Tag: nuclear-energy

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Will Scottish Labour abandon their call for new nuclear plants in Scotland after French owners of new English ones have to halt three new builds and take three older ones off line?

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I think they bought that. Don’t you? Mugs. By Professor John Robertson Again, thanks to AR for alerting me to this: From Bloomberg, yesterday: 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 … Continue reading Will Scottish Labour abandon their call for new nuclear plants in Scotland after French owners of new English ones have to halt three new builds and take three older ones off line?

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German research suppressed by Labour Government and media in 2008 revealed under 5’s living near nuclear plants more than twice as likely to develop leukemia

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By Professor John Robertson I’m grateful to JB for alerting me to this. I knew nothing of it because mainstream UK media do not seem to have covered it at all. On 30th June 2011, the German Bundestag voted to phase out nuclear energy. Why? Safety was a paramount concern in the decision to phase out nuclear power: the use of nuclear energy causes highly dangerous radioactive radiation for humans and the environment and leaves behind highly toxic waste. High safety precautions must be taken throughout the entire life cycle – from the extraction of the raw material uranium to … Continue reading German research suppressed by Labour Government and media in 2008 revealed under 5’s living near nuclear plants more than twice as likely to develop leukemia

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Alister Jack and Labour’s commitment to building new small modular reactors in Scotland ignores research revealing their greater toxic waste production and thus cancer risk

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From the Herald: The next government is being urged to make “big decisions” on nuclear power projects to help deliver jobs and energy security. The Nuclear Industry Association (NIA) has published its manifesto, saying it was important to ensure continued momentum. The association called for measures including pressing ahead with the planned Sizewell C power station, as well as extending the life of current power stations. The manifesto also pressed for the building of a fleet of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) across the country and a third large-scale station at Wylfa on Anglesey in north Wales. https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/national/24357628.call-next-government-make-big-decisions-nuclear-power-projects/ Labour’s manifesto commitment: … Continue reading Alister Jack and Labour’s commitment to building new small modular reactors in Scotland ignores research revealing their greater toxic waste production and thus cancer risk

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Exposure to carcinogens in Faslane

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In May 2024: Silence is revealing? In May 2023: QUESTIONS are hanging over the safety of Britain’s nuclear arsenal after it was revealed there were 58 radiation leaks at Trident facilities in Scotland this year so far. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has revealed there were 15 recorded radiation leaks at Coulport and a further 43 at Faslane in 2023 as of April – but said none were considered “serious”. https://www.thenational.scot/news/23545590.trident-mod-confirms-50-radiation-leaks-year/ In March 2016: Twenty workers at the Faslane nuclear submarine base were exposed to radiation due to safety errors, newly-released documents have revealed. The engineers were repairing a leaking … Continue reading Exposure to carcinogens in Faslane

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Governor General expects Unionist regime in Scotland by 2026 with plans to impose nuclear power regardless of risks

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By Professor John Robertson STV News has just reported: The UK Government is considering plans to build a nuclear reactor in Scotland, despite long-standing opposition from the Scottish Government. Scottish secretary Alister Jack has told a Westminster committee that he has asked ministers at the Department for Energy and Net Zero to plan for a nuclear reactor to be built in Scotland, as part of a UK-wide programme. He also said he expected a “Unionist regime” to be in power in Scotland by 2026. Responsibility for energy is reserved to Westminster, but the Scottish Parliament has control over planning and … Continue reading Governor General expects Unionist regime in Scotland by 2026 with plans to impose nuclear power regardless of risks

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Why are radioactivity in food safety standards in Japan up to 100 times more protective of consumers than they are in the UK?

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In the National, today, form the above SNP MP, Allan Dorans and extended and well-researched piece on the presence of radioactivity in seafood and larger mammals on the Ayrshire coast, resulting from leaks in the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plan in Cumbria, just down the coast and subject to tidal flows. Here’s the chunk that most made me think: In 2016, researchers at Glasgow University reported ‘enhanced’ radioactivity levels, in shellfish catches, at a number of coastal locations in Cumbria, near the Sellafield plant, and on the west coast of Scotland, including the village of Maidens, in my Ayrshire constituency.[i] The … Continue reading Why are radioactivity in food safety standards in Japan up to 100 times more protective of consumers than they are in the UK?

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Scottish MP backs dangerous reduction in safety standards to expand UK nuclear power

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From Policy Mogul today: Government roadmap includes exploring a new power station as big as Hinkley C and Sizewell C  UK becomes first country in Europe to launch high-tech nuclear fuel programme with up to £300 million investment into UK production, pushing Putin out of global market  Measures such as smarter [sic] regulation will help quadruple UK nuclear power by 2050 up to 24GW – the biggest expansion for 70 years  Minister for Nuclear Andrew Bowie said:   “The government’s investment in nuclear will ensure the UK remains at the forefront of technological developments.  “Our plans will give investors the confidence to back … Continue reading Scottish MP backs dangerous reduction in safety standards to expand UK nuclear power

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Does Scottish Labour support French energy company extending lives of unreliable, inefficient and unsafe nuclear power stations including one in Scotland?

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In the Guardian today: EDF Energy is planning to extend the life of four nuclear power stations in the UK and step up investment in its British nuclear fleet. The French energy company said it would make a decision on whether to extend the life of the four UK plants with advanced gas-cooled reactors (AGR) – Torness [East Lothian], Heysham 1 and 2, and Hartlepool – by the end of the year. This would require regulatory approval. A spokesperson for the company said it would depend on inspections, adding there would not be long lifetime extensions but “incremental”. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/jan/09/edf-energy-uk-nuclear-power-plants The Scottish station, … Continue reading Does Scottish Labour support French energy company extending lives of unreliable, inefficient and unsafe nuclear power stations including one in Scotland?

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Energy-rich Scotland doesn’t need costly and dangerous nuclear power

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Leah Gunn Barrett Two recent letters responding to Tory nuclear energy minister, Andrew Bowie, and Paul Wilson in The Scotsman, who call for more nuclear power plants in Scotland. The first appeared in the Edinburgh Evening News on December 7th, but The Scotsman chose not to publish the second. I wonder if Andrew Bowie, the clueless, youthful ministerial cheerleader for nuclear power, is concerned at all about leaks coming from a huge silo of radioactive waste at the crumbling Sellafield nuclear site.  Norway, Ireland and the US certainly are. Norway is worried that an accident could lead to a radioactive … Continue reading Energy-rich Scotland doesn’t need costly and dangerous nuclear power

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Scotland and nuclear power – Research suggests small modular reactors increase waste quantity by up to 30 times

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stewartb Small modular reactors (SMRs i.e. nuclear reactors that produce <300 MW electricity) have been getting a lot of attention because of claims of inherent safety features and reduced cost [from GMB, Cons and Labour]. It is possible that it will be SMRs that the UK government pushes towards Scotland. Adversely critical or sceptical voices on SMRs don’t get much coverage by the media. The peer reviewed academic paper on SMRs referenced below notes that ‘remarkably few studies have analyzed the management and disposal of their nuclear waste streams.’ Comparing three distinct SMR designs to a conventional 1,100-MW elec pressurized … Continue reading Scotland and nuclear power – Research suggests small modular reactors increase waste quantity by up to 30 times