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UK Business and Energy Secretary, Greg Clark, returned from discussing future nuclear power stations in Japan, only to announce that the UK government was postponing their decision regarding the proposed Franco-Sino (EDF) Nuclear Power Station at Hinkley Point in Somerset, England.

Is French State owned EDF’s Hinkley Point Nuclear Power Station Project dead? Will one of the two proposed Japanese (Toshiba in Cumbria, Hitachi in Wales) projects be shifted there? Or is the UK attempting to obtain funding from Japan rather than China? Is the new Prime Minister, Theresa May, trying to make certain that Costain, located in her constituency of Maidenhead, is chosen for any Japanese nuclear projects as they were for the EDF Hinkley Point nuclear project? For the Hinkley Nuclear Power project, Costain was chosen to construct the cooling water tunnels – 9 km of tunnels under the Severn Estuary.

That’s what nuclear power stations are about – large construction projects, “grands projets“. They can go on and on and never go online, because the main point of them is the construction. Is this why Prime Minister Theresa May appears to have shamefully changed her mind about decentralised, renewable, energy? In 2006 she said: “But the Government could do far more to promote green energy, rather than giving unfair subsidies to new nuclear power stations.” (11 July 2006) http://web.archive.org/web/20130103045301/http://www.tmay.co.uk/news/8/may-new-measures-to-promote-local-green-energy-are-welcome One decade later, green energy is a much more affordable and realistic option. So, why is she even considering Hinkley or any other nuclear power station? It must be Costain. Why not do the Severn Tidal project instead?

“News story
Open for business: Business and Energy Secretary in Japan
From: Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy
First published 26 July 2016

Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Greg Clark has been meeting businesses and investors in Japan this week to discuss the great potential for the UK’s car, nuclear and life sciences industries.

The Secretary of State met with The Minister Of International Trade and Industry, Motoo Hayashi, to discuss strengthening UK-Japanese economic ties as well as hosting an investor engagement event attended by over 50 of Japan’s largest companies and investors from across the automobile, energy, life sciences, financial and services sectors to discuss the opportunities available for inward investment in the UK.

As well as chairing a roundtable with automobile manufacturers including Nissan, Honda, Toyota and Mitsubishi during his visit, Greg Clark also discussed future new nuclear power stations with representatives from Toshiba and Hitachi…

Speaking just ahead of his visit to Japan, Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark said:
“Britain is the same outward-looking, world-leading and globally minded nation that we have always been.

“Japan is one of our key economic partners and second largest inward investor and we want to see our partnership continue to grow and flourish. I am travelling to Japan at the earliest opportunity to ensure we are working closely with businesses in every part of the world to demonstrate the huge potential available and give them the certainty they need to invest and grow in the UK.

“We will ensure the message that Britain is the best place in Europe to do business is heard loud and clear.”

Such an early visit to Japan from the newly appointed Secretary of State sends a clear message that the UK is and always will be open for business, and shows that we continue to be an influential power on the world stage, working with international partners to ensure security and prosperity.” OGL: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/open-for-business-business-and-energy-secretary-in-japan (Emphasis our own.)

[The other point of nuclear power stations, of course, is the ability to make nuclear weapons. However, strangely, French government owned EDF owns Britain’s nuclear power stations now. The UK’s Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) is at Aldermaston in Berkshire, not far from Maidenhead.]

“UK says to review EDF’s Hinkley Point nuclear energy plan
Posted:Fri, 29 Jul 2016 01:28:04 -0400
LONDON, July 29 (Reuters) – Britain’s government has said it will launch a new review into a controversial project to build two new nuclear reactors led by French utility EDF, the country’s first new nuclear plant in decades.” http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/reuters/utilitiesNews/~3/v6yD4zDTqIY/edf-britain-nuclear-idUSL8N1AF0R1

“Costain Group plc is a British construction and civil engineering company headquartered in Maidenhead. It was part of the original Channel Tunnel consortium and is involved in Private Finance Initiative projects… Costain’s activities are organised into two operating divisions: Natural Resources (water, waste, nuclear process and oil & gas), Infrastructure (highways, rail, power and airports). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costain_Group

