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| Britain |
| Blair gives green light to new nuclear power plants |
| 2005-10-09 |
| TONY BLAIR has decided to back new nuclear power stations, which would be built on the sites of existing plants and presented to the public and his party as a job-creating answer to climate change. A year-long government inquiry into Britain's future energy requirements is expected by the Prime Minister to conclude that more nuclear energy is the only plausible answer to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The nuclear industry is willing to proceed without any government money on three conditions: that it is supported with planning applications, is helped with nuclear waste disposal and offered protection against an energy price crash. In the past fortnight, the Prime Minister has privately disclosed that he is firmly in favour of more nuclear reactors, and that he expects the coming inquiry to make a case that can be supported by an all-party consensus. He believes the mood among Labour MPs has been irreversibly shifted by their involvement in the global warming debate, and that a backlash from the Iraq war has stoked concern about UK dependence on oil from the Middle East. Employment, Blair believes, will win over many on the Left - especially as 8,000 jobs are expected to be lost during the decommissioning of Sellafield nuclear plant in Cumbria, which employs 12,000. The Prime Minister's position on nuclear power has been made clear by those who have spoken to him directly and believe he wants to send out a positive signal to the nuclear industry so that they start planning now. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #9 thanks John. |
| Posted by: Red Dog 2005-10-09 16:02 |
| #8 2 of the 4 cleared Nuke plants would use LWRs (which India does not build). This looks like business for General Electric or Westinghouse. |
| Posted by: john 2005-10-09 14:50 |
| #7 No. Reports are that Uri dam (in Indian Kashmir) has been damaged. It is a small dam however. No word on the large dams in Pakistani Kashmir. |
| Posted by: john 2005-10-09 14:45 |
| #6 Are any of those locations in the area affected by this earthquake? /too lazy to look at a map |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2005-10-09 14:10 |
| #5 Meanwhile in India... The Union Cabinet today gave its in principle clearance of sites for setting up Nuclear Power Stations in future and pre-project activities at the following sites, including land acquisition in the case of Jaitapur site in Maharashtra :- 1. Kakrapar, Gujarat ( (2x700 MWe PHWRs) * 2. Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu ( 2 x 1000 MWe LWRs) ** 3. Jaitapur, Maharashtra ( 2 x 1000 MWe LWRs) 4. Rawatbhata, Rajashtan ( 2 x 700 MWe PHWRs) With the setting up of the aforesaid Nuclear power Plants, the total nuclear power capacity in the northern, western and southern regions would go up considerably. At present, fourteen nuclear power reactors are in operation and nine reactors are under construction at seven sites across the country. These sites are : Tarapur in Maharashtra, Rawatbhata in Rajasthan, Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu, Narora in Uttar pradesh, Kakrapar in Gujarat, Kaiga in Karnatka and Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu. * PHWRs = Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors ** LWRs = Light Water Reactors And an additional plant with 8 1000 MWe reactors... "Finally, a solution to the bugging problem of the state’s power shortage is in sight, with Nuclear Power Corporation (NPC) having identified Joytapur in Sindhudurg district, near Rajapur, for its huge power plant. The plant will have a capacity of 6,000-8,000 megawatt (MW)." |
| Posted by: john 2005-10-09 13:48 |
| #4 How come we never hear the enviro asshats screaming about nuclear power in France? Because France is run by socialists and Marxists. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2005-10-09 13:04 |
| #3 Absolutely excellent news, and not before time. Note the lack of hysteria (so far): greenies are capable of learning. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2005-10-09 12:56 |
| #2 I really hate to say this but take a page from the French* and build to standard designs. Just go one better and go with the newer pebble bed reactor designs. * How come we never hear the enviro asshats screaming about nuclear power in France? |
| Posted by: Cheaderhead 2005-10-09 12:50 |
| #1 Showing Bush the way again. |
| Posted by: Slurong Shineng9712 2005-10-09 12:38 |