[Nucléaire] Les Britanniques retournent vers le nucléaire !

[Tiennel]

Grande-Bretagne: Blair penche en faveur du nucléaire

LONDRES (AFP) - Le Premier ministre Tony Blair a laissé entendre mardi qu'il pourrait donner l'an prochain le feu vert au renouvellement des centrales nucléaires britanniques, une décision qui suscite déjà de solides protestations jusqu'au sein de son parti travailliste.

Alors que depuis plusieurs semaines la presse britannique s'interrogeait sur ses intentions, M. Blair a déclaré mardi que le gouvernement était prêt à prendre "des décisions difficiles et controversées (...) dans l'intérêt à long terme du pays" en matière d'approvisionnement énergétique.

Et alors qu'il y a deux ans son gouvernement avait jugé "peu attirante" l'option de construire de nouvelles centrales, M. Blair a fait valoir mardi que que "les faits (avaient) changé au cours des deux dernières années".

Réchauffement climatique et objectifs de réduction d'émission de CO2 obligent, l'option nucléaire semble ainsi en passe d'être réhabilitée, d'autant que le Royaume-Uni cherche à minimiser sa dépendance vis à vis du gaz - qu'il doit désormais importer pour produire son électricité et dont les prix ont plus que doublé en trois ans - et du pétrole.

Energy Deregulation + Peak Gas = Atomkraft ja bitte !

[MadMax]

C'est bizarre, j'ai lu un article où ils disaient qu'ils allaient consulter la population... la décision est peut-être déjà prise (Je parle bien de la GB, parce que la France on sait déjà ce qu'il va se passer ).

[Tiennel]

C'est bizarre, j'ai lu un article où ils disaient qu'ils allaient consulter la population...

DO YOU WANT TO FREEZE TO DEATH IN THE DARK ?

• YES, since I'm sure energy deregulation will soon restore lights and heat
• NOOOOOO, turn the nuclear switch ON !!!

Delete as appropriate

[thorgal]

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_b ... 328163.ece

[Jéjé]

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_b ... 328163.ece

C'est apparemment un article en accès payant... Si vous êtes abonné à l'Independent, Thorgal, pouvez-vous le citer in extenso ? Merci !

[lionstone]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4402448.stm

Is UK oil output running on empty?

[thorgal]

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_b ... 328163.ece

C'est apparemment un article en accès payant... Si vous êtes abonné à l'Independent, Thorgal, pouvez-vous le citer in extenso ? Merci !

Désolé, le voici :

News analysis: Winter fuel crisis

A big freeze is forecast. Sir Digby Jones fears a return to the three-day week. Could energy shortages paralyse Britain?

Published: 20 November 2005
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_b ... 328163.ece

In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

Turn off the lights. Go on. Turn off the reading lamp. Turn off the kettle, the oven, the microwave, the washing machine and the dishwasher. Turn off the refrigerator, the freezer, the shower, the central heating. Turn off the stereo and the television, the computer and the mobile phone. Very quiet, isn't it? And dark. And cold.

The temperature is dropping. The days are getting shorter. How would you manage if the lights went off and there was suddenly no power? If it happened during a cold snap, when the water pipes were freezing and there was ice on the windows, could you survive?

You may have to, if the very worst predictions come true. The Meteorological Office warns that we may be about to experience the severest winter for more than a decade, and it has put the emergency services on amber alert (red comes only with the snowdrifts). Worse, Britain is approaching this big freeze with fuel reserves far lower than most countries in Europe. We are facing an energy crisis that could see factories and offices having to shut down for all but three days a week, says Sir Digby Jones, head of the Confederation of British Industry.

Power companies admit this is true - and that they may even have to cut off electricity to our homes for short periods, a postcode at a time. But only as an absolutely last resort, they say. Only if there was "a 1:50", a winter so extreme that it happens only, on average, every 50 years. But hang on, the last one was in 1963, when the temperature hovered around freezing from Boxing Day to April. That was 42 years ago. Aren't we almost due a 1:50?

