I’m grateful to Dottie once more for alerting me to this and for the above headline mixing metaphors to good effect in triggering the above image in my head.
From the FT yesterday:
UK ministers have made contingency arrangements to fund the Sizewell C nuclear power project in case a final agreement with potential private investors is delayed by as much as two years, officials have admitted. A £5.5bn subsidy scheme set up in August to support the construction of Britain’s next nuclear power station at Sizewell in Suffolk envisages a scenario where there is no agreement with private sector investors until mid-2026.
New nuclear power is seen as critical to the UK government’s plans to slash carbon emissions as it can provide a steady supply of electricity, unlike intermittent solar and wind. Yet only one nuclear power station is under construction in Britain, the Hinkley Point C project in Somerset, which is running several years late with a ballooning price tag of up to £46bn. EDF is the majority investor in Hinkley Point C, with a 66.5 per cent stake, while CGN, a Chinese state-owned company, owns a 33.5 per cent stake.
https://www.ft.com/content/2a5d9462-b921-4577-82c1-4eb508775624
From Alister Jack, SoS for Scotland, in the UK Parliament’s Hansard on 6 March 2024:
Contrary to what we hear from the Scottish National party, the Scottish Government are well-funded. This UK Government have provided a record block grant, averaging £41 billion a year, with an additional £2.4 billion across the last three fiscal events.
Who is EDF, the major investor in Hinkley Point and what is their track record in nuclear power?
From Bloomberg, June 2024:
French Power Slumps as Surging Renewables Push Out Atomic Plants. Day-ahead prices turn negative, trading at a four-year low. EDF halts three reactors, plans to take three more offline. French electricity prices turned negative as a drop in demand and surging renewables output prompted some nuclear reactors to power down.
Who are EDF? Électricité de France, state-owned.
What is their role in the UK:
EDF manages the UK’s eight nuclear power station sites, five that are generating (Sizewell B, Torness, Heysham 2, Heysham 1, Hartlepool) and three that are defueling (Hunterston B, Hinkley Point B and Dungeness B) and is issuing its annual fleet update on 9 January 2024. We are building two new nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point C in Somerset, the first in a new generation of nuclear power stations in the UK.
Looks like building new nuclear power stations is not such a good idea.
Who still believes in it?
The Scottish Government’s attitude towards nuclear power has been condemned as “short-sighted” and “unambitious” by Anas Sarwar during a visit to Wick. Labour’s Scottish leader insisted nuclear energy had to be seen as part of the mix and said his party is supportive of it.
Sources:
How are EDF on safety?
From the Ferret in July 2024:
The number of cracks in the core of an ageing nuclear reactor at Torness in East Lothian has risen to 46, prompting warnings that prolonging its operation would be “gambling with public safety”. The UK Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) told The Ferret that the cracks were detected in April 2024 and were “at the upper end of expectations”. The first three cracks were discovered at Torness in February 2022. EDF, however, insisted that the cracks did not affect normal operations or the ability to shut down Torness in an emergency. The plant’s life would be reviewed “by the end of 2024” with the “ambition” of generating electricity after 2028.
Yet, only last year from AA.com:
France’s state-controlled utility and nuclear power operator EDF has discovered a stress corrosion crack at its Penly 1 nuclear reactor.
After the discovery of the crack, which is 155 millimeters long and 23 millimeters deep, France’s Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) on March 7 asked the company to “review its strategy” for repairing its power plants.
The crack shows that the pipes are no longer resistant, ASN said in a statement, adding the incident had no consequences on the staff or the environment.
“However, it affects the safety regarding the cooling of the reactor,” the statement said.
EDF had already reported cracks at the Civaux nuclear power station in western France in October 2021.
France struggled late last year while maintaining its power plants and risked power shortages during the winter.
A report by French electricity network RTE in February showed that the country’s electricity generation has been at its lowest in 30 years due to low nuclear power production.
Nuclear sources constituted 62.7% of France’s electricity generation in 2022, according to the report, compared with 69% in 2021.
As a result, nuclear production was at its lowest since 1988. It dropped 30% in 2022 compared to the average level of the last two decades, said RTE.
Sources:
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Frankly I’m more shocked that more people in Scotland have not gone absolutely ‘nuclear’ at the absolute cluster*uck we, in Scotland, have all lived through since 2014 .
Especially considering the absolute lies, as in all of the assurances, promises & pledges and propaganda (Project Fear) presented as facts that Labour promoted , where we, in Scotland, were all told that we , Scotland, would be “Better Together” with the rest of the UK if we voted NO.
Now we see Labour (and others), touting Nuclear energy which is not a viable real alternative to Green clean Renewable energy sources and of course as this article states it is also very costly to build new Nuclear Power stations , which as a cost runs into the billions.
But of course where there is money for new Nuclear Power stations we find there is then no money for the vulnerable within the UK by any UK government .
So it appears that there is always (Loadsa) money in the UK to waste on both Wars and also it seems in going more Nuclear.
Also not forgetting Trident which is in Scotland against much of Scotland’s will.
