[ RadSafe ] Nuclear planning to be speeded up

[Sandy Perle]

Nuclear planning to be speeded up  
Nuclear 'last resort' for Tories  
Australian PM rules out storing nuclear waste from overseas 
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Nuclear planning to be speeded up  BBC News Jul 6 - Mr Darling is 
hoping to accelerate the building of nuclear plants Local objections 
to nuclear power plants could be over-ridden under planning changes 
proposed by the government's energy review. Councils could alter the 
appearance and precise location of the sites but would be unable to 
reject power plants on the grounds they were not needed.  

Trade Secretary Alistair Darling told the Financial Times a 
"statement of need" would prioritise energy projects. 

He said the measures were necessary to ensure power supplies did not 
run out. 

"Given the fact that we may need to replace a third of our 
electricity generation, there is a serious risk that one day we'll 
switch on the lights and there won't be gas or electricity unless we 
deal with this planning problem," he said. 

He said the government needed to "streamline the planning laws for 
big infrastructure projects" to ensure proposals of national 
importance were identified at an early stage and seen through 
properly. 

'Mix needed' 

The idea of time limits for inquiries which had stalled was being 
considered, he said. 

He also wanted to "make it easier... to replace power plants that are 
going out of commission". 

The government's energy review is expected to be published next week.

Emphasising his backing for nuclear power, Mr Darling told the 
newspaper: "I've always been clear that a mix of electricity 
generation is good for two reasons. 

"One is it means your eggs are not all in one basket and, in relation 
to security of supply, that is very important. 

"Also, of course, nuclear generation itself does reduce carbon 
emissions."
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Nuclear 'last resort' for Tories  

BBC News Jul 5 - Tony Blair has said older nuclear plants will have 
to be replaced The Conservatives have said nuclear power should be 
used only as "a last resort" to supply the UK with energy. Their 
Energy Review's interim findings say there should be a "level playing 
field" for environmentally-friendly sources and other means of power. 
 

Labour argued the Conservatives' proposals would "set renewable 
development back by a generation". 

Meanwhile Tory leader David Cameron used a speech to say councils had 
a key role in ensuring a low carbon future. 

He argued that, in a post-Cold War world, global warming represents 
the greatest long-term threat to the planet. 

Tony Blair has said that nuclear power is back on the agenda as a 
result of fears over the security of energy supplies to the UK, 
rising prices and also climate change. 

But at the weekend shadow trade secretary Alan Duncan said his party 
wanted to "explore every conceivable method of generating electricity 
before we go to nuclear". 

'Security vital' 

Mr Cameron meanwhile stressed the "enormous contribution" he believes 
local councils can make to slashing carbon emissions. 

In a speech to the Local Government Association's annual conference 
he said: "In Britain we are still lumbered with the same backward-
looking, central-planning mindset that has dominated thinking on 
electricity since the first half of the last century. 

  Where the government sees nuclear power as the first choice, under 
our framework it would become a last resort 

David Cameron 

"There will always be a need for a robust and secure National Grid; 
energy security is vital. 

"But it is a myth that it can only be provided from remote and 
inefficient power stations or that electricity has to travel hundreds 
of miles to market. 

"We live in a fast-changing world of scientific research and 
innovation. I want Britain to be at the forefront of the green energy 
opportunity and I want local government to be in the forefront of 
Britain's environmental progress. 

"We need to think in an entirely new way about energy. The future of 
energy is not top-down, it's not centralised - it's bottom-up and 
decentralised." 

Increasing dependency 

The interim report of the Tory energy review states that when it 
comes to nuclear power there would have to be "total transparency" on 
its full lifetime costs, clarity over nuclear waste and no subsidies 
or special favours. 

"Where the government sees nuclear power as the first choice, under 
our framework it would become a last resort; where the Liberal 
Democrats rule out nuclear power, we rule out subsidies and special 
favours for nuclear power." 

 
Mr Cameron says Britain's stance on electricity is "backward-looking" 

The report points out that Britain is "increasingly dependent on 
imported fossil fuels for power generation" and says the country 
increasingly at risk from terrorist attempts to interrupt source 
supplies. 

It also argues that green energy options are on the brink of a 
scientific and technological revolution that could transform both 
effectiveness and affordability. 

"We therefore believe it is now vital to give green energy a chance 
to demonstrate its potential on a level playing field with other 
sources of electricity." 

'Harmful' policy 

Trade and Industry Secretary Alistair Darling it was very difficult 
to see how the Tory policy could do anything but harm if green energy 
needed to be put on a level playing field. 

"When you aren't prepared to support low-carbon renewable energy, 
you're going to get higher carbon emissions. It's not that 
complicated," he said. 

"If Cameron is going to talk green, sooner or later he's going to 
have to do something green. Scrapping the Climate Change Levy and 
undermining renewables moves us further from a green future not 
towards it." 

Earlier this week the prime minister told MPs he had changed his mind 
in the last three years on the need for new nuclear power stations. 

An Energy White Paper in 2003 was sceptical about building new 
nuclear plants, but left the option open. 

A government energy review, due this month, is expected to call for 
additional nuclear power stations.
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Australian PM rules out storing nuclear waste from overseas 

SYDNEY (AFP) Jul 6  - Prime Minister John Howard has ruled out 
storing radioactive waste from overseas in Australia, after a 
government-appointed taskforce said it would explore creating nuclear 
dumps. 
 
Howard discussed the sensitive issue with the United States this year 
and has ordered an inquiry into nuclear energy in Australia, which 
has the world's largest known reserves of uranium but no nuclear 
power plants.

A subsequent taskforce said this week the inquiry would evaluate a 
business case for whether Australia should take and store radioactive 
waste from overseas.

The taskforce, headed by Ziggy Switkowski, a respected nuclear 
physicist and former boss of telco giant Telstra, would also examine 
whether Australia should adopt nuclear power, begin enriching uranium 
for export and expand uranium mining.

But Howard ruled out taking waste from overseas saying on Thursday: 
"I'm not going to have this country used as some kind of repository 
for other peoples' nuclear problems ... waste problems."

Nuclear power is a sensitive political issue in Australia and the 
main opposition Labor Party opposes the introduction of nuclear power 
plants.

Howard appeared to also rule out the idea immediately after talks 
with US officials but anti-nuclear and other groups remained 
skeptical.

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Sandy Perle
Senior Vice President, Technical Operations
Global Dosimetry Solutions, Inc.
2652 McGaw Avenue
Irvine, CA 92614 

Tel: (949) 296-2306 / (888) 437-1714  Extension 2306
Fax:(949) 296-1144

E-Mail: sperle at dosimetry.com
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