Article archive for EDF Energy plc
ONR says Belgian nuclear plant defects will not impact UK reactors (12 June 2013)
Inspectors from the Office for Nuclear Regulation have completed their assessment of a review at both Sizewell B and proposed new power station Hinkley Point C after defects were found at similar plants in Belgium. Inspections in 2012 at the Doel 3 and Tihange 2 nuclear plants revealed defects in the reactor pressure vessels, which have some safety significance.
read more...
UK Horizon nuclear project moves forward (28 May 2013)
Horizon Nuclear Power has signed a major contract with its reactor technology provider and primary contractor, Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, to build new nuclear reactors in the UK. The contract sets the framework for design work to be undertaken for a new build at Wylfa in North Wales, close to the site of the existing nuclear power station.
read more...
Centrica gives reasons for UK nuclear exit at AGM (14 May 2013)
On May 13, Centrica, which owns British Gas, gave details at its Annual General Meeting why last February it abandoned its 20% stake in EDF’s plan to build a £14bn nuclear power station at Hinkley Point in Somerset. Chairman Sir Roger Carr told the AGM that since it first considered the project the price had “rocketed hugely”, adding: “Nuclear is not a cheap option.”
read more...
UK nuclear new-build: no realistic alternative (24 April 2013)
EDF Energy announced on April 23 that “as part of good project management, and to control costs”, it had taken steps to refocus activities at its proposed Hinkley Point C nuclear plant, which would mean a reduction in the number of people working on the project. EDF wants to build two new plants at Hinkley and Sizewell in Suffolk for about £14 billion, but needs assurances that it can recoup its investment with a government guarantee to support energy prices, the so-called ‘strike-price’.
read more...
Fire reported at Hartlepool nuclear power station (22 April 2013)
An oil leak may have sparked a small blaze at Hartlepool Power Station, site director Simon Parsons said on April 21. He said public and staff at the plant were never at risk and that no-one was injured. The fire broke out while a turbine was being reactivated and caused smoke to billow from the plant.
read more...
GSE Systems’ 21st Century simulation technology gets medieval on training (05 April 2013)
GSE Systems will supply Activ3Di visualization technology for maintenance training, GPWR generic nuclear simulators, VPanel glass-top simulators and other cutting-edge simulation technologies for training energy industry workers to EDF Energy for its flagship training facility being built in a 900-year-old medieval monastery in southwest England
read more...
UK Government gives planning consent for Hinkley Point C (19 March 2013)
Energy Secretary Ed Davey told MPs in the House of Commons on March 19 that he had granted planning consent for French energy giant EDF to build a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point in Somerset. The proposed £14bn power plant would be capable of powering five million homes and at the peak of construction should employ 5,600 workers.
read more...
Senior MP says nuclear talks between UK Government and EDF could collapse (04 March 2013)
The Government risks future energy shortages and possible blackouts, according to the House of Commons Energy and Climate Change Committee. The cross-party panel of MPs says that as all but one of the country’s existing nuclear power stations will have to close within 10 years, the country needs a ‘Plan B’ in case new reactors are not built on time.
read more...
Newspaper claims UK Government could offer 40-year subsidies for nuclear new-build (19 February 2013)
On February 18, the Guardian said the UK Government was prepared to provide extra inducements to companies prepared to build new nuclear plants in the UK in a “last-ditch attempt” to save the programme, including extending the subsidy period from 20 to 40 years.
read more...
Centrica pulls out of UK nuclear new-build partnership with EDF (04 February 2013)
On February 4 Centrica said it had withdrawn from a planned joint project with EDF Energy to build four new nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point in Somerset and Sizewell in Suffolk. The British Gas owner blamed spiralling costs and delays. The group had an option to take a 20% stake in the new-build nuclear reactors.
read more...
EDF Energy signs £3bn deal with Network Rail to supply nuclear-generated electricity (15 January 2013)
Some 75% of Britain's trains will be indirectly running on nuclear power for the next 10 years following Network Rail's agreement to a £3bn deal with the UK subsidiary of French state-owned utility EDF to supply electricity to the railways.
read more...
