Scotland to miss out on new wave of nuclear power waste and danger?

No speech marks around ‘missing out’, Herald?

Missing out? I think not.

In March 2023, we had:

Last year, the Scottish Cons were onboard, with:

The Scottish Conservatives are calling for a new generation of nuclear power stations – to hurt Putin, keep bills low and help us transition to Net Zero.

Nuclear energy produced over a quarter of Scotland’s electricity in 2020 – but the SNP are refusing to reverse their opposition to this low-carbon energy source.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has underlined the importance of energy security.

We can no longer afford to allow the SNP-Green’s immature understanding of our energy needs hold Scotland back.https://www.scottishconservatives.com/news/nuclear-scottish-conservatives/

The Herald had:

The police force that guards the UK’s nuclear plants reported 37 security breaches last year, including the thefts of a uniform, confidential documents, an officer’s day book and three “classified” Microsoft tablets.

19 cases where staff lost their warrant or ID cards.

The 37 incidents reported last year was the highest number for 8 years.https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/23362809.civil-nuclear-constabulary-reports-37-security-breaches-one-year/?ref=ebbn

Theft of a uniform and loss of ID? Isn’t that a bit scary? You don’t have to be too paranoid to wonder why someone might want a uniform and ID. See:

There were 456 nuclear energy security warnings in the UK in 2021. Reported incidents include physical security issues, such as unauthorised people gaining unsupervised access to secure areas, as well as cybersecurity issues such as attacks by malicious software.https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/may/26/security-warnings-at-uk-nuclear-energy-facilities-hit-12-year-high#:~:text=There%20were%20456%20nuclear%20energy%20security%20warnings%20in%20the%20UK%20in%202021&text=Reported%20incidents%20include%20physical%20security,as%20attacks%20by%20malicious%20software.

Are UK nuclear facilities protected well?

Nuclear power plants were not designed to withstand some forms of terrorist attack, such as large aircraft impact, but existing safety and security regimes provide some [sic] defence.https://www.parliament.uk/globalassets/documents/post/postpr222.pdf

In November 2022, we had:

The current PM has accused the long-standing FM:

This ‘energy crisis‘ in Scotland with four times more gas than we use and having to transfer huge amounts of electricity to rUK?

An unholy alliance of the Scottish Cons and the GMB are with the PM on this daft notion.

I’m grateful to Frances McKie for alerting me to this evidence that it’s dafter than I had known:

Two weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine, President Emmanuel Macron announced a 52-billion euro ($54 billion) plan for EDF to build at least six new EPR reactors, placing nuclear power at the heart of France’s drive for carbon neutrality while also boosting its energy security. France derived 69% of its electricity output from atomic power last year.

The Flamanville plant – which once fully operational will be producing enough power to keep a city like Paris going for a year – was originally expected to cost 3.3 billion euros and start operations in 2012.

It is now due to start loading fuel – one of the final stages before the start up of a plant – in the second quarter of 2023, and at the latest count the estimated cost had risen to 12.7 billion euros.https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/edf-hopeful-end-sight-long-delayed-budget-busting-nuclear-plant-2022-06-16/

Frances, now our Nuclear Correspondent unpaid, had already alerted to me to the fact that up to 50% of France’s nuclear power stations are commonly offline due to rust!

See: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2022/11/19/50-of-french-nuclear-reactors-off-line-as-a-result-of-corrosion-scotlands-renewables-are-cleaner-safer-and-more-reliable/

Sounds like we’re doing well to miss out on all this.

10 thoughts on “Scotland to miss out on new wave of nuclear power waste and danger?

  1. The main purpose of Scotland’s energy resources,as far as Westminster is concerned,is to keep the lights on in England and to earn a few bob exporting it via offshore installations and their electricity interconnecors to Europe.
    That is why energy policy is reserved to London.
    Should we accept new nuclear power stations,this would give Westminster the excuse it needs to start dumping and storing waste here.
    Few places in England have the necessary geology to do this and Scotland would be an ideal choice.
    Westminster thinking is,few people live in Scotland,mainly sheep (I am beginning to wonder) so who cares if they get contaminated.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. The best and most secure nuclear waste depository are the deep clay beds in the south of England.

      Guess the last place they will look for a dump?

      Liked by 2 people

  2. Nuclear power station disasters are well documented and affect the whole globe when they happen as we who are old enough to have lived through the Chernobyl disaster we’ll remember .Hundreds of thousands of people contaminated by the nuclear fall out , many died earlier than they would have more will still have their lives cut shorter, thyroid damage across Northern Europe hands up who is on Levothyroxine !!
    Scotland doesn’t need nuclear reactors we have wind wave and hydro power aplenty.

    Liked by 5 people

  3. Given the time it takes to build a nuclear power plant they are no sort of solution for an energy shortfall that is happening now or even for one that will happen medium term. How many of the 20 or so new nuclear power plants in England announced by the UKGov are under construction? Are there enough sites for them? Is there enough water for them? They need a lot of water – clean water.

    Scotland is well out of that mess.

    Liked by 5 people

  4. The new office junior has spoken—-
    and the Herald has put him on the front page.

    A. Scotland EXPORTS substantial amounts of energy.
    B. Scotland has no nuclear power industry. i.e. no jobs for us.
    C. Use our “share” of funding to develop tidal energy in Scotland.
    Local jobs and export potential.
    D. The SNP should have no policy on oil/gas until it has the authority (independence) to implement such a policy.
    E. The SNP should insist the UK lives up to the commitments made during COP26 et al.
    F. The Herald should not make its front page a propaganda outlet for UK junior flunkies.

    It is obvious that Scotland’s energy potential is just a milch cow for England, and will not be to our advantage until we have self-government. No amount of ignorant waffle from a failed sub-lieutenant will alter that FACT!

    Liked by 2 people

  5. “The Scottish Conservatives are calling for a new generation of nuclear power stations – to hurt Putin, keep bills low and help us transition to Net Zero.

    Nuclear energy produced over a quarter of Scotland’s electricity in 2020 – but the SNP are refusing to reverse their opposition to this low-carbon energy source.

    Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has underlined the importance of energy security.”

    So why did France have to source 6 shipments of uranium from Russia last year to feed their atomic power stations? Strange way of hurting Putin, or of achieving energy security!

    Like

  6. The new leader of the SNP in Westminster keeps standing up and asking about immigration policy measures to stop boats crossing the English Channel or La Manche as the French call it .
    His focus should be purely on Scottish affairs and in particular Scottish independence , everything he says there no matter what the subject should be presented as “ this is what Scotland will do when independent “ but instead of that we get the usual trope from him as a comfortable cog in the wheel of Westminster , oh how they love being there , afraid to stand up for Scotland they parrot the useless Labour layabouts there , their theme is “ I had better say something before I get back in the comfy chair or someone will notice I am not representing Scotland the way I was elected to do so”.

    Like

  7. So the English Channel is called La Manche by France the North Sea was called the German Sea before WWII why isn’t the North Sea called the Scottish Sea ? oh yes I forgot , Westminster do not allow Scotland to lay claim to anything not even our own Crown Jewels, they stole our King then our country and our working people then our soldiers and our engineers and our resources too.
    They would love to take away our pride in Scotland but they will never ever do that , we are too strong of mind.

    Like

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