New nuclear build at Sellafield announced by Toshiba and GDF Suez New York Times: London — Toshiba, the Japanese industrial giant, and the French utility GDF Suez have announced plans for moving ahead with a new British nuclear power station, adding momentum to the country’s atomic energy program. The facility, called Moorside, would be located in northwest England near the Irish Sea and would eventually have three Westinghouse reactors, supplying close to 7 percent of Britain’s power, the companies said on Monday.
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East Anglia ONE – Government approves giant 1200 Mw East Anglian offshore wind farm
The government has given the green light to the East Anglia ONE offshore wind farm off the coast of Suffolk, which has the potential to become the biggest wind farm in the world.
East Anglia ONE plans to install up to 240 wind turbines across an area of 300km2 in the southern North Sea, meaning the project would be significantly larger than the current biggest wind farm in the world, the London Array. Energy and climate change secretary Ed Davey said East Anglia and the rest of the UK have “a lot to gain” from the development. “The project has the potential to inject millions of pounds into the local and national economies, and support thousands of green jobs. “Making the most of Britain’s home grown energy is crucial in creating job and business opportunities, getting the best deal for customers and reducing our reliance on foreign imports.”
Commenting on the decision, Keith Anderson, CEO of Scottish Power Renewables, said: “This is the largest renewable energy project ever to receive planning consent in England and Wales, and it is a significant achievement to see our plans approved, and an important step forward towards a final investment decision. Our project team has spent more than three years planning the details of this project, and consulting widely with communities and stakeholders across the East Anglia region
Fracking should be allowed in national parks – Chris Smith – outgoing EA chairman
Fracking should be allowed in national parks and fears over its impact have been “exaggerated,” according to the head of the Environment Agency. The chairman, Chris Smith, who is stepping down next month, dismissed concerns about its possible impact on the national parks and sites of special scientific interest that could be licenced for fracking. In an interview with the Times, Mr Smith said: “Provided it is done carefully and properly regulated, those fears are definitely exaggerated.”
He dismissed the arguments of many campaigners who want to see more resources put into developing renewable energy sources rather than drilling for shale gas and oil. “We aren’t yet ready to see 100% of our energy requirements being produced from renewables,” Mr Smith said.
“Over the next 10-20 years we are going to have to use fossil fuels still and it’s much better to use gas than coal.”
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