Andy Blowers, Chair of BANNG, ponders the long time-scales of the Bradwell project in the December 2018 column for Regional Life Have you ever thought that nuclear energy and new nuclear power stations in particular are a waste of time? By this I mean that they take so long to build, so long in operation … [Continue Reading]
Bradwell B – an unsuitable site for development?
Andy Blowers, Chair of BANNG, considers some of the key issues facing the proposal to build a new nuclear power station on the Bradwell site BANNG Column for Regional Life, November, 2018 BANNG’s visit to the Bradwell B site (reported on in the October edition) gave an opportunity to discuss the early site assessment undertaken … [Continue Reading]
Is Bradwell B going down the drain?
BANNG Column for Regional Life, October, 2018 – By Varrie Blowers, Secretary of BANNG BANNG has long maintained that there is no need for a new nuclear power station at Bradwell. The costs, in terms of the long-lasting, physical damage to the tranquil and vulnerable Blackwater estuary, of the finances, of the potential for terrorist attacks … [Continue Reading]
Possible Chinese withdrawal from Bradwell B?
Press Release – 18 September, 2018 Possible Chinese withdrawal from Bradwell B ‘not surprising but still a surprise’ says BANNG. The news (Financial Times, 18 September, 2018) that the Chinese company behind Bradwell B is considering withdrawing its interest in the project because of political sensitivities ‘is not, perhaps surprising, though it comes as a … [Continue Reading]
Into the Void – Regional Life Column August 2018
Andy Blowers, Chair of BANNG, reflects on his recent experience in giving evidence to a Select Committee at Westminster It’s interesting to see how government works. The other day I was invited to give evidence to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. They were pondering the Draft National Policy Statement for … [Continue Reading]
A nuclear power station is not just for life, it’s forever…
BANNG column for Regional Life, July, 2018 Varrie Blowers, Secretary of BANNG, reports on the June meeting of the Bradwell Local Communities Liaison Council (LCLC) A band of BANNG representatives, including myself, attended the June meeting of the LCLC at Mundon. The LCLC looks at what is happening at the Bradwell A site with regard … [Continue Reading]
Column for Estuary Life, May, 2017 – ‘Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive’ (Sir Walter Scott).
I am using Scott’s quotation to describe how it appears that the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), Magnox and the Environment Agency (EA) have been twisting and turning in their attempts to justify continuing the use of the fuel element debris (FED) dissolution plant at Bradwell. The NDA and site operator, Magnox, wished to use a … [Continue Reading]
Column for Estuary Life, April, 2017 – Nine Years of the Blackwater Against New Nuclear Group (BANNG) and its continuing fight against new nuclear development at Bradwell
The Government has now given the go-ahead for the Generic Design Assessment (GDA) process for the Chinese Hualong 1 reactor, proposed for use at a new nuclear power station at Bradwell (Bradwell B). This represents the first step in the approvals process by the UK’s nuclear regulators. The GDA will take several years to complete … [Continue Reading]
Column for Estuary Life, March, 2017 – No case for Bradwell B. BANNG urges Government to review outdated nuclear policy.
BANNG can reveal that Government policy on new nuclear power is no longer valid and, consequently, the proposed Bradwell B project should be removed from the list of eight sites confirmed by Government in 2011 as ‘potentially suitable’for new nuclear power stations to be deployed by the end of 2025. Andy Blowers, Chair of the … [Continue Reading]