GENERAL NEWS REPORTS

GENERAL NEWS & MEDIA REPORTS

02 Feb 12: Ministers 'misled MPs over need for nuclear power stations': Ministers misled parliament over the need to build a new fleet of nuclear power stations, distorting evidence and presenting to MPs a false summary of the analysis they had commissioned.More >>>

20 Jan 12: UK 'subsidising nuclear power unlawfully': Green energy campaigners are attempting to block new nuclear power stations in the UK by complaining to the European Commission that government plans contravene EU competition regulations. More >>>

19 Jan 12: Anti-nuclear campaigners plan legal challenge to new British power stations: A group of politicians and environmentalists are trying to block the building of new nuclear power stations in Britain by submitting a formal complaint to the European commission. More >>>

07 Dec 11: Hinkley Point nuclear protesters take fight to Prime Minister David Cameron: Campaigners yesterday stepped up their battle against a new nuclear power station in Somerset by handing a major petition to 10 Downing Street . More >>>

05 Dec 11: UK government shared intelligence with nuclear industry, documents show: The British government has been quietly exchanging intelligence on key policies with multinational companies in an effort to protect and promote their plans for new nuclear power stations, according to internal documents seen by the Guardian. More >>>

25 Nov 11: Nuclear power 'gets little public support worldwide': In countries with nuclear programmes, people are significantly more opposed than they were in 2005, with only the UK and US bucking the trend. More >>>

10 Nov 11: EDF fined €1.5m for spying on Greenpeace: EDFs head of nuclear production security in 2006, Pascal Durieux, was given a three-year sentence with two years suspended, and a €10,000 fine for commissioning the spying. More >>>

03 Oct 11: Activists hail nuclear plant protest: Protesters who blockaded a nuclear power station today have said their actions were a "phenomenal success" in shedding light on opposition to new nuclear reactors. More >>>

03 Oct 11: Protesters blockade nuclear power station: Members of several anti-nuclear groups who are part of the Stop New Nuclear alliance say they are barring access to Hinkley Point power station in Somerset in protest against EDF Energy's plans to renew the site with two new reactors. More >>>

02 Oct 11: Hinkley power station proposals 'poses a threat to one million people in South Wales': WELSH campaigners protested in Somerset yesterday against EDF Energy's plans to build two new nuclear reactors - arguing they pose a threat to more than one million people in South Wales. More >>>

19 Sep 11: Siemens to quit nuclear industry: German industrial and engineering conglomerate Siemens is to withdraw entirely from the nuclear industry. More >>>

09 Sep 11: Stop New Nuclear group plans protests against Hinkley expansion: Campaigners opposed to the UK government's nuclear expansion programme are planning a series of events at Hinkley power station near Burnham-on-Sea. From September 11th the Stop New Nuclear group will be holding a series of events to highlight what they claim are the dangers of nuclear power - and to demand safer alternatives. More >>>

09 Sep 11: Fukushima disaster: it's not over yet: Six months after the multiple meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, the streets have been cleared but the psychological damage remains. More >>>

03 Aug 11: Sellafield Mox nuclear fuel plant to close: The mixed-oxide fuel plant will be shut as a consequence of the Fukushima incident, with the loss of about 600 jobs. More >>>

01 Jun 11: Nuclear Phaseout Could Spell Disaster for German Energy Giants: Germany's four biggest utility companies face an uncertain future. Profits could tumble this year by as much as 30 percent and the companies are also becoming increasingly vulnerable to takeovers. More >>>

27 May 11: Greenpeace accuses Tepco of nuke 'deceit': Japanese nuclear reactor operator Tepco mishandled the Fukushima nuclear crisis and tried to cover up the extent of the accident, Greenpeace Germany claims. More >>>

27 Apr 11: Chernobyl disaster marked in Bridgwater: CAMPAIGNERS walked through Bridgwater last night to mark the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. More >>>

26 Apr 11: BBC Radio 4 - Fallout: The Legacy of Chernobyl Events in Japan have reignited controversy around the safety of nuclear energy, reviving memories of the world's worst nuclear accident, at Chernobyl. But just how bad was the worst? What were the real health consequences of Chernobyl? Listen to the programme here.

