30 Sept (NucNet): Residents living near existing nuclear power plants in the UK have �qualified support� for the construction of new units, a university-led study shows.

The study concluded that a failure to provide �full and open public consultation� on the construction of new units could undermine local confidence in nuclear energy.

The study, which was carried out over five years and involved researchers from the University of Cardiff in Wales and the University of East Anglia in England, explored people�s attitudes towards and concerns about nuclear power.

The team focused on residents living in three areas with existing nuclear power stations � Bradwell, Oldbury and Hinkley Point.

The study indicated that most residents in these areas support new nuclear build, but a proportion of this support was conditional. Most people surveyed said they wanted the industry and government to fully involve local people in plans for siting new nuclear units.

The study also found that on a day-to-day basis residents view their local nuclear power plant as �familiar and unremarkable�. A belief that local operators can be trusted to keep the plants safe underpins local confidence in nuclear power. However, external events such as terrorist activity remind people that there might be risks associated with their nuclear plant.

Commenting on the results, professor Nick Pidgeon of the School of Psychology at Cardiff University, who led the research team, said: �The findings suggest that failing to consult in a proper manner, or in a way that does not fully recognise and respond to local people�s concerns, would almost certainly undermine the local confidence and trust in local plant operators which has been painstakingly built up in all of the locations that we studied over a considerable period of time.

The study, �Living with Nuclear Power in Britain: A Mixed Methods Study� is available online (http://www.kent.ac.uk).


>>Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers)

UK Gives Green Light To New Nuclear Plants (News No. 3, 10 January 2008)

Nuclear Development Is �Indispensable� Says UK Minister (News in Brief No. 1110, 18 September 2008)

Source: NucNet

Editor: david.dalton@worldnuclear.org

30 Sept (NucNet): A record number of Americans now support nuclear energy, according to a new survey.

Seventy-four percent of Americans now favour nuclear energy, according to the survey, with only 24 percent opposed. The US Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) said the �favourable mark� is 11 percentage points higher than was the case just five months ago, while the �unfavourable level� was nine percentage points lower.

The survey* was conducted by Bisconti Research Inc with GfK, the same researchers who conducted a similar public opinion poll in April 2008.

Sixty-nine percent of Americans believe the US should definitely build more nuclear power plants in the future, the survey indicates � a 10 percentage point increase since last April. Three-quarters of respondents said they would find it acceptable to add a new reactor unit at the nearest existing nuclear power plant site � a nine-point increase.

Bisconti Research president Ann Bisconti said: �The unprecedented levels of support for nuclear energy found in this survey can be attributed to growing concerns about energy and focus on energy alternatives. In the 25 years that I have been tracking public opinion about nuclear energy, I have never witnessed anything like this increase on all the measures across the board.�

The survey also indicates that Americans �strongly favour� nuclear energy as one of the ways to provide electricity by nearly a four-to-one margin (38 percent compared to 10 percent) over those who �strongly oppose�.

Eight out of 10 Americans also endorse the use of federal financial incentives to help promote development of carbon-free energy technologies, including new nuclear power plants, the survey indicates.

*The NEI has sponsored national public opinion surveys on nuclear issues for 25 years. A nationally representative sample of 1,000 US adults was interviewed by telephone from 18 to 21 September 2008 for the latest survey with a margin of error of plus or minus three percentages points.

The questionnaire used for the survey is available on the NEI�s web site (http://www.nei.org).

� by John Shepherd

>>Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers)

New US Poll Shows Record Public Support For �Clean Air N-Power� (News No. 100, 13 June 2005)

Americans Warming To Nuclear, Survey Concludes (World Nuclear Review No. 30, 27 July 2007)

Survey Shows Strong Support For New Nuclear Plant Incentives In US (News No. 26, 28 April 2008)

Source: NucNet

Editor: editors@worldnuclear.org

30 Sept (NucNet): US utility Duke Energy has submitted the first part of an application for a federal loan guarantee for the proposed two-unit William States III nuclear power plant in South Carolina.

Duke Energy chief executive officer Jim Rogers said yesterday that the application to the US Department of Energy (DOE) was �another step in the process of keeping the new nuclear option available for customers�.

The DOE�s loan guarantee programme is designed to help companies considering building new units to finance the first wave of new commercial reactors in the country.

If a loan application is successful, the federal government could guarantee the project�s entire debt on condition that it does not represent more than 80 percent of the project�s qualified construction costs. The US Congress has appropriated 18.5 billion US dollars (about 13 billion euro) to support the programme.

A combined licence (COL) application for William States III was accepted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in February 2008 and docketed for the next stage of review.

Duke Energy used the Tennessee Valley Authority�s (TVA) October 2007 Bellefonte COL application as the reference application. That application, for the Westinghouse AP1000 unit, was developed by TVA and NuStart Energy Development, of which Duke Energy is a member.

� by John Shepherd

>>Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers)

TVA Submits COL For Two Possible Bellefonte Units (News in Brief No. 34, 31 October 2007)

Duke Energy Submits COL For Possible South Carolina Units (World Nuclear Review No. 50, 14 December 2007)

US Regulator Accepts Duke Energy COL Application (News No. 18, 28 February 2008)

Source: NucNet

Editor: editors@worldnuclear.org

30 Sept (NucNet): Japan�s former deputy chief cabinet secretary Ryu Shionoya has been appointed to head the country�s ministry for education, culture, sports, science and technology.

The Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF) said Mr Shionoya was appointed on 24 September 2008 by new prime minister Taro Aso. Mr Aso succeeded Yasuo Fukuda who resigned earlier in the month.

Other ministers recently appointed to nuclear-related departments by Mr Fukuda retained their posts. Toshihiro Nikai remains as minister of economy, trade and industry, Seiko Noda continues as state minister for science and technology and Tetsuo Saito continues as environment minister. Mr Saito is also the minister of state for disaster management with responsibility for nuclear safety.


>>Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers)

Nuclear �At Forefront Of Japan Energy Policy� As New Ministers Appointed (News in Brief No.89, 12 August 2008)

Japan Budget Proposals Seek Increase In Nuclear Spending (News in Brief No. 106, 11 September 2008)

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Source: NucNet

Editor: editors@worldnuclear.org