EDF “secret” nuclear talks
The Times is reporting that large energy companies have been in secret talks with the government about financing the next generation of nuclear power plants in the UK. They are proposing that public funding goes towards building these new power stations, contrary to former assurances.

The nuclear lobby has spent a lot of time and money convincing the government that nuclear power is the low-carbon, low-cost energy solution. And it’s worked – the latest energy white paper re-affirms the commitment to nuclear power, giving the go ahead for private companies to start building new reactors to replace those dying off in the UK. The plan was that private companies would finance the construction of these new plants and would be able to sell energy from them at affordable rates.

Meanwhile us greenies have been pulling our hair out knowing that the environmental and economic pro-nuclear arguments are highly flawed. The last generation of nuclear power plants in the UK were hugely expensive, highly polluting, and under delivering.

As for the next generation, a new generator being built in Finland is hardly an inspiring model of good practice. The setbacks and soaring costs of this project must have a few members of the UK parliament gritting their teeth and crossing their fingers. Olkiluoto 3 has been beset with safety concerns, raging arguments between the French constructors and Finnish government, and is €2 billion over budget. The reactor was originally due to be generating this year, but there are doubts it’ll even make its new deadline of 2012.

Speaking to the Telegraph, independent nuclear consultant John Large, predicted that new nuclear power stations would cost households “significantly more” than the £15 renewable subsidies.

EDF now wants the government to foot at least part of the bill – knowing it can’t afford to deliver new nuclear for the original budget. And it has Ed Miliband over a barrel. With an energy crisis in the UK looming EDF is effectively saying “You want the lights on, you pay for it.”

To rub salt in the wound, EDF is owned by the French Government. It’s asking British taxpayers to fund French profits. Time to re-think the nuclear argument?

More here.

Oil lobby to fund anti-climate change campaign
More bad energy news from the other side – another leak. The Guardian reports that the president of the American Petroleum Institute (API) has been out-ed for planning anti climate change demonstrations in an attempt to thwart President Obama’s Climate Bill, in an email obtained by Greenpeace.

The API strategy is to orchestrate demonstrations to generate press coverage and create the perception of a grass roots campaign against the Bill, which threatens the “business as usual” mentality of most oil companies. They will fund the events and have recruited an events planner and PR firm so that the API members just need to turn up.

Read more about this plan here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/aug/14/us-lobbying

To any of our US readers – don’t fall for these spin doctored events!

Increase in UK coal production undermines our climate rhetoric
After a decade of decline in open-cast coal mining here in Britain, coal production has risen by 10% over the last year, as new mines get the green light. Coal imports have also increased by 13% in the first three months of 2009 compared with 2008.

The result is an extra 16 million tonnes of coal being produced since 2007, and all indications point to a further 15 million tonnes in coming months.

As the Guardian rightly points out, the increase in coal production surely contravenes the UK government’s transition to a low carbon economy? All the talk of renewable energy targets and green initiatives are completely undone by this huge increase in production of the most carbon-intensive fuel. It should simply be left in the ground.

More here.

So, to the Good news…

Single malt electricity
Mmmmmm, green whisky. Helius Energy has teamed up with whisky makers The Combination of Rothes Distillers (CoRD) to build an innovative renewable energy project. Whisky production by-products are being used to power a 7.2MWe Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant  in Speyside that will drastically cut the carbon footprint of the fine drink. Not only that, they will be turning the liquid co-product of whisky production into a concentrated organic fertiliser and animal feed for use by local farmers.

Perhaps it doesn’t give you a hangover either?

Green Energy Republic

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