CND calculated that “replacing Trident, Britain’s nuclear weapons system, will end up costing at least £205 billion, and that’s before taking into account that Ministry of Defence projects typically go well over budget”
Their calculation concluded this:
Manufacturing four successor submarines – £31 billion
Contingency fund – £10 billion
Missile extension programme – £350 million
Replacement warheads – £4 billion
Infrastructure capital costs – £4 billion
In service costs – £142 billion
Conventional forces directly assigned to support Trident – £1 billion
Decommissioning – £13 billion
“Labour UK voted in the WM Parliament together with the Tory UK government in July 2016 to go ahead with building new submarines and the delivery vehicles for the nuclear missiles in its National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review”.
Then of course there is Nuclear waste (How and where does it get dumped) and too the ultimate question on anything ‘Nuclear’ as in ‘Is it safe ?‘ (think Chernobyl).
It seems that some of the public’s absolute complacency in Scotland is that which then allows Labour (and others also) to do what the duck they now want to do as far as Scotland is concerned.
(Including the Tories previously and now Labour both by-passing the Scottish devolved government in them as the UK government(s) taking control of devolved matters , tightening the purse strings on Scotland’s budget and them -the UK government(s) – controlling and then distributing money directly to councils in Scotland that should be part of the ‘allocated funding’ by them for the Scottish government as being a part of the UK)
Plus now Labour UK , as a UK government, are trying to impose a costly and largely unwanted (by most Scots) Nuclear energy source in Scotland where our Scottish government will have no input or authority upon it happening , as energy is a reserved matter under the UK government- but I bet we will still see protests outside Holyrood upon it, as in new Nuclear Energy Stations being built, as an intended action by the UK government.
The script is – UK does something via a reserved power- then certain people hold a protest outside Holyrood to condemn it- BBC reports on the protest outside Holyrood- as do other media- so those members of the public who are unaware of how reserved and devolved matters work- will then see this as a protest that is against the Scottish government and so blames the Scottish government- Et Voilà – another (bad) job done.
Plus of course , on this post’s topic , we still get nuclear even when we do not want it in our country-as in Scotland.
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“Frankly I’m more shocked that more people in Scotland have not gone absolutely ‘nuclear’ at the absolute cluster*uck we, in Scotland, have all lived through since 2014 .”
But they have.
Unfortunately it’s been directed towards the SNP!
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When asked to comment on the problems with nuclear , Mr Sarwar jokingly replied ”BOOM ! ”
This was the first ( and only ? ) occasion that he has been remotely honest about Nuclear Power .
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Scotland was supposed to be at the heart of GB Energy Ltd.
Seems so far all we have from this is a ‘Head office’ in Aberdeen.
Doing what ?
(Also electricity being transferred (stolen as in syphoned off) from Scotland to England)
Meanwhile the Labour UK government has pledged nearly £22bn for projects to capture and store carbon emissions from energy, industry and hydrogen production.
But where ?
It said the funding for (not just one but) two “carbon capture clusters” on Merseyside and Teesside, (as in not in Scotland) promised over the next 25 years, would create thousands of jobs (not in Scotland) , attract private investment and help the UK (is that the whole UK or mainly just England) meet climate goals.
“Sir Keir Starmer who today was reported as visiting the north-west of England with Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband to confirm the projects, said the move would “reignite our industrial heartlands” (in England) and “kickstart growth” (in England).
Maybe this so called financial blackhole has leaked out and so it has dropped some money for some in the UK (England) , as in £22bn , while others just have to be satisfied with nowt except Labour’s excuses and them blaming others.
Oh and the Head Office, as a nameplate exercise, is to be in Scotland for Labour’s GB Energy Ltd. (where no energy will be produced as it will not supply power to homes, and where as yet no actual jobs have been announced in Scotland, it will also not, as promised by Labour, cut our energy bills now and it will also seek to procure way too much private investment- ).
Seems to me that yet again Scotland is being both conned and looted to benefit others in the UK.
So sorry who was it in Scotland who voted Labour in July 2024 ?
I’ve added England in brackets to my above comments in case it was ambiguous as to whom within the UK is getting more from Labour UK as a UK and (mostly) English government.
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Actually I should have added to my above comment that this is yet another episode which is reminiscent of what the Tories did when they too ignored Scotland for the Carbon Capture project and instead chose to divert funding and jobs to England.
So now Labour , as we all suspected, will choose England over Scotland when it comes to any opportunities because all Scotland is good for as far as any UK government is concerned is the abundant resources that will profit and benefit England while we, Scotland, stay a part of their UK.
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Decommissioning of nuclear costs £13Billion a year. Ever increasing. The more they waste building, the more is spent on decommissioning. A total waste. A total waste on Trident. Dumped in Scotland.
Scotland in surplus in fuel and energy, and nearer the source, pays more. Energy companies could charge Scotland less. The Westminster Gov will not let them.
Scotland raises £87Billion. Spends £54Billion. Including £41Billion block grant. Westminster Gov spends the rest. On illegal wars, tax evasion, financial fraud. Brexit losing £Billions. Redundant weaponry and Trident. HS2, Hickley Point etc. 180,000 military personnel. Only 10,000 based in Scotland.
Westminster raises on average £800Billion. Spends £1000Billion. Including £50Billion on debt repayment.
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