In recent times, increasing cost of fossil fuels and their limited supply have led to a great deal of interest in alternative energy sources. One of the most promising sources is wind energy.

However, there are certain drawbacks associated with wind energy generation, such as high costs associated with the fabrication and installation of wind mills.

Depending on the size of the mill, the current cost of installation ranges from £100K to £500K. With the UK government committed to installing of up to 30,000 wind mills in the next decade, it is essential to review the current manufacturing capabilities and the availability of qualified personnel within the UK.

As a world leader in materials joining technologies, TWI, together with the Welding and Joining Society (WJS), would like to take the opportunity to open up discussions on the advancements in welding automation and training, and their contribution in overcoming the skills gaps in the UK Welding Industry. It will also provide a useful forum for networking and for gaining an insight for newcomers to the industry, students and graduates.

VENUE

Venue

TWI Conference Centre

TWI Ltd

Granta Park

Great Abington

CB21 6AL

 http://www.twi.co.uk/content/twi_map1.html

Feb. 28 (Bloomberg) — German electricity for delivery next year rose for a second day as higher coal prices signaled more expensive power generation costs in Europe’s biggest market.

Baseload power for 2012 gained 15 cents, or 0.3 percent, to 53.40 euros ($73.65) a megawatt-hour, according to broker data compiled by Bloomberg as of 5:53 p.m. Berlin time. Baseload is delivered around the clock.

Hard coal for next-year delivery to Amsterdam, Rotterdam or Antwerp gained 0.2 percent to $121.75 a metric ton. Germany also produces electricity from lignite, or brown coal, natural gas, nuclear, wind and solar plants.

RWE AG, Germany’s second-biggest utility, halted its 1,227- megawatt Biblis B nuclear reactor on Feb. 25 for maintenance and will restart it from May 20 to May 22, according to data on a company website.

In France, Europe’s second-biggest power market, Electricite de France SA halted the 1,330-megawatt Flamanville 2 reactor at 10:45 a.m. local time today, according to grid data.

Bloomberg tracks power prices from brokers including GFI Group Inc., ICAP Plc, Spectron Group Ltd., Tradition and Tullet Prebon Plc.

–Editors: Rob Verdonck, Alex Devine

To contact the reporter on this story: Lars Paulsson in London at lpaulsson@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Stephen Voss at sev@bloomberg.net

The 1986 Chernobyl disaster offers a “warning” of the potential human and environmental cost of a terrorist attack against an atomic energy facility, former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev wrote in a commentary published yesterday by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

The nuclear reactor explosion at the former Soviet Union’s Chernobyl plant on April 26, 1986, resulted in the deaths of 4,000 people, the United Nations determined in 2005. Independent organizations have suggested the incident might have been responsible for tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of deaths, Agence France-Presse reported. The explosion spread radiation throughout the surrounding region in what is now Ukraine and possibly inflicted hundreds of billions of dollars in economic damage (Agence France-Presse/Straits Times March 2).

“The true scope of the tragedy still remains beyond comprehension and is a shocking reminder of the reality of the nuclear threat,” wrote Gorbachev, who headed the Soviet Union’s Communist Party when the incident took place.

“I … remain concerned over the dangers of terrorist attacks on power reactors and terrorist groups’ acquisition of fissile material,” he said. “After the heavy damage wrought by terrorist groups in New York, Moscow, Madrid, Tokyo, Bali, and elsewhere over the past 15 years, we must very carefully consider the vulnerability of reactor fuel, spent fuel pools, dry storage casks, and related fissile materials and facilities to sabotage, attack, and theft.

“While the Chernobyl disaster was accidental, caused by faulty technology and human error, today’s disaster could very well be intentional,” he wrote.

Gorbachev added: “We especially must pay attention to keeping weapons and materials of mass destruction — in this case, nuclear weapons-grade materials such as high-enriched uranium and plutonium — out of the hands of terrorists and rogue nations. U.S. President Barack Obama’s historic initiative to secure and eliminate all bomb-grade nuclear material in four years is an important step forward in improving global security, but we must not forget that these fissile materials are often used in nuclear power and research reactors

A technological revolution in the UK’s infrastructure is already underway but policy changes are needed in order for them to succeed, the chief executive officer of National Grid will say tonight.

In a speech to the Royal Academy of Engineering this evening, Steve Holliday, will argue that energy market reform will make 2011 a pivotal year in the process of decarbonising the grid.

