Podcasts about Hinkley Point

This show has been flagged as Clean by the host. -------------------- 01 Introduction This is a follow up to my 8 part series on nuclear power. In this episode I will answer questions posed by listeners in the comments to the series. I would like to start by thanking these people for taking the time to submit interesting questions. -------------------- Costs of Small Versus Large Reactors 02 brian-in-ohio asked two questions The first was for a cost comparison between large and small reactors. The second was for nuclear plant safety compared to conventional power plants. 03 Answer I think that any answer to the second question is going to be perceived by some people as politically controversial, so it's probably not a good topic for HPR to address. 04 The first question though about cost of small versus large reactors is an interesting one, although not one that is easy to give an answer to. I will restrict the answer to just grid scale electric power production and ignore use cases such as industrial process heat or power for remote mines and communities. 05 This question comes down to economies of scale versus economies of replication. Economies of scale centre around increased efficiencies of use of materials and labour when making something bigger. For example, the amount of steel used by a pipe increases linearly with its diameter, but the amount of fluid that it transports increases with the square. 06 Economies of replication come from increasing efficiencies which result from serial production. As you repeat the same design over and over again, you learn how to do things better and make fewer mistakes. 07 The exact same principles apply to shipbuilding. Indeed, a lot of the inspiration for Small Modular Reactors comes from the shipbuilding industry. If you build a series of identical ships, then each subsequent ship will cost less and be built faster. There are of course diminishing returns to this process, so the improvements are less with each additional unit and after a sufficient number of units the cost and time reductions level off. 08 However, this doesn't discount the benefits of economies of scale. What it does mean is that there are two ways of approaching the problem, and which way works in any given scenario depends on such conditions as how big the local electricity market is how fast the demand for electricity is growing, the ownership and financing structure of the electricity market, and the geography of the area, which may pose limits on the number of sites. 09 According to the finance people who have crunched the numbers, there are two sizes of reactor which make the most sense in the above context. These are 300 MW and 1000 MW. However, take those as very rough numbers rather than immutable laws of nature and other sizes may work as well. 10 The key point is that there are cases to be made for both small and large reactors, with the large reactor being several times the size of the small one. 11 An additional factor is that building only one reactor does not reap the benefits of efficiency of replication. You need to build a series of them on the same site. So if you are building a power plant, you don't build a power plant that has just one reactor unless you are in a small market which can only use that much power. Instead, you should build between 4 and 6 reactors in sequence next to one another. 12 If you are supply a large population with a growing demand for electricity, then 4 or 6 large 1000 MW reactors gains both economies of scale and economies of replication. If you are supplying a smaller population with slow growth in demand for electricity, then 4 or 6 300 MW reactors at least gets you economies of replication. 13 There is what could be viewed as an interesting example in terms of the above taking place just east of Toronto. There they are building four 300 MW SMRs on a site next to an existing nuclear power plant. 14 Here are the cost estimates from the Government of Ontario. All costs are in Canadian dollars. Unit 1 is $6.1 billion, plus $1.6 billion in costs which are shared by all four unit.s Unit 2 is $4.9 billion. Unit 3 is $4.2 billion. Unit 4 is $4.1 billion. 15 As you can see, building a series of reactors sequentially on the same site results in declining overall costs. They are very confident in these costs as they used data from a series of major nuclear power plant refurbishment projects in Ontario which have been coming in on time and on budget. 16 Construction began last year and the plant is expected to have a 65 year operating life. 17 However, the province of Ontario also has plans for expansion of electrical generation by about 15,000 MW by 2050 in order to meet net zero targets. 18 Given the heavy concentration of population in the Toronto region, and the very high cost and difficulty of building long distance transmission lines, and the limited number of sites which could host new power generation facilities of any sort, I suspect it is quite likely that subsequent reactors will be large 1,000 MW ones rather than SMRs. 19 The Wesleyville site (which is further east of Toronto) is tentatively scheduled for a 10,000 MW nuclear power plant. That would seem to make ten 1,000 MW reactors more likely than 34 300 MW reactors. 20 I don't have a comparable set of numbers for building large reactors to give an exact apples to apples comparison of costs. Different countries use different accounting and financing systems, and finance makes a huge difference to overall costs for nuclear power as operating costs are a relatively small share of the total. 21 Now to look at another side of this equation, the provinces of Saskatchewan and New Brunswick wish to replace their coal fired power plants with nuclear power plants. The populations of these provinces are too small to absorb a large new power plant into their grids, and studies assuming large reactors have foundered on this issue. 22 New Brunswick already have a nuclear power plant, but it was build in the days when reactors were much smaller. Both provinces however are very interested in small reactors, even individual ones, in order to replace the coal fired plants that are of similar size. 23 I think this covers the cost versus size issue. The more I look into it, the more it becomes apparent that there is no simple one size fits all answer but rather there are a series of trade-offs which must be taken in light of local circumstances. -------------------- MOX Fuel in the USA 24 The next question comes from mnw who asked about the use of MOX fuel in the USA. 25 mnw asked I am enjoying and look forward to the rest of the series. Do you think the US will ever wake up and start recycling its spent fuel? It seems like such a huge waste just to try and keep a small amount of fuel away from"the bad guys" or whatever they are imagining. Answer 26 My answer to this is as follows. I think I've addressed this in the original series, although not directly with respect to the US so I can provide some more detail on that aspect of it. 27 First though I will review what plutonium-uranium mixed oxide (MOX) fuel is. As mentioned in previous episodes, military grade plutonium is not the same as the plutonium which comes out of commercial power reactors. Just as military grade uranium requires nearly pure U-235 isotope, military grade plutonium requires nearly pure Pu-239 isotope. 28 What comes out of a commercial power reactor as spent fuel is not usable for weapons purposes as the proportion of Pu-239 is much too low. However, plutonium recovered from spent fuel can be used as fuel for nuclear reactors in place of uranium 235 when mixed with uranium 238 either left over from enrichment or extracted from spent fuel. This is what is known as MOX fuel. 29 To look at the US history of this however, here's the sequence of events. The US banned fuel reprocessing in 1976. However, this ban was repealed in 1981. 30 In 2005, the US began building a mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel plant at Savannah River in the state of South Carolina. However, this plant was not intended as a normal commercial operation and it was not intended to recycle commercial nuclear power plant fuel. It was instead intended to convert surplus military grade plutonium into commercial fuel in order to get rid of it as part of an arms control program. 31 The program was suspended in 2018. There were apparently many complex political issues involved in these on-again off-again decisions and I won't pretend to have the time or interest to explore all the details nor do I think most listeners would be interested in hearing abou them. 32 As of March 2026, the US are looking at reviving part of the Savannah River plant to produce limited amounts of fuel for testing of advanced reactors. The issue driving this is the shortage of uranium enriched to just below 20%. This fuel is used in certain types of small SMR. 33 The main commercial supplier of this material was a plant in Russia, but "certain events in Europe in recent years" shall we say, have resulted in that supply no longer being available to commercial operations in the US. MOX fuel based on surplus weapons grade plutonium is intended as a short term quick fix for that problem. 34 Another driving force is legal requirements following from domestic commitments for the US government to dispose of certain stockpiles of weapons grade plutonium from certain sites in the US where it is "temporarily" stored, and the solution to that is seen as burning it up in power reactors. 35 So the history is the US banned fuel reprocessing. Then a few years later they un-banned it. Then the US government started building a MOX plant which was intended to get rid of surplus weapons grade material by burning it up in power reactors. Then they decided they didn't want to do that. Then they decided they may want to make MOX fuel after all to replace supplies of special grades of fuel for experimental or prototype reactors. 36 What is missing from the above history is any actual interest from the US commercial nuclear industry in MOX fuel. The reason for this is, as mentioned in the previous episodes, uranium is so cheap and abundant that fuel made from fresh uranium is cheaper than MOX fuel. 37 Some countries such as France wish to recycle spent fuel to reduce their dependence upon imports. Recall that France's drive to build nuclear power plants was in response to the 1970s era energy crisis when oil imports from the Middle East were suddenly cut off. However, the US are not concerned about this issue and so do not make it national security policy as France did. 38 As a result, US commercial demand is for cheaper fuel made from fresh uranium rather than for MOX fuel. Until such time as fresh uranium greatly increases in price there is little economic incentive for the use of MOX fuel in the US. 39 However, there is another aspect to this. If you recall in previous episodes I described molten salt reactors which used dissolved uranium fuel. These reactors inherently reprocess fuel as part of their normal operation. They just do it as part of maintaining the molten salt chemistry at the correct values rather than doing it as a separate process. 40 If these types of reactors become widely used then they would be achieving the same thing as creating MOX fuel, but without an explicit separate step. 41 As a final footnote to the above, the US has almost exclusively use enriched uranium light water reactors. As mentioned in previous episodes, there are ways of recycling spent fuel from light water reactors which do not involve chemically reprocessing it to make MOX fuel. 42 Experiments have been done involving South Korea, China, and Canada which take spent fuel from light water reactors and repackage it to fit it into natural uranium heavy water reactors. What is used up or "spent" fuel for a light water reactor is high grade fuel to a natural uranium reactor. However, the US has, for whatever reason, never built commercial natural uranium reactors such as are used in a number of other countries around the world. 43 If they were to do so, then nuclear fuel could be used twice, once in a light water reactor, and again in a natural uranium reactor, all without having to turn it into MOX fuel in a separate reprocessing step. However, this particular alternative would likely face the same issue in the sense that fresh fuel would still be cheaper than reusing spent fuel. -------------------- A Variety of Questions from Clinton 44 Next we have a variety of questions from Clinton. Clinton asked I would like some commentary in the current situation, why has hinkley gone off the rails, the new american approach, the odd things done after fukushima, the new radiation rules in the states. 45 Question 1 why has hinkley gone off the rails, 46 Answer The question refers to cost overruns at the Hinkley Point nuclear power project in the UK. The UK government looked into this issue in a more general sense in 2025. They published a report on it titled Nuclear Regulatory Review 2025 Enabling nuclear delivery through regulatory reform John Fingleton There is a link to the report in the show notes. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/692080f75c394e481336ab89/nuclear-regulatory-review-2025.pdf 47 As the report is 162 pages long, I won't try to cover it all in this answer. I will however give a few simple examples. The report focuses on civilian nuclear power and the defence nuclear industry as well. However it also draws examples from outside the nuclear industry to show that the problem is not limited to nuclear. It shows that the same problems exist in the offshore wind industry, and in the HS2 High Speed Rail project. 48 In the view of the authors of the report, the essence of the problem seems to be a lack of any degree of proportionality in terms of mitigating negative effects from any project. Big nuclear projects make the headlines because they are inherently big projects, but as I have just mentioned, they affect things like wind power development and rail transport as well. 49 I will pick one example from Hinkley Point specifically. This is "Case Study: Hinkley Point C Fish Protection" A summary of this is that they spent £700 million of additional money on the cooling water intakes to protect an estimated 0.083 salmon per year, along with 0.028 sea trout, 6 river lamprey, 18 Allis shad, and somewhere between 100 and 528 twaite shad. The report points out that there are ways to protect far more fish for far less money by spending it in other areas, and gives some examples. Again, this problem is not limited to nuclear power, and they give similar examples connected with offshore wind development and HS2 High Speed Rail. 50 I would like to emphasize that I am not expressing an opinion on whether or not any of these decisions were good or bad ones or whether the money was well spent. I am just summarizing the report's explanation of why large projects of all sorts initiated and approved by the UK parliament were not turning out as initially expected. I will leave it up to people in the UK to decide whether or not they are satisfied with the current situation. 51 Question 2 the new american approach, 52 Answer The US have apparently announced changes to their regulatory system. I don't know enough about the subject to really judge the practical effects of regulation within the US. However, I have read and listened to many interviews of people from both the industry and the regulatory side of things who are from outside the US but are familiar with it. They generally contrast two different approaches to regulation. On the one hand there is the US approach, which they see as being more of a box ticking exercise than an in depth safety review. This makes it very hard to get a design other than a traditional PWR or BWR approved in the US. 53 It has the advantage from the regulator side of things though in that it reduces the amount of work required as it primarily requires just following a set of defined procedures. These people then contrast that approach with the one used in the UK and in Canada, both of which they see as being very similar to one another. In those two countries, regulators work with industry to review designs from basic principles rather than just seeing if it meets a pre-defined list of criteria. This is a results oriented system rather than a process oriented system as used in the US. 54 As a result of this, designers of new nuclear reactors are going to the UK and Canada first to go through preliminary review there, and only going to the US later. What designers are looking for is feedback on their design as they go along in order to align the design with what safety regulators see as being required from their standpoint. They want to go into a review process before the design is finalized so they can get guidance on how they should approach things rather than trying to add safety as additional features on top of a finished design. 55 It would take someone with deep familiarity with nuclear regulation systems to understand the practical effects of recent changes in US regulatory systems, but it is quite possible that people within the regulatory structure in the US have been taking the above on board and trying to adapt to current circumstances. However, I can only speculate on that. This is about the best answer that I can give. 56 Question 3 the odd things done after fukushima, 57 Answer This covers a lot of topics, some of which are probably political and so are not suited to HPR. I will try to list a few events however. As a brief summary if the Fukushima events go however, a historic scale earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011 caused huge loss of life and widespread damage. About 20,000 people were killed by the earthquake and tsunami. Three nuclear reactors based on 1960s era GE BWR designs were seriously damaged by hydrogen explosions caused by loss of power to backup generators when they were flooded by the tsunami. However, there were no radiation related deaths or cases of radiation sickness. 58 Following events in Japan was a general review of designs around the world, with various improvements made in some areas, particularly backup generators and hydrogen management. It seems to be conventional wisdom that the Fukushima event caused a number of countries to decide to phase out nuclear power. 