BBC Dip into blog for a story...but get it wrong!

The BBC website picked up part of a story from this blog yesterday---but then got the other part of the story wrong!


Matthew Riddle ppc for the Conservatives in Yate and Thornbury confirms Soth Gloucs councils concerns.......




Dear All,

I can certainly back up Reg's comments. The main concerns form both
South Glos. Council and the local Parish Councils are the 200 metre
cooling towers and the flood risk/ drainage issues and this has been
clearly stated in the response to the recent consultation to DECC.

Many thanks

Cllr Matthew Riddle

South Glos Cllr, Severn Ward



-----Original Message-----
From: reg illingworth [mailto:oldburynuclear@btinternet.com]
Sent: 31 March 2010 09:43
To: points west bbc
Cc: charlotte.callen@bbc.co.uk; john armstrong; neil leighton;
roger.farrant@bbc.co.uk; michelle ruminski
Subject: Factual errors in article on BBC website---Ref New Nuclear
Power Station at Shepperdine

Hello

A story that has been created by BBC News using information partially
from the www.shepperdineagainstnuclearenergy.blogspot.com  blog site and
is factually wrong

You quote Reg Illingworth as saying SANE is going to work with the local
councils to try and change their opinions as they are pro the
development---This is completely wrong as you can see from South
Gloucestershire, Oldbury on Severn Parish Council, Rockhampton Parish
Council, Hill Parish Council, Thornbury Town Council submissions in
response to DECC ref the NPS for EN6.---They all have grave concerns
about the potential development by Eon/RWE and are certainly more
against than for.

It is up to Eon/RWE to attempt to work with the councils to convince
them the site is capable of development.

If you should need any guidance to correct the this please call me on
07979 560056.

I know the BBC is an organisation of repute and that stories like this
occasionally get through the editorial screen.

The sad thing is that several news organisations have used this story .

Many thanks



Reg
___________________________________________________________________________

South

Oops...looks like further examples of poor communications from Eon!

It looks like Eon are issuing so many different press releases and letters to various communities all with different messages and they are getting so confused they are actually they dont know what they a are sending out to whom.

It is a sad state that a company that wants to run and build nuclear power stations,with all the inherent risk, cannot even organise simple communications to their key stakeholders---the communities of Shepperdine, Oldbury and Thornbury.

Put this right Tim and Sam and toute suite !

Tim ,

I am forwarding the e-mail  you may have already seen from Sarah Thompson , as I was going to e-mail you anyway to say that  she is not on her won , I have not received the drop and I know of others who have not also , it seems that Shepperdine got some but as of this moment  I have not heard of anyone in Oldbury itself who has seen the bulletin.

I got the information from an e-mail James Eaton sent to Sue our Parish Clerk.

So , I think Sarah  may have a point .

Best Regards

Barry

Sent: 31 March 2010 12:15
To: Oldbury Enquiries
Cc: reg illingworth; Matthew Riddle; Barry Turner
Subject: Recent letter to residents Re Oldbury

Hi Tim/Sam

I am told by Reg that residents in the area received a letter from you regarding the announcement that you made to the press yesterday.

I thought you should know that, once again, I have not received this letter. When I last mentioned this to you you confirmed that my postcode was on your list so clearly the people you employed to deliver this mailing can still not be bothered to walk to the top of the lane so my nearest neighbours at the top of our lane have presumably also not seen your letter.

As you know, I have been concerned all along that I have only ever heard about your activities from the press and mostly from the efforts of others (SANE etc) rather than yours. Despite having raised this before and repeatedly asked to be included in mail drops etc for almost a year now, I have NEVER actually received anything from you through my letter box!

I know you now have me on you email lists so am not too concerned, unless there is something in the letter I havent seen? However, if I am not receiving your mail drops who else isnt and who therefore doesnt even know what your up to? I know of many local residents who knew absolutely nothing about your and DECCs plans for Oldbury until they received a postcard through their door from SANE in February. It is important that you realise that your mailings are not getting out in the way you have claimed they have in the press etc.

May I suggest you re-consider who you use to do these mail drops?

Kind regards

Sarah

Letter from Tim Proudler of Eon/RWE

It was great to receive  a letter from Tim today detailing the new timetable for the Shepperdine project.

We only hope everybody in the community received it---We know in the past some people have not received Eons communications.

We relish the debate that will take place in the Severn Vale over the next few years, although it is still our opinion that Shepperdine should be delisted from the NPS by DECC

As people will appreciate, from this blog, a number of local politicians have taken an active interest in what appears to have been half hearted and ill prepared plan from Eon/RWE from the outset.

We will continue to lobby and canvas both local and national politicians as well as other interest groups.

Our membership continues to grow and to keep all of our community (SANE) involved we are planning some events which may well coincide with Eon/RWEs ongoing consultations.

We are aware that Tim and his team have a job to do and respect them for this--We will however continue the debate to protect our community.

We would be pleased if Eon/RWE would desist from using the name Oldbury and start using the proper name ie Shepperdine.

The power of community is so strong!

Steve Webb Replies to our email about the "so say" DECC Consultation

Dear Reg,

Many thanks for the message.   It is indeed disappointing that the DECC committee report did not make more reference to the concerns of the communities directly affected.  When I wrote to the Chairman of the Committee on behalf of SANE he simply said that he would ensure that the Committee received my letter.   However, I think that the whole issue of the National Policy Statements is going to have to be revisited in a new Parliament.   As you say, I would expect DECC to publish a report on the consultation on the various draft NPSs with at least a summary of the consultation responses received.   They will have to be careful to show that they have listened to the consultation as if it appears to be flawed they may be open to judicial review (as they were over the first decision to ‘go for nuclear’ a few years ago).

Far more significant however is the decision of Horizon to put back their plans by three years.  I think that is a real testimony to the strength and effectiveness of the campaign that you and others have run.  The company says it did not want to pursue both of its sites at the same time (which I find rather implausible) but I think in practice this is a recognition of the strength of the arguments against a new station at Oldbury.

Best wishes,

Steve W.

----- Original Message -----

From: reg illingworth

To: steve@stevewebb.org.uk

Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2010 5:17 PM

Subject: Re: ECCC report on the draft National Policy Statements for Energy published today

Dear Steve

I am sure you have already seen the report published by the Energy and Climate Change Committee today.

