Roundtable Discussion; The Future of Mineral Sands. Watch the video here.
Boris Johnson’s suspension of parliament is an affront to democracy
FT View: Boris Johnson has detonated a bomb under the constitutional apparatus of the United Kingdom. (FREE TO READ)
https://www.ft.com/content/9dbc7852-c9b2-11e9-af46-b09e8bfe60c0?segmentId=0052c4bc-c54e-19c6-b165-8800c56b8254
“If there are alternatives to the backstop that do the same job, well then let’s hear them"
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/ireland-criticises-pm-over-lack-of-credible-plan-on-backstop-a4225161.html?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1567172217
Ireland sees its future fair and square in the EU. The difference for the first time in history is that Ireland is part of a strong block of nations and England is struggling to come to terms with the reality that they can no longer just run roughshod over their smaller neighbour
Punishing Ireland's economy will backfire on Brexiters
"Brexit has turned into a hostage situation. Boris Johnson is the kidnapper, Ireland is the captive and the backstop is the ransom." https://t.co/tGnmhUVnV6
https://www.ft.com/content/eaae31b2-c004-11e9-9381-78bab8a70848?segmentId=635a35f9-12b4-dbf5-9fe6-6b8e6ffb143e
"There is of course this to concentrate on:-"
El Dorado (pronounced [el do'?aðo], English: /??l d?'r??do?/; Spanish for "the golden one"), originally El Hombre Dorado ("The Golden Man") or El Rey Dorado ("The Golden King"), was the term used by the Spanish Empire to describe a mythical tribal chief (zipa) of the Muisca people, an indigenous people of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense of Colombia, who, as an initiation rite, covered himself with gold dust and submerged in Lake Guatavita. The legends surrounding El Dorado changed over time, as it went from being a man, to a city, to a kingdom, and then finally to an empire.
A second location for El Dorado was inferred from rumors, which inspired several unsuccessful expeditions in the late 1500s in search of a city called Manõa on the shores of Lake Parime. Two of the most famous of these expeditions were led by Sir Walter Raleigh. In pursuit of the legend, Spanish conquistadors and numerous others searched Colombia, Venezuela, and parts of Guyana and northern Brazil for the city and its fabulous king. In the course of these explorations, much of northern South America, including the Amazon River, was mapped. By the beginning of the 19th century, most people dismissed the existence of the city as a myth.[1]
Several literary works have used the name in their titles, sometimes as "El Dorado", and other times as "Eldorado".
https://m.miningweekly.com/article/berkeley-opens-new-office-hunts-for-new-ceo-2019-07-11
Supreme Court allows Virginia to block mining of nation's largest uranium deposit https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/1437391001?__twitter_impression=true
Flamanville, the new nuclear plant under construction in northern France, was intended as the showcase for the EPR but it is now more than eight years late and more than €7bn over budget. The EPR at Hinkley Point in Somerset is also years behind schedule and even more expensive. If and when Hinkley finally comes on-stream, British consumers will be burdened for decades with the price of the electricity produced there index-linked for 35 years from the exorbitant level of £92.50 per megawatt hour originally set in 2013. The crucial economic problem for the industry is that the high cost of new nuclear has become more visible because of the sharp fall in the costs of wind and solar power over the past decade. With storage technology also advancing, large-scale alternative supplies of low-carbon energy are becoming available which carry none of the construction risks associated with nuclear plants. Consumers and politicians may not understand all the complexities of the energy business but they do understand prices, just as investors know that construction delays and cost overruns mean lower returns. The financial problems associated with Flamanville and Hinkley Point have probably done more damage to the prospects of nuclear power than Fukushima. The authors of the IEA report take no account of the potential for either wind or solar to continue to fall in cost and, with storage, to be able to provide large volumes of low-cost low-carbon energy in the future. The report does not mention the trend towards distributed supplies of electric power which is reducing the need for large-scale centralised production. Clearly, if nuclear does fade major investment in other sources of supply and in the transmission system will be needed but the IEA’s conclusion relies on a series of negative assumptions about the development of renewables. A nuclear fade is perfectly possible and could come more rapidly than predicted by the IEA. But it is also perfectly manageable. The shift to a low-carbon economy will come when technology produces low-cost power that is competitive against all other potential sources. If nuclear can do that it will win. But if it remains uncompetitive, a fade is inevitable. The writer is an energy commentator for the FT and chair of The Policy Institute at King’s College London Copyright The Financial Times Limited . All rights reserved. Please don't copy articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web
Nuclear power will fade unless it becomes more competitive The high cost of such energy has become far more visible over the past decade A man is checked for radiation after Japan’s 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster © EPA June 10, 2019 4:00 am by Nick Butler Nuclear power is in danger of fading away as a significant source of electricity supply. The fade will be gradual but is already evident in Germany and the US and the trend is likely to be followed in France, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland and Belgium. In many other areas, existing plants are ageing and while the working lives of some stations will be extended many may not be replaced. In some cases the process will take decades — in France it will start in the 2030s and South Korean plans stretch to 2060. The rate of decline in the US will be determined by court action against subsidies to the nuclear sector and by attempts to change existing legislation to limit support for renewables. These shifts will be balanced in part by growth in China and India and perhaps in the Middle East. In Japan, the industry will recover some market share as plants closed after the Fukushima disaster reopen. However, the trend is clear: nuclear will provide a gradually reducing share of total global energy demand. The authors of a new report from the International Energy Agency spell out what is happening in detail and regard the fade (their phrase) as deeply regrettable — a surprising conclusion from an organisation that is usually impeccably neutral between different technologies. Their view is driven by the assumption that nuclear power is essential to the energy transition and the move to a lower carbon economy. Nuclear could certainly be part of that process but, as the report makes clear, there are several good reasons why neither consumers nor investors are rushing to take the nuclear option. Serious accidents from Three Mile Island in the US in 1979 to Fukushima in 2011 raise the perception of risk. In normal operations nuclear is a safe source of power. But the record of accidents, each accompanied by confusion and poor communication by industry and governments, has undermined public confidence. The new drama documentary on Chernobyl being screened by Sky Atlantic will only reinforce the concerns. The sector’s problems are not limited to fear — rational or irrational. Economics are equally important. The imposition of gold-plated regulations that fail to recognise different levels of risk is one barrier. But the real issue lies with the industry. Standardised programmes of nuclear development using relatively simple reactors can be very cost effective and have provided the basis for the success of the industry in France in the past and now in China. Those in the business have, however, been tempted into developing large-scale reactors such as the European Pressurized Reactor whose construction is complex. Flamanville, the
Nuclear power will fade unless it becomes more competitive https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.ft.com/content/1db5e55c-8845-11e9-97ea-05ac2431f453 Nuclear power is in danger of fading away as a significant source of electricity supply. The fade will be gradual but is already evident in Germany and the US and the trend is likely to be followed in France, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland and Belgium. In many other areas, existing plants are ageing and while the working lives of some stations will be extended many may not be replaced.
Thousands protest against uranium mine in Spain Spanish media