Sellafield faces prosecution for dumping radioactive waste

Group claim computer error resulted was cause

Nuclear energy company Sellafield has pleaded guilty to charges of dumping radioactive waste in a landfill.

In April 2010, the group disposed of four bags containing contaminated materials including tissues and clothing in the Lillyhall landfill site in Workington, Cumbria, when they should have been sent to the low level waste repository at Drigg. Sellafield Ltd claim this error occurred due to a computer fault, which accidently labelled the bags as general waste. All four bags were retrieved as soon as the error was discovered and disposed of correctly, and no contamination was discovered in the landfill afterwards.

Sellafield Ltd blames the error on a new computer monitor

(Image source - The Guardian)

Ian Parker, nuclear regulation manager for the Environment Agency, said, ‘Our overriding aim in regulating the nuclear industry is to protect people and the environment from the release of radioactive wastes into the environment. We have carried out a thorough investigation in partnership with the Office for Nuclear Regulation and have already required Sellafield Ltd to take action to ensure this does not happen again’.

Sellafield will discover its fate on 8th March, when sentencing will take place at Carlisle Crown Court.

Britain exporting gas cheaper than it is importing it

Ofgem warns of UK energy security being 'undermined'

There are fears that household bills may continue to be inflated because of the fact that Britain is exporting gas that is fetching lower prices abroad and is importing gas from Qatar that is more expensive.

An analysis by the Guardian, conducted jointly with Greenpeace, revealed these figures, which Ofgem, the energy watchdog, believe may be undermining UK energy security because of this distortion in the market. The analysis examined the gas interconnector between the UK and Belgium; a major part of the country’s gas infrastructure, as it has the capacity to carry a fifth of the UK’s gas in winter. However, the report discovered that on over 40% of the days between December 2011 and October 2012, the gas was being exported to the continent despite the wholesale gas price in the UK being higher. Over this period, it is estimated that Britain exported over 15 times more gas than it imported.

Prices may continued to rise if market distortion isn't resolved, warn Ofgem

(Image source - www.offshoreenergytoday.com)

Analysis on monthly government data from Revenue and Customs showed that the UK was importing large amounts of Qatari gas, despite it costing up to 5% more than gas exported to the continent. Ofgem said ‘It is vital that gas on these links flows in line with market signals, to ensure security of supply for customers. However, initial analysis suggests the links are not always being used efficiently. On behalf of consumers, we are looking at all the evidence to establish the facts’. 

This news is the latest in a series of recent reports looking into the ‘dark and murky world’ (as described by Leila Dean of Greenpeace), of the UK’s gas market. In November, there were suggestions that, following the price hikes by the major energy companies, that gas prices were purposely being manipulated.

Nuclear industry in crisis?

Court action follows critical Commons report on plant 

A Commons committee has released a report criticising the management of Sellafield nuclear plant in Cumbria, just days before court action is due to start against the plant for illegal dumping of waste, in a week that could be devastating the reputation of the nuclear industry.

The report claims that Nuclear Management Partners (NMP), the private consortium that manages Sellafield, has failed in its task to reduce the rising costs and delays in dealing with waste and decommissioning facilities. The report points out that, out of the 14 major projects at Sellafield, 12 were behind schedule, five were over-budget and only two were actually running properly, despite the NMP being given £54m to cover fees.

The plant in Cumbria is facing claims of poor management and illegal dumping of waste

(Image source - www.visitcumbria.com)

Margret Hodge MP, chair of the committee, said ‘Taxpayers are not getting a good deal from the arrangement with Nuclear Management Partners. Furthermore, now that Cumbria county council has ruled out West Cumbria as the site of the proposed geological disposal facility, a solution to the problem of long-term storage of the waste is as far away as ever’.

The report, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority: Managing Risk at Sellafield, points out that about £1.6bn is being spent annually at the site, where a variety of hazardous materials, including 82 tonnes of plutonium, are kept. The total lifetime cost of dealing with this has continued to rise each year and has now reached £67.5bn.

The management at Sellafield will face further criticism when it appears in court this week facing nine charges relating to claims that four bags containing radioactive material were dumped in a landfill at Lillyhall without permission.

Carbon emissions fall in US

Lowest level since 1994

Carbon dioxide emissions in America fell to their lowest level since 1994 last year.

A report compiled by Bloomberg New Energy Finance for the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) shows that emissions fell by 13% over the past five years as a result of investment in new energy-saving technologies and renewable energy.

Despite the widely-held view that Obama is failing in climate change policy, emissions in the US have fallen

(Image source - www.scientificamerican.com)

This fall brings the country more than halfway towards its target of cutting emissions by 17% of 2005 levels over the next decade, despite the fact that many claim that Congress and President Obama have failed to act efficiently on the issue of climate change. Obama can now use these figures to show that America is going in the right direction in terms of dealing with climate change and may improve the country’s standing in global climate negotiations. 