59 However, when I tried to make a list of such countries for this episode I found things were not as is often heard. The countries which decided to get rid of nuclear power had largely started down that road at least a decade before then and generally for reasons unrelated to any specific events outside of their own country. In other cases they reversed that decision or are in the process of doing so. Japan itself has restarted many of their nuclear power plants and plant to replace decommissioned nuclear power plants with new ones, although many of the older and smaller ones were considered not economically worth upgrading at this point in their life to restart them. 60 The one possible exception to this may be Taiwan which decided to phase out nuclear power in 2016. However, I don't know enough about Taiwanese politics to state with any confidence that their decision in 2016 was based on anything related to events in Japan, or whether in fact they were a byproduct of other political changes within Taiwan and the shut down of nuclear plants happened to be carried along with those. Currently Taiwan get their electricity primarily from natural gas and coal. 61 Meanwhile across mainland Asia from Turkey to China, large numbers of nuclear power plants were built or are under construction. Taken together on a global scale, did anything really change after Fukushima, or did the countries which had already decided to close down their nuclear power plants simply continue to do so, and those countries who decided they wanted more of them continue to build them? That's a good question for which I don't think anyone has the perspective to answer at this point. 62 Another side of this which is hard to disentangle from it though is the increased use of natural gas for electric power generation which was happening at around the same time. Increased use of fracking in a number of countries, plus increased supplies from Russia and LNG from the Middle East and other places resulted in falls in natural gas prices in many places. Since combined cycle natural gas turbines form the main competitor to nuclear power, anything which improves the economics of natural gas will act to reduce demand for nuclear power. This makes it hard to decide to what degree the reduction in the number of reactors being built was due to the political effects of the earthquake and tsunami and to what degree it was due to cheaper natural gas through fracking and other means. I'll leave that question at that. 63 Question 4 the new radiation rules in the states. 64 Answer I'm not deeply familiar with US radiation rules, but I will attempt to answer the question. Apparently there are wide variety of different things being addressed, only some of which have any relevance to the nuclear power industry. One of these is an epidemiological study on the current exposure limits for workers in the nuclear industry. This study will take place over about 5 years. In the end it may not result in any changes. This is for a number of reasons. 65 One is that US exposure thresholds for workers are currently aligned with international standards. It would be difficult for the US industry to operate on a different basis than the rest of the world when supply chains are global and kit is designed to meet currently recognized standards. Another is that apparently the nuclear industry are not, so far as I can discern, asking for any changes to limits. They instead are looking for changes to how some of the details are being applied, such as for example the criteria for deciding when respirators are required in low risk environments. 66 Some point to recent changes in UK regulations as an example of what they are looking for. I will post a link to the new (November of 2025) UK regulations in the show notes. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nuclear-industry-principles-to-guide-the-application-of-as-low-as-reasonably-practicable-alarp-and-best-available-techniques-bat/ways-of-working-principles-to-guide-the-application-of-alarp-and-bat-in-the-nuclear-industry-accessible-webpage This is about as much detail as I think I can comment on when it comes to this question, as I think it is a subject that requires a fair bit more practical knowledge of than I have in order to give a thorough and balanced answer. -------------------- 67 Question from Antoine Were/are the designs patented? Hi, Whiskeyjack. Nice ep. You said AGR, based on Magnox, was a nuclear reactor type that did not sell well outside the UK. I then started thinking if it were (is) possible to another countries to develop by themselves based on that project, or if it had (has) a commercial restriction for exploration of the technology. I have yet to listen to the following episodes (doing little by little) and may learn better on the choices, but I felt free to present the question by now... Thanks! 68 Answer This is a very good question because it offers the opportunity to talk about a number of interesting things that haven't been touched on yet. Let's cover a bit of background first. 69 A patent is a time limited right to exploit a defined bit of valuable technical knowledge. Patents were involved from the very earliest days of commercial nuclear power, and I will give an example of this later. A key point to keep in mind though is that the nuclear power field moves very slowly and it takes a long time for new knowledge to make it from the lab to commercial application. Patents will often expire before they reach the point where they can be used. 70 Contracts on the other hand are legally enforceable agreements between two parties. A contract may have a time limited life, but that is an arrangement between the parties. A commercial nuclear power plant is a very large and complex bit of kit and not easily copied in detail. It can be far more effective to cover designs under contracts and licenses than to rely on patents. If a country wished to build their own nuclear power plants rather than buying them from someone else, there are a large number of companies who have commercial designs they are willing to license to third parties for them to build themselves. Indeed a number of these companies base their business around licensing of designs or have other reasons for wishing to do so. 71 From a licensee perspective, it could take decades of work and hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars to take a design from first principle to the ready to build state, wheras licensing a design give you a proven design right away. As mentioned in previous episodes, there many types of reactor in the world. The selection of what sort of reactor a country decides to buy often depends more on commercial considerations revolving around licensing terms and conditions than it does with respect to any technical considerations. Here's an example which shows how South Korea decided to license a design, build it for themselves, and then export it to other countries. 72 KunMo Chung - Professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, stated in an interview in 2019 that South Korea wanted to standardize on a single reactor technology in the early 1980s. They had reactors from multiple different vendors, but wanted to license an existing successful design to produce for themselves and for the export market. One of the major factors in deciding to standardize was to allow them to improve operator training by focusing on one design. Professor Chung stated that one of the key factors in selecting a design from ABB-Combustion Engineering was that he personally knew and had a good relationship with the Chief Technical Officer of ABB-Combustion Engineering going back to a time when Professor Chung had been studying and working in the USA. 73 On their side, ABB-Combustion Engineering were having financial problems and they needed a partner to help further develop their new PWR design. Also they stood to gain revenue from this partnership as well. Based on this relationship, the two sides came to a business agreement and South Korea began producing reactors based on this design, while also continuing to develop and improve it further. 74 Here's an example of a case where the developers of a promising technology decided that they had more to gain by not patenting their technology. Instead they decided to freely share their information in order to get other researchers elsewhere to help to advance the technology so that all could benefit from it. 75 In an interview Wacław Gudowski - Prof. Emeritus, Royal Institute of Technology KTH Stockholm stated that the Soviets and later the Russian were the leaders in lead-bismuth cooled reactors. These reactors use lead-bismuth liquid metal alloy as a coolant. In the 1990s the Russian institute working on commercializing this technology were working with Western partners on nuclear technology in general. They considered patenting this technology, but in the end decided to simply publish it openly. 76 Professor Gudowski had even smuggled $60,000 in cash into Russia to finance the patent application in order to get the Russian institute to publish their technology, but the money was not needed. They based this decision on the judgment that it would take 20 years of R&D before the technology was ready for the commercial market, so they wouldn't see a penny on any patents anyway. They were right on this, as it was another 20 years of R&D in Europe, Russia, China, and Korea before lead-bismuth technology was ready for commercial use. 77 It had already seen use in submarine reactors, but the commercial market demanded a more thoroughly developed technology to satisfy commercial needs. By deciding to not patent the technology, the original developers gained from shared R&D rather than chasing the illusary gains from patent licenses on technology that was not ready for the commercial market anyway. 78 I said that patents were involved in nuclear technology from the very earliest days, and I will now turn to that story. When I say the earliest days, I mean probably earlier than you are imaging. I am talking about before WWII. 79 First though I need to give some background information. France and Britain were working on nuclear weapons from the very earliest days of WWII. In Britain's case this was called Tube Alloys. Canada also was conducting nuclear experiments, including building an "atomic pile", but it's not clear if this had any clear practical goals or was done to understand the physics better. 80 If you read the Wikipedia version of history, it states that Tube Alloys was merged into the Manhattan Project. However, participants have stated in interviews that this was not the case, and the Quebec Agreement which supposedly merged them makes no such mention of any merger of the projects, just the setting up of a board to coordinate efforts between the three countries, that is the US, UK, and Canada. In fact the two projects didn't get along that well, and as we shall see below, a big part of that was disputes over patents. ### 81 The following is based on a paper written by Bertrand Goldschmidt, a French nuclear scientist. Two of his colleagues, Hans Halban and Lew Kowarski played a critical role in early nuclear research. Halban in particular was one of the greatest scientific names in nuclear fission. In March of 1939 Halban conducted an experiment showing that neutrons were emitted by the fissioning of uranium. 82 In April Joliot, Halban, Kowarski and Perrin had a pretty good idea of how to use nuclear fission to produce energy and to make an explosive device and decided to file patents on their invention. Each of the four would receive a 5% share of any benefits and the other 80% would go to the research instittute they worked at in Paris. I will now quote from Goldschmidt's paper. 83 The first two patents concerned energy production and were entitled "Device for energy production" and "Method for stabilizing a device for energy production." They roughly defined the principles of the main components of our present power reactors: moderator in heterogeneous or homogeneous arrangements, cooling fluid, control rods, protection shield. The third patent called "Method for perfecting explosive charges" was less brilliant from a foresight point of view though it proposed valid solutions for the trigger, the tamper, and the rapid obtainment of the critical assembly of a possible explosive device. Finally, nearly a year later, after Alfred Nier's experimental confirmation in March 1940 of Niels Bohr's theoretical prediction that uranium 235, the rare isotope of the mixture in natural uranium, was responsible for fission by slow neutrons, the French took out an additional patent on the advantage of using enriched uranium for the chain reaction. End of quote. 84 In May of 1940, the CNRS, the French research institute in Paris, negotiated an agreement with Belgian mining company Union Miniere, who were the world's biggest producer of uranium, at the time a byproduct of radium mining, about a partnership for the world wide exploitation of these patents. However the agreement was not finalized due to the ongoing events in the war. At the beginning of the war, the French government had approved the development of an energy generator - or a nuclear reactor as we would say today, with the intention of creating an engine for submarines. 85 With the fall of France, Halban and Kowarski travelled to the UK with their supply of heavy water where they were received by their UK counterparts, James Chadwick and John Cockroft. The British were already working on an atomic bomb. In the UK the two conducted an experiment showing that it was possible to create nuclear energy using natural uranium and heavy water. In 1941 the British nuclear project was reorganized and given the name Tube Alloys. In 1942 it was decided to move the work on a plutonium bomb to Canada, and Canada would pay for the project. A lab was set up in Montreal and Halban was put in charge of the project. 86 Halban had negotiated this arrangement by offering to arrange to have the French patents for world wide rights outside of France and the French empire transferred to the UK. In return the French team were to be given a key role in the British nuclear project. The author of the paper I am referencing, Bertrand Goldschmidt, was a section leader in Montreal and a colleague of Halban from France. The Montreal group cooperated with the American Manhattan Project and the two shared information and exchanged visits. 87 However, relations between the two began to break down, with a major cause of this being the Americans being unhappy about the French patents and Halban's arrangement to give the British world wide rights to them. The postwar commercial potential for nuclear power was seen to be huge, and this was a major bone of contention. The extensive participation of ICI (Imperial Chemical Industries) engineers in the Tube Alloys project was also objectionable to the Americans. Presumably this had something to do with potential for ICI being involved in future commercialization of the technology. The American Dupont company, a commercial rival of ICI, was also heavily involved in the American atomic bomb project. The eventual result of this was that the US cut off cooperation with the UK-Canada nuclear project. 88 Finally Halban was forced out of the project at the insistence of the Americans, and he was replaced by John Cockroft who moved to Montreal to take charge of the project. The Americans now restore limited cooperation. Kowarski was put in charge of building a heavy water moderated natural uranium reactor at a new site north of Ottawa at Chalk River. This reactor was turned on on the 5th of September, 1945, three days after Japan's surrender. So in what was supposedly a titanic war for survival, key allies were falling out with respect to their ultimate weapon over issues of patents covering post war commercialization. 89 With the end of the war, the nuclear weapons project in Montreal and Chalk River was wound up. Halban, Kowarski, and Goldschmidt returned to France and Cockroft to the UK where they all played senior roles in the nuclear programs of their respective countries. John Cockroft played an important role in the development of the Magnox reactors which Antoine asked about. The Chalk River Site remains as Canada's main nuclear research centre to this day, and Canada was to continue development of heavy water moderated natural uranium reactors. 90 The first commercial nuclear power plant was commissioned in the UK in 1956, roughly 17 years after the original French nuclear patents. At that time, UK patents had a term of 16 years. While I am not a patent lawyer, it would appear that these patents would likely have expired before nuclear power was ever commercialized. So to answer the question about patents, the first patents on nuclear energy date to before WWII started, and the very first two were about nuclear power plants and it was only the third one which covered nuclear weapons. -------------------- 91 Thanks to other listeners. A number of other listeners made comments saying they were really enjoying the series. I would like to thank the following for their kind words of encouragement. They helped make the work required to do this worthwhile. They are brian-in-ohio mnw Clinton Antoine bjb Kevin O'Brien Trey L'andrew Archer72 Jim DeVore If you have commented but I have forgotten your name, or if the show was recorded before I got a chance to read your comment, I would still like to thank you. 92 Conclusion I would like to thank all the listeners for their kind comments and insightful questions. I hope that I have answered these questions to the satisfaction of everyone. I look forward to hearing from all of you in future podcast episodes including those on other topics. -------------------- Proceedings of the 29th annual conference of the Canadian Nuclear Association and 10th annual conference of the Canadian Nuclear Society. V. 1-3 https://inis.iaea.org/records/m2s41-40917 This has a paper by Bertrand Goldschmidt about the work of the French scientists in Canada. -------------------- Provide feedback on this episode.

