UK - Is nuclear our energy hope?

IT’S not just the way forward for Cumbria, but for the country, because fossil fuels are running out, writes Councillor Brian Crawford, a former physics teacher.

We are importing vast amounts of gas, particularly for use in gas fired power stations. But we face a shortfall as many of the old gas, oil and coal power stations are coming to the end of their service and are being shut down.

The UK once had 20 nuclear power stations. 11 of these are now closed or in the act of closing; five more will close by 2014, one will close in 2018, two in 2023 and the last one in 2035.

It is wholly sensible to go nuclear as the main energy supply. Our energy demands are increasing rapidly, year on year, but our non-renewable energy sources are rapidly decreasing.

Electricity from wind power and nuclear power as proposed, and if constructed by 2020 will produce about 30 – 40 per cent of the requirements of the UK. This needs to be made up to 100 per cent by coal and gas fired power stations.

At present, there are 18 coal fired power stations in the UK producing about 28.5GWatts of electricity or about 25 per cent of our requirement. All these were constructed in the late 1960s or early 1970s and are coming to the end of their productive life and will probably be decommissioning within the next five to 10 years or so, losing about 25 per cent of the UK’s present electricity production by 2020.

At present there are about 52 gas, oil or gas/oil fired power stations in the UK producing about 50 per cent or about 60GWatts of our electricity requirement. Of these, about 30 were constructed in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s and are coming to the end of their productive life and will probably be decommissioned within the next five to 10 years or so, losing about 25 per cent of the UK’s present electricity production by 2020.
The government are planning about eight nuclear power stations across the country, but for me that is not enough.

We have got to find the right sites for them. They have to be on the coast as they require massive amounts of cooling water from the sea, but they will provide power for 60 years.

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EON, RWE Said to Sell Nuclear JV for About $967 Million

EON AG (EOAN) and RWE AG (RWE), Germany’s two largest utilities, are set to sell their U.K. venture Horizon Nuclear Power to Japan’s Hitachi Ltd. (6501) for about 600 million pounds ($967 million), people familiar with the matter said.

The sale for the venture with government backing to build plants in Wales and western England may be signed in the next few days, according to two people, who asked not to be identified because the negotiations are private. An announcement may come on Oct. 30, one of the people said.

The deal would be a boost for the U.K. government, which is seeking to spur new reactors to replace aging power plants, upgrade grids and cut pollution at a cost of 110 billion pounds. EON and RWE decided to sell Horizon after Germany said it will close all of its reactors following last year’s disaster in Japan, prompting the utilities to pull out of the nuclear industry worldwide. That left the U.K. as one of only three western European nations pursuing new reactors.

Keisaku Shibatani, a spokesman for Hitachi, said the company had put in a bid and declined to comment further. Officials at RWE and EON declined to comment. An official at the U.K. Department of Energy and Climate Change said that while the deal was a commercial matter for RWE and EON, there had been strong interest in buying Horizon.

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U.K. Energy Rules to Include Measures Spurring Nuclear

U.K. Energy Secretary Ed Davey promised to give industry more clarity about power market reforms due next month, seeking to allay the concerns of renewable and nuclear power developers that ministers are bogged down in analysis of the problem.

Davey also suggested he’ll set a target for cutting carbon emissions in the power industry. That measure has been sought by companies from wind turbine maker Vestas Wind Systems A/S (VWS) and nuclear reactor manufacturer Areva SA (AREVA), as well as his department’s adviser, the Committee on Climate Change.
“We have listened to investors and today have set out further measures to provide the certainty they need,” Davey said in a speech to business leaders today in London. “A strong case has been made by many investors in energy infrastructure for a decarbonisation target range for the power sector. Such a range would make clear our continued commitment to our climate goals.”
The law, published in draft form on May 22, aims to restructure the power market and spur 110 billion pounds ($177 billion) of investment needed for aging power stations and upgrading the grid by 2020. Davey said lawmakers will see his final proposals next month and vote on them by Christmas.

Cameron’s Plan

Prime Minister David Cameron said yesterday the government will put into the legislation a measure forcing energy suppliers to charge each customer at the lowest available rate. The surprise proposal was not included in the May 22 draft, which focused on energy supply rather than demand.
Cameron’s statement caused “chaos in the energy industry,” Caroline Flint, the shadow energy minister for the opposition Labour Party, said in Parliament today. Neil Bentley, deputy director general of the Confederation of British Industry, said the pace of reform is “frustrating” and risks falling victim to “paralysis by analysis.”
“Let’s stop arguing over the energy mix and focus on attracting investment to create jobs and growth as quickly as possible,” Bentley said. “There is no business case for putting billions of pounds into these long-lived assets if investors cannot see a long-term, stable policy framework. Right now, the policy future looks too much like a blank canvas.”