The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland - a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson
By Professor John Robertson OBA
From STV News / PA Media today:
Anas Sarwar has called on John Swinney to drop his “ideological” opposition to nuclear power in Scotland. The Scottish Labour leader told the First Minister his refusal to allow new nuclear power plants is costing Scotland billions in investment and thousands of jobs, which he said would go to England and Wales instead.
Speaking during First Minister’s Questions on Thursday, Sarwar said the SNP leader is “determined to let Scotland fall behind” the rest of the world. The First Minister – whose party has a longstanding opposition to nuclear energy – said there would be no green light for new nuclear power stations in Scotland under his leadership.
The reforms will clear a path for so-called small modular reactors to be built for the first time in the UK, which ministers said would help to deliver clean, secure and more affordable energy.
https://news.stv.tv/politics/sarwar-calls-on-swinney-to-drop-ideological-opposition-to-nuclear-power
Collating the findings of several studies into the safety and efficiency of small modular reactors, including that from Stanford University referred to in an earlier post here, The Union of Concerned Scientists has described serious health concerns and evidence of extremely low efficiency in these plants.
To date, however, theoretical interest in SMRs has not translated into many actual reactor orders. The only SMR currently under construction is in China. And in the United States, only one company—TerraPower, founded by Microsoft’s Bill Gates—has applied to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a permit to build a power reactor (but at 345 megawatts, it technically isn’t even an SMR).
The levelized cost of electricity for the now-cancelled NuScale project was estimated at around $119 per megawatt-hour (without federal subsidies), whereas land-based wind and utility-scale solar now cost below $40/MWh.
Safety risks from breakdown, natural events such as fire, flood and earthquake, and from terror attacks will be exacerbated by the sheer number of these smaller facilities and the challenges in resourcing protection for them all. In addition each will produce far more dangerous emissions and waste. Details at: https://blog.ucsusa.org/edwin-lyman/five-things-the-nuclear-bros-dont-want-you-to-know-about-small-modular-reactors/
Support Scots Independent, Scotland’s oldest pro-independence newspaper and host of the OBA (Oliver Brown Award) at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/shop/
The Oliver Brown Award for advancing the cause of Scotland’s self respect, previously awarded to Dr Philippa Whitford, Alex Salmond and Sean Connery: https://scotsindependent.scot/?page_id=116
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Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
“Eye-popping new cost estimates released for NuScale small modular reactor” from IEEFA 2023 report by David Schlissel analyst with 50 years of experience as an economic and technical consultant on energy and environmental issues……
https://ieefa.org/resources/eye-popping-new-cost-estimates-released-nuscale-small-modular-reactor……and a report from 2024 again by David
Schlissel..”Small modular reactors are still too expensive, too slow, and too risky”…
https://ieefa.org/articles/small-modular-reactors-are-still-too-expensive-
too-slow-and-too-risky
JB
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The Westminster Gov spends £13Billion a year decommissioning nuclear. Increasing all the time. Trident dumped in Scotland illegally, putting Scotland in danger. Scotland wasting £Billions on Trident and redundant weapons. There is no safe place to keep the waste. The waste dumped in Scotland secretly and illegally.
Scotland in surplus in fuel and energy pays more. Solar, wind, water and sea safer and cheaper. Solar use 10% in Europe more than coal.
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I would guess that Labour is keen for Scotland to adopt their nuclear vision so it will give them the perfect excuse to dump ALL the waste here far away from London and the SEast.
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I could not agree more.
They are itching to deposit all the stored UK waste here and will no doubt tell us of the many thousands (a) of highly skilled jobs coming to Scotland through this opportunity to drill big holes and then dump the waste in it.
(a) clearly includes the number 0
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What gets me about LINO is the desperation to switch off even more wind gennies to accommodate London’s nuclear ambitions.
There is far greater energy waiting to be released from Orkney in 2025/6 when the mainland interconnect is finally replaced than with any of Sarwar’s mini/micro/teeny-weeny non-existent nuclear plants.
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Westminster does not only want to transition to renewable energy it wants to transition to clean energy the new name for nuclear.
GB Energy (renewable)
GB Nuclear (clean)
They will be working very closely after today.
Today the Scottish Parliament passed a legislative consent motion for the Great British Energy Bill, allowing Westminster to legislate in areas which are normally devolved.
The Scottish government backed the motion after the UK government agreed to seek the consent of Scottish ministers with regard to devolved responsibilities.
Not a good sign.
Today the back door was unlocked for a minority government led by Mr Sarwar to open it.
I have read two of the four potential sites in England are in Cumbria and the North East of England!
Wow, they are that safe!
Lastly, I recall seeing an enthusiastic representative for Westinghouse on a news channel several weeks ago describing how wonderful the small modular reactors are.
The company has been shortlisted to build SMRs
https://info.westinghousenuclear.com/news/westinghouse-ap300-smr-downselected-by-great-british-nuclear-for-final-round-of-uk-newbuild-programme
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“It’s a Private company” says Sarwar to STV’s Colin MacKay.
Now , that is.
However Sarwar didn’t emphasise that before did he, as in when he was campaigning in the 2024 GE to try and win the Labour candidate, Brian Leishman, the Grangemouth seat.
Leishman did win the seat and , so far , he has not used the same feeble excuse now being used by Sarwar that this is a “private company” so that is why Grangemouth is closing down.