In this episode of The Firm Analyst, we examine Apollo's £4.5bn loan to support the Hinkley Point C nuclear project and its significance for private credit in large-scale infrastructure. We also explore the growing interest in external investment within the legal sector, as firms consider private equity funding to support strategic growth and innovation. Lastly, we reflect on the continued decline in British equity allocations by UK pension providers and the broader implications for domestic capital markets and commercial law firms at large.

We found this quiet place in West Somerset. Afternoon waves softly breaking along a rocky beach under October sunshine. The low landscape of Wales visible across the water. Lilstock. A port in bygone times, according to someone we met coming the other way. Now disused. A landscape of stony footpaths. Dense patches of shrubbery around outcrops of trees. Endless meadows and dry ditches. Fresh water streams and in the far distance on the clifftops, the boxy structures and cranes of Hinkley Point.  Human made sound was present but what really drew our ears were the long periods of near pristine quiet. Quiet lets the aural detail of natural landscapes be truly seen. Here, a beach not of sand or shingle, but of piles of rocks and small boulders. We tied the Lento box to a tree off the footpath about thirty yards from the shoreline, and left it to record the breaking waves alone. A little cricket was cricketing in the grass to the left of the mics. For late October we were surprised. As we walked away we saw a large plastic blue barrel, captured by high tide rocks, roll its way loose and into the water. Then we watched it for a while set sail in the onshore breeze whilst exploring the rocks and boulders in the fresh afternoon air. When we returned an hour or so later to collect the Lento box we could still see the barrel. It'd floated up the coast past the mics. Listening back to the recording we could  picture it, moving with the waves, from left to right of scene. One empty barrel that'd taken itself to sea, for a slow, silent voyage. * Let us know if you think this episode is sleep safe. We know there are sounds of people (mainly us) playing distantly on the beach and for some this sense of the presence of people may feel sleep safe, but others perhaps not. 

In this episode Neil and neighbouring farmer WILLIAM BARNARD chart the ups and downs of farming for food and nature in Somerset's unique tidal landscape known as the Pawlett Hams. Top of mind for both of them: the threat now posed to their centuries-old way of managing this landscape by the energy company EDF, and its plans to create a saltmarsh by the site of nearby Hinkley Point nuclear plant, which is currently under construction.In this episode they discuss: the wildlife in the hams (2m50s); the role of cattle in the ecosystem (7m30s); EDF's plans for the saltmarsh (8m44s); William's reflections on the plans (18m25); and the uneasy relationship between their farming methods and corporate structures (24m05s).Visit the ‘Protect Pawlett Hams' campaign website hereRead the EDF statement in full here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's we bring you nuclear news with Friends of the Earth Australia's National Nuclear-free campaigner Dr. Jim Green. We discuss Dutton's push for nuclear power in Australia; the UK nuclear power construction at Hinkley Point; the growing threat of nuclear war and the latest nuclear waste threat under AUKUS - the Australia, UK and US military pact.The Australian Naval Nuclear Power Safety Bill 2023 establishes a new regulatory framework to promote and regulate the nuclear safety of activities relating to AUKUS submarines. The framework would apply to Australian submarines and to activities related to UK/US submarines.  We've learnt that it could make Australia a dumping ground of high-level military nuclear waste from the United Kingdom and United States – if laws proposed by Defence Minister Richard Marles are rushed through Parliament in the coming weeks. An Inquiry into the Australian Naval Nuclear Power Safety Bill reported on Monday 13th May and Recommendation 3 is as follows:'The Committee recommends that the Government consider amending the Bill so that a distinction is made between Australia's acceptance of low-level nuclear waste from AUKUS partners, but non-acceptance of high-level nuclear waste.' Take action now and contact your local parliamentarian to call on them to close this dangerous loophole in the legislationThe nuclear free collective have a proforma letter that you can send to your local representative: www.melbournefoe.org.au/no_aukus_intl_wasteFriends of the Earth Melbourne has a petition to sign opposing Peter Duttons plan to build large scale nuclear power plants in Victoria:  www.melbournefoe.org.au/nonuclearvic_petitionThe Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency are considering application No A0346 by the Australian Submarine Agency to prepare a site for a prescribed radiation facility (namely a low level waste management and maintenance facility) to be known as the 'Controlled Industrial Facility' at the existing HMAS Stirling site, at Garden Island, Rockingham in Western Australia.To have your say go to https://consult.arpansa.gov.au.  Submissions close at 11:59pm on 7 June.If you want all these actions and updates sent straight to your email sign up the Friends of the Earth Melbourne Nuclear Free news.We featured the song 'Enough is Enough' recorded by Jampijinpa Ned Hargraves at Resident Frequency studios in Collingwood.  THe song will have it's live premiere at an event on Friday 24th of May at Catalyst Social Centre to raise much needed funds to support the Walker family during the coronial inquest into Kumanjayi Walkers death.Karrinjarla Muwajarri Fundraiser4pm at Catalyst , 144 Sydney Rd, Brunswick.An evening of music and conversations about keeping community safe from racist police.Come share a meal and get cozy around the fire. There will be t-shirts, hoodies and art for sale, dinner by donation and a raffle with GREAT prizes!!!

EDF sous pression pour boucler Flamanville, Hinkley Point et préparer les EPR2 !Mention légales : Vos données de connexion, dont votre adresse IP, sont traités par Radio Classique, responsable de traitement, sur la base de son intérêt légitime, par l'intermédiaire de son sous-traitant Ausha, à des fins de réalisation de statistiques agréées et de lutte contre la fraude. Ces données sont supprimées en temps réel pour la finalité statistique et sous cinq mois à compter de la collecte à des fins de lutte contre la fraude. Pour plus d'informations sur les traitements réalisés par Radio Classique et exercer vos droits, consultez notre Politique de confidentialité.

We're going behind the scenes at two former nuclear power stations – one that's recently closed, and another that's been out of action for 25 years. Both are at Hinkley Point in Somerset, in the south of England.What happens when the generators stop? We look into the unique challenges of cleaning up radioactive sites safely.Produced and presented by Theo Leggett(Image: Steam escapes from Hinkley Point B in 2022. Credit: Getty Images)

Cette fois, c'est le chantier anglais de Hinkley Point qui dérape à son tour.

The Hinkley Point nuclear power plant project in the United Kingdom has seen its fifth budget increase since 2016, when the UK and French utility giant EDF first signed a contract. It will now cost a total of £31-35 billion (€36-40 billion) and should begin production in 2029 at the earliest. Hinkley Point is a flagship project in London's bid to increase its energy security. Also in this edition, French farmers protest against cumbersome environmental regulations and Netflix sees a boom in subscribers.

Výstavba nových jaderných zdrojů je riziková a může se prodražit, budování bezemisní energetiky nás ale přijde draho tak jako tak. Politici by to měli přiznat, říká zmocněnec pro energetickou bezpečnost Václav Bartuška.Ještě v 70. a 80. letech minulého století se v Evropě stavěly desítky jaderných reaktorů. Dnes je takových projektů jen několik, a ještě se komplikují. Jaderná energetika je totiž složité a rizikové odvětví. Stavba jaderných bloků se tak ve vyspělém světě prodražuje a elektřina z nových reaktorů už dávno není levná.Například dva bloky elektrárny Vogtle, které staví firma Westinghouse v USA, měly původně stát 14 miliard dolarů. Teď vycházejí na 35 miliard a elektřina z letos spuštěného bloku vychází v přepočtu na 170 eur na megawatthodinu – výrazně víc než běžná tržní cena. Britská elektrárna Hinkley Point, kterou staví EdF, měla původně garantovanou výkupní cenu 106 eur, od té doby ale garance vystoupala na 150 eur za megawatthodinu. Také nad současné tržní ceny, mezi 120 až 130 eury, oscilující letos i ve střední Evropě. Co se v oboru stalo, že rizikovost investic tak vzrostla? Podle Václava Bartušky, zmocněnce Ministerstva zahraničních věcí pro energetickou bezpečnost, sehrály roli tři jaderné havárie. K první došlo v americké elektrárně Three Miles Islands v USA roku 1979, o sedm let později v Černobylu a v roce 2011 v japonské Fukušimě.  Agenda. Rozhovory s top lídry českého byznysu, zakladateli firem, odborníky. Čtvrthodinka o byznysu z první ruky. Každý všední den na SZ Byznys a ve všech podcastových aplikacích. Odebírejte na Podcasty.cz, Apple Podcasts nebo Spotify.

This podcast focuses on what can be done to help major infrastructure project teams actually deliver the outcomes that are promised – and specifically whether engaging minds early will drive project success .As any casual observer of infrastructure will be aware, the track record of major project delivery is not good. In fact a new book by Oxford University professor Bent Flyvbjerg highlights that globally from his list of 16,000 projects in 136 countries over the last 30 years, just 8.5% met cost and schedule targets while just 0.5% satisfied all benefit goals.OK, I haven't audited his numbers, but they are, on the face of it, a pretty shocking set of findings – findings that seem to bear out and ring true if you consider the UK's recent project outcomes from projects such as Crossrail, Jubilee Line Extension, West Coast Mainline upgrade, Hinkley Point – the list goes on. And there are of course many more examples of smaller infrastructure projects failing to deliver. So what is going wrong? Prof Flyvbjerg highlights many, many reasons from long durations causing scope and budget creep to failure to understand technology and a propensity towards ‘optimism bias' urging professionals down the wrong paths.But primarily his conclusion – and one shared by many others in the industry given the number of industry papers and report on the subject – is poor project initiation or failure in the commissioning stage as the wrong people are left to make the wrong decisions at the wrong moment.So is that true? And if so how do we change it?Well to find out, it is my pleasure to welcome Simon Kirby, managing partner at well-known and respected trouble shooting, project delivery consultancy The Nichols Group to the Infrastructure Podcast. Simon has a several decades of experience wrestling with the challenge of delivering major projects and programmes.ResourcesThe Nichols GroupProf. Bent FlyvbjergMajor Project Association 

Clive started off the week by discussing Mental Health as July is known as 'Talk To Us' month. It's about raising awareness of the importance of talking about wellbeing issues with friends, colleagues and professionals to prevent situations from spiraling to crisis point.He spoke to Bill Hill - Lighthouse Club CEO, Emma Jane Taylor, Well Being Expert and tradesperson Stephen Blair -who is the Co Founder of Men Talk.The Big Guy then focused on Trade Associations and asked are they worth it? He spoke to Neil Ogilvie CEO of the P&D Association, Fiona Harper, Director of Employment & Skills at SELECT and Sean Kelly - Member of The Dulux Association. Then he moved on to the topic of if it can be 'too hot to work – do we need legislation to protect onsite workers?'. Clive spoke to Matt Williams - Senior GMB Steward at Hinkley Point, Dr Jeff Foster - GP Specialising in Men's Health and Dave Finnegan from Elwood Enterprises. And to finish off proceedings, the Big Guy discussed the topic of 'biggest mistakes on site'. He heard some great stories from James Naughton, Nick Bundy and Sean Matthews.