04 Apr 11: A Survey of the World's Radioactive No-Go Zones: The world is full of nuclear disaster zones -- showing just how dangerous the technology really is. More >>>

30 Mar 11: Japan Maximum Nuclear Alert: In Japan, radiation levels in the seawater near the Fukushima plant continue to rise. They're now more than 3.5 thousand times higher than normal. Radioactive material has also been detected in soil at the facility. More >>>

26 Mar 11: Hundreds of thousands protest against nuclear energy across Germany: Over 200,000 protesters took to the streets in Cologne, Berlin, Munich and Hamburg to pressure the government into abandoning nuclear energy generation. The protests add to the pressure on Chancellor Angela Merkel. More >>>

02 Feb 11: Chernobyl nuclear plant shelter faces cash woes: Nearly 25 years after the world's worst nuclear disaster, it has emerged that only half the money needed to safely secure the wreckage of the Chernobyl power plant has been raised. More >>>

20 Nov 10: How to make people 'love' nuclear power: A poll on whether a new nuclear power station should be built at Hinkley Point provides a masterclass in manipulation. More >>>

04 Nov 10: Campaigner steps down due to illness: One of the West's most outspoken opponents of nuclear power has stepped down from his role as co-ordinator of high-profile campaign group Stop Hinkley. For more than a decade, Jim Duffy has been a thorn in the side of EDF Energy, who own Hinkley Point. More >>

02 Jun 10: Areva Faces EU Antitrust Probe Over Siemens Nuclear Venture: Areva SA, the world's biggest reactor builder, faces a European Union antitrust probe into contractual clauses concluded with Siemens AG in a nuclear-reactor joint venture. More >>>

02 Jun 10: EU Probes Siemens, Areva Nuclear JV Clause: The European Commission launched a probe to investigate whether a deal by German industrial conglomerate Siemens AG and France's Areva SA on the conditions for ending a nuclear power joint venture violates competition rules. The commission "has opened proceedings to assess whether non-compete clauses... in the field of civil nuclear technology may be in violation of EU antitrust rules." More >>>

28 Jan 10: Parliament protester is arrested: A Stop Hinkley campaigner was arrested in Parliament after disrupting a committee by launching a protest in the middle of the session. More >>>

15 Dec 09: West reactor protest taken to Copenhagen: A west anti-nuclear campaigner has delivered a petition against reactor plans to the Climate Change confere3nce in Copenhagen . At the same time, the Environment Agency is stressing the important role the public has to play in assessing designs for the regions two proposed new nuclear stations. More >>>

11 Dec 09: EDF sets out the begging bowl: Groaning beneath the weight of its €36 billion debt pile, EDF has stumbled on a new wheeze to help to fund the next generation of UK nuclear power stations: the Christmas collection tin.
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28 Nov 09: North Somerset residents turn out in force to tell power chiefs their pylon fears: Hundreds of people packed a public meeting to grill National Grid bosses about plans to erect a new 400,000 volt power line through the North Somerset countryside. Around 700 people attended last night's meeting at the Scotch Horn Leisure Centre in Nailsea, organised by the Save Our Valley campaign group, with dozens having to be turned away at the door.
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08 Nov 09: Britain's nuclear strategy threatens destruction of Kalahari: Namibian environmentalists warn expansion of uranium mining could devastate spectacular natural landscape More >>>

22 Sep 09: EDF in debt: EDF, the heavily indebted French power group, is close to agreeing a big asset swap with E.ON, its German rival, but it played down reports yesterday that it was also considering the sale of a 20 per cent stake in British Energy, the UK 's nuclear generator. The company, which is leading the drive to build the next generation of nuclear reactors in Britain, has begun a sweeping review of its businesses as it aims to cut its 37 billion (£33.5 billion) debt pile. [Times 22nd Sept 2009]

10 Sep 09: Ex-soldier died of cancer caused by Gulf War uranium: The death of an ex-soldier from cancer was caused by his exposure to depleted uranium during the 1991 Gulf War, an inquest jury ruled. The panel found it was more likely than not that his death in June last year was ''caused or contributed to'' by the radioactive material which is used in military munitions. More >>>

27 Aug 09: French prosecutor drops charges for publishing of classified document: The public prosecutor in Paris has decided not to press charges against a prominent French anti-nuclear activist who had been under investigation since 2006 for breach of national security in connection with publication of a classified document acknowledging weaknesses in the EPR reactor design's ability to withstand the crash of a commercial jetliner. More >>>

09 Jul 09: Eden Project support for EDF under sustained attack: Cornwall 's Eden Project is under sustained fire for supporting the French energy giant EDF Energy. EDF is promoting something called Team Green Britain Day, an annual event to promote a more sustainable lifestyle. The project is being promoted in association with the Eden Project to the surprise of environmentalists. More >>>

01 Jul 09: UK regulator raises French nuclear concerns: French plans to lead a nuclear power renaissance in Britain have been dealt a major blow after regulators warned of serious reservations about the safety of the reactor technology earmarked for use. The Nuclear Installations Inspectorate has written to EDF and Areva, the French companies that want to build four reactors in the UK, to express their concerns about the technology. More >>>

25 Jun 09: Complaint over nuclear training site: A Somerset district has been reported to the Audit Commission by environmental campaigners for donating a site to train nuclear engineers. More >>>