So in Sarwar saying this now , what then is he inferring that Labour cannot do ?
Interfere ?
Make Promises they cannot keep ?
Yet that was exactly what Sarwar did , as in interfere, and also he made promises to Grangemouth in a video that Brian Leishman tweeted prior to the 2024 GE, and as Sarwar made these promises to Grangemouth workers we saw Brian Leishman nodding in agreement.
In fact Leishman is now very clear on Sarwar’s and Labour UK’s blatant betrayal upon the workers at Grangemouth, a blatant betrayal because Leishman won the seat for the Labour party in that constituency last year , mostly on the basis that Labour and Sarwar said they would ensure Grangemouth would be saved by Labour UK, and also that Grangemouth had a future only if Labour were elected as the next UK government.
“Millions will be invested by Labour” and “a future for Grangemouth” was what Sarwar actually said.
Sarwar is now using the fact that this is a private company , he does that because he wants you to think that it is their decision alone, as a private company, as to what happens to Grangemouth now and in the future.
He is now trying to detach himself from what he previously pledged in relation to Grangemouth in the GE campaign, as with Grangemouth now shutting down, then Sarwar is now trying to state that this has nothing to do with either him or the UK Labour government as it is owned by a “Private company”.
So then if it is the case that it is owned by a “private company” , and so neither Sarwar nor the Labour UK government can now do anything for Grangemouth , why are the Labour UK government giving this same “Private company” £600 million of UK government support for a factory in Belgium, despite plans to shut down Scotland’s only Oil refinery ?
I think Sarwar may find that Grangemouth will never ever vote Labour again, not just because of Labour’s betrayal to them, but because now Anas Sarwar is trying to squirm out of taking any responsibility for past commitments, promises and pledges that he made to Grangemouth, as Labour’s leader in Scotland, in the 2024 GE in Scotland.
See this is who he , Sarwar, really is.
Which is not the kind of person I would ever want to be the next FM of my country.
Liars all eventually get caught out, and when many of them do, they then fail to take ownership for their lies, but instead they either blame others or pretend it is out of their hands for reasons of X Y and Z, or worse they just keep lying to try and save their own skins.
Which seems to be what Sarwar is trying to do now.
SNP 2026.
Liz S
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That interview with Colin Mackay of STV is cringe-overdrive.
More questioning of Anas like this please.
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Indeed it was groaver.
Sarwar just parroted the same non answers over and over again.
Colin MacKay better watch out as he might be punished by his bosses for attempting to do a proper interview with someone other than the SNP, the fact that he, Mackay, had to keep repeating the same things over and over again all because Sarwar was avoiding answering the questions made this even more embarrassing, for Sarwar that is.
This confrontation was long overdue by someone from the media here, and it exposed Sarwar for the liar that he truly is and also that he is in no way fit to be a FM for Scotland.
The fact that Sarwar is also going against what the new Labour MP for Grangemouth is saying, just shows you how low Sarwar is willing to go to keep his job, mind you the Labour MP for Grangemouth may only be mouthing off as he fears his own job as a Labour MP may not be extended beyond the next GE.
Sarwar is nothing more than a lapdog for Keir Starmer and the UK.
I really do think that I detest Labour more than I detest the Tories, it should be equal, but nope it is far more.
Liz S
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Grangemouth Labour MP Brian Leishman has tweeted a copy of a letter he has sent to Keir Starmer, which also includes the signatures of only 18 Labour MP’s who support Leishman on Grangemouth, where Leishman is asking for a cross government meeting to secure the future of Grangemouth.
His Tweet:
“Thank you to Labour MP colleagues for signing my letter to @KeirStarmer that calls for a cross-government meeting to secure the future of the Grangemouth workforce and the sites industrial future. It’s not too late to achieve a truly just transition for the Grangemouth community”
Well thanks to Anas Sarwar and his response to Colin MacKay in respect to Grangemouth , what’s now stopping Keir Starmer from just responding to Brian Leishman “It’s a private company” ?
Liz S
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This Energy Voice article is from May 2024. The plans for the Grangemouth site are not mentioned when Scottish news report the closure of the refinery and the job losses.
“RWE plans green hydrogen production plant at Grangemouth”
https://www.energyvoice.com/renewables-energy-transition/hydrogen/uk-hydrogen/553541/rwe-green-hydrogen-at-ineos-grangemouth
“The facility will be powered by renewable energy – hence “green” hydrogen. It will produce hydrogen alongside an Ineos plan to produce “blue” hydrogen using gas.”
“The plans will go ahead despite the facility facing closure next year.”
“Ineos Grangemouth sustainability director Colin Pritchard, said the firm was supporting RWE in its investment.
The project would work alongside its plans for its gas-fired hydrogen plant, which will store carbon emissions as part of the planned Acorn CCS scheme at Peterhead.”
So Grangemouth is getting not one, but two hydrogen production plants and Peterhead is getting a carbon capture storage scheme?
🤔
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Sorry, but attempting to resurrect the hydrogen fairy story on the back of ” The facility will be powered by renewable energy – hence “green” hydrogen. It will produce hydrogen alongside an Ineos plan to produce “blue” hydrogen using gas.” is deliberately bass ackward.
For ” alongside ” read dominated by…
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