Today is the start of the season when Britain burns energy like a raver at a Christmas party. This is the date chosen in dozens of town and city centres across the country for minor celebrities to depress their plungers to make giant Santas and glowing reindeers flare into life. Oohs and aahs will follow - and even screams, like the ones heard in Covent Garden on Thursday night, when the operatic boy band G4, together with a town crier in full crimson regalia and an actor from Emmerdale, switched on the illuminations hung round a huge Scottish pine tree. The screech of the crowd suggested all those gaggles (or giggles) of teenage girls in reindeer antlers had never seen a lightbulb before. "Wow, look! It's so bright!"

But what if it weren't? What if the switch were flicked ... and nothing? What if all the lights went out because there was no more power left? What if we had used it up fighting a 1:50?

If it comes, disaster will be blown here on icy winds from Russia. Blizzards will strike and transport chaos will follow. Hypothermia will affect the weakest very quickly. An estimated 32,000 people die every winter as a result of cold weather, and the number increases by 8,000 for every degree the temperature falls below the seasonal average. Domestic energy bills have risen by a fifth over the past 18 months, and campaigners estimate that three million people - pensioners and the poor - may have to choose between buying food and heating their homes. For some, the lights will have go out even if there isn't a crisis. But if there is, we could see "quite severe loss of life", says the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone.

If the super-cold weather continues for more than a couple of days, then demand for energy will soar. Britain only has enough gas to last 11 days at full pelt (the European average is 55 days). We can't just switch off all the gas cookers and go electric, because the power stations that produce Britain's electricity get 40 per cent of their energy from gas. That was not a problem when North Sea gas was cheap and plentiful, but now it is starting to run out.

At the same time, Britain is using more gas than ever - two-thirds more than a decade ago. So the country needs to import more gas in order to keep going. Unfortunately, there is not enough coming in, and not enough places to store it when it does get here. We have a problem. Experts say that within a decade Britain will be producing only 80 per cent of the energy it needs. They call it "the energy gap". It means that in a winter crisis, gas-fired power stations will ease off, and those that work on coal and nuclear fuel will be told to step up a gear.

All electricity generated goes on to a network of high-voltage cables that criss-cross the nation on pylons. This is managed by National Grid plc. Electricity is taken off the network and its voltage lowered in a series of sub-stations by 14 distribution companies, each of which covers a particular area of the country. But they don't normally sell the electricity to customers, or bill them. That is done by another layer of companies, the suppliers, such as npower, Powergen and, confusingly, British Gas.

The electricity on the grid comes from a variety of sources. About 2 per cent is imported directly from France, via a cable under the Channel from Calais to Folkestone. Another 6 per cent is provided by renewable sources such as wind and waves. The nuclear industry supplies 19 per cent from its ageing reactors. The Government will decide soon whether it wants to replace or augment these, but new ones will take at least 10 years to build. Despite Margaret Thatcher's best efforts, 33 per cent of our electricity still comes from power stations that burn coal. Some of it comes from open-cast mines in Scotland, the rest is imported from Russia and other countries.

The next step in crisis management is for National Grid to ask major energy users such as car-manufacturers and chemical factories to use less power, or even shut down for a short while, so that it can be diverted to homes. This has happened in France and Spain over the past few winters. Some firms have contracts that give them cheaper bills in return for an obligation to suspend production when needed.

If the cold snap continues into a third week, then the Government may be forced to demand that industry works three days out of five. This will be hugely unpopular. But not as unpopular as the rationing of electricity to homes. In extreme circumstances, the power companies say they will turn off a postcode at a time, for an hour. Then three hours, if necessary. They may also lower the voltage slightly so that supplies go further (but some appliances won't work).

By the time a thaw comes, the transport network will have been thrown into chaos and industry ravaged. Some firms, already struggling to meet high gas and electricity bills, will be put out of business. National life will be in suspension, with many halls, clubs and cinemas shut down or restricted. Hospitals will be under extreme pressure, too, as more people succumb to the cold. Many will die. Everyone else will be chilled, miserable and angry. Some may riot. Burning cars will keep them warm, at least.