On the positive side the report acknowledges some of our more general concerns relating to the nuclear energy policy (eg waste management). If you havent already seen it, you may also be interested to see the attached response to the NPS from CoRWM which confirms the total lack of any progress in identifying a suitable site for a GDF. I really can not see how the government can seriously consider building these power stations until they have somewhere to dispose of this waste and fail to understand why this community should have to host this waste for up to 160 years.

I was also pleased to see that the report recommends a specific requirement for applicants to conduct full life-cycle carbon assessment, presumably with nuclear this will therefore include the construction, running and decommissioning of the power stations as well as the mining and transportation of uranium and the storage and transportation/disposal of waste. These assessments will, I am sure, make interesting reading when put together and if done correctly may well show nuclear to be much less climate friendly than the government seems to think it is! I am amazed that such studies havent already been undertaken by the government in deciding this policy in the first place!

We are, however, extremely disappointed to see that the ECCC do not appear to have even acknowledged the written response to the NPS submitted to them by our group!

I attach below a copy of an email we sent to the ECCC with our submission, which clearly explained the reasons why our response had not been submitted within their time scales. Despite previous assurances that the ECCC would still review the responses submitted to the DECC within their consultation process, this does not appear to have happened. Our email was acknowledged by the clerk (see also email below).

The ECCC report does not even recognise the specific concerns of this community and we are therefore once again left with the distinct impression that no one is listening.

The question is what will happen next? presumably the DECC will review all the responses received from their consultation and publish some sort of report with copies of all responses etc. I also assume that this will be done before they take the draft NPS to a full debate? Otherwise there would seem to have been no point whatsoever in consulting this community at all and I cant see how parliament can take a democratic decision without this information. I wonder if you could clarify this for us.

Bearing in mind the response sent in to the DECC by SANE and the responses submitted by South Glos Council, Oldbury and Rockhampton Parish Councils and Thornbury Town Council (I assume you have copies but let me know if you need them) together with all the numerous other public submissions, surely we have some affect on this Policy Statement that has such a huge affect on this community?

Given that this now appears to be a matter to be decided in parliament, I think there is nothing more we can do except leave this in your hands! Please do let us know if there is anything else you feel we can do, all ideas welcome!

Kind regards

Reg Illingworth

---

From: "WRIGHT, Jonathan"
To: REG ILLINGWORTH
Sent: Wednesday, 24 February, 2010 14:32:46
Subject: RE: Parliamentary Scrutiny of the DECC NPS for Energy

Dear Reg,

Thank you very much for your email. Your group’s response was not attached though so please re-send.

As you say, our deadline for evidence and our evidence sessions have all passed but the information sounds relevant and I will forward it to the Clerk in charge of the inquiry.

Kind regards,

Jonathan Wright

From: REG ILLINGWORTH [mailto:reg.illingworth@btinternet.com]
Sent: 24 February 2010 14:17
To: Energy and Climate Change Committee
Cc: MORLEY, Elliot; ANDERSON, Dave; CHALLEN, Colin; DORRIES, Nadine; HENDRY, Charles; JOHNSTON-JONES, Danielle; JOHNSTON-JONES, Danielle; MAIN, Anne; MALLABER, Judy; ROBERTSON, John; Robert Smith2; TIPPING, Paddy; TURNER, Desmond MP; WEIR, Michael; WHITEHEAD, Alan
Subject: Parliamentary Scrutiny of the DECC NPS for Energy

To ecc@parliament.uk

Copy to :

Rt Hon Elliott Morley MP morleye@parliament.uk
David Anderson MP andersonda@parliament.uk
Colin Challen MP colinchallenmp@parliament.uk
Nadine Dorries MP dorriesn@parliament.uk
Charles Hendry MP hendryc@parliament.uk
Julie Kirkbride MP johnstonjonesd@parliament.uk
Anne Main MP maina@parliament.uk
Judy Mallaber MP mallaberj@parliament.uk
John Robertson MP robertsonjo@parliament.uk
Sir Robert Smith MP robert.smith.mp@parliament.uk
Paddy Tipping MP tippingp@parliament.uk

Dr Desmond Turner MP turnerd@parliament.uk
Mike Weir MP weirm@parliament.uk
Dr Alan Whitehead MP whiteheada@parliament.uk

Re: Energy and Climate Change Committee Parliamentary Scrutiny of the DECC National Policy Statements for Energy

I am the Chairman of a group of local residents living close to the site known as 'Oldbury' nominated in EN6 for a new nuclear power station. Please note the site designated is actually in the village of 'Shepperdine' some 2.5km north of Oldbury. Our group is therefore known as Shepperdine Against Nuclear Energy and details are explained in the email I sent you last week, copied below together with my contact details etc. A further copy of the response from our group is also attached.

I am sure you are aware that the DECC public consultation on the NPS has been undertaken at the same time as your own scrutiny and that the DECC consultation deadline for responses was only a couple of days ago. Although we were made aware that your own consultation closed on the 15th January, we had been told that you would still review responses received by the DECC by their deadline.

As explained in our response attached, the DECC public exhibition and meeting in relation to the Oldbury site was undertaken only a few weeks ago and this community has therefore had very little time to respond properly to their consultation. As stated in our response on page 2 at point 6. this  "has been far too late for us to make any contribution to the Parliamentary Scrutiny Committee for Energy and Climate Change (ECCC), unlike many of the other nominated sites".

Although we have asked the DECC to ensure that you are aware of our concerns, I am very worried that time may not permit this, given that I understand that your own deadlines are only a few weeks away. I am therefore asking that the Energy and Climate Change Committee kindly take into account the little time we have had to respond, review our written response attached and take our concerns in to account as a part of your scrutiny process.

I would be grateful if you would kindly acknowledge receipt of this email. If you need any further information from us to enable you to consider our response, please do let me know.