Macron 2 : nouvelle équipe... nouveaux défis LES INVITÉ.ES : - Bruno JEUDY - Rédacteur en chef du service politique - « Paris Match » - Nathalie MAURET - Journaliste politique - Groupe de presse régionale « Ebra » - Fanny GUINOCHET - Éditorialiste - « France Info » et « La Tribune » - Spécialiste des questions économiques et sociales - BERNARD SANANÈS - Politologue – Président de l'Institut de sondages Elabe Elle est enfin dévoilée. Près d'un mois après la réélection d'Emmanuel Macron, la nouvelle équipe gouvernementale a été annoncée hier après-midi sur le perron de l'Elysée par Alexis Kohler, secrétaire général du Palais. Une liste de 27 ministres et secrétaires d'Etat qui constituera donc le premier gouvernement d'Elisabeth Borne. Parmi les noms cités, plus de la moitié officiaient déjà sous Jean Castex, certains restant au même poste comme Bruno Le Maire à l'économie, Gérald Darmanin à l'Intérieur ou Eric Dupont-Moretti à la Justice. D'autres sont reconduits mais changent de portefeuille, comme Gabriel Attal qui passe de Porte-parole du gouvernement à Ministre du budget. Peu de surprises donc dans ce nouveau gouvernement qui a des airs de simple remaniement. Un nouvel entrant a cependant attiré l'attention : Pap Ndiaye, qui remplace Jean-Michel Blanquer au ministère de l'Education nationale. Cet historien des minorités et directeur du musée de l'Histoire de l'immigration de Paris est une prise importante pour Emmanuel Macron. Apprécié et salué à gauche pour son parcours et ses valeurs, il est l'antithèse parfaite de son prédécesseur. Mais Ndiaye est aussi décrié à l'extrême-droite, qualifié de « militant racialiste » hier par Jordan Bardella, patron du Rassemblement national. Elisabeth Borne, surnommée la « dame du faire », devra donc conduire cette nouvelle équipe pour mener à bien les réformes promises par le chef de l'Etat. Celle des retraites notamment, sans doute la plus périlleuse. Décrite comme à l'écoute, la nouvelle Première ministre s'était cependant montré intransigeante lors de son passage à la RATP comme aux ministères des Transports ou du Travail, négociant pied à pied avec les partenaires sociaux. L'écologie devrait aussi être au cœur de ses priorités. Elle sera entourée d'Amélie de Montchalain à la transition écologique et d'Agnès Pannier-Runacher à la transition énergétique. Sur le plan énergétique justement, le chef de l'Etat veut faire renaître le nucléaire français en voulant construire 14 réacteurs EPR. Mais ces réacteurs de nouvelle génération tardent à sortir de terre, les chantiers accumulant retards sur retards depuis des années. Il y a quelques jours encore, EDF a annoncé que son chantier à Hinkley Point, en Angleterre, accuserait un nouveau retard d'un an, engendrant des coûts supplémentaires d'au moins 3 milliards de livres. Alors, pourquoi Emmanuel Macron a-t-il choisi la continuité à la rupture ? Comment comprendre la nomination de Pap Ndiaye au ministère de l'Education nationale ? Elisabeth Borne sera-t-elle une redoutable cheffe de gouvernement ? Les projets d'EPR s'apparentent-ils à un interminable fiasco ? DIFFUSION : du lundi au samedi à 17h45 FORMAT : 65 minutes PRÉSENTATION : Caroline Roux - Axel de Tarlé REDIFFUSION : du lundi au vendredi vers 23h40 RÉALISATION : Nicolas Ferraro, Bruno Piney, Franck Broqua, Alexandre Langeard, Corentin Son PRODUCTION : France Télévisions / Maximal Productions Retrouvez C DANS L'AIR sur internet & les réseaux : INTERNET : francetv.fr FACEBOOK : https://www.facebook.com/Cdanslairf5 TWITTER : https://twitter.com/cdanslair INSTAGRAM : https://www.instagram.com/cdanslair/

China currently has 53 nuclear power plants with plans to scale up significantly in the next decade, while India is planning to build 10 new power plants over the next three years. South Korea's new government has committed to restarting its civil nuclear programme and even Japan's prime minister has pledged to resume nuclear power in a country that has long been resistant. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, energy security has now become more of a priority with countries looking for alternatives to Russian gas. And as countries transition to renewable power in an effort to reach net zero by 2050, governments are looking for a stable, green power supply which is lower cost. In the latest IPCC report, all pathways recommended nuclear in some form to mitigate against climate change. After nuclear disasters such as Fukushima in Japan, safety has become an even more pressing issue, both in the region and globally, in the face of a resistant public and to safeguard communities around any power plants. We gained access to the Hinkley Point power plant in the UK which has adapted the design of the reactors to make them safer after what happened in Japan; but the pace of building has been slow and costs have been high. In China, a commitment to build more has led to a coordinated approach in terms of training, the supply chain and funding. But there are challenges ahead. Presenters Kate Lamble and Jordan Dunbar are joined by Changhua Wu, a policy analyst specialising in China's environment, energy, climate change and sustainable development; Diane Cameron, head of the Nuclear Technology Development and Economics Division at the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency; Edwin Lyman, expert on nuclear safety and proliferation; and Director of Nuclear Power Safety at the Union of Concerned scientists in Washington. Producers: Serena Tarling and Alex Murray Researcher: Immy Rhodes Series Producer: Alex Lewis Sound engineer: Tom Brignell Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith

Julia Pyke, Director of Finance, Sizewell C Sizewell C is a project to build a 3,200 MWe power station consisting of two EPR units on the site that currently hosts a single large pressurized water reactor (Sizewell B). With the exception of site-specific foundations and structures, the new power station will be a copy of the station currently under construction at Hinkley Point C. Like Hinkley Point C, Sizewell C will be capable of supplying approximately 7% of the UK's annual electricity requirement. It will be able to run at full power for 90% (or more) of the hours in the year. By following Hinkley Point, Sizewell will be a much less risky project. Trades have been trained, construction kinks have been worked out, supply chains have been created, managers have gained experience, and designs have been completed and tested. As a result of this "derisking" (using the lingo of project managers) Sizewell C will be a more affordable endeavor that should begin saving customers money from the time it first begins operating. But that expectation is unlikely to be fulfilled if the project has to be financed in the same way as Hinkley Point C, where the long construction duration and the inability to recover financing costs during construction has resulted in a situation where 70% or more of the total project cost is paid out in interest and return on investor risk capital. On this episode of the Atomic Show, Julia Pyke, the Director of Finance for the Sizewell C project, explains how the regulated asset base (RAB) model will enable Sizewell C to be economically financed and built. In the weeks since we recorded this episode of the Atomic Show, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has increased the importance of making it possible for Sizewell C participants to reach a final investment decision. Approval of the RAB model will be a major step forward in moving this project towards completion. It is a shovel-ready project that will help fill growing vulnerabilities in the UK's energy supply. It's not a quick fix, but it will be a durable one. Please participate in the discussion here. I hope you enjoy the show.

Là nguồn sản xuất điện hạt nhân thứ nhì của thế giới, nhưng tháng 9/2021 Pháp bất ngờ bị Trung Quốc soán ngôi. Sáu tháng sau, tổng thống Emmanuel Macron công bố kế hoạch « đầy tham vọng », đánh cược vào các lò phản ứng modul nhỏ SMR và lò phản ứng nguyên tử thế hệ mới EPR để khôi phục lại điện hạt nhân, chìa khóa dẫn tới một sự tự chủ về năng lượng. Ngày 10/02/2022, Emmanuel Macron trình bày chiến lược năng lượng cho nửa đầu thế kỷ 21 để đạt nhiều mục tiêu cùng một lúc : giảm khí thải carbon gây hiệu ứng nhà kính làm hâm nóng trái đất, giảm mức độ lệ thuộc vào nhập khẩu năng lượng (chủ yếu là dầu hỏa và khí đốt), tránh để căng thẳng về địa chính trị đe dọa trực tiếp đến cỗ máy sản xuất và kinh tế và mãi lực của dân Pháp. Tạp chí hôm nay tập trung vào điện hạt nhân và tìm cách trả lời các câu hỏi vì sao, là một quốc gia tiên phong trong lĩnh vực này, Pháp đã để nhiều quốc gia khác qua mặt. Để chinh phục lại vị trí hàng đầu của ngành công nghiệp điện hạt nhân thế giới, đâu là những thách thức Pháp sẽ phải vượt ? Điện hạt nhân « giải phóng » nước Pháp khỏi áp lực nhập khẩu về năng lượng ? 2021 sau một năm đại dịch Covid-19 hoành hành, vào lúc cỗ máy sản xuất và tiêu thụ của thế giới khởi động trở lại với nhịp độ ngoài mong đợi thì đó cũng là thời điểm giá năng lượng toàn cầu bị đẩy lên cao. Vì những căng thẳng địa chính trị giữa Nga và Âu -Mỹ, đường ống dẫn khí đốt Nord Stream 2 tuy đã hoàn thành nhưng vẫn chưa đi vào hoạt động, chưa thể đưa khí đốt của Nga sang Tâu Âu. Matxcơva bị tố cáo thao túng giá cả dùng dầu hỏa và khí đốt như một « vũ khí chính trị ». Tổ chức OPEP/OPEC tập hợp các nhà xuất khẩu dầu hỏa trên thế giới bị cáo buộc giới hạn mức cung để giữ giá dầu ở trên cao, qua đó hưởng lợi. Bối cảnh quốc tế đó càng thúc bách Paris đưa ra một chiến lược về năng lượng. Chính quyền của tổng thống Macron đánh cược vào điện hạt nhân dù biết đây là bài toán nan giải. Pháp dự trù xây dựng thêm tổng cộng 14 lò phản ứng hạt nhân thế hệ mới EPR từ nay đến năm 2050. Nhu cầu cấp bách Năng lượng hạt nhân hiện bảo đảm 70 % nhu cầu điện lực của Pháp. Trên toàn quốc có tổng cộng 56 lò phản ứng tất cả do tập đoàn điện lực quốc gia EDF quản lý. EDF đang nợ nần chồng chất và bị chính phủ gây sức ép để giữ lời hứa hóa đơn tiền điện không tăng quá 4 % gây thêm gánh nặng cho các hộ gia đình vài tuần trước bầu cử tổng thống. Đúng vào lúc tổng thống Emmanuel Macron công bố chiến lược về năng lượng thì 10 trong số 56 lò phản ứng phải tạm ngừng hoạt động để kiểm tra về mức độ an toàn. Khả năng cung ứng bị giảm đi mất 20 % so với bình thường. Điểm này làm lộ rõ hệ thống các nhà máy điện hạt nhân của Pháp đã « già nua ». Phần lớn các nhà máy điện nguyên tử Pháp đã hoạt động từ thập niên 1970 cho nên, trong báo cáo năm 2019, Thẩm Kế Viện ước tính cần dự trù 100 tỷ euro trong 10 năm (2020-2030) cho các chi phí bảo trì. Mặt khác, hiện tại chính phủ đang tìm cách « kéo dài thời gian hoạt động » của các nhà máy điện hạt nhân và lò phản ứng, nhưng những sự cố dồn dập gần đây như việc phát hiện những vết nứt trong các bồn chứa nước … bắt buộc chính phủ phải có một bước chuẩn bị để thay thế bằng một thế hệ các lò phản ứng mới trong tương lai. Nhưng liệu lò phản ứng thế hệ mới EPR có là chiếc đũa thần cho phép khôi phục lại vị trí hàng đầu của Pháp trong ngành công nghiệp điện hạt nhân hay không ? Hiện tại trên thế giới mới chỉ có một lò phản ứng sử dụng công nghệ EPR của Pháp đã đi vào hoạt động – đó là tại Đài Sơn, tỉnh Quảng Đông, Trung Quốc. EDF của Pháp liên doanh với công ty điện lực Trung Quốc CGN khai thác cơ sở này. Nhưng từ tháng 7/2021 tỉnh Quảng Đông đã phải quyết định tạm đóng cửa lò phản EPR duy nhất trên thế giới sau khi phát hiện một « sự cố làm hư hại các thanh nguyên liệu ». Trên lãnh thổ Pháp công trình EPR đầu tiên đặt tại thành phố Flamanville – vùng Normandie liên tục dời lại ngày chính thức bắt đầu hoạt động. So với dự tính ban đầu, sự chậm trễ đó tới nay đã lên tới 10 năm.   Trả lời RFI tiếng Việt, giáo sư Benjamin Coriat từng giảng dậy tại đại học Paris Sorbonne 13 và cũng là thành viên tập hợp Les Economistes Atterrés - bao gồm các chuyên gia, các nhà trí thức thiên tả, xem việc tổng thống Macron thông báo chương trình xây dựng 14 lò phản ứng sử dụng công nghệ mới trước năm 2050 là một nước cờ mạo hiểm. Tháng 8/2021 ông cho ra mắt cuốn sách Le Bien Commun, le Climat et le Marché – Tài sản chung, khí hậu và thị trường, NXB Les Liens Qui Libèrent.   Benjamin Coriat : «  Kinh nghiệm nhà máy điện hạt nhân thế hệ mới EPR ở Flamanville không mấy khả quan bởi lẽ, dự án bị chậm trễ nhiều năm và giá thành thì cứ tăng lên mãi. Hiện tại, dự án chưa hoàn tất mà các phí tổn đã cao gấp từ 4 đến 6 lần so với dự kiến ban đầu, tùy theo cách tính toán của chính tập đoàn điện lực quốc gia Pháp EDF hay theo báo cáo của bên Thẩm Kế Viện. Thành thử, tôi lấy làm ngạc nhiên là chính phủ mạnh dạn thông báo mở thêm 14 lò nguyên tử đời mới trong lúc mà chúng ta chưa biết được một cách chính xác cần bao nhiêu thời gian và bao nhiêu kinh phí cho dự án. Kinh nghiệm EPR duy nhất đang trong quá trình thực hiện tại Pháp thì đã gặp nhiều khó khăn. Ngoài ra, không thể nghĩ rằng việc mua lại đầu máy turbin Arabelle của General Electric cho phép bảo đảm là chúng ta làm chủ được toàn bộ các khâu trong ngành công nghiệp năng lượng hạt nhân. Trước đây Pháp làm chủ công nghệ này nhưng đã bán lại các nhà máy đó cho các đối tác nước ngoài, kỹ thuật của Pháp đã mai một. Đó là một tính toán sai lầm về chiến lược mà cho dù có mua lại Arabelle cũng vẫn chưa thể đảo ngược được tình huống. Những khó khăn đang phấp phải tại Flamanville, hay ở Hinkley Point tại Anh Quốc và trong một chừng mực nào đó là ở Phần Lan, cho thấy Pháp vẫn lúng túng ở khâu sản xuất, chưa có nhiều kinh nghiệm về các lò phản ứng thế hệ mới và vẫn còn nhiều nhiều thách thức vẫn chưa thể vượt qua ».  Bán công nghệ cho nước ngoài Đâu là những thách thức mà giáo sư Coriat vừa nói đến ? Về kỹ thuật trong quá khứ Pháp đã đi sai nhiều nước cờ để đánh mất vị trí hàng đầu của mình trong một lĩnh vực « mũi nhọn ». Một trong những vết thương vẫn chưa lành là vụ năm 2009 Paris để mất hợp đồng xây dựng nhà máy điện hạt nhân tại Các Tiểu Vương Quốc Ả Rập Thống Nhất. Đối thủ của Pháp khi đó là Hàn Quốc đã giành được hợp đồng 20 tỷ đô la. Gần đây hơn Pháp liên tiếp bị qua mặt : thua Trung Quốc nếu so sánh chỉ số sản xuất điện hạt nhân, thua Nga trong công nghệ sử dụng lò phản ứng modul nhỏ SMR và thua Mỹ về số lượng các lò phản ứng hạt nhân. Vậy làm sao giải thích được mức độ « tuột dốc này » ? Benjamin Coriat : « Kịch bản này xảy ra do Pháp đã từng bước đánh mất kỹ năng ưu việt của mình. Điều đó xảy ra khi chúng ta chấp nhận chuyển nhượng những tập đoàn tiên phong trong lĩnh vực năng lượng hạt nhân như FRAMATOM cho nước ngoài. Trong lúc, đó là những lá bài then chốt trong các khâu từ thiết kế đến thực hiện các nhà máy điện nguyên tử. Một khi đã để thất thoát công nghệ, không dễ để gây dựng lại được tất cả trong một sớm một chiều ». Thiếu hụt nhân sự và thách thức tài chính  Báo cáo Folz công bố năm 2019 nêu bật thêm một lý do giải thích cho sự chậm trễ của dự án EPR tại Flamanville, Pháp thiếu nhân công trong một số lĩnh vực đòi hỏi trình độ chuyên môn cao, chẳng hạn như thiếu thợ hàn để đáp ứng đòi hỏi rất cao về mức độ an toàn khi thực hiện các bồn chứa nước để làm nguội các thanh nhiên liệu. Để thực hiện các dự án 14 lò EPF trong 25 năm tới đây Pháp cần tuyển dụng ngay 4.000 kỹ sư trong ngành nguyên tử và năng lượng hạt nhân, cần 10.000 đôi tay tại các công trường, mà đó là « một nhu cầu rất lớn khó có thể nhanh chóng được đáp ứng ». Về tài chính, câu hỏi đặt ra là liệu EDF có đủ sức đầu tư cho dự án 14 lò EPR hay không và sẽ được chính phủ tiếp sức tới đâu ? Trước mắt chưa thể trả lời câu hỏi kép này : Benjamin Coriat : « Ở đây đặt ra một vấn đề kép, thứ nhất là giá thành của một lò phản ứng EPR vẫn là một ẩn số. Do vậy chưa thể xác định được cụ thể là ai sẽ tài trợ và tài trợ đến mức độ nào. Trước mắt, tập đoàn điện lực quốc gia EDFsẽ phải gánh vác lấy trách nhiệm này, tức là đầu tư để phát triển năng lượng hạt nhân cho dù đang thua lỗ nặng. Đồng thời, chính phủ, cổ đông chính của tập đoàn, lại vừa ra lệnh cho EDF phải bán điện cho các nhà phân phân phối với giá thấp hơn so với giá thị trường. Qua đó chính phủ muốn thực hiện cam kết ghìm giá năng lượng tăng không quá 4 % như đã cam kết với dân. Nói cách khác chính sách về năng lượng của chính phủ Pháp hiện tại đang làm dấy lên nhiều câu hỏi và những quyết định của chính quyền khiến công luận bất ngờ ». Uranium, chìa khóa của sự tự chủ năng lượng Giáo sư Coriat tiếc là xã hội dân sự đã ít được góp tiếng nói về việc đưa điện hạt nhân trở lại trung tâm chiến lược tự chủ về năng lượng quốc gia. Nhưng quan trọng hơn nữa là sự tự chủ của Pháp trong việc cung cấp uranium cho các nhà máy. Theo giáo sư Benjamin Coriat, đại học Paris Sorbonne 13, đó mới là chìa khóa của sự « tự chủ về năng lượng ». Benjamin Coriat : « Để tự chủ về năng lượng nguyên tử, Pháp gặp nhiều trở ngại  mà lý do chính ở đây là không còn làm chủ nhiên liệu thiết yếu, bởi vì từ lâu nay Pháp đã ngừng khai thác uranium mà chỉ mua vào uranium của nhiều quốc gia khác trên thế giới như của châu Phi. Trong tương lai, có đến 14 lò phản ứng thế hệ mới đi chăng nữa mà không bảo đảm được nguồn cung ứng uranium thì cũng vẫn không có đủ năng lượng để đáp ứng nhu cầu tiêu thụ. Tôi cho rằng chúng ta có thể nói đến một sự tự chủ về năng lượng nếu có đủ năng lượng tái tạo. Pháp lệ thuộc vào khí đốt của Nga, mà chúng ta thấy rõ là căng thẳng địa chính trị hiện tại đang đặt ra nhiều vấn đề. Năng lượng hạt nhân không là chìa khóa cho phép giải quyết được tất cả nếu như không làm chủ được các nguồn cung ứng về nguyên liệu ». Giảm mức độ lệ thuộc vào nhập khẩu dầu hỏa và kí đốt, Pháp đã đạt được mục tiêu đó dưới thời tổng thống Valéry Giscard d'Estaing trong thập niên 1970 nhờ hàng chục lò phản ứng hạt nhân lần lượt đi vào họa động. Đó cũng là thời kỳ hoàng kim trong ngành khai thác uranium tại Pháp. Nhưng đến cuối thập niên 1990 nước Pháp ngừng xây thêm các nhà máy điện nguyên tử. Công nghiệp khai thác uranium cũng « đã tàn theo ». Kể từ năm 2000, 100 % uranium sử dụng trong các nhà máy điện hạt nhân của Pháp nhập từ nước ngoài nhưng được làm giàu trên lãnh thổ Pháp. Theo thống kê chính thức của tập đoàn điện lực quốc gia EDF trung bình mỗi năm Pháp cần từ 8 đến 10.000 tấn uranium để cung cấp cho 56 lò phản ứng tại 18 nhà máy điện hạt nhân trên toàn quốc. Báo cáo của cơ quan nguyên tử châu Âu Euratom năm 2020 cho thấy, trong giai đoạn 16 năm trở lại đây, 4 nguồn  cung cấp quan trọng nhất của Pháp gồm Kazakhstan, Úc, Niger và Ouzbékistan. Bốn quốc gia nay bảo đảm 75 % nhu cầu tiêu thụ của Pháp. Nói cách khác, để ngành điện hạt nhân vận hành tốt Pháp cần bảo đảm được các nguồn cung cấp. Trước mắt tập đoàn EDF từ chối cung cấp các thông tin cụ thể về xuất xứ khối lượng uranium nhập khẩu. Riêng Orano, tập đoàn Pháp chuyên xử lý uranium, một chi nhanh từng thuộc về AREVA cũng trong ngành điện hạt nhân, thì trấn an công luận rằng « 44 % nhu cầu uranium của Pháp do các quốc gia thuộc Tổ Chức Hợp Tác và Phát Triển Kinh Tế cung cấp » đây là cách để xua tan lo ngại năng lượng hạt nhân Pháp cũng sẽ bị căng thẳng địa chính trị chi phối trong tương lai.         