Ethan Zindler, a BCSE analyst said, ‘There have certainly been some solid results on the board in the US as a result of all these changes’. This view is also held by the president of the BCSE, Lisa Jacobsen, who believes the Bloomberg findings prove wrong the Conservative argument that acting on climate change would damage the economy, as GDP continued to rise even as emissions went down.

The report highlighted that the steadily expanding installation of wind, solar, hydro and geothermal energy projects represented the largest single source of new growth last year, reaching $44bn in 2012. The reduction of carbon emissions in America was also helped by 488,000 citizens who opted for a hybrid/plug-in vehicle last year.

Iran threatens to sue BP for oil pollution

Minister claims oil dumped in Caspian Sea

Iran has threatened to sue oil company BP after claims that their Azeri oil platforms are polluting the Caspian Sea.

Iranian media reports that the country’s deputy environment minister, Abdolreza Karbasi, is considering taking BP to court because of oil that has been washed up on Iranian beaches over the past year. ‘Last year, southern coasts of the Caspian Sea were covered with oily patches, and in the last such case, four months ago, 25 tonnes were cleared from Iranian coasts’ said Karbasi, according to Mehr News. It has yet to be revealed what court Iran would attempt to sue BP in. In an email statement, BP claimed they are committed to reporting any oil leaks in Caspian Sea but haven't had to report anything for several years.

BP claims there have been no oil leaks, but Iranian officials say otherwise

(Image source - The Guardian)

This news follows reports on Iran’s Press TV that neighbouring Tehran may sue Azerbaijan, where most of the oil platforms are based. Recently, it has also been announced that Shell Nigeria has been ordered by a Dutch court to pay compensation to a farmer who complained about pollution in the country. The company did however manage to avoid similar charges over complaints made by four other farmers.

'Green Deal' won't work, experts warn

Flagship scheme ‘not guaranteed’ to save consumers money

The government’s ‘Green Deal’ home insulation project that launched today has faced criticism from experts who believe the scheme won’t achieve its goal of getting people out of fuel poverty.

Despite reassurance from government officials that the savings that will come with lower energy usage will outweigh the cost of the ‘green’ loans needed to install the energy-saving features, many experts believe that factors such as the interest rate of the loans (set at just under 7%), along with the cost of initial assessments of the property, set-up fees and operating charges, will put people off investing in the scheme. There are also worries that potential clients will be put off by the fact that the loan repayments are left with the house, meaning that someone moving into a property that has had energy-saving work done to it will have to take over the loan repayments.

The government's energy-saving scheme has been heavily criticised by experts

(Image source - www.bbacerts.co.uk)

Alan Milstein, chairman of the Residential Property Surveyors Association, said ‘For many consumers, taking on a green deal loan may not be the most cost-effective mechanism to fund any green improvements to their property. With early repayment penalties and the uncertainty surrounding how having a green deal loan attached to your property will impact on its future saleability, for many homeowners it may be advisable to look at alternative ways to fund energy efficiency measures’.

This news has put a dampener on the launch of the ‘Green Deal’, although according to a poll published last week, over 80% of people had never heard of the scheme.

What will Obama do about Keystone?

With majority of Senate backing pipeline plans, President faces tough decision

President Barack Obama is facing pressure to go back on his climate change promise as a bipartisan majority in the Senate has called for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline to go ahead.

A letter from 53 senators, a group made up of both Democrats and Republicans, claimed there was no reason to deny approval of the project as it has undergone in-depth environmental review despite protests from campaigners who believe the pipeline, which will pump crude oil from Alberta Tar Sands in Canada to oil refineries in Texas, will lead to higher carbon emissions. 

Whatever Obama decides on the project, the decision will upset a lot of people

(Image source - ABC News)

Keystone leaves Obama in a very difficult position, having pledged to tackle climate change during his second term as President. Denying the project will anger many politicians, who see Keystone as way of providing more energy and creating jobs, but approving it will be seen by environmental campaigners as going back on his word. However, Henry Waxman, a congressman who has set up a taskforce on climate change with senator Sheldon Whitehouse and is against the pipeline, denies that the issue will be ‘make-or-break’ for Obama, saying ‘This is only a small issue compared to the overall objective that the president and we want to achieve," Waxman said. "What would you like me to do? Should I say to the president, 'If you don't agree with me on Keystone, I'm not going to work with you on solving the climate change issue'? That would be a little bit childish and counterproductive’.

Waxman’s views that Keystone is a small issue are held by many others, including the Washington Post, who in an editorial called on the President to ‘ignore the activists who have bizarrely made Keystone XL a line-in-the-sand issue, when there are dozens more of far greater environmental impact’.