Regards

Reg Illingworth

Chairman Shepperdine Against Nuclear Energy

Eon Delay Decision on Oldbury Power Station

Eon/RWE annouce plans to delay Oldbury


Eon/Rwe have today issued an announcement (see below) that they plan to delay building the site at Shepperdine nr Oldbury and start Wylfa first. Clearly they have at long last recognised the problems with their massive scale proposal for Oldbury eg the lack of suitable cooling, the fact that its in a high risk flood zone (making storage of highly toxic waste on site even more ridiculous)... the list goes on (see our response to the NPS posted in February).

We are absolutely delighted to hear the news that Oldbury is not now being rushed out.

However, we are now left with a long period of uncertainty if it remains nominated in the NPS when/if it is designated. It feels like, being on death row but having a stay of execution until the hangman has been properly trained.

We must now hope that DECC will listen to our objections and those of the local parish councils and south glos council and SEE THE LIGHT! Oldbury should not be nominated in the NPS when/if it is designated keep watching this space ..............





We have uploaded the following press release at the request of Eons PR company :-

Dear Reg


As per my message on your mobile please see Oldbury press release distributed today, we would be very grateful if you could post this on your blog.

Kind regards

Samantha Stagg
James Reed PR
82-84 Queens Road
Clifton
Bristol
BS8 1QU
Tel: 0117 929 0405




Horizon Nuclear Power outlines timetable for Oldbury







TUESDAY 30 MARCH 2010



Horizon Nuclear Power today outlined its development timetable for the delivery of around 3,300MW of new nuclear power generation at Oldbury on Severn by 2025.



The company, a joint venture between E.ON UK and RWE npower, has announced that it intends submit a planning application for the new plant at Oldbury in 2014. Given the right market conditions, preliminary works could begin in 2016, followed by main construction in 2019.



Tim Proudler, Horizon Nuclear Power’s Planning and Consents Manager for Oldbury said: “We are confident that the Oldbury site meets all of the criteria set out by the Government as part of its Strategic Siting Assessment (SSA) for new nuclear development, including the requirement to be operational by 2025.



“Our development plans would help cement the area’s reputation as a centre of nuclear excellence, and bring long-term economic benefits to the region.



“Wylfa and Oldbury are both strong sites but once we decided a phased approach was sensible we needed to make a choice on which to build first. We would like to make use of the additional time at Oldbury to work with our key stakeholders and the public to develop our ideas further – particularly in areas such as flood protection measures, the cooling system and transport options.



“After that we would begin the full Environmental Impact Assessment work, prior to submitting a planning application. The new timeline will also allow us to work closely with local people and ensure that everyone is given the opportunity to have their say as our plans develop.”



Generating low-carbon electricity for millions of homes, the proposed new plant would be built on land adjacent to the existing Magnox station at Oldbury which is due to stop generating electricity in 2011. Horizon Nuclear Power’s new plant could create up to 800 permanent high quality jobs, rising to 1,000 during maintenance periods and around 5,000 during construction.



As well as Oldbury, Horizon Nuclear Power is seeking to develop a 3,300MW nuclear station at Wylfa on the Isle of Anglesey, North Wales. In total, the company aims to develop around 6,000MW of new low carbon nuclear capacity by 2025. Applications for planning consent at Wylfa will be made in 2012 and Horizon Nuclear Power could have its first reactor to be generating electricity from 2020.



The company is taking a phased approach to development across its two sites to focus resources and expertise and share knowledge between sites.



As part of this staggered process, Horizon will continue formal discussions with both Westinghouse and Areva, the two firms seeking licences for their nuclear reactors in the UK. It plans to select a preferred vendor for its Wylfa site and the end of this year.



ENDS

Media enquiries:



For more information, please contact the Horizon Nuclear Power press office on 01242 713 677 or Leon Flexman, Head of Communications at Horizon Nuclear Power on 01242 713 615. email: leon.flexman@npower.com



Notes to editors



Horizon Nuclear Power Ltd, the joint venture established by E.ON UK and RWE npower, is developing proposals for a new nuclear power station at Oldbury.



The company is working to deliver around 6,000MW of new nuclear capacity in the UK by 2025. It has secured land at Oldbury in South Gloucestershire and at Wylfa on Anglesey, North Wales.



Horizon Nuclear Power’s £15bn investment programme in new nuclear build could create up to 11,000 jobs across both sites during construction and supply the energy needs of the city the size of Greater London.



Our shareholders have interests in 23 nuclear power stations in Germany and Sweden and jointly own three stations in Germany.



Both the Oldbury and Wylfa sites were included in a list of proposed sites suitable for new nuclear development within a draft Nuclear National Policy Statement. The consultation closed on 22nd February 2010 and the Government hopes to finalise the list later this year.

Barry Turner responds to Matthews email---------------------

Well done Barry and the Parish Council  for helping the people of Shepperdine.

Matthew,

The Parish Council, I feel will want to respond  on this , there is no reason why they need 4 years in my view . If the site is designated I think there is a strong case  that they should bite the bullet and invest in am access from the power station road . Our original stance as you know was  that they should have a limited period and it is all focussed on whether or not the site becomes finally designated. If it is not designated well there does not seem much point for Horizon to want to proceed with further work down there . if it is designated it seems to me that that is the point where they should bite the bullet and create the new access in to there ground via the power station road. And so 4 years is an unreasonable amount of time for them to want to use totally unsuitable access , the time they should be granted  is significantly less than that .

There are times when I cannot understand the Planners logic (quite often in fact). The fact that Horizon are using this access when they have the means to create a more suitable one which would lessen the adverse effect of the enjoyment the residents en route suffer should not be extended unreasonably and I think 4 years is unreasonable .

I will keep my diary free for the 29^th and if the PC agree will go and put the case to the Planning Committee, as regards the 16^th  I seem to recall from the last call in we can have our say there as well , is that still the case ?.

Let me know what the position is re the onsite  visit please .

Barry

Matthew Riddle "calls it in" ----------Concern over the compound

http://hosted.southglos.gov.uk/planningweeklylists/Circulated%20Schedule2010/CS120310.pdf

 

 

The planning officer has now published her report on the planning application for a compound at Jobs Green Farm (power station site).She is recommending consent. The link to the report is above and it is item 9 on the schedule.

 

I have now called the application into a planning meeting as I have concerns for a compound lasting 4 years and it being accessed form Shepperdine Road.This 'call in' will allow councillors of the planning committee to visit the site on the 16th April and then make a decision on 29th April. The planning committee will make the decision. If I had not 'called it in' to a planning committee for consideration, then the officers decision would have stood and a consent note sent to the applicant.

