government

"The future is decentralised"

Posted by bex — 7 July 2006 at 8:00am - Comments

Flowers growing in a greenhouse heated through combined heat and power

Remember 1997? Imagine somebody had predicted then that, within a decade, the Conservatives would be advocating "a revolution in green energy" and New Labour would be the only mainstream party still clinging to nuclear power as a central part of their energy policy. You probably wouldn't have rushed down to Ladbroke's.

A bad month for Blair

Posted by bex — 5 July 2006 at 8:00am - Comments

Radioactive Champagne?

Radioactive champagne, near nuclear meltdowns, leaked terrorism documents and a nuclear waste train crash... In the same month that Tony Blair announced nuclear power was "back on the agenda with a vengeance", events in the real world put the lie to nuclear industry spin.

UK nuclear reactors are defective, say government inspectors

Posted by bex — 5 July 2006 at 8:00am - Comments

A huge KAPOW projected onto Torness power station

A nuclear expert has called for nuclear reactors in the UK to be "immediately shut down" after secret documents written by government inspectors reveal they contain structural defects.

The documents - which were passed to Greenpeace days before Tony Blair is expected to give the go-ahead to a new generation of nuclear power stations - show that the government's Nuclear Safety Directorate (NSD) has identified cracks in the cores of up to 14 UK reactors, rendering them at increased risk of a radiological accident.

Why the European Commission should reject the UK's plan for Phase 2 of European Emissions Trading Scheme

Last edited 29 June 2006 at 8:00am
Publication date: 
29 June, 2006

Summary

The European Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) is intended to allow the EU member states reduce their CO2 emissions in the most cost effective way and in doing so fulfil their obligations under the Kyoto Protocol. The scheme covers nearly half of Europe's CO2 emissions, and is seen as a key plank of both European and member states policy to tackle climate change.

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Alternative to government Energy Review announced

Last edited 20 June 2006 at 8:00am
20 June, 2006

Greenpeace launches public campaign on real solution to climate change

Tuesday 20th June 2006: Today Greenpeace launches a public information campaign to promote a new approach to tackling climate change and energy security that would dramatically cut energy waste in power stations, slash CO2 emissions and close the looming 'energy gap'.

Greenpeace response to draft recommendations from CoRWM

Last edited 26 May 2006 at 8:00am
Publication date: 
26 May, 2006

Summary

In May 2006, CoRWM released its draft recommendations (PDF) on the management of radioactive wastes. The committee, which was set up by the government to find a long-term management plan for nuclear waste, concluded that the best available approach is "geological disposal" - more commonly called deep dumping.

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The future for nuclear power?

Posted by bex — 19 May 2006 at 8:00am - Comments

Friday the 13th

A secret document has revealed that the new breed of nuclear reactor Blair is considering building is highly vulnerable to terrorist attack.

The Electricite de France (EDF) document looks at the vulnerability to terrorist attack of the new European Pressurised Reactors (EPR). These reactors are already under construction in France and Finland and may be built in the UK if Tony Blair has his way.

Blair backs a nuclear (and more dangerous) future

Posted by bex — 17 May 2006 at 8:00am - Comments
Three Mile Island nuclear power plant at sunrise, USA

Tony Blair has announced that nuclear power is now "back on the agenda with a vengeance".

Speaking at a CBI dinner last night, Blair made his strongest admission yet that the Energy Review is a smokescreen for a decision that has already been taken: to build a new generation of nuclear power stations.

Greenpeace reaction to Blair's 'nukes back on the agenda' announcement

Last edited 16 May 2006 at 8:00am
16 May, 2006

Reacting to news that Tony Blair is to say in a speech tonight that replacing nuclear power stations is "back on the agenda with a vengeance", Stephen Tindale, Greenpeace's Executive Director, said: "Wasting billions of pounds of taxpayers' money on a ridiculously dangerous and antiquated form of energy is certainly back on the agenda.

"Nuclear power presents a real terrorist threat, costs a stupid amount of money, doesn't help in the fight against climate change and certainly won't plug the energy gap. To put this hazard back on the agenda is recklessly incompetent."

Greenpeace's recommendations to the 2006 Energy Review

Posted by bex — 28 April 2006 at 8:00am - Comments

Drax power station

Greenpeace has called on the UK government to recognise that our existing energy system is outdated, fragmented and inherently wasteful - and to start a wholesale regulatory and market reform to make decentralised energy the mainstay of the UK's energy system.

Follow Greenpeace UK