British nuclear plans in chaos as French firm backs out

[Kieran]

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/b ... 440018.ece
British nuclear plans in chaos as French firm EDF backs out - Times Online

[Mean Mr Mustard]

I'll be asking Chris Vernon at the meet how long the lights stay on now, and getting some practical tips from South African friends. There was a scary horizontal bar graph / gantt chart (think it was over at the Oildrum) which showed the decomissioning timeline... As I mentioned to my MP, only talk (of power stations) is cheap.

Not good.

[SunnyJim]

Surely, gulp, we won't, you know, erm, have to build them ourselves?

This is good in my opinion. EDF will be gone before our nukes would need decommissioning. They don't have anywhere near enough set aside to decommission their own fleet. Anything they did set aside would be used for French sites before UK sites.

We've got heaps of Nuclear scientists hanging around. If we're really going to do this (and crap on the next generation big style) then we could at least retain control and do it properly ourselves.

[Mean Mr Mustard]

We've got heaps of Nuclear scientists hanging around.

You'll find them in Iran and North Korea.

[SunnyJim]

Yeah probably. No work here is there?

[biffvernon]

Excellent news.
We know the whole nuclear expansion plan was a daft waste of time and money but now we can blame the French. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.
Better phone the Germans and order some more wind turbines.

In the Radio 4 Today programme Robert Preston report the phrase 'the lights going out' was repeated three times.

[Vortex]

"You can be assurred we are still interested in investing in the British nuclear industry," he said. "EDF's interest in the industry in the UK pre-dates discussions with British Energy. We have other options but are still interested in discussion with BE."

They STILL want to invest in the British nuclear sector ... they just don't want to take over our old tat.

If they offered to set up say 10 flat-pack nuclear reactors on a new patch of UK land, do you think the government would say no ... especially if EDF wait until our lights are about to go out?

[skeptik]

There was a scary horizontal bar graph / gantt chart (think it was over at the Oildrum) which showed the decomissioning timeline...

Probably now means that we're going to run them till they collapse in a heap of radioactive stress fractures.

[biffvernon]

If they offered to set up say 10 flat-pack nuclear reactors on a new patch of UK land, do you think the government would say no?

You think the government could find the right sized allen key?

[IanG]

"You can be assurred we are still interested in investing in the British nuclear industry," he said. "EDF's interest in the industry in the UK pre-dates discussions with British Energy. We have other options but are still interested in discussion with BE."

They STILL want to invest in the British nuclear sector ... they just don't want to take over our old tat.

If they offered to set up say 10 flat-pack nuclear reactors on a new patch of UK land, do you think the government would say no ... especially if EDF wait until our lights are about to go out?

they also bought the land next to existing nuclear power stations

[skeptik]

Excellent news.

Better phone the Germans and order some more wind turbines.

Don't forget to ask the Spanish for a quote... There's more to Spain these days than sun, sea, sand, sangria and bull fighting... up with the best in wind power.

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea ... y?id=44314

[clv101]

"You can be assurred we are still interested in investing in the British nuclear industry," he said. "EDF's interest in the industry in the UK pre-dates discussions with British Energy. We have other options but are still interested in discussion with BE."

They STILL want to invest in the British nuclear sector ... they just don't want to take over our old tat.

This is a good point. Buying British Energy should have little impact on whether or not they build the four new EPR power stations. I never understood why anyone would consider buying BE at all - what do they have that's worth $12bn? Nothing I can see.

[Adam1]

I never understood why anyone would consider buying BE at all - what do they have that's worth $12bn? Nothing I can see.

Yeah. I was wondering why anyone would want to take on the mess that is BE: all those decaying, bespoke plants built without proper construction/design documentation. I wouldn't touch it with a lead-lined barge pole.

Given that we already have a 2GW high voltage DC link between the UK and France, which could be added to (in terms of capacity), why don't we just buy more nuclear electricity from France. It would be available much faster than any new build here in the UK and meanwhile both the UK and France could get on and build lots of renewables. The arrangement would buy us a little more badly needed time.

[clv101]

What EDF want are a few hundred acres upon which to build new plant. There is no reason for them to acquire our legacy infrastructure in order to build next to it. The UK government want the new plant built more than they want money for the land adjacent existing plant. I expect EDF will gain access to the land within the next 18 months without handing over anything like £12bn and not taking on future British Energy liabilities. The tax payer will be left with them.

[skeptik]

I expect EDF will gain access to the land within the next 18 months without handing over anything like £12bn and not taking on future British Energy liabilities. The tax payer will be left with them.

Sounds reasonable to me.

If as a car salesman a customer came to me with a clapped out unsaleable banger and wanted a trade in on a new car, I'd have to tell him no.