But the right government incentives are needed to encourage international investment in a new energy mix that will see wind replace coal as the single-biggest source of electricity generation, he will say

The technologies needed to carry out a replacement of existing infrastructure with a decarbonised grid are already proven but need to be upscaled and combined, Holliday told journalists at a press conference yesterday.

‘The first engineering challenge is a people one. It’s a shortage of scientists and engineers, and how… we avoid bridging that gap with imported resources,’ he said.

‘The engineering challenge more broadly, which is underway and quite invisible in many ways to the public, is the huge innovation that’s going on.

‘One of the areas is in high-voltage direct current, where there have been enormous step changes… And there’s an awful lot of work going into energy storage, in particular electricity storage, so at some stage we’d hope for a big breakthrough there.’

Another challenge was developing a more joined-up policy that would coordinate individual projects with wider energy and economic needs, the creation of jobs and the education of sufficiently skilled engineers, he said.

Holliday gave the example of connecting offshore wind farms to the grid, which under current plans would require around 60 separate landing points around the UK, each with their own costs and planning issues.

‘There’s an opportunity to coordinate that and build a lot more infrastructure offshore and probably reduce the landing points by 50 per cent, which we estimate is between £3bn and £5bn [of] capital saving,’ he said.

Holliday also noted the importance of carbon-capture storage (CCS) pilot plants as he said coal wasn’t going to be left in the ground, hence the need for a way of using the fuel and storing the carbon dioxide.

National Grid expects wind power to account for 32 per cent of the predicted 110GW of electricity capacity by 2030, while traditional coal plants will make up just three per cent of the mix and carbon-capture storage projects will add a further 10 per cent.

In terms of percentage, nuclear capacity will remain about the same at 11 per cent as old plants are decommissioned and new ones come on line. Gas use for electricity will fall from 36 per cent to 27 per cent.

Gas will continue to play a role in heating homes and businesses but will also play a key role in providing a back-up electricity source when the wind isn’t blowing, Holliday said at the press conference.

‘Today, gas runs baseload. In 2030, gas will be a huge intermittent supply source, ramping up as it can do as wind comes off.’

He also noted the importance of smart meters and other technology to manage the demand for electricity by remotely controlling appliances in people’s homes.

Investments in Scotland’s growing renewables industry have proven the strength of close working between public and private sectors, Alex Salmond said today as he announced details of a two-day global green finance conference to be held in Edinburgh in September.

The Scottish Low Carbon Investment conference will take place on September 27th and 28th following the success of last year’s inaugural event, attended by around 550 delegates from government, low carbon industries and the financial sectors.

The First Minister announced details of the event in an address at the annual conference of the Scottish European Green Energy Centre (SEGEC), where he also welcomed a Skills Investment Plan for the energy industry – where as many as 95,000 potential job opportunities have been identified across sectors, including up to 28,000 in offshore wind.

He said: “SEGEC has played a key role in placing Scotland at the heart of EU networks and debates on renewables, carbon capture & storage and energy infrastructure. It has helped secure over 100 million euros EU funding for key projects such as the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre in Aberdeen and the Moray Firth node – one of the building blocks of the future North Sea Grid.

“The economic opportunity in renewables is clear – with the value of the sector in Scotland now estimated to rise from £2.6 billion in 2007-08 to as much as £3.2 billion by 2013-14. The wider low carbon market is expected to rise from around £8.5 billion in 2007-08 to £12 billion by 2015-16 – over 10 per cent of the Scottish economy – and this potential was the focus of last year’s Low Carbon Investment conference.

“The event enabled government, international finance, utilities and developers to engage directly on investment opportunities, while further raising Scotland’s profile in the global low carbon economy. In the five months since then, our renewables sector has seen significant investment announcements by leading international manufacturers such as Mitsubishi, Gamesa and ABB, and continued success of Scottish companies.

“Scotland is already reaping the rewards of our active engagement, through our agencies and SEGEC, with European agencies and the commercial sector. However, there must be no let up in our efforts to secure an increasing share of the growing global low carbon market. That is why, as part of that work, I am pleased to announce the second Low Carbon Investment conference will take place on the 27th and 28th of September in Edinburgh.”

Commenting on the Energy Skills Investment Plan, the First Minister added: “As many as 95,000 potential job opportunities have been identified across all sectors of the energy industry. However, that will require continued investment in the skills and talents of our people.