The Energy minister, Malcolm Wicks, would call this scenario "scaremongering". That was the word he used when Sir Digby Jones warned: "If we have a harsh winter - and all the long-range weather forecasts are saying that we will - this economy, the fourth-biggest in the world and the most successful in Europe, will see the switch thrown on business."

The minister admits the gas supply is tighter than in recent years, but says the system can handle it. New storage and supply facilities for gas are being built, he says. That is true. A pipeline from Zeebrugge in Belgium is being upgraded this month to double its capacity. A new tanker terminal on the Isle of Grain in Kent has taken its first consignments of gas from Algeria, liquefied to take up one-600th of its usual space.

A new storage facility is being built in Hampshire, as well as new pipelines to bring gas from the Orman Lange gas field in Norway and from Holland. Two new terminals at Milford Haven will take seaborne supplies from Qatar. But neither of these will be online for at least two years. "The squeeze should be short-lived," a government spokesman has said.

Let's hope so. In the meantime, save energy, keep an eye on the weather forecast, wrap up warm - and get some candles in.

[Tiennel]

Pour coronado et les autres, voici le début de la traduction... Peut-être que j'irai jusqu'au bout, que personne n'hésite à prendre la suite

De grands froids sont annoncés. Sir Digby Jones craint un retour à la semaine de 3 jours. La Grande-Bretagne paralysée par des pénuries énergétiques ?

Coupez les lumières. Continuez. Coupez la liseuse. Coupez la bouilloire, le four, le micro-ondes, le lave-linge et le lave-vaisselle. Coupez le réfrigérateur, le congélateur, le chauffe-eau, le chauffage central. Coupez la chaîne hi-fi et la TV, l’ordinateur et le téléphone sans fil. Quel calme, n’est-ce pas ? Et quelle obscurité. Et quel froid.
La température chute. Les jours deviennent plus courts. Comment vous en sortiriez-vous si les lumières s’éteignaient et qu’il n’y a brutalement plus de courant ? Si cela arrivait durant une vague de froid, si les tuyaux d’eau gelaient et s'il y avait de la glace sur les fenêtres, pourriez-vous survivre ?
Il le faudra, si les pire prédictions se réalisent. Le Bureau Météo signale que nous sommes sur le point de connaître l’hiver le plus rude depuis plus de dix ans, et il a mis les services d’urgence en alerte orange (le rouge vient seulement avec les congères). Pire, la Grande Bretagne aborde ces frimas avec des réserves de carburant largement plus basses que celles de la plupart des pays européens. Nous faisons face à une crise énergétique qui pourrait voir les usines et les bureaux devoir être fermés tous les jours sauf trois, dit Sir Digby Jones, chef de la Confédération de l’Industrie Britannique [équivalent MEDEF]
Les compagnies électriques reconnaissent que c’est exact – et qu’elles pourraient même devoir couper l’électricité de nos maisons pour de courtes périodes, un code postal à la fois. Mais uniquement en dernier recours, disent-elles. Seulement s’il y avait un « 1 sur 50 », un hiver si rude qu’il arrive seulement, en moyenne, une fois tous les 50 ans. Mais attendez, le dernier était en 1963, quand la température a fait du surplace du lendemain de Noël à avril. C’était il y a 42 ans. Ne serions-nous pas quasiment arrivés au cinquantième ?
Aujourd’hui, c’est le début de la saison où la Grande-Bretagne brûle de l’énergie comme un noceur à une fête de Noël. C’est la date choisie, dans des douzaines de villes et de centres urbains du pays, pour que des célébrités locales tapent sur le champignon pour allumer des Père Noëls géants et des rennes rougeoyants. (…)
Mais si cela n’arrivait pas ? Que se passerait-il si l’interrupteur était enclenché… et rien ? Si toutes les lumières s’éteignaient par manque d’électricité ? Si nous l’avions utilisé à combattre un « 1 sur 50 » ?
S’il survient, la catastrophe sera propagée par des vents glacés venant de Russie. Des blizzards frapperont et un chaos dans les transports suivra. Les plus faibles seront très rapidement frappés d’hypothermie. On estime que 32 000 personnes meurent chaque hiver du temps froid, et ce nombre augmente de 8000 pour chaque demi-degré supplémentaire sous la moyenne saisonnière. La facture énergétique des particuliers ont augmenté d’un cinquième sur les 18 derniers mois, et les militants estiment que 3 millions de personnes – retraités et pauvres – vont peut-être devoir choisir entre acheter de la nourriture ou chauffer leur maison. Pour certains, la lumière restera éteinte même s’il n’y a pas de crise. Mais s’il y en a une, nous pourrions voir “vraiment de sévères pertes humaines » dit le Maire de Londres, Ken Livingstone.
Si ce temps super-froid dure plus de deux jours, alors la demande en énergie explosera. La Grande-Bretagne a assez de gas pour 11 jours à régime maximum (la moyenne européenne est de 55 jours). Nous ne pouvons pas simplement couper toutes les cuisinières à gaz et passer sur des électriques, car les centrales qui produisent l’électricité britannique tirent 40% de leur énergie du gaz. Ce n’était pas un problème quand le gaz de la Mer du Nord était bon marché et abondant, mais maintenant il commence à manquer.

