Hinkley Point

[malumbu]

I was quite excited to hear that the East Dulwich Forum is going to manage a new nuclear power station in Somerset.

I was involved in the previous attempt - a public inquiry granted permission for a British built power station based on an American design, where replication and reliability was going to bring down costs. This was going to be the second of the first series of four, starting at Sizewell under the then PM (RH Margaret Thatcher's) commitment to the nuclear industry and state electricity generation. Economy of scale didn't happen.

She subsequently got hijacked by the 'let's burn all of our indigenous gas supply' instead as the easier option for closing down the coal mines.

I see that East Dulwich has teamed with the Chinese on this though. It seems to be that you are bending over backwards with our current and recent governments to accommodate the interests of this rogue state. I'd be a little careful if I was you. Would you let your wife or servants do this?

[There is a serious thread here by the way - (a) the failure to have an energy policy for the last 30 years (b) the dangers of leaving supply to the market © the loss of a generation of nuclear engineers and the capability to do this stuff ourself (d) impact on carbon emissions and climate change (e) getting into bed with a dangerous partner (f) the irony that the French state is engaged in a privatised sector - as of course they and the Germans do in UK transport too (f) failure of five prime ministers of both persuasions (g) coal and coal mining is pretty horrible stuff but the decline and some sort of future could have been properly managed]

Let digression commence..........

[malumbu]

Nobody interested in this. 12 of you advised on routes to the A1 (including me) but UK energy policy and becoming dependent on some questionable regimes (obviously the French) has no hits.

[JohnL]

(e) getting into bed with a dangerous partner

Well Dave and George seemed to like the idea of this but Theresa doesn't.

[Saffron]

It's such a big issue, I feel stumped where to begin. Maybe you could break it down Socratic style with some specific questions to get the ball rolling for us? xx

[Saffron]

This nutahells it fairly well regarding current events, but the issues surround development of nuclear fission vs alt energy are a whole other kettle of fish.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/jul/29/from-feast-to-farce-how-the-big-hinkley-point-c-party-and-project-got-put-on-ice

[uncleglen]

The waste is the most important issue with nuclear power- ship it off to china perhaps just to add to their pollution problems

http://www.cfr.org/china/chinas-environmental-crisis/p12608

[steveo]

Can't we use anti matter?

[TheCat]

If we all stop posting on the Forum, UK energy usage would decline by over 27%...

[Saffron]

also... http://www.ialtenergy.com/star-scientific.html