We're bringing you sounds of Teddy Reed's Sleighbell Marenghi recorded at Hinkley Point in 1979 courtesy of Karl Plastow's microphone. Also the usual fun and games with James, play along with Connect Four and the One Second Song.

Radioactive waste from the UK's Hinkley Point nuclear reactors is being dumped in Bristol Bay off Wales coast, increasing radiation risks to locals by 215%! Marine Biologist Tim Deere-Jones outs the truth!

Un nouveau coup dur pour EDF et sa centrale nucléaire de troisième génération. Son unique EPR en service est chinois et il connait un dysfonctionnement depuis plusieurs semaines, voire des mois. C'est ce qu'a révélé hier CNN. Une avarie qui pourrait coûter cher au champion français de l'atome civil. Les deux réacteurs EPR de Taishan se trouvent à 140 km de Hong Kong, ils fournissent du courant à un bassin de cinq millions d'habitants et surtout aux industries très concentrées du Guandong, une région qui connait déjà des pénuries de courant. Des quantités anormales de gaz dits rares ont été repérées dans le circuit de refroidissement du premier réacteur. Pour l'instant, il n'y a pas d'émanation dans l'air déclare EDF, rien de grave a priori. Pourtant en France, une situation analogue aurait sans doute déjà conduit à la fermeture du site. Mais c'est Pékin qui dicte les normes de sécurité. EDF a une participation de 30% dans la société. L'électricien français prend néanmoins l'incident très au sérieux, puisqu'il a conçu et construit ces EPR, souvent présentés comme l'avenir du nucléaire français. Mais cette technologie imaginée dans les années 1990 peine à faire ses preuves La Chine a réussi à mettre en service le premier réacteur il y a trois ans, tandis que les deux exemplaires prévus auparavant en Europe, l'un en Finlande l'autre en France, sur le site normand de Flamanville, accumulent les retards et les surcoûts. De plus, ils ne sont toujours pas opérationnels, environ quinze ans après le début du chantier. Un calvaire technique et un gouffre financier. Le client finlandais multiplie les procédures contre EDF. En France, la Cour des comptes a sonné la charge, l'été dernier, en mettant en évidence les turpitudes du projet normand. Cet EPR a coûté près de 20 milliards d'euros à EDF, cinq fois plus que le prix annoncé. Dans la stratégie énergétique française, l'EPR est censé jouer un rôle déterminant Cette centrale atomique hypersophistiquée doit être le socle de la transition vers le renouvelable, capable d'assurer à la France un approvisionnement constant en électricité, ce qui n'est pas encore garanti avec l'éolien ou le solaire. L'Allemagne qui a renoncé au nucléaire a bâti sa transition sur le charbon ; la France, comme la Chine, les deux puissances nucléaires civil avec les États-Unis, mise sur l'atome. Avec l'espoir de rentabiliser cette filière en l'exportant. Malgré la catastrophe industrielle de Flamanville et de l'EPR finlandais, l'actuel patron d'EDF Jean-Bernard Lévy a tout de même décroché deux contrats au Royaume Uni à Hinkley Point. Mais la société française a dû s'engager à les financer en partie pour décrocher le contrat avec le chinois CGN, la société majoritaire à Taishan. Quels sont les autres débouchés potentiels ? Le Royaume Uni pourrait en construire deux autres. L'Inde étudie l'achat et la construction de six EPR, la République tchèque l'Arabie saoudite sont également intéressés. Encore faut-il que l'EPR soit compétitif. Le nucléaire se décline maintenant de préférence en petites unités faciles à construire plutôt qu'en mastodontes tels qu'a été conçue cette centrale du futur, il y a déjà … quarante ans ! Au moment où les prix de l'électricité verte dégringolent, l'EPR ne peut même plus rivaliser. D'après les calculs de la Cour des comptes, le courant fourni par Flamanville serait plus cher que celui que l'éolien ou le solaire. Et deux fois supérieur à celui d'une centrale classique. EN BREF L'union européenne a lancé hier sa première émission de dette commune Le fameux emprunt destiné à financer le méga plan de relance à 750 milliards d'euros. On saura cet après-midi si cette obligation mutualisée rencontre un succès auprès des investisseurs. Bruxelles prévoit de lever environ 150 milliards d'euros chaque année jusqu'en 2026, ce qui en fera l'un des plus gros emprunteurs de la zone euro.