 

Both of the meetings are public meetings, with opportunities for the parish council, representatives of local residents and myself to speak.

 

I will let you know of the times, but the 29th April one starts at 2.30 pm at the Thornbury Council Offices.

 

I will keep you informed of developments on this issue.

 

Best Wishes,

 

Matthew

Well done to Matthew for keeping his constituents well informed!

As we know it is not feasible for the developer Eon/RWE to able to use Shepperdine Road as access to their land.

They need to build their own new road and enter the site via power station road.

 

Accidents do happen..............

On a recent holiday I was reading yet another of Malcolm Gladwells books--which include The Outliers and Tipping Point.---All his books are amazing and really challenge our thoughts and conventions.

Anyway, the book concerned is "What the Dog Saw"--The chapter is titled Blowup---Who can be blamed for a disaster like The Challenger Explosion? No one and we'd better get used to it.

He goes on to explain what caused the Three Mile Island ( TMI) problem and these are words straight out of the book---Thank you Malcolm---

"--the near disaster at the TMI nuclear-power plant in March 1979. The conclusion of the president's commission that investigated the TMI accident was that it was as the result of human error, particularly on the part of the plant's operators. But the truth of what happened there, the revisionists maintain,is a good deal more complicated than that, and their arguments are worth examining in detail.

The trouble at TMI started with a blockage in what is called the plant's polisher-a kind of giant water filter. Polisher problems were not unusual at TMI, or particularly serious. But in this case the blockage caused moisture to leak into the plant's air system, inadvertently tripping two valves and shutting down the flow of cold water into the plant's steam generator.

As it happens, TMI had a back up cooling system for precisely this situation. But on that particular day, for reasons no one really knows, the valves for the back-up system weren't open. They had been closed, and an indicator in the control room showing they were closed was blocked by a repair tag hanging from a switch above it. That left the reactor dependent on another backup system, a special sort of relief valve. But as luck would have it, the relief valve wasn't working properly that day either. It stuck open when it was supposed to close, and to make matters even worse, a gauge in the control room which should have told the operators that the relief valve wasn't working was itself not working. By the time TMI's engineers realized what was happening, the reactor had come dangerously close to a meltdown.

Here in other words, was a major accident caused by five discrete events. There is no way the engineers in the control room could have known about any of them. No glaring errors or spectacularly bad decisions were made that exacerbated those events. And all the malfunctions--the blocked polisher,the shut valves,the obscured indicator,the faulty relief valve, and the broken gauge---were in themselves so trivial that individually they would have created no more than a nuisance. what caused the accident was the way minor events interacted to create a major problem"

Form your own opinion on this!

Statistics must say the more nuclear plants the more accidents!

Sizewell ---Abnormal readings?

Sizewell shutdown probe


HAYLEY MACE

Last updated: 25/03/2010 08:57:00

An investigation is today under way after energy bosses were forced to shut down Sizewell B, it has been revealed.

The nuclear reactor, on the Suffolk coast south of Southwold, was taken offline last Wednesday after abnormal readings in the containment building sparked further inquiries.

The incident is expected to cost EDF Energy, which operates Sizewell B, hundreds of thousands of pounds.

EDF spokesman Gordon Bell said that the shutdown was “perfectly normal” and posed no safety risks.



Then you can have your say.

Sign up nowand we plan to build more civilian nuclear power stations? the history of civilian nuclear power is littered (literally and metaphorically) with the detritus of incidents of breaches of saftey etc which only come to light years if not decades after the event... secrecy is the normal 'best practice' in the nuclear industry

martin wallis, Shipdham

So according the EDF having "abnormal readings" in the containment is "perfectly normal". I don't think that the plant should be allowed to reopen until local people have been given a full explanation of what happened so that we do not have to wait several years to find out the truth as happened with the Sizewell A cooling pond incident.

Latest News from the Parliamentary Committee for ECCC

***********************************************HOT NEWS***********************************************



THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE FOR SCRUTINISING THE DRAFT NATIONAL POLICY STATEMENTS FOR ENERGY HAVE TODAY PUBLISHED THEIR REPORT AND RECOMMEND THE MATTER IS TAKEN TO A FULL DEBATE IN PARLIAMENT PREFERABLY BEFORE THE NEXT ELECTION!

See the committee's full press release below.

The committe's full report can be downloaded at http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmselect/cmenergy/231/231i.pdf

We are extremely disappointed that the ECCC do not appear to have even acknowledged the written statement we submitted to them and will take this up with our MP. They have not even considered or mentioned the specific problems at Oldbury (cooling towers, flood risks etc) which we believe render this site unsuitable for the massive scale development proposed by Eon/RWE/Horizon.

This is not the outcome of the DECC's own consultation. Will DECC consider our submissions alongside those submitted by South Glos Council, Oldbury Parish Council, Rockhampton Parish Council and Thornbury Town Council before the parliamentary debate? Will parliament be given details of the submissions made to DECC? Otherwise what was the point of consulting our community at all! How can parliament make a democratic decision without this information? We will be asking our MP for answers to these questions and more very shortly.... Watch this space....







__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________







PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 23.3.10 BY PARLIAMENT'S ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE COMMITTEE:

MPs CALL FOR A DEBATE ON THE DRAFT ENERGY NATIONAL POLICY STATEMENTS


In a report published today on The proposals for national policy statements on energy, the Energy and Climate Change Committee calls for a debate on an amendable motion, offering the possibility of a vote, preferably before the end of the current Parliament, or at the earliest opportunity in the next Parliament.

Launching the report, Paddy Tipping MP said: “The national policy statements (NPSs) on energy will be crucial for delivering our energy and climate change objectives. As Ministers will no longer determine planning consent for nationally important infrastructure in the future, it is vital that the NPSs are underpinned by a full democratic mandate”.

