A POTENTIALLY “hazardous” nuclear power plant in the UK could get the green light next week – sparking concerns for the worst. French press indicated that the board of directors of EDF, who have been in talks to build two nuclear reactors in Somerset, will meet on January 27 to make a final decision. The creation of the plant has been up in the air for a decade due to safety and investment concerns. However this week, the UK Department for Energy and Climate Change approved a crucial power line project for the £18billion nuclear station in Hinkley. Greenpeace told the Daily Star Online that the decision could spell problems for an entire generation. Doug Parr, Greenpeace Chief Scientist, said: “Our grandchildren will one day wonder why their bills are propping up a foreign-owned, massively expensive nuclear power stations, like Hinkley, instead of supporting cutting-edge British businesses to produce cheap, home grown energy. “They will be confused as to why this government made secretive deals with French and Chinese companies which hands them control of our future energy supply.” “It will be their generation who has to figure out what to do with the hazardous nuclear waste that this power station will generate, which no-one in the world has a worked out plan to keep safe,” he said. “George Osborne has staked his reputation on forcing this deal through to attract Chinese investment in the UK. He is saving face, and putting billions onto consumers’ energy bills to do it.
Daily Star 20th Jan 2016 read more »
Steel made in the UK will not be used for the largest forgings at Hinkley Point C nuclear power station, its owners have confirmed. The decision was made because of the UK steel industry’s lack of capability and capacity, EDF Energy said. Hinkley Point C will contain roughly 200,000 tonnes of steel reinforced in concrete, as well as over 600,000 embedment plates and large quantities of structural steelwork, EDF Energy said.
Process Engineering 20th Jan 2016 read more »
The crisis-hit steel industry has been hit with more job losses at the same time as it emerged that the new nuclear plant at Hinkley, in Somerset, will source materials abroad. Sheffield Forgemasters started consultations on 100 redundancies, just days after Tata cut 1,050 jobs mainly at Port Talbot in south Wales. The company said reduced activity in the traditional oil and gas sector, the slowing down of growth in the global economy and an international collapse in steel prices had adversely affected its results for 2014. Meanwhile, French energy giant EDF, which is building the reactor at Hinkley said the UK does not currently have the capability or capacity of producing the very largest forgings required by the power station, so these will have to be sourced from outside the UK.
Western Morning News 20th Jan 2016 read more »
Fire crews rushed to a car fire in a car park at a construction site on Hinkley Point, Stogursey. The incident took place on 6:11am on Wednesday January 20. One fire engine from Nether Stowey, along with the water carrier from Bridgwater were sent to the scene.
Burnham & Highbridge Weekly News 20th Jan 2016 read more »