“That is why I have already announced, last week, that up to £1 million will be made available to provide as many as 500 modern apprenticeships in our energy and low carbon sectors over this next year. That is only a starting point, however. And I call upon all partners – those in our colleges, universities, local government, industry and beyond – to work together to prioritise our efforts and investment so we can continue to deliver a world class energy workforce for Scotland.”

The 2011 SLCI conference will again be organised by Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce with the support of Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Government.

EU North Sea Grid Co-ordinator Georg Adamowitsch, who addressed last year’s conference, said: “The establishment of this conference, examining the financing and investment options for low carbon energy development, has been an excellent idea. Europe has very ambitious targets and last year’s conference provided a good opportunity to examine how the financial sector can help us meet them, with a range of investment opportunities. By signing a Memorandum of Understanding at the end of last year, the 10 countries of the North Seas Countries’ Offshore Grid Initiative shared the common goal of moving to a sustainable low-carbon economy and again this shows the importance of this conference. I’m sure the 2011 conference will be equally, if not more, successful.”

Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Ron Hewitt added: “The SLCI conference gives us an unparalleled opportunity to focus on the great opportunities that the industry offers to Scottish businesses and, equally, it provides a unique chance for all interested parties to come together to look at how we might resolve the considerable challenges of moving to a low carbon economy. The SLCI conference pulls these together from a Scottish, UK and international perspective in a way which helps business engage with what is happening in this exciting sector.”

Scottish Enterprise Chief Executive Lena Wilson commented: “We look forward to building on the success of last year’s inaugural SLCI conference, which has been widely lauded as a resounding success in helping create an environment that brings investment and opportunity together. We have also continued to make significant progress in Scotland’s low carbon business environment with exciting new developments such as the Power Network Demonstration Centre and £70 million National Renewables Infrastructure Fund to name but a few.

“We have reached a critical point in the development of Scotland’s low carbon ambition and this year’s conference will provide an important forum to progress our work and strengthen Scotland’s position as a location of choice for low carbon developments.”

SDS chairman John McClelland added: “The first edition of the Energy Skills Investment Plan has been developed collaboratively with industry through the Energy Advisory Board, which tasked us with reviewing future skills and employment demands. The work has been demanding but also very rewarding, as we begin to evidence the scale of the opportunity and better understand the capacity that already exists to respond to and exploit future opportunities.

“Our plan articulates an initial set of actions to bring greater focus to our collective efforts and address areas where we need to build capacity in response to the development of what will be a very dynamic labour market, with strong regional and sectoral demands. We look forward to working with partners and industry to deliver a world class energy workforce for Scotland.”

British Energy has over 30 years’ experience of operating nuclear power stations safely in the UK and intends to be at the heart of new nuclear development.

Our existing nuclear power stations have been running for 24 years (on average) and the newest – Sizewell B – was commissioned in 1995. We need to plan ahead to build the new capacity that the government has concluded will be needed.

We believe that the best locations for potential new build are adjacent to existing nuclear power station sites. British Energy owns land adjacent to its nuclear power stations at seven locations around Britain, and adjacent to the old nuclear power station at Bradwell at Essex which is now closed.

At the end of January 2009 the Government published details of the process by which the nuclear industry can nominate sites for potential new nuclear power stations and the criteria against which potential sites will be assessed.

Click here to read a leaflet issued by The Department of Energy and Climate Change which provides more information on how you can have your say on how sites will be chosen for the National Policy Statement.

Electricite de France SA, the world’s biggest operator of atomic generators, said 2010 output rose 5 percent and that all its domestic reactors are connected to the grid for the first time in six years.

Output at the country’s 58 reactors rose to 408 terawatt- hours last year from 390 terawatt-hours in 2009, the Paris-based utility said in a statement. EDF was targeting output within the range of 405 terawatt-hours to 415 terawatt-hours.

EDF can produce 4,200 megawatts more power in December and this month than in 2009, “giving France the opportunity to once more export electricity,” the company said. All reactors are connected for the first time since December 2004, EDF said.

The state-controlled utility has struggled to raise output in France after strikes in 2009 disrupted a maintenance schedule and repairs are required at some plants. The oldest reactors are also undergoing a cycle of extended halts for inspections by safety authorities to allow them to operate another decade.

Chief Executive Officer Henri Proglio pledged to raise French output in 2010 to boost profitability and reach a target of making 85 percent of the reactors available by 2015. He had come under political pressure to raise production to curb imports of more expensive power during peak demand periods.