The report also highlights a number of concerns with the current drafting of the NPSs. The Committee has “significant concern that decision-making by the IPC could give rise to an energy infrastructure that risks breaching the UK’s carbon budgets”. To prevent this, the report recommends the implementation of safeguards including:

· A specific requirement in the NPSs for applicants to conduct a full life-cycle carbon assessment;


· The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) to be made a statutory consultee for planning applications considered by the IPC;
· A requirement on the CCC to report annually on cumulative emissions arising from developments consented by the IPC.

On new nuclear build, the Committee questions the Government’s robust assertion in the draft nuclear NPS that effective arrangements will be in place to manage the resulting radioactive waste. MPs call for significantly more detail in the NPS on what interim radioactive waste storage will entail for local communities and the integrity of sites chosen. It also calls on Ministers to set out key milestones for the delivery of a long-term storage facility in the nuclear NPS and to report annually to Parliament on progress.

The report also criticises the Government’s assessment of the need for new generating capacity, which suggests the anticipated need for conventional generation over the next decade could be met already through projects that are either under construction or in development. The Committee recommends the Department looks again at its analysis, as “the current assertion of the need for new conventional generating capacity reduces the likelihood that the renewables target will be met”.

Elsewhere the Committee calls for the IPC to have a role in assessing the sustainability of biomass and energy from waste fuel sources. It also recommends the Department of Energy and Climate Change reviews the current drafting of the NPSs in relation to carbon capture and storage (CCS). In particular, it calls for the Government to provide much greater detail on the development of a future network of carbon dioxide pipelines in conjunction with the deployment of CCS.
Finally, the report strongly criticises the Department’s public consultation on the draft NPSs and the manner in which their late publication has constrained the time available for parliamentary scrutiny and public engagement, particularly in relation to greenfield nuclear sites. The Committee recommends the Government learns from this experience for future NPSs and develops more innovative ways of engaging the public. It also calls for a review of the resources available to local authorities to ensure they are able fully to undertake their role in the planning process.

Further copies may be obtained from the Stationery Office (Tel 0845 702 3474) and will be available on our website at the address below on the day of publication
http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/ecc.cfm

Email sent to Greg Clark and David Cameron asking them to look at the Shepperdine Question

Dear Mr Cameron and Mr Clark,



Re DRAFT NATIONAL POLICY STATEMENT FOR NUCLEAR POWER GENERATION (EN6)

I am writing to you on behalf of our group of residents living close to the existing nuclear power station at Oldbury in South Gloucestershire to express our grave concerns over your recently issued Policy for Energy. I ask you to consider this email and the attachments very very carefully. Please dont dismiss us as "NIMBYs" in the way we are becoming accustomed to being treated by the Labour government. In their desperate rush to fix the problem they have left this country in by doing nothing about the energy problems of this country for far too long.

Please understand that we are not NIMBYs nor pollitically motivated in expressing our concerns. Neither did any of us start this campaign out as anti-nuclear activists. However, I have to say that this governments recent incompetance in dealing with this matter carefully and properly is gradually turning many of us into active campaigners against their current policy for energy on a level that is now being seen as activist. This community has genuine reasons for expressing our concerns and objections and is deeply worried that no one is listening.

To now read your new energy policy has widened our concerns and I sincerely hope that after reading this you will re-consider one particular aspect of your policy.

I will not comment on any of the rest of your document, as I am certain that many other bodies will, but will focus on the issue that will affect the lives of this community for decades if not centuries. Our concern relates to your specific statement on page 18:

"We support the long overdue National Planning Statements on energy infrastructure, which are of critical importance to nuclear power – and will submit them to a vote of Parliament to protect against Judicial Review and the further delays that would cause."

In our view the National Policy Statement for Nuclear Energy is fundamentally flawed in a number of areas and therefore you would be wrong to give it such open support until it has at least been properly reviewed following the recent consultations. We have already set out our reasons for this in the attached document which we submitted to the DECC last month and to the ECCC in the hope that they would also consider it in their own scrutiny of the NPS.

Our objections mainly centre around the suitability of the siting of a new generation style nuclear power station within the village of Shepperdine some 2.5km north of the existing power station at Oldbury.

Although, we have had a nuclear power station at Oldbury for over 40 years now, most people might wonder why we should not have another one. However, the 'devil is in the detail' - the proposed power station will be at least 4 times bigger than the one we have lived with here. Worse still, because this site is on an estuary and its cooling needs will be significantly greater, they will not be able to discharge into the river and will have to erect 3 or 4 massive 200m high cooling towers. There are so many reasons why the proposal is not suitable for this location and yet the DECC seems determined to nominate us in their NPS.

In its current form the draft NPS seeks to pre-determine the outcome of the IPC planning process by limiting matters that it may consider. It also suggests that, for example, the visual impact of these cooling towers can be mitigated by landscaping measures etc. which is quite absurd! No amount of landscaping can mitigate towers of this scale which will be visible from as far away as Tewkesbury and Bridgwater. However, the draft NPS suggests that provided the promoter of the scheme does all he can to mitigate the visual impact then that will be enough for them to obtain planning consent because of the nations greater need for energy.

These structures will be amongst the largest of their kind in the world, twice the height of the cooling towers at Didcot Power Station, twice the height of Big Ben and the largest structure anywhere in the UK outside London. To give you an idea of scale of the visual impact this will have on the beautiful Severn Vale I attach a document with some photo-montages of the cooling towers set against the current power station, which we understand is approx 60m high. I am sure you will see from these that this site is simply not suitable.

The cooling towers are obviously a big concern but there are many other very serious and valid reasons why we feel this site is so unsuitable and I attach a copy of our response to the DECC consultation for your information.

I urge you also to read South Glos. Council's response to the DECC consultation and have also attached this for your perusal. Thornbury Town Council, Rockhampton Parish Council and Oldbury Parish Council have all produced responses expressing similar concerns and I can arrange for you to have copies of these also if you feel they would assist.

I also attach an extract from the Daily Hansard record of part of the House of Lord's debate on the draft nuclear NPS earlier this month in which Lord John Cope highlighted this problem. As I am sure you know, Lord Cope was the conservative MP for South Gloucestershire for many years and therefore knows the area affected extremely well. He is also a strong supporter of nuclear power and yet he realises that our concerns are valid and that the proposals for Oldbury in the draft NPS are simply not suitable.

