Grid

German regulator says nuclear reserve capacity not needed

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Germany's grid regulator Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA) said Wednesday that it has decided against keeping one idled nuclear reactor on standby as reserve capacity for the coming two winter seasons to ensure power grid stability after the government permanently closed eight older reactors in the wake of the Fukushima disaster in March.

"Our investigations have shown that even in exceptional contingencies the transmission system will remain operational without the dispatch of a reserve nuclear power plant," BNetzA President Matthias Kurth said in a statement.

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Romania Wants to Export Electricity to Bulgaria

Monday, October 4, 2010

Romania could export more electricity to Bulgaria, according to Adrian Baiscusi, general manager of Romanian power grid operator Transelectrica (TEL).

Baicusi has stated, as cited by Act Media, that as a result of Turkey joining the European electricity network (UCTE) in September, Romania should have opportunities to export
energy to the south.

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Vattenfall in political storm

Sunday, November 15, 2009

State owned Vattenfall, one of Europe’s largest power producing companies, has found itself in the middle of a political storm since it became known they had plans to sell their part of the Swedish power grid. Accusations that CEO Lars G. Josefsson has ‘pledged’ the entire corporate group, in an agreement with German authorities, has made the Minister for Enterprise, Maud Olofsson, to put forward strong criticism.

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Spain's windfarms set new national record for electricity generation

Friday, November 13, 2009

High winds over the weekend supplied 53% of Spain's electricity – equivalent to the power output of 11 nuclear plants

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Normandy Dairy Towns Challenge EDF on Nuclear Reactor

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Dec. 10 (Bloomberg) -- The lush green hills overlooking the dairy farms of Le Chefresne in Normandy have become a battleground in France’s efforts to boost power production.

In a corner of France known for Camembert cheese and apples, state-controlled Electricite de France SA plans to build 200 foot-tall steel pylons with high-voltage cables to carry electricity from a nuclear plant. The proposal would add to the 400,000 volts that pylons already carry from two existing reactors.

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Nuclear isn't necessary

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

The notion that we need nuclear power to address climate change does not reflect the realities of the marketplace or rapid new developments in energy technology.

It is now generally understood that carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel burning are at the centre of the climate crisis. In the electricity sector, that primarily means the burning of coal. China and the United States are the leading users, and Russia, Germany and India also use coal as a mainstay of power generation. Long-term assured carbon sequestration is not yet a proven technology, and it is unclear when it might become available on the required scale. In environmental terms, the world cannot afford new coal-fired power plants; indeed, even existing coal-fired power plants may have to be phased out before 2050. The nuclear-power industry, proclaiming a 'nuclear renaissance', has suggested itself as a saviour with a simple formula: if you don't like coal, build nuclear plants.

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Fear of power blackouts dismissed

Monday, September 29, 2008

The National Grid says fears of winter power blackouts are unfounded, and denied that surplus capacity is low.

The energy trader Inenco says the UK could face power blackouts "within weeks" if a sudden cold snap or unplanned power outage occurs.

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