuclear reactors following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan All 143 of Europe’s nuclear reactors will undergo new stress tests devised by European nuclear watchdogs covering both natural and man made hazards. From 1 June, nuclear power plants will be tested for resilience to natural [...]

Huhne announces 50% carbon reduction by 2025.

Energy Secretary Chris Huhne has committed the UK to halving carbon emissions by 2025, from 1990 levels. The Energy Secretary announced yesterday that ministers have accepted the Committee on Climate Change‘s proposal to reduce the UK’s carbon emissions by 50% by 2025 – the biggest commitment of any EU country so far. The secretary, briefing [...]

MPs say reforms are hiding nuclear subsidies

A committee of MPs has said in a report released today that the planned reforms to the energy market are hiding subsidies for nuclear power The coalition government’s planned reforms of the energy industry are hiding subsidies for nuclear power, says the Energy and Climate Change Committee (ECCC). The committee claims these covert subsidies are [...]