16 Jun 09: Stop Hinkley anger at nuclear academy gifts: An anti-nuclear campaign group has complained to the public spending watchdog about deals involved in the creation of a nuclear training academy at a Westcountry college. More >>>

05 Jun 09: 'They are making a gift of land owned by the public to nuclear industry': Row over council plan to build energy skills centre to train nuclear workers. More >>>

29 May 09: Council defends land handover: SEDGEMOOR District Council has defended its decision to donate a chunk of public land by Bridgwater College for a new nuclear training centre. During a private part of a council meeting, councillors agreed to give the college the land so it can press ahead with its new energy skills centre. Anti-nuclear group Stop Hinkley claimed the land was worth around £100,000 and hit out at the decision to pass it on. More >>>

29 Apr 09: German giants win bid to build nuclear reactors: Britain's push to build a new generation of nuclear power stations took another step forward today after E.ON and RWE, two of Europe's largest utilities, won an auction for two sites earmarked for the construction of new reactors. E.ON and RWE succesfully outbid rival companies in an auction for the two pieces of land at Oldbury in Gloucestershire and Wylfa on Anglesey. More >>>

20 Jan 09: Anger over nuclear money appeal: A request from a council for cash from nuclear firms bidding to build a new power station in Hinkley, Somerset has angered protesters. Campaigners claimed the move shows a "conflict of interest". Sedgemoor District Council has written to EDF and British Energy asking for £750,000 to help pay for the planning work to consider the application. More >>>

11 Jan 09: Andrew courts nuclear meltdown at the Palace: What is Prince Andrew's new year's resolution? Not, it seems, to be any less controversial than he was in 2008. The Observer has learnt of a plan to hold a gala lunch on 5 February at Buckingham Palace for heavy hitters in the nuclear industry, which is, according to critics, a startlingly fraught arena for a member of the royal family to enter. More >>>

04 Jan 09: Officials plotted Sellafield cover-up: Top civil servants and nuclear administrators colluded to prevent MPs from challenging a massive sweetener to a private business taking over the running of Sellafield. More >>>

09 Nov 08: Mini nuclear plants to power 20,000 homes: Shed-size reactors will be delivered by lorry. Nuclear power plants smaller than a garden shed and able to power 20,000 homes will be on sale within five years, say scientists at Los Alamos, the US government laboratory which developed the first atomic bomb. More >>>

15 Aug 08: PROTESTERS' FEARS OVER SURVEILLANCE: Nuclear power protest group Stop Hinkley says it is not a 'terrorist' organisation and should be allowed to protest in peace. Campaigners fear that an increase in the number of armed 'nuclear police' will restrict their protests against developments at the Hinkley Point power station. More >>>

11 Aug 08: Anti-terror patrols secretly stepped up at power stations: Massive expansion of the Civil Nuclear Constabulary is being secretly planned to protect Britain 's most vulnerable terrorist targets. The Mail on Sunday has learned that it will be transformed into the Critical National Infrastructure Police and mount armed patrols around all key installations nationwide, including power stations, phone and computer networks, oil and gas pipelines, ports and airports. More >>>

24 Jul 08: British Energy close to sale deal: French energy firm EDF and British Gas owner Centrica are set to announce that they have bought UK nuclear firm British Energy, the BBC has learned. EDF and Centrica will probably announce they are paying more than £12bn for the company. British Energy, which owns eight UK nuclear power stations, has been on the auction block for months. More >>>

20 May 08: IN DENIAL ON DANGERS OF RADIATION: In the light of the Government's new proposals to sanction more nuclear power stations and a newer, more deadly generation of "Trident" submarines, one can see that admitting the truth about radioactivity would cause such public outrage that both these proposals would be voted out of court. More>>>

Mar 08: Letter to the Cumbrian Business Gazette: In our democratic society public relations is the preferred weapon of persuasion. The nuclear industry has spent billions of taxpayers' money on the double whammy of 'persuasion' through PR and 'bribery' through the NDA. More>>>>>

21 Dec 06: More outages at British Energy's nuclear plants. Just as the market was beginning to think that British Energy was finally turning the corner, the company has come out and dashed everyone's hopes again after admitting yesterday that it faced a "worst case scenario" at two of its ageing nuclear power stations that will wipe £100m from its profits.

05 Dec 06: Heading for a nuclear blackout? (BBC File on 4) The shut down of six nuclear reactors has dealt a massive blow to British Energy. Twenty-four percent was knocked off the company's shares when it emerged earlier this year cracks had been found in the pipes at Hinkley Point power station in Somerset.

17 Jul 06: G-8 leaders back nuclear power In an otherwise upbeat joint statement -- which delegates privately suggested was out of synch with reality -- the leaders acknowledged differences over the question of nuclear power.