“Marine Works (Costain) – This work involves the construction of the main cooling water tunnels and associated sea bed structures along with onshore connecting galleries. Pre-cast components will be fabricated off site. Three large tunnel boring machines will be used to create the 9 km of tunnels under the Severn Estuary.” http://web.archive.org/web/20150507070655/http://www.hinkleysupplychain.co.uk/construction-works-packages/

“Hitachi heads up new bid to build nuclear plant in Wales
Japanese company and US construction group Bechtel offer rival proposal to French firm EDF’s plans for Hinkley Point C reactor” https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/may/20/hitachi-hnuclear-plant-wales-hinkley-point-edf-bechtel

“Japan Atomic Power to join nuclear power business in Britain”
July 8, 2016 (Mainichi Japan)
TOKYO (Kyodo) — Japan Atomic Power Co., a constructor and operator of nuclear plants, said Thursday it has decided to enter the nuclear power business in Britain through an alliance with Hitachi Ltd.” http://web.archive.org/web/20160709140557/http://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20160708/p2g/00m/0bu/003000c

“Moorside Nuclear Power Station is a proposal to build three AP1000 nuclear reactors on a site near Sellafield, in Cumbria, United Kingdom.[1]The plan by NuGeneration, which is the British subsidiary of Toshiba-owned Westinghouse Electric Company…” Operator Engie – formerly French GDF Suez https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moorside_Nuclear_Power_Station

Japan tried to send their nuclear waste to Scotland, 30 years ago:
Even the people in Fukushima don’t want nuclear waste storage. Japan doesn’t allow hardly any immigration because they only love Japanese (excepting the poor caste). Most of the governments of the English speaking world hate their own people. Beware!

“Later in the 1980s there came to the town of Ayr a man called Dr Feates of the UK Atomic Energy Authority, who persuaded the local council to consider building an underground vault in the surrounding hills for the storage of nuclear waste. When the matter came up in the local council, Dr Feates revealed that the waste would mostly come from abroad, mainly Japan.

To say some of us hit the roof is an understatement. The Anti Nuclear Dumping in the Hills around Mulwharcher campaign was born. Willie McRae was one of us. To cut a long story short, our campaign culminated in a public enquiry in Ayr Town Hall lasting three months.

Willie McRae was with us every day of that enquiry. He led our case. We won. The plans were dropped but we were by then all marked men and women. He never charged us one penny…” Read the rest here: http://web.archive.org/web/20150926115718/http://www.electricscotland.com/independence/scotEUMcRae.pdf

https://miningawareness.wordpress.com/2015/07/02/nuclear-waste-disposal-loch-doon-scotland/
Willie McRae: http://youtu.be/WSXFyFFh0Yw

The last two Dept. of Energy and Climate Change Ministers had family related apparent conflicts of interest regarding Hinkley Point construction and EDF:
https://wikispooks.com/wiki/Amber_Rudd
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_Secretary
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Davey
http://powerbase.info/index.php/Ed_Davey

“May had objections to Hinkley Point, says Cable”
30 July 2016 http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-36932027

“UK’s May worried by China investment, intervened to delay Hinkley
Posted:Sat, 30 Jul 2016 14:51:22 -0400
LONDON (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Theresa May was concerned about the security implications of a planned Chinese investment in the new Hinkley Point nuclear plant and intervened personally to delay the project, a former colleague and a source said on Saturday”
http://feeds.reuters.com/~r/Reuters/worldNews/~3/UeDuRxTG_-E/us-edf-britain-nuclear-idUSKCN10A0HT

Last October: “EDF and its Chinese partner China General Nuclear Corporation (CGN) have committed to Hinkley Point C during this week’s landmark China State Visit, confirming the first new nuclear power station in the UK for a generation. The companies have signed a Strategic Investment Agreement which marks a critical moment for the site in Somerset. EDF has confirmed it will take a 66.5 per cent stake in Hinkley with CGN taking 33.5 per cent, demonstrating a clear commitment from both parties.” (21 Oct. 2016) https://www.gov.uk/government/news/hinkley-point-c-to-power-six-million-uk-homes

Regarding Greg Clark: Fylde fracking appeal: Recommendations sent to government” 4 July 2016 http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-lancashire-36708118