I therefore urge you to please re-consider your support for the NPS in its current form, many others will, I am sure tell you why it needs substantially reviewing on many grounds, however from this community's view its nomination of Oldbury as a suitable site for this massive scale new generation of power station is totally ridiculous.

If you adopt full support of the NPS documents in their current form, rest assured, we will all pay the price for the many errors this government has made cutting corners in their rush to fix their lack of action in resolving the looming energy crisis.

We would welcome an opportunity to discuss our concerns further with you, particularly if you still consider that Oldbury is suitable for this development and will therefore continue your party's support of the government's NPS documents. If you feel a meeting would be helpful please do let me know.

Yours sincerely

Reg Illingworth

Chairman Shepperdine Against Nuclear Energy

Possible Hostile Terrorist Reconnaissance in Shepperdine Says Police Chief!

From Liza-Jane Gillespie of The Gazette

Having lived on Shepperdine Road for eight years I have always been a little concerned that living next to a nuclear power plant may lead to this---It is now interesting that Insp. Mark Lester is also concerned! What will happen if we get an even more prominent target for terrorists?

A DESERTED building near the possible site of a new nuclear power station is to be demolished because of fears about safety and national security.


A Prior Notification of Demolition has been made to South Gloucestershire Council for a property on Shepperdine Road, Oldbury.
The application has been made by Thornbury-based DLP Planning Ltd on behalf of German energy firm E.ON.

Last year E.ON bought hundreds of acres of land between Oldbury and Shepperdine in anticipation of building a new nuclear power station.

Since purchasing the land E.ON is now responsible for the upkeep of all buildings and has already renovated and let several properties.

However, a bungalow on Shepperdine Road has been declared unsafe by surveyors and a security risk by the Civil Nuclear Constabulary.

Insp Mark Lester, operational unit commander for Oldbury, said: "Firstly these buildings are a danger to the public in that if they gained entry to the premises they would be in serious danger of injuring themselves.

"Not wishing to stereotype, but I can imagine youths being curious and with a sense of adventure taking a look at this derelict property and ending up injuring themselves.

"Secondly, this is an opportunity for criminal activity, and this and similar buildings have been used to secrete and store stolen property.

"Thirdly it is an opportunity for any potential terrorist to use and adapt this building as a base to carry out hostile reconnaissance."

DLP Planning said a suspended timber floor had collapsed within the bungalow onto the ground floor and that the building contains asbestos.

The company said: "To do nothing would leave the building to fall into an increasingly perilous state of repair."

The firm plans to demolish the bungalow between September and early October to avoid disruption to the local bat population.

To view the application visit www.southglos.gov.uk

Nukes Very 18months say Tories!!---Is this a signal to vote Lib Dem

There is now a clear division becoming evident with energy policies and it really looks as though the Lib Dems are now the only party for people who believe in preserving the earth!

Labour and Conservatives are both in the pockets of large energy companies.

As a lifelong supporter of the Tories this upsets me.

The solution to our problems can be the formation of local power companies supplying photovoltaic and wind power under the new FIT tariffs as of the beginning of April. This can be owned by local landowners and the community so all profits (if any) can be spent locally.

We'll open a nuclear power station every 18 MONTHS, say Tories


By James Chapman


One new nuclear power station would be opened every 18 months under a Conservative blueprint to avoid the first widespread electricity blackouts since the 1970s.

Shadow energy spokesman Greg Clark told the Daily Mail there would be 'no limit' on the expansion of nuclear power under a Tory government.

'In the past, we haven't been entirely clear - this is a very clear statement that we are in favour of nuclear power,' he said.

sizewell b

'No limit': The Tories want to open at least one new nuclear plant every 18 months, starting in 2018, to help plug a looming power gap. By 2023, all of Britain's nuclear power stations - except Sizewell B (pictured) - will be obsolete

Mr Clark said he intended to allow energy firms to open at least one new nuclear plant every 18 months, starting in 2018, to help plug a looming power gap.

A Conservative government would ask Parliament to approve a national energy plan, limiting the chances of legal challenges by environmental groups.

Mr Clark also set out proposals to reward communities which agree to host wind farms, saying they will benefit from discounted electricity bills and be allowed to keep business rates averaging £70,000 a year to spend locally.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1259045/Well-open-nuclear-power-station-18-months-say-Tories.html?ITO=1490#ixzz0is00Z0oD

Posted by Angela Paine at 19:50 of www.stopoldbury.blogspot.com

Shocking Reports of treatment of a local landowner in Shepperdine By Eons Land Agents

A company representing Eon in their land deals in Shepperdine, Fisher German, are making life difficult for a local farming family.

John Grey is angry and distressed.

Eon ,through Fisher German, have always said that local landowners would be given the opportunity to rent any land that they buy from other landowners to local farmers.

John would like to rent a section of land that adjoins his---Guess what---Eon have decided to rent the land to a company called Smiths from Gloucester without offering it to John.--I suppose we are dealing with a global company that probably thinks Gloucester is local to Shepperdine

John is concerned that this is the thin end of the wedge as Eon try and force John to sell part of his land that they would like for their development!

John is wholeheartedly against the destruction of Shepperdine and is constantly rebutting the aggressive nature of Fisher German in these dealings.

They are like a lion toying with a mouse!

We need more people like John and Sarah and George.

Nuclear Plants Vulnerable to Attack says former CIA Officer

Nuclear Power Plants Vulnerable to Attack, Former CIA Officer Says


By Matthew Harwood

Created 03/16/2010 - 09:40



The United States is woefully unprepared to protect its nuclear power plants from a terrorist attack [1], a former CIA officer divulged on CNN.com yesterday.



Charles S. Faddis, the former head of the CIA's unit on terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, writes that he investigated security measures at many U.S. nuclear power plants during research for a book on the state of U.S homeland security. He found them wanting.



His call to secure these sites comes after President Barack Obama guaranteed $8 billion in government loans to a company to construct two new nuclear power plants in Georgia [2].



"[B]efore we start building reactors we need to address another urgent matter," he writes. "We need to make current reactors secure."



A terrorist attack against a nuclear power plant isn't a theoretical vulnerability, Faddis, the author of "Willful Neglect: The Dangerous Illusion of Homeland Security [3]," explains.