EDF has said it plans to halt nine reactors in 2011 for in- depth safety inspections, 50 percent more than the average in recent years. The utility also expects a measure of the availability of French nuclear plants to produce power to be higher in 2011 than last year because the replacement of parts such as steam generators has improved reliability.

There are no concerns over the current availability of coal and gas for Queensland’s power stations, Natural Resources Mines and Energy Minister, Stephen Robertson said today.

The Government is monitoring coal stockpiles at all power stations as the flood crisis unfolds, Mr Robertson said.

“There will be power outages as a result of the floodwaters, but these will be mostly linked to ensuring local safety in flooded areas and are nothing to do with the amount of electricity available,” Mr Robertson said.

“The power stations are all operating and feeding into the national grid. That situation is not expected to change.”

“The national grid distributes power to residents and businesses through the Energex and Ergon Energy distribution networks. Energex and Ergon Energy will continue to keep people informed of any power disruptions needed for safety reasons.”

Floodwaters have restricted access to some power stations, Kogan Creek near Chinchilla, for instance. In those cases, workers are being flown into the power stations to ensure they continue operating.

Most power stations have coal stockpiles for at least three weeks and some have supplies for at least 10 weeks.

Other facilities utilise gas to generate power and supplies are set to continue generation through secured pipeline networks.

As Queensland is connected to the national grid, we can access power generated in other States, although this is not expected to be necessary.

Coal’s future is directly correlated to the development of new technologies that scrub it of all harmful emissions as well as those that would capture and bury carbon emissions. That’s what a broad task force has concluded. The findings, spearheaded by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy, say that carbon capture and sequestration is possible within a decade.

That, in turn, will help coal maintain relevance. The tools to allow for such advancement, however, will remain elusive unless federal lawmakers act to price carbon emissions and commit to 5 demonstration projects in the coming years.

Last November, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) released a synthesis report on CCS in industrial applications, following the CCS Industrial Sector Roadmap. The report concludes that if a global system is not possible, a policy framework will need to be developed to avoid the possibility of carbon leakage, whereby industrial production moves to regions with no carbon dioxide emission restrictions. ”Global sectoral approaches (i.e. policies applied to particular industrial sectors globally) could constitute one way ahead for the short term”, says Gøril Tjetland, advisor in the Bellona Foundation and one of the participants in the project.

The ”Carbon Capture and Storage in Industrial Applications: Technology Synthesis Report” commissioned by the UNIDO, introduces CCS as a key CO₂ abatement technology in the industry as CO₂ emissions are generally inherent to industrial processes and some industries emit high-purity CO₂ in the atmosphere. As a result, CO₂ capture could be more cost-effective. The report focuses on CO₂ capture in five industries: high-purity CO₂ sources (including gas processing and chemical industry,) cement, iron and steel, refineries, biomass-based industrial sources of CO₂.

Nonetheless, the technologies required in industry are more diverse than in power generation. Therefore, technology needs a more diverse demonstration programme to prove the feasibility of industrial CCS.

Furthermore, from a political perspective, industry suffers from a rougher competition than the power sector on the global scale. As a result, CCS has not been widely deployed on industrial sources yet. The report therefore urges for global agreements and incentives for the industry to take up the challenges that discourage industrial CCS.  Carbon prices or taxes, subsidies and tax credits and mandates and standards are suggested as effective incentives for investments in CCS technology applying to industrial sources. Unfortunately, such incentives are still absent or insufficient in most of the world.

“Several industry sectors have shown that they can treat their industrial flue gases and capture CO₂ which otherwise would be emitted to the atmosphere without closing down the industrial site and with off-the-shelf technology. Global industrial sectoral approaches are a promising element in a post-2012 broader framework of climate commitments”, says Gøril Tjetland CCS and Energy Advisor in Bellona.

She concludes saying that ”CCS on industrial sources must be higher on the global and European agendas in 2011.”

We can mention here the interesting ULCOS project which has come far in CO₂ capture from steel making processes. ULCOS (Ultra–Low Carbon dioxide(CO₂) Steelmaking) is a consortium of 48 European companies and organisations from 15 European countries that have launched a cooperative research & development initiative to enable drastic reduction in CO₂ emissions from steel production with the support of the European Commission. The ongoing research will result in the implementation of the technology in production plant in the future (15-20 years.)