IT’S A BAD time to be in the nuke biz. Remember that global recession that we’re apparently out of? Well, the con-alition government’s nuclear plans (for an extra 10 power stations by 2025) are currently showing the cracks, as three catchy-named nuclear engineering companies from both France and China – Areva, China National Nuclear Power Corporation and China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group – have pulled out of buying Horizon Nuclear Power (planning reactors in Wylfa and Oldbury), due to economic doubts. Iberdrola, Spanish owners of Scottish Power (with designs on Sellafield), are also having second thoughts.
Frenchies E.D.F. are also in financial straits, but that’s not all their problems, as anti-nuclear campaigners have recently finished their ‘Reclaim Hinkley’ weekend action camp. Hinkley Point in Bridgwater is to house two untried-and-tested brand nuke reactors, as well as a storage facility to hold radioactive waste for at least 160 years, assuming some other authority agrees to later take it off their hands. The camp lasted from 5th to 8th of October, and was set up on occupied land nearby, complete with catering, wooden H.Q., solar panels and between 70 and 120 eco-warriors at any time.
After the obligatory day of talks and action training, proceedings ended with a bang on the Monday, as they led a colourful march – complete with toxic yellow barrels rolled through the streets – to the power station’s gates and did a ‘die-in’ blockade. And then it was all on E.D.F.’s proposed Hinkley C site for a jolly mass trespass, where 50-plus surrounded the five mile perimeter, dodged G4S goons, hung massive banners, sang, waved placards, and lobbed 577 seedbombs (the number of days since the Fukushima Dai-chi disaster in Japan). While all that song and dance went on, 30 managed to scale or breach the 8′ high barbed wire-topped fence, and planted wildflowers; six were arrested, and one got a suspected broken arm for their troubles.
South West Against Nuclear say that the £60bn earmarked for ‘new nuclear’ needs instead to be diverted to energy reduction and renewables development, for a cleaner, greener future. Maybe the government will listen?
http://tinyurl.com/8zeqwyz
http://theoccupiedtimes.co.uk/?p=7265
http://tinyurl.com/9ejqr5h
http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/pictures/Photos-Stop-Hinckley-Protest-pictures/pictures-17046040-detail/pictures.html
http://stopnewnuclear.org.uk/node/1500
http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/Video-Anti-nuclear-campaigners-begin-Stop-Hinkley/story-17048137-detail/story.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/oct/03/british-nuclear-china-investors-pull-out?newsfeed=true