Last month, Yemen detained a Somali-American man in a roundup of suspected al Qaeda militants. New Jersey-native Sharif Mobley subsequently came to the attention of the U.S. media last week when he shot and killed a hospital guard in an escape attempt in the Yemeni capital of Sana'a. Prior to leaving the United States for Yemen, Mobley worked at three different nuclear power plants from 2002 to 2008 [4], the Daily News reports. Faddis also reminds readers that 9-11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed originally wanted to crash airliners into nuclear power plants as part of the 9-11 terrorist operation [5].



After 9-11, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) increased the amount of private security guards nuclear plants had to have on shift to secure the facility.



Faddis writes that, on average, most plants now field 20 private security guards per shift, up from five to ten mandated by the NRC before 9-11. Considering the damage a terrorist attack on a nuclear plant could do, he finds these numbers significantly too low to adequately protect the perimeter of such large facilities.



Many others are hired off the street and given less than a week's worth of training before they begin to stand post. Much of that week of training is consumed with administrative matters, which have nothing to do with learning how to repel a terrorist attack.



Morale among the guards at nuclear power plants is chronically low. I was told by many individuals during my research that it was common to hear discussions among guards about where they would hide if there were an attack. (My emphasis)



Faddis writes that even when private security guards are put through attack scenarios that handicap terrorist forces—no rocket launchers or machine guns—guards fail to repel the attack at least half the time. Furthermore, terrorists would only need a basic understanding of plant operations to cause a nuclear meltdown.



Read more:

http://www.securitymanagement.com/print/6870

Posted by acethecat at 10:19 PM

RWE N Power Will Not Build Wylfa if there is a Hung Parliament!!

Saturday, 20 March 2010


Hung parliament will kill Wylfa B (Updated)



Speaking at the Future of Utilities conference in London this week, the chief executive of RWE n.power, Volker Beckers, has made it clear that in the event of a hung parliament Wylfa B will not be built. He is reported to have said:





"It could possibly make some investment inconceivable, for instance nuclear" … He said although the opposition Conservative Party supported the ruling Labour government's push to replace Britain's ageing nuclear fleet with new reactors, it was unclear what stance a new government, that might include the Liberal Democrat Party, would take on nuclear power.

The Lib Dems oppose plans to build more nuclear power stations, which they say "will soak up subsidy, centralise energy production and hinder development of Britain's vast renewable resources."



RWE n.power is one half of the Horizon Nuclear Power joint venture which is currently planning to develop the new reactor in Wylfa so Beckers' comments can be seen as a clear indication that Horizon's plans will not proceed in the event of a hung parliament.



It looks like Anglesey's economic future may be held to ransom by the Lib Dems - a party which polled less than 2,500 votes in Anglesey at the last general election; who's Anglesey Association strangely has an address in Cardiff; and selected a 26 year old ex-barman from St Asaph as their parliamentary candidate for the Island.





UPDATE: In this context it is also informative to note that Plaid Cymru are actively campaigning for a hung parliament - here is the Plaid candidate for Anglesey, Dylan Rees, in a recent letter to the Daily Post:





[T]his general election is very likely to produce a hung parliament. In that event Plaid Cymru will have an even more influential role to play as it seeks to win a fairer deal for the people of Wales.



He fails to mention that the most significant consequence of a hung parliament for Anglesey would be to kill off any hopes of Wylfa B. Remember that when you are in the voting booth.



Posted by The Druid of Anglesey at 11:32

Labels: Anglesey / Ynys Môn, Dylan Rees, Energy Policy, Lib Dems, Plaid Cymru, Wylfa

6 comments:

John Vooght said...

I think this is showing bias again.



There are plenty of Lib. Dem. reps, agent and activists on Anglesey. If only 2500-odd votes went Lib. dem. on Anglesey last time, then only 70 out of about 66,000 residents bothered to send a view on the Council's failings last summer - one in a thousand. So, were those 70 people wrong? No! The Tories and Labour get the most votes because people simply don't think about politics and do what their parents always did.



20 March 2010 11:52

Anonymous said...

I just can't see why you keep going on about the candidate being an ex barman, why is this detrimental, men and women who work in bars see all sides of life, listen to people's problems and most probably have a better handle on what is actually happening than most people, it's as though you are casting aspersions on the profession when in fact the opposite is true. Before anything is said I am not in favour of the Lib Dems but do not think you should belittle an honest profession



20 March 2010 12:10

The Druid of Anglesey said...

John: If there are "plenty" of Lib Dem reps, agents and activists on the island, why does the Ynys Mon Lib Dem Association have an address in Cardiff? Or is my bias blinding me?



Your second point about people not voting for Lib Dems because they they don't think about politics or because they just do what their parents do is insulting and makes it very clear what Lib Dems really think about voters.



20 March 2010 12:12

The Druid of Anglesey said...

Anon - its a fair comment and I don't mean to belittle bar work. I mention it in this case to underline Matt Woods youth and lack of experience. He is an unsuitable candidate and his party's energy polices will sink this Island.



20 March 2010 12:16

La Pasionaria said...

Ah here we have the Druid standing up for Ynys Mon...wrong. We have the Druid standing up for Ynys Mon Tories! As partisan and thin skinned as we've come to expect!



20 March 2010 21:36

Anonymous said...

Well if you want to underline his youth and inexperience why not do that, why have "barman" in there at all. I like following the blog but really there isn't any need to be derogatory about what someone does for a living, maybe working behind a bar for 12 months would serve you well.

I agree about the LIb Dems energy policies and don't agree with them

Hi Tech Industry?...Thought it belonged to the second world war

The Government has decided to lend money to produce the vessels for the reactors that are being proposed for the new nuclear reactors proposed for the UK which are steeped in 1950s technology----This is the way we are going!

It is good that a lot of Eastern Countries are researching into better photovoltaic and wind solutions


The government's much-vaunted "low-carbon industrial strategy" is set to receive a boost on Wednesday with the announcement of a long-awaited £170m funding package for the British nuclear manufacturer, Sheffield Forgemasters.


The company, which has been in funding negotiations for more than six months, has secured the last remaining £20m from bank loans, the Guardian has learnt.

