Japan:
¶ The municipal assembly of the city of Hakodate, Hokkaido, has approved a budget for court actions to prevent construction of a nearby nuclear plant in Aomori Prefecture. [The Japan Times]
¶ The only nuclear reprocessing plant in Japan is sitting on top of a fault. Experts disagree on whether the fault is active or not. [AsiaOne]
World:
¶ Official estimates are that renewables will have contributed 23% of Germany’s electrical power for 2012, up from 20% in 2011. [Recharge]
¶ The UK’s government is setting support for solar power at a higher level than anticipated. It is putting a cap on new biomass plants. [Businessweek]
¶ A report by EurObserv’ER says the EU is on track to achieve a goal of having 20% of its power generation from renewables by 2020. [EcoSeed]
¶ The IEA is expecting a large increase in the use of coal for generating electrical power over the next five years, mostly because of increases in India and China. [Huffington Post]
US:
¶ A consultant for the Public Service Commission in Georgia says that as delays happen and costs increase for two new reactors, the potential benefits decline. The plant is now expected to produce $3.5 billion in benefits, a 30% decline. It is expected to cost over $14 billion. [Atlanta Journal Constitution]
¶ Nuclear power is too expensive to compete, and that is why Kewaunee is closing and others may follow. [AOL Energy]
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