Maggie Brown works with EDF UK at their Hinkley Point C site. She leads on Supplier Relationship Management and previously led their innovation programme. Maggie grew up in Ottawa Canada and now lives in Bristol with husband Sam and two-year old Mya. In 2003, Maggie studied for a BA in Political Science at Concordia University in Montreal. Following this period of study, she travelled across Australia, Asia, Mexico and Central America. Maggie then took the bold decision and moved to London to do her MSc in Political Sociology.   After her MSc, and a short-term position with Ringway Jacobs in London, she began a job with Amida Recruitment in 2012, with a focus on sustainability. Impressed by her work ethic, Maggie won the Rising Star Award in 2012. In 2013, Maggie decided to become an Independent Consultant and worked with clients like Mott MacDonald. In 2016, she started as an Innovation Coordinator at Crossrail and was promoted to Innovation Programme Migration Manager before making a move to EDF as an Innovation Manager where Maggie got involved with their new build project at Hinkley Point C project. Maggie is currently Commercial Lead-Supplier Relationship Management. When Maggie’s not too busy pushing the next generation of nuclear power stations into existence, in her spare time she likes to sail and also enjoys travelling, cooking and dancing. For more information visit: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/maggie-brown-61870a42

Stuart is Managing Director of Hinkley Point C, the new nuclear power station being built in Somerset. He lives in Worcester and is married to Alison and they have three grown-up children and five grandchildren. Stuart grew up in the village of Standish Lower Ground near Wigan and went to Shevington High School. From here, he started an electrical apprenticeship at the local mail order factory Great Universal Stores.   After finishing his apprenticeship, Stuart joined the nuclear industry at Heysham 2 power station on the Lancashire coast, where he worked on the installation and commissioning of the main computer control and protection systems. Whilst here, Stuart continued to further his education part-time, and gained an honours degree in Applied Physics at Manchester Metropolitan University and then successfully completed an MBA at Lancaster University which allowed him to progress from a technical and engineering role to become a leader.Stuart has overseen the safe operation of the UK fleet of nuclear, coal, gas and renewables during his time as Managing Director of Nuclear Generation at EDF Energy and under his leadership the nuclear fleet generated their best ever output in 2016  along with overseeing the life-extension programme for the UK nuclear fleet. In 2017, Stuart became Managing Director of Hinkley Point C, the largest engineering project in Europe, with an international supply chain, delivery team, and workforce.Stuart was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2019 for services to Nuclear Energy. To find out more visit: https://www.edfenergy.com/energy/nuclear-new-build-projects/hinkley-point-c 

This podcast focuses on the latest developments in Case C-594/18 P: Austria v European Commission, a long-running legal saga surrounding the development of a new nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point in the UK, which sheds light on EU state aid rules and the interaction between the Euratom Treaty and the TFEU. As the Euratom Treaty does not contain state aid rules, to what extent do the principles of the TFEU apply when it comes to determining the compatibility of state aid to the nuclear sector? In 2014, the EC approved the UK’s plans to give state aid to support the construction of two EPR reactor units at Hinkley Point C, deeming it compatible with EU state aid guidelines, and thus the internal market. The basis of their approval was Art 107(3)(c) TFEU. The project, a joint venture between EDF and CGN, would be the first new nuclear power station in the UK in almost 20 years, and account for roughly 7% of the UK’s electricity supply. In the rare move of one MS challenging a state aid decision for another, Austria launched an appeal to this decision in 2015 on the basis that approval of the scheme contradicted the EU policy to support renewable energy. The case divided Member States. In July 2018, the GC dismissed the action on the basis that there was no need to establish an EU-wide objective of common interest for the project or, surprisingly, to establish that the aid is there to correct a market failure. Furthermore, it was found that the ET principles are separate from those of the TFEU/TEU, and thus the principles on the protection of the environment do not apply. Austria appealed the decision. In a non-binding opinion of 7 May 2020, AG Gerard Hogan suggested EU judges should dismiss the appeal. He argued that Art 107(3)(c) TFEU does not predicate the compatibility of state aid upon it serving a ‘public’ or ‘common’ interest objective. Rather, compatibility need only be determined according to the potential of the aid to distort competition or trade. By accepting the objectives of the ET, all MS have “clearly signified their unqualified acceptance in principle of the right of other Member States to develop nuclear power plants in their own territories should they wish to do so.” He also noted that EU law (via Art 194 TFEU) has given each MS the right to determine its own energy mix. Ultimately, according to Hogan’s interpretation, compatibility cannot be used as an instrument to effect positive integration. In the subsequent ruling of 22 Sept 2020, the Court dismissed Austria’s appeal and confirmed that the construction of the power plant may benefit from state aid, as originally approved by the EC pursuant to Art 107(3)(c) TFEU and in line with AG Hogan’s opinion. The Court confirmed that in the absence of specific state aid rules in the ET, the state aid rules of the TFEU are applicable to the nuclear energy sector. The Court concluded that the compatibility of aid is not dependent on the pursuit of a ‘common interest.’ The existence of a market failure may therefore be a factor in declaring aid compatible, but it is not a requisite for compatibility, according to the conditions laid out in Art 107(3)(c). Significantly, contrary to the GC’s findings, the new ruling held that state aid for an economic activity, which contravenes environmental rules, cannot be declared compatible with the internal market. The same is true for the provisions of secondary EU law on the environment. However, in the same ruling, the Court noted that the EC is required to take into account the negative effects of the state aid on competition and trade between MS only, and concludes that the GC in its earlier ruling was correct in the interpretation that the EC did not have to take into account the negatives effects of the measures on the environmental principles. How does this tally? What can be deducted from this split conclusion with respect to environmental protection principles?

Show #855   Good morning, good afternoon and good evening wherever you are in the world, welcome to EV News Daily for Sunday 2nd August 2020. It’s Martyn Lee here and I go through every EV story so you don't have to.   Thank you to MYEV.com for helping make this show, they’ve built the first marketplace specifically for Electric Vehicles. It’s a totally free marketplace that simplifies the buying and selling process, and help you learn about EVs along the way too.   Welcome to a new Patreon Premium Partner and that's Derek Reilly from EV Review Ireland youtube channel.         Tesla Model 3 Long Range, Corsa-e and even a NIU Electric Scooter. Search Youtube for EV Review Ireland. LEAF 62, IONIQ, ZOE, e-208, Mini electric all coming over the next few months. No matter what country you live in, even with the channel name of EV Review Ireland, Derek's reviews will give you the info you need when considering an EV. He will also be reviewing electric kick scooters, mand doing more with electric bicycles, and even the LDV van coming  to review in a few weeks.   PSA GROUP TO LAUNCH NEW ELECTRIC PLATFORM FOR LARGER VEHICLES "The PSA Group has revealed plans for a new electrified eVMP platform that will underpin its larger vehicles from 2020 onwards as it moves towards a fully electrified line-up." writes Autocar: "The French giant, whose brands include Citroën, DS, Peugeot and Opel/Vauxhall, currently uses two ‘multi-energy’ platforms: CMP and EMP2. The CMP architecture, for small vehicles, can utilise combustion engined and electric powertrains, while the EMP2 is designed for ICE-only and plug-in hybrid systems. It's designed for electric vehicles with a range of between 248 and 404 miles, depending on the body, thanks to "60-100kWh of embedded energy" within the wheelbase. PSA says that the platform can also support hybrid powertrains, which will be “offered on certain markets” where needs must. According to PSA, key to the efficiency of the eEVMP platform is the optimisation of development and industrialisation costs. It says the eVMP has been developed with “extended carry-over” from the EMP2 platform and can be made on existing plants and production lines to limit investment."   https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/industry/psa-group-launch-new-electric-platform-larger-vehicles   TOYOTA TO TAKE 10% STAKE IN ELECTRIC DRIVE MAKER BLUE NEXUS; NEW JOINT SALES STRUCTURE "BluE Nexus Corporation (earlier post) and Toyota Motor Corporation will collaborate to prepare for the accelerated adoption of electrified vehicles by working together to increase their competitiveness in products related to electrification as well as to fortify their sales structure, including their technical support and services, among others, rendered to their customers. Additionally, Toyota will take a 10% stake in BluE Nexus to achieve this goal." reports Green Car Congress: " As they look toward the accelerated adoption of electrified vehicles, BluE Nexus and Toyota aim to join forces and use their core competencies—i.e., Toyota’s control calibration technologies for engines, batteries, and other major peripheral components as well as BluE Nexus’s well-developed lineup of electric drive modules—to respond to requests from all types of customers around the world."   https://www.greencarcongress.com/2020/07/20200731-bluenexus.html   AMAZON BUILDING MAJOR EV CHARGING PARK IN GERMANY "The e-co mmerce giant Amazon has announced its largest deployment of electric mobility in Germany to date. The distribution center in Essen has been equipped with 340 charging stations and operates more than 150 electric delivery vehicles every day." says electrive: "Currently, eight of eleven delivery partners in Essen have converted their fleets to electric transporters, Amazon reports. A total of 150 electric vans are on the road in Essen. In addition, two other delivery partners in the Bochum distribution centre operate 40 electric vehicles.  In January, Amazon announced that 60 charging points had been installed in the Munich-Daglfing distribution centre – a big news at the time, but compared to Essen, the Munich solution appears in a different light. While 40 StreetScooters and ten Mercedes eVito are used in Bavaria, Amazon does not mention in the current announcement which models will be used in Essen."   https://www.electrive.com/2020/07/31/amazon-building-major-ev-charging-park-in-germany/   FRENCH START-UP EMERGES FROM STEALTH MODE WITH PLAN TO BUILD HUGE BATTERY GIGAFACTORY BY 2023 "A French start-up has been launched with plans to build a 16GWh lithium-ion battery gigafactory in France by 2023 to help Europe meet the growing demand for electric vehicles and energy storage." according to Rechargenews.com: "After a year of behind-the-scenes work, Verkor — backed by French digital solutions company Schneider Electric, EU innovation fund EIT InnoEnergy and French real estate giant Groupe IDEC — has emerged from stealth mode with plans to complete the low-carbon 16GWh facility at a yet-to-be-decided location in France in 2023, before expanding it to 50GWh at a later date. Another new European battery start-up, Automative Cell Company (ACC) — a joint venture between Total-owned battery maker Saft and vehicle giant PSA Group, which owns Peugeot, Citroen, Opel and Vauxhall — plans to build an 8GWh gigafactory in northern France by 2023, and then a second 8GWh gigafactory in southwest Germany."   https://www.rechargenews.com/technology/french-start-up-emerges-from-stealth-mode-with-plan-to-build-huge-battery-gigafactory-by-2023   UK OFFSHORE WIND MAY SOON BE SUBSIDY-FREE "Researchers at Imperial College in London conducted an exhaustive review of all European offshore wind installations since 2006 and concluded that offshore wind may soon be so cheap that newer installations will generate electricity at below wholesale prices, meaning government subsidies will no longer be required. In fact, by mid-century, those wind farms may actually be paying dividends that lower the cost of electricity for everyone. Even better, the industry will create tens of thousands of new jobs." says CleanTechnica: "What will make the next generation of offshore wind so inexpensive? The massive size of the turbines, many of which will have a blade diameter of 220 meters (that’s 722 feet for our US readers. To put that in context, the wingspan of a 747 is a mere 224 feet.) Larger turbines can harness more wind energy and have access to more consistent wind speeds at higher altitudes, making their production of electricity more predictable and reliable. According to The Independent, the newest wind farm at Dogger Bank in the North Sea has the same installed capacity as the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant and is expected to produce about two-thirds of its annual electricity. It will also cost massively less money than the ill-considered Hinkley Point nuke."   https://cleantechnica.com/2020/07/30/uk-offshore-wind-may-soon-be-subsidy-free/     You can listen to all 854 previous episodes of this this for free, where you get your podcasts from, plus the blog https://www.evnewsdaily.com/ – remember to subscribe, which means you don’t have to think about downloading the show each day, plus you get it first and free and automatically.   It would mean a lot if you could take 2mins to leave a quick review on whichever platform you download the podcast.   And  if you have an Amazon Echo, download our Alexa Skill, search for EV News Daily and add it as a flash briefing.   Come and say hi on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter just search EV News Daily, have a wonderful day, I’ll catch you tomorrow and remember…there’s no such thing as a self-charging hybrid.     PHIL ROBERTS / ELECTRIC FUTURE (PREMIUM PARTNER) BRAD CROSBY (PREMIUM PARTNER) AVID TECHNOLOGY (PREMIUM PARTNER) PORSCHE OF THE VILLAGE CINCINNATI (PREMIUM PARTNER) AUDI CINCINNATI EAST (PREMIUM PARTNER) VOLVO CARS CINCINNATI EAST (PREMIUM PARTNER) NATIONALCARCHARGING.COM and ALOHACHARGE.COM  (PREMIUM PARTNER) DEREK REILLY FROM THE EV REVIEW IRELAND YOUTUBE CHANNEL (PREMIUM PARTNER)   DAVID AND LISA ALLEN (PARTNER) OEM AUDIO OF NEW ZEALAND AND EVPOWER.CO.NZ (PARTNER) GARETH HAMER eMOBILITY NORWAY HTTPS://WWW.EMOBILITYNORWAY.COM/  (PARTNER) BOB BOOTHBY – MILLBROOK COTTAGES AND ELOPEMENT WEDDING VENUE (PARTNER)   ALAN ROBSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ALAN SHEDD (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ALEX BANAHENE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ALEXANDER FRANK @ https://www.youtube.com/c/alexsuniverse42 ANDERS HOVE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ANDREA JEFFERSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ASEER KHALID (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ASHLEY HILL (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) BÅRD FJUKSTAD (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) BRENT KINGSFORD (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) BRIAN THOMPSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) BRUCE BOHANNAN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) CHARLES HALL (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) CHRIS HOPKINS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) COLIN HENNESSY AND CAMBSEV (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) CRAIG COLES (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) CRAIG ROGERS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) DAMIEN DAVIS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) DARREN FEATCH (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) DAVE DEWSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) DAVID FINCH (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) DAVID MOORE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) DAVID PARTINGTON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) DAVID PRESCOTT (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) DEREK REILLY FROM THE EV REVIEW IRELAND YOUTUBE CHANNEL (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) DON MCALLISTER / SCREENCASTSONLINE.COM (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ERU KYEYUNE-NYOMBI (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) FREDRIK ROVIK (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) GENE RUBIN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) GILBERTO ROSADO (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) GEOFF LOWE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) HEDLEY WRIGHT (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) IAN GRIFFITHS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) IAN SEAR (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) IAN (WATTIE) WATKINS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) JACK OAKLEY (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) JAMES STORR (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) JIM MORRIS (EXECUTIVE PRODICERS) JOHN C SOLAR (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) JON AKA BEARDY MCBEARDFACE FROM KENT EVS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) JON MANCHAK (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) JUAN GONZALEZ (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) KEN MORRIS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) KEVIN MEYERSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) KYLE MAHAN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) LARS DAHLAGER (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) LAURENCE D ALLEN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) LEE BROWN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) LUKE CULLEY (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) MARCEL WARD (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) MARK BOSSERT (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) MARTY YOUNG  (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) MATT PISCIONE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) MIA OPPELSTRUP (PARTNER) MICHAEL PASTRONE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) MIKE WINTER (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) NATHAN GORE-BROWN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) NEIL E ROBERTS FROM SUSSEX EVS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) NIGEL MILES (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) OHAD ASTON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) PAUL RIDINGS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)               PAUL STEPHENSON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) PETE GLASS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) PETE GORTON (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) PETER & DEE ROBERTS FROM OXON EVS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER)  PHIL MOUCHET (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) PHILIP TRAUTMAN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) RAJ BADWAL (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) RAJEEV NARAYAN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) RENE KEEMIK (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) RENÉ SCHNEIDER (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) RICHARD LUPINSKY (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ROB HERMANS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) ROB FROM THE RSTHINKS EV CHANNEL ON YOUTUBE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) RUPERT MITCHELL (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) SEIKI PAYNE (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) STEPHEN PENN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) STEVE JOHN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER) THOMAS J. 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Fans of nuclear energy say that it is efficient, reliable, and greener than fossil fuels. The government's Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050 target may not be achievable without a helping hand from nuclear. But its critics say that it's costly for the taxpayer, prone to delays, and damaging for local ecosystems. What's more, Hinkley Point demonstrated the risk of foreign investment in key infrastructure. Is Britain going to need more nuclear power plants, or is there a better way? Kate Andrews speaks to a panel of guests to discuss this and more: Bim Afolami, Conservative MP for Hitchin and Harpenden Professor Simon Taylor, author of The Fall and Rise of Nuclear Power in Britain Julia Pyke, Nuclear Development Director at EDF Energy This podcast is sponsored by EDF Energy.