It means Sheffield Forgemasters will be able to build a 15,000-tonne press to make large forgings used in modern reactors being built in the UK and overseas.

The business secretary, Lord Mandelson, and the energy secretary, Ed Miliband, will travel to Sheffield, along with the business minister, Pat McFadden, to make the announcement on Wednesday.

Boosting the hi-tech industrial economy in the UK will become a key political battleground in the run-up to the general election after the credit crunch exposed the dangers of becoming over-reliant on financial services. Official data recently showed that in its first decade in power Labour had allowed the manufacturing sector to shrink at a quicker rate than under Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s.

In response, Mandelson, who has been heavily involved in the complex negotiations, has been championing a new policy of "industrial activism". Ministers say that without more government support for industry, the tens of billions of pounds of new reactors and wind turbines planned to reduce carbon emissions would have to be imported. British manufacturers and workers would miss out.

To secure the funding, the government has pledged £65m in soft loans, with £35m from the European Investment Bank. The nuclear reactor firm Westinghouse is paying £50m upfront for its orders.

The deal also provides a much-needed boost to the north-east, where traditional manufacturers such as Corus have been hammered by the recession and which has one of the highest UK jobless rates. Mandelson wants to create a hub of low-carbon manufacturers in the region with ties to Sheffield University. He recently opened a new £25m research facility in Rotherham for Britain's civil nuclear industry where Sheffield Forgemasters can work with other UK firms in the supply chain.

Dougie Rooney, of the Unite union, said: "The only hope for the nation in terms of being able to pay off its debts is for the UK's engineering industry to become a global supply-chain player supplying components and equipment for new energy projects."

The Sheffield firm is one of only a few around the world that can make the special forgings for reactors. There is increasing political pressure on nuclear companies to source as many components as possible from the UK. The deal will create 150 jobs directly, but thousands more could be created in the wider nuclear supply chain as a result, according to Unite.



Sheffield Forgemasters, whose origins go back to the 1750s, became notorious in the 1990s after becoming embroiled in the "Supergun affair" over arms sales to Iraq.

Olkiluoto and Eon?

Dies ist der Cache von Google von http://shepperdineagainstnuclearenergy.blogspot.com/2009/12/trip-to-olkiluoto-in-finland-honesty.html. Es handelt sich dabei um ein Abbild der Seite, wie diese am 8. Mdrz 2010 20:52:36 GMT angezeigt wurde. Die aktuelle Seite sieht mittlerweile eventuell anders aus. Weitere Informationen


Nur-Text-VersionDiese Suchbegriffe sind markiert: olkiluoto website

Wylfa feels the pressure!---We support you and understand the pressure on minorities

CAMPAIGNS CYMRU


Information & News on Anti - Colonial/Capitalist Campaigns plus Patriotic & Popular Protests in Wales and World for Humanitarian & Environmental, Social & Economic Justice. Not least on behalf of small nations and minority peoples particularly such ignored by mass media and fashionable liberal left causes of the moment.

Monday, 15 March 2010

NO WYLFA B DEMO 31 March 2010.

.Phil Steele sent a message to the members of Stop Wylfa - No Nuclear in Wales.--------------------Subject: 31.3.10 demo No - Wyfla B - NaWed March 31st 8-9.00 ybDydd Mercher Mawrth 31eg 8-9.00amD DEMO NO - WYLFA B - NAMenai Suspension Bridge - Pont y Borth All welcome. Croeso i bawb.Bring placards and banners. No blocking of traffic. Dewch â plachardiau a baneri. Peidiwch â rhwystro trafnidiaethto.

Posted by Gethin 'Iestyn' Gruffydd at 01:04

Latest David Price Video Now Up on Youtube!!!-FLOODING

Please check out this---It just shows how stupid the choice of Shepperdine is for a new nuclear plant!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb67Qlr2IMk

Amercian Nuclear Power Plant Terrorist Held In Yemen

We must all realise that the greater the number of  nuclear power plants created worldwide the greater the probability of a human accident, terrorist plot or geological dissaster(Earthquake) is greater--- There are a lot safer ways to create electicity and to give communities the chance to benefit from small scale production

An American citizen who is being held in Yemen accused of being an al-Qaeda militant worked for six years at a series of US nuclear power plants, it emerged yesterday.


Sharif Mobley, 26, who started a gun battle as he tried to escape from a hospital in Yemen last week, killing one person and wounding several others, worked at three nuclear reactors in his native New Jersey between 2002 and 2008.

Mr Mobley was among 11 al-Qaeda suspects arrested during a series of raids in the Yemeni capital Sanaa in this month, and is believed to have links to Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian radical who tried to blow up a US aircraft on Christmas Day.

Before moving to Yemen in 2008, supposedly to learn Arabic and study Islam, Mr Mobley worked at Salem and Hope Creek nuclear power stations and at another plant on Artificial Island in Lower Alloways Creek.

Related Links

BA employee charged with plotting terror attack

Yemen agrees ceasefire with Houthi rebels

Christmas Day bomber helping track jihadists

The company that owns the plants, Public Service Enterprise Group, said in a report to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission that Mr Mobley carried out maintenance at the plants and carried supplies.

A spokesman for the governor of New Jersey said that Mr Mobley was not believed to have breached security at the plants, but it was still unclear last night what access, if any, he had to sensitive technology.

His case is the latest example of a radicalised American travelling overseas to join al-Qaeda – a growing trend that has US authorities deeply worried – and the fact that he worked at nuclear plants makes his case all the more troubling.

Earlier this week it emerged that an American woman, who used the internet nom de guerre JihadJane, has been in custody since October. She is accused of traveling to Sweden to kill the cartoonist whose depictions of the Prophet Muhammed outraged many Muslims.

Mr Mobley, who was recaptured after the gun battle at the hospital, where he was being treated, already had strong religious views by the time he left school.

However, his alleged radicalisation occurred more recently. A former classmate, Roman Castro, who served with the US Army in Iraq, said that he last saw Mr Mobley four years ago, and that he was clearly more radical. When they met, Mr Mobley yelled at him: “Get the hell away from me, you Muslim killer!”

American officials worry that Yemen is becoming the biggest terrorist staging ground for al-Qaeda, with many members of the group having moved there from Afghanistan and Pakistan.