[Tiennel]

Un bon article de synthèse du Guardian, le journal des "intellos de gauche" britanniques :L'énergie nucléaire ? Ne l'écartez pas (le reste de l'article est en anglais )

[aleph0]

Et on se souvient que les deux premiers producteurs mondiaux d'uranium sont le Canada et l'Australie, membres du Commonwealth, tout comme l'Afrique du Sud, également producteur...

[Jéjé]

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_b ... 328163.ece

C'est apparemment un article en accès payant... Si vous êtes abonné à l'Independent, Thorgal, pouvez-vous le citer in extenso ? Merci !

Désolé, le voici : [...]

Merci !

[MadMax]

LONDON Nov 29, 2005 — Prime Minister Tony Blair said Tuesday the government may consider building a new generation of nuclear power stations, in a speech delayed briefly by anti-nuclear activists.

"The issue back on the agenda with a vengeance is energy policy," Blair told the Confederation of British Industry. "Energy prices have risen. Energy supply is under threat. Climate change is producing a sense of urgency."

Nuclear power currently provides one-fifth of Britain's electricity, but the nation's 12 nuclear power plants are aging and unless replaced will provide just 4 percent by 2010.

A government policy paper on energy resources will be issued next summer and will address the possibility of a new generation of power stations that could provide enough nuclear energy for the country, Blair said.

"In Britain, on any basis, we also have the issue of our transition from being self-sufficient in gas supply to being an importer," he said.

Shortly before his speech, 2 Greenpeace activists using safety harnesses climbed into the rafters of the conference venue in Islington, in north London, and unfurled a banner reading: "Nuclear: wrong answer."

Dressed in suits and ties, the pair also sprinkled hundreds of yellow stickers bearing the same slogan onto delegates below.

Conference organizers said Greenpeace offered to end the protest in exchange for 10 minutes to speak to Blair. Digby Jones, director general for the industry group, rejected the request.

Security staff cleared the hall of delegates and Blair instead spoke in a cramped room where participants and the press had to stand. The activists who had had security passes were detained on suspicion of aggravated trespassing, police said.

"We don't need a new generation of nuclear reactors," said Emma Gibson of Greenpeace. "It's unsafe, uneconomic and a terrorist threat."

[Tiennel]

Ce que ne disent pas la plupart des articles, c'est que Tony voudrait que ces centrales soient construites et exploitées sur fonds privés (Public Finance Initiative). Il va y avoir encore quelques millions de petits porteurs qui vont se faire rouler...

[energy_isere]

Ce que ne disent pas la plupart des articles, c'est que Tony voudrait que ces centrales soient construites et exploitées sur fonds privés (Public Finance Initiative). Il va y avoir encore quelques millions de petits porteurs qui vont se faire rouler...

les mémes que pour EUROTUNNEL ?

[lionstone]

Et EDF