EDF Energy to extend operating life of two UK nuclear power stations (04 December 2012)
Hinkley Point B in Somerset and Hunterston B in Ayrshire will now remain open until at least 2023 following an announcement by EDF Energy that it has approved a seven year life extension programme for both plants. The two began generating electricity in 1975 and were facing the end of their official operating life in 2016.
read more...
EDF raises cost estimate for Flamanville nuclear power station to €8 billion (04 December 2012)
French state-controlled power giant Electricite de France said on December 3 that the nuclear power station being built at Flamanville in Normandy will cost €8 bn ($10.5 bn), €2 bn more than previously estimated. EDF said the latest cost estimate had been caused by construction delays.
read more...
Hinkley Point C: The renaissance of the UK nuclear industry (29 November 2012)
The Government has made it clear that large-scale investment is urgently needed in the UK’s energy infrastructure to meet the challenges of replacing ageing plant, moving towards low carbon sources of power and improving the security of our energy supplies. New nuclear power has been identified as an important part of this investment, and the most advanced nuclear project to date in the UK is EDF Energy’s proposed new build at Hinkley Point C in Somerset.
read more...
HazardEx interview: Nigel Cann, Construction Director at Hinkley Point C (28 November 2012)
Nigel Cann, the Construction Director at Hinkley Point C, has worked at the site all his professional life. Starting out as an apprentice 30 years ago, he rose through the ranks to become director of the Hinkley B station before being appointed to his present job.
read more...
ONR grants nuclear site licence for new UK power station (26 November 2012)
The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) on November 26 announced it had granted the first new site licence for a UK nuclear power station in 25 years. The licence has been granted to NNB Generation Company (NNB GenCo), which wants to build a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point in Somerset.
read more...
EDF Energy starts public consultation for new UK nuclear power station at Sizewell (24 September 2012)
The UK subsidiary of French energy group EDF confirmed on September 21 that the formal public consultation for the construction of a new nuclear power station at Sizewell in Suffolk would start by the end of November. Following initial meetings, EDF Energy sent a draft consultation statement to Suffolk local authorities to invite feedback on the Sizewell C project.
read more...
EDF forecasts further delays and increased costs at new French nuclear plant (12 September 2012)
Electricité de France (EDF) said in July that the new nuclear power station being built at the Flamanville site on the Normandy coast is now expected to open in 2016 and cost €6bn ($7.34bn), instead of the original starting date of 2012 and cost of €3.3bn.
read more...
We need nuclear, but not at any price (13 July 2012)
The UK government's Energy Bill foresees a future of new gas-fired and nuclear plants, as well as wind, solar and wave power. This will require investment of £110 billion to make up for the 25% of generating capacity that will close over the next few years. The UK’s energy-intensive industries are already paying up to 24% more than their competitors in countries such as France and Germany, and this is set to rise even higher as the measures in the Bill are introduced.
read more...
French nuclear power plant explosion heightens safety fears (05 July 2011)
An explosion sparked a fire at a French nuclear power station recently - on Saturday 2nd July, just two days after the authorities found 32 safety concerns at the plant. The blaze at the Tricastin plant in Drôme in the Rhône valley sent a thick cloud of black smoke into the sky. A mistral wind sent it south over a nearby motorway on one of the busiest travel days of the year as the French left for their summer holidays.
read more...
Reviving Italy’s nuclear power industry (14 August 2009)
The revival of Italy's nuclear power industry after a gap of more than 20 years has moved a big step forward. Enel, Italy’s chief power utility, and Electricité de France (EDF) have launched a joint venture, valued as much as $16 billion, to study building nuclear plants in the country.
read more...
Operations at nuclear power plant suspended (10 July 2009)
On the 29th June, a safety incident at Dungeness B nuclear power station, forced the suspension of operations in a section of a plant. EDF Energy, which own the nuclear power station in Kent, said that no radiation was released and members of the public were not in danger.
read more...