Cuts of up to 40 per cent in grants to scientists have been announced, triggering a warning they could undermine the nation’s ability to build and decommission nuclear power plants.
The reduction in support for individual scientists stems from the budget squeeze experienced by the funding agency which oversees astronomy and physics - the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).
France's two biggest energy groups, EDF and GDF Suez, are vying to build the country's latest nuclear power plant, casting fresh doubt on their participation in Britain's planned nuclear renaissance.
Last week President Nicolas Sarkozy gave the go-ahead for a second new-generation European pressurised reactor (EPR) on an existing site. It will be France's 60th nuclear power plant.
Taxpayers are being forced to indemnify the winner of the £7.5bn contract to decommission the highly toxic Sellafield nuclear site in Cumbria against an accident because the bidders are based overseas. The preferred consortium will be announced on Friday.
Four consortia are vying for the contract, which could be worth £20bn over its lifetime, including US engineering giants Fluor, Bechtel, Washington Group and CH2M Hill, as well as French nuclear power group Areva and the Japanese firm Toshiba. UK companies Serco and Amec are also members of overseas-led consortia.
LOCAL authorities in Cumbria have been offering to start talks with Whitehall about a possible nuclear dump for Cumbria.
A SECRET ballot on industrial action is being organised for Sellafield’s 10,000 workers
WEST Cumbria – and Copeland in particular – is likely to become more dependent than ever on the nuclear industry and we say that in full light of all the on-going efforts to diversify our economy.
So with all the signs pointing to another strike at the area’s biggest employer and economic bread earner – Sellafield – it has to be worrying.
KEY decommissioning projects at Sellafield may have to be delayed because of a budget shortfall.
THERE is no credible terrorist threat to new nuclear power plants, MPs have been told.
On June 27th, 1973, reactor No. 1 at the first nuclear power plant ever built north of the Arctic Circle was started. It was designed for a life-time of 30 years, but is still in operation.
Later in the 70ties and early 80 another three reactors was put into operation at the Kola nuclear power plant (Kola NPP).
Gordon Brown has committed Britain to a nuclear future, but can a new generation of reactors shed their murky, costly image in time to solve the looming energy crisis?