In this podcast, Leigh Hancher discusses the recent non-binding opinion (http://curia.europa.eu/juris/documents.jsf?num=C-594/18%20) of Gerard Hogan, Advocate General of the European Court of Justice, with regard to a decision on state aid to the nuclear power plant Hinkley Point C in the UK. In Hogan’s opinion, EU judges should dismiss an appeal by Austria aimed at overturning the approval of UK state aid to support the construction of the nuclear plant. Hogan stated, “it is clear that the development of nuclear power is, as reflected in the Euratom Treaty, a clearly defined objective of EU law”. In 2014, after several agreed changes to the plans, the European Commission approved the UK’s plans to give state aid to support the construction of two EPR reactor units at Hinkley Point C, deeming it compatible with EU state aid guidelines and thus the internal market. At the time, it was considered by the Commission that the aid was justified as there was a “lack of market-based financial instruments and other contracts to hedge against the substantial investment risks in the project”. The project is a joint venture between EDF and China General Nuclear Power Corporation, with the latter holding a 33.5% stake. The planned plant, which would be the first new nuclear power station to be built in the UK in almost twenty years, would account for approximately 7% of the UK’s electricity supply. Austria first launched an appeal to this decision in 2015 on the basis that approval of the scheme contradicted EU policy to support renewable energy. The then Austrian chancellor Werner Faymann argued that nuclear power “is not an innovative technology and is therefore not worthy of a subsidy”. He added that “[State] aid is there to support new and modern technologies that are in the general interest of all EU countries. This is in no way true of nuclear power.” The case divided Member States. In the course of proceedings, Luxembourg intervened in support of Austria while France, Poland, Czechia, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and the UK intervened in support of the Commission. In July 2018, the General Court dismissed the action brought by Austria. However, in September 2018, Austria appealed against the decision before the European Court of Justice. In his opinion of 7 May 2020, Hogan stated that, by accepting the objectives of the Euratom Treaty, all Member States have “clearly signified their unqualified acceptance in principle of the right of other Member States to develop nuclear power plants in their own territories should they wish to do so.” He also notes that EU law (according to Art 194 TFEU) has given each Member State the right to determine its own energy mix. Hogan comments that, according to its wording and the position of the provision in the TFEU, aid, in order to be compatible with the Treaty, neither has to pursue an ‘objective of common interest’ nor an ‘objective of public interest’. It only has to ‘facilitate the development of certain economic activities’ and it must not ‘adversely affect trading conditions to an extent contrary to the common interest.’ As Hogan noted, “This case can be described as the legal side of a dispute between Member States that are in favour of nuclear power and those that are not. Both sides claim that they pursue their course with a view to protecting the environment”. While a decision on this appeal is still pending, Hogan’s opinion will be taken into account when the European Court ultimately rules on Austria’s appeal. In the podcast, Leigh Hancher shares her thoughts on the opinion.

Polytechnicien, ami de longue date de François Hollande, Jean-Bernard Lévy a commencé sa carrière en tant que conseiller au cabinet de Gérard Longuet, avant d'entamer un parcours impressionnant dans le privé. Successivement PDG de Matra, de Vivendi, de Thales, il arrive à la tête d'EDF en 2014, à une époque où le groupe est encore le numéro 1 mondial de la production d'électricité. Mais l'ex-monopole, devenu SA en 2005, fait depuis plusieurs années face à un contexte difficile, principalement dans le nucléaire, qui absorbe la majeure partie de ses 15 milliards d'investissements annuels. Entre les problèmes touchant le parc existant, les difficultés de livraisons pour Flamanville et désormais Hinkley Point, la filière est actuellement au coeur d'une véritable tourmente. Avec son plan CAP 2030, Jean-Bernard a tracé l'ambition pour le groupe : devenir le champion mondial des énergies bas carbone. Mais le récent projet de scission lancé par le gouvernement entre un EDF bleu (hydraulique, nucléaire) 100% détenu par l'Etat et un EDF vert (distribution, services) ouvert au privé, vient de nouveau rebattre les cartes d'un jeu particulièrement tendu.

Robert on a shoot in Sardinia where he is test driving the new Renault Zoe. Unfortunately he is not seeing much sign of renewable energy, so he questions the affordability of various sustainable resources and wonders if renewables really are made for the people at the people budgets, or is it still an elitist luxury.  Fully Charged are doubling down on our carbon footprint with how we do reviews and travel across the EU and the rest of the world. Robert discusses battery technology with the announcement of the 1 million battery from Tesla. Finally, Robert goes all sorts of cross with the new announcement from EDF about the recently announced Hinkley Point C increase in cost. Apparently the ground there is very difficult(!) Battery story: https://www.wired.com/story/tesla-may-soon-have-a-battery-that-can-last-a-million-miles/ Hinkley Point C Story: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-49823305 Battery technology advancements: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_descent Don’t forget those of you in the US or who want to travel to the US, Fully Charged LIVE USA is happening on 1st and 2nd February 2020 and tickets are available in the show notes or if you are watching this on our second Youtube channel, Fully Charged Regen the link will be at the end of this video. Thank you to our Patreon supporters, you know by now, how utterly insanely invaluable you are to us. We will never take you for granted. Thank you, thank you, thank you. So if you are also interested becoming a Patron on Patreon, follow the links in the show notes.  Don’t forget, leave us a 5* rating and review on your favourite podcast player as it helps us get discovered and gives us credibility. 

In this week’s Podcast, we spoke a variety of business leaders across Wales including: Heather Myers from the South Wales Chamber encourages business to apply to become part of the Supply Chain for Hinkley Point. Monmouthshire Council have reported another surplus for the year of 2018/19. Councillor Phil Murphy joins us to tell us more. A recent survey by KPMG has looked into how businesses view digital transformation. We spoke to Director of IT advisory at KPMG, Derek Kay to find out more. The importance of a Social Media policy in the modern workplace is of critical importance in this digital era. Caryl Thomas of Cardiff Based HR Dept spoke to us on the subject. We spoke to David Elsmere of Superfast Business Wales who is encouraging Business to use their Digital support programme. Emelyne Burkhard of the Celtic English Academy spoek to us on why Wales should aim to attract more international students. BITC Cymru have held their 'Waste to Wealth' summit this week. We spoke to BITC Cymru Director, Matt Appleby, to learn more. and finally Chase de Vere, who have offices in Cardiff, have announced their best year and Ben Staniforth talks to us about their performance and the Welsh Economy.

Change affects all industries and that doesn’t exclude banking. We open our latest podcast with a look at a new report from UK Finance and EY which highlights the rise in mobile banking and what the future holds. One of the aims of the British Business Bank is to support so called Challenger Banks with funding via the ENABLE Programme. The latest beneficiary is Cambridge and Counties Bank which will utilise the funding to expand its property and commercial lending portfolio. To close, we share news of a pot of funding set aside by Lloyds Bank specifically for businesses working directly, or indirectly supporting construction of the new Hinkley Point nuclear power plant. Funding to businesses in the supply chain could give them confidence to bid for contracts. Could you make use of this?

The Euratom Treaty, signed in Rome on 25 March 1957, established the European Atomic Energy Community, alongside the European Economic Community (EEC). Its function is to provide a regulatory and cooperative framework which governs the development of nuclear energy and its trade across Europe, a kind of ‘nuclear common market’, which also funds cross-border research and development projects, upholds safety standards and procedures, notifies the potential impact of activities on other Member States, and ensures that nuclear materials are not deployed for military use. Euratom has established nuclear cooperation agreements with third countries, including Canada, Japan, and the USA, and sets out provisions for international compliance with nuclear safeguards. Euratom also reports to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). While a separate legal entity from the EU, it is tied to its laws and institutions, and subject to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice (ECJ). No country is a full member of Euratom without being a full member of the EU. On 29 March 2017, the triggering of Article 50, signalling the UK’s departure from the EU, also incorporated the UK’s withdrawal from the Euratom Treaty of which they had been members since they joined the EEC in 1973. While legal opinion is divided as to whether exiting the EU also forced an exit from Euratom, as a concomitant requirement of leaving the bloc, Theresa May argued for its inclusion on the grounds of ending the supremacy of EU law over domestic law. What are the possible repercussions of exiting the treaty for both the UK and the EU? Given the UK’s commitment to a nuclear future, as evident by the recent investment in Hinkley Point, and the UK’s deep-seated integration in the EU nuclear energy market, how might the UK attempt to establish itself independent of the legislation, regulatory expectations and terms of compliance set out by Euratom? During the European Union (withdrawal) bill debate on 13 December 2017, the Minister of State for Courts and Justice, said that the UK government intended to retain a close association with Euratom. Could associate membership, à la Switzerland and Ukraine, be an option? How would that be reconciled with an absolutist position on ECJ interference? What does it mean for the research projects dependent on funding from Euratom members, such as that at Culham Oxfordshire? Could the UK be sidelined from lucrative nuclear trade agreements with third parties? With replacement provisions yet to be determined, industry warnings suggest that the UK’s exit from Euratom could cause a major disruption to the entire nuclear fuel cycle. In this podcast, Silke Goldberg from Herbert Smith Freehills discusses the UK’s position, the legal terms of their exit, and the potential consequences of their withdrawal.

Wochenrückblick des Unbehagens 48 Obacht! Der Polizeipanzer rollt im Undercover-Modus an! Gut, dass man ihn aber trotz der Recht(s)schreibfehler an den Logos auf seinen Sitzen erkennen kann. Da strahlt doch der Arbeiter von Hinkley Point, ganz im Gegensatz zu den Städten Tottoris, in denen man Lichtverschmutzung vermeiden will, und den Konsumentenschützern in Italien, die Spelacchio nicht so hübsch finden. In dieser Woche vom 18. bis zum 24. Dezember 2017 hätte auch Karlheinz Kopf Parlamentspräsident werden können, Carme Forcadell dagegen kann das jetzt wohl nicht mehr. Und Artur Mas muss kein neues Haus kaufen, findet ein spanischer Richter, der soll doch im Gefängnis leben, der alte Aufrührer! Da kann er dann den schlimmsten Günter wählen oder angenehmen Klängen lauschen. Seid ihr alleinstehend, fahrt doch nach Japan ins Pia Pia, da seid ihr an Weihnachten gern gesehen, aber bitte führt kein lebensechtes Krippenspiel in Sofia, Bulgarien, auf. Esel haben die da nicht mehr so gerne. In diesem Sinne: Maria Weihnachten und Frohe Neue Jahre wünschen euch Michael, Norman und die Gesamtheit des Kompendiums des Unbehagens! Podcast herunterladen 00:00:00 Intro/Begrüßung 00:03:37 Montag: "Du siehst so aus als ob", das Spezialeinsatzkommandologoproblem, die Südkorruption und peinliche Medien 00:25:48 Dienstag: Italiener als Österreicher, Pornofilter und mehr, Cathrines vollständiger Körper, Karl der Baum und schändliche Fans 00:39:39 Mittwoch: CDU und AfD kuscheln, der ungewollte Sobotka, Thomas überwacht effektiv und eine Überleitung zu Sex 01:11:39 Donnerstag: Sex mit Handschlag(?), Katalonien wählt mal wieder (und noch ein Artikel dazu), Tafelrentner, Solar voll toll/kacke, Gesichtserkennungsbuch, der Virginiamünzwurf, Rumänien nimmt Einfluss und Laserverbot 01:54:49 Freitag: Verhaftung wegen Tippfehler und ein Gewächshaus auf Reisen 01:59:54 Samstag: Ägyptische Witze, die Stimme des Vierklangs und Pferdeverbot 02:06:18 Sonntag: Maria Weihnachten und Pärchenverbot 02:11:15 Eriks Lesetipp mit Atomkraftwerk 02:12:30 Abschied/Outro

  |  TOPICS  |   CLINTON, CAMERON, MAY, STURGEON, DAVIDSON. GENDER FLUIDITY CRANMER, BEECHING, OZANNE GRAMMAR SCHOOLS AND CHINESE CLASSES SCOTTISH EDUCATION HUMANISTS SUE OVER RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCE TANK's 100th ANNIVERSARY DONALD A HENDERSON |  LINKS  | Reuters: May approves Hinkley Point nuclear plant, sets tighter controls Ipsos MORI: Scottish Public Opinion Monitor – September 2016 BBC Radio Scotland:  Call Kaye - 7th September 2016 ArchbishopCranmer.com:  Good Disagreement: report fellow Christians to the police for daring to disagree Telegraph:  China's pushy parents enrolling their toddlers in 'CEO courses'  Scottish Government:  The Scottish Attainment Challenge Scottish Government Consultation:  Empowering teachers, parents and communities to achieve excellence and equity in education: A Governance Review HeraldScotland: Humanist Society Scotland launches legal bid to give Scottish pupils the right to opt out of religious observance in schools BBC: WW1 tank takes over Trafalgar Square for 100th anniversary New York Times: D.A. Henderson, Doctor Who Helped End Smallpox Scourge, Dies at 87   |  MUSIC  | Jimmy Cliff - World Upside Down Ocean Colour Scene - Top of the World The Cranberries - War Child KRS-One - Sound of da police Steve Winwood - Higher Love Scatman John - Song Of Scatland The Strokes - 50/50 The Stranglers - Tank Beautiful Eulogy - Exile Dial Tone  (Theme Tune)

The approval of the Hinkley Point power station injects new energy into the UK’s nuclear sector. The FT’s Giles Wilkes and Alan Livsey explain what is at stake for French utility EDF. Visit FT.com for more on the story. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

SITREP TRAIL THURS, 18th August   Is Putin spreading his wings across Europe and is Nato's response enough?   Are the Chinese really sending spies to Hinkley Point?   Why MI6 will miss the UK's top Jihadist PR man.   Why did UN troops ignore rape victims in South Sudan?   And medals and flag waving in Rio - the non-military tattoo.     PRESENTER THIS WEEK: KATE GERBEAU Studio guest: BFBS Defence Analyst Christopher Lee   OTHER INTERVIEWS:    RUSSIA/PUTIN International commentator and former presenter of the BBC's The World Tonight Robin Lustig, and BFBS defence analyst Christopher Lee.   CHINESE SPIES Anthony Glees, Professor of politics at Buckingham University   CHOUDARY International commentator and former presenter of the BBC's The World Tonight Robin Lustig.   SOUTH SUDAN the former Director General of the Royal United Services Institute, Professor Michael Clarke.   NORTH KOREA DEFECTION International commentator and former presenter of the BBC's The World Tonight Robin Lustig.     OLYMPICS BFBS defence analyst Christopher Lee.     THURSDAYS at 4:30pm UK TIME on BFBS RADIO 2 and at 6:30pm UK TIME on BFBS & UK Bases   You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and at 1830 (UK time) on BFBS (via web, App & DAB in the UK and on FM in Scotland, Colchester, Salisbury Plain, Aldershot, Catterick & Blandford Forum) Sky Channel 0211 Alternatively listen again on the website, or download the Sitrep Podcast.

SITREP TRAIL THURS, 18th August   Is Putin spreading his wings across Europe and is Nato’s response enough?   Are the Chinese really sending spies to Hinkley Point?   Why MI6 will miss the UK's top Jihadist PR man.   Why did UN troops ignore rape victims in South Sudan?   And medals and flag waving in Rio - the non-military tattoo.     PRESENTER THIS WEEK: KATE GERBEAU Studio guest: BFBS Defence Analyst Christopher Lee   OTHER INTERVIEWS:    RUSSIA/PUTIN International commentator and former presenter of the BBC's The World Tonight Robin Lustig, and BFBS defence analyst Christopher Lee.   CHINESE SPIES Anthony Glees, Professor of politics at Buckingham University   CHOUDARY International commentator and former presenter of the BBC's The World Tonight Robin Lustig.   SOUTH SUDAN the former Director General of the Royal United Services Institute, Professor Michael Clarke.   NORTH KOREA DEFECTION International commentator and former presenter of the BBC's The World Tonight Robin Lustig.     OLYMPICS BFBS defence analyst Christopher Lee.     THURSDAYS at 4:30pm UK TIME on BFBS RADIO 2 and at 6:30pm UK TIME on BFBS & UK Bases   You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and at 1830 (UK time) on BFBS (via web, App & DAB in the UK and on FM in Scotland, Colchester, Salisbury Plain, Aldershot, Catterick & Blandford Forum) Sky Channel 0211 Alternatively listen again on the website, or download the Sitrep Podcast.

Is it all over for the UK's first new nuclear power station in two decades? This week's special guest is NEF's David Powell. NEF on Twitter: www.twitter.com/nef Weekly Economics Podcast on Twitter: www.twitter.com/weeklyeconpod Kirsty Styles on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kirstystyles1 Produced by James Shield. Programme editor for NEF: Huw Jordan. Music this week by Zreen Toyz, Podington Bear and Tuff Darts. Brought to you by the New Economics Foundation – the independent think tank and charity campaigning for a fairer, sustainable economy. Find out more at www.neweconomics.org.

Olympics Hinkley Point C - nuclear-power station Bloody Sunday Priest The Labour Party The Rainbow Flag Channel 4’s Naked Attraction GSA - Genetic Sexual Attraction   LINKS BBC:  Rio 2016   The Economist: The problem with Britain’s (planned) nuclear-power station International Business Times: UK must pull the plug on the exorbitant Hinkley Point nuclear power project   BBC: Bishop Edward Daly: Bloody Sunday priest dies   The Guardian: Boris Johnson lifts ban on UK embassies flying gay pride rainbow flag     Daily Mail: Mother, 36, and son, 19, who fell in love when they met last year after she gave him up for adoption as a baby, say they'll go to JAIL to defend their relationship MUSIC Sinead O'Connor - Property of Jesus Blood, Sweat and Tears - Nuclear Blues U2 - Sunday Bloody Sunday Billy Bragg - The Red Flag Ziggy Marley - Rainbow in the Sky Modestep - Rainbow Corey Smith - Arc of a Rainbow Toploader - Just about living

Britain faces big decisions when it comes to generating electricity - and ones we will all end up paying for. So what's the right choice? Theresa May surprised many by one of her first acts as prime minister: delaying a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point in Somerset. She says she wants more time to consider the deal before making a final decision later this year. Hinkley Point C - if it's ever built - would be the first UK nuclear power plant to be constructed in more than 20 years. But the French-built, Chinese-funded project has been beset with delays since Tony Blair first pushed for new nuclear plants in 2005. David Aaronovitch and a panel of experts outline Britain's nuclear dream, find out what went wrong along the way, detail the alternatives and try to answer the question: what should we do next?Guests: Peter Atherton, energy analyst, Cornwall Energy Malcom Grimston visiting senior research fellow, Imperial College London Steven Thomas, professor of energy studies, Greenwich University Lisa Waters, economist, Waters Wye Associates Producers: Joe Kent and Mike Wendling Researchers: Alex Burton and Kirsteen Knight.

Could Donald Trump have really gone too far this time? London Editor Denis Staunton reports on his trip to Philadelphia, where Hillary Clinton's nomination party was overshadowed by yet more controversial remarks from Trump, this time criticising parents of a dead soldier. Has he holed his campaign under the water? Plus, what do Democrats make of Brexit - could it and Trump be two sides of one coin? Find out everything you need to know about on-again, off-again nuclear power plant, Hinkley Point. Irish Times' resident boffin Dick Ahlstrom visits the studio to provide the backstory to this French-built, Chinese-financed, expensive, white elephant - is it any wonder Theresa May has hesitated with the green light? Or is it just another Brexit bargaining chip? It's August and the EU is taking a badly needed holiday, as is our Europe Correspondent Suzanne Lynch. She nevertheless obliges with a report on what progress has been made in Brexit negotiations - it's a very, very short report. Suzanne also tells us about Julian King, the UK's new Commissioner, who has been handed the security brief.

With the FT's Janan Ganesh, Tony Barber, Kiran Stacey and Nick Butler. Presented by Sebastian Payne. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Liebe Regierung, wenn ihr in der EU meint Atomkraft – diesen Dinosaurierer der Energiegewinnung – unterstützen zu müssen, dann doch ab heute nicht gerade außerhalb der EU. Denn Hinkley Point C hat sich ja wohl soeben dank Brexit von selber erledigt. Warum sollte man dem EU-Ausland seine Reaktoren fördern? Gehts noch? Ich möchte da bitte … Hinkley Point exit weiterlesen →

The Times assistant editor Anne Ashworth, our economics editor Philip Aldrick, and our energy editor Robin Pagnamenta join us for this week's podcast. With Robert Miller away, Callum Jones is in the chair. The Bank of England is preparing publish its quarterly assessment of the current state of the economy. It comes amid warnings that the economy is now close to stalling after a “triple whammy” of particularly weak services, construction and manufacturing figures in April. What should we expect? An £18 billion pound plan to build a new nuclear power station in Somerset has been hit this week by an admission that engineers may have falsified vital safety tests. The Hinkley Point project has already been hit by delays - and it may well face more. How did it get into this mess? And parents helping their children onto the property ladder will be involved in a quarter of all property transactions this year. But how did the "Bank of Mum and Dad" get so big? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This is the Sustainable Futures Report in another week when terrorists have attacked civilians in another European capital.  We feel for those injured and bereaved in these latest attacks, and indeed for those still coming to terms with Paris and other attacks elsewhere. In the sustainable world this week: solar-powered street lights, the hottest February, sitting in the dark for an hour, di Caprio on China, more on the idea of a basic income and more, I'm afraid, about that planned nuclear power station at Hinkley Point. Oh, and if you're decorating this weekend, what are you going to do with the paint left over?

Britain's nuclear plans are in trouble after the French company building and designing a new facility at Hinkley Point said it needed more funds to proceed. Tom Burgis discusses what's behind the delays and cost overruns with French nuclear scientist Bertrand Barré, and FT energy correspondent Kiran Stacey. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Det ser allt svårare ut att bygga ny kärnkraft i EU. Mot ny kärnkraft talar allt högre kostnader, långdragna bråk om otillåtet statsstöd och en energimarknad i snabb förändring. Klotet besöker sydvästra England där beslutet om bygget av två jättereaktorer vid Hinkley Point skjutits upp tio gånger. Om det blir av så blir det Europas största byggarbetsplats. Men franska EDF som står bakom projektet är närapå konkursmässigt och nu höjs allt fler röster, även inom företaget, för att projektet måste blåsas av. Det här oroar den brittiska regeringen som har räknat med att de nya reaktorerna ska ersätta äldre reaktorer som snart måste stängas ner. Utan kärnkraften får landet svårt att nå upp till sina klimatmål, och någon plan B verkar inte finnas. Programledare Marie-Louise Kristola  

With its agro-pastoral landscape of hedgerows, fields, and rolling hills and levels, often-sleepy Somerset may be the very picture of rural England – the quintessential ‘green and pleasant land’. To reinforce this, the area gained a variety of landscape and environmental designations over the course of the twentieth century, including Exmoor National Park and the Quantock, Mendip and Blackdown Hills Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs). At the same time the Somerset region is a twenty-first-century hub of energy production that faces further intense energy development, both renewable and non-renewable. It is the site of the Hinkley Point nuclear power stations A and B, and, potentially C, as well as new supersized transmitter pylons. It is also increasingly – often controversially – dotted with wind- and solar-power projects. To what extent are the two faces of Somerset in conflict with one another? After all, Somerset has a long, proud record of historical energy provision, if its coal mining and other industrial activities are taken into account. How is it that inconsistencies between public expectations of landscape beauty and energy security have developed? As a historian of the Universities of Bristol and Cambridge, Jill Payne has worked on the historical dichotomy between energy provision and the aesthetics of landscape and environmental protection in South West England. In this episode of the Exploring Environmental History Podcast series, Jill explores what people have come to expect in terms of energy security and how this squares with the issues involved in the desire to protect and preserve landscape and environment in ‘green and pleasant’ England. Music credits: Marcos Theme by Loveshadow and "Out in the rain" by offlinebouncer, both available from ccMixter.

Hi guys,It seems like a lifetime ago since we've posted a new episode on the site and, finally, a new show is here! This month we discuss what we believe to be the top five news stories from 2013; including Iran, hijinks at Hinkley Point, repository retractions, nuclear waste resigned to Davy Jones' locker and a review of the film "Pandora's Promise".Enjoy the show guys!!Gunth  Download Podcast The song played on the show is called 'Beautiful Surprise' by The Twin Atlas.(Beautiful Surpise (The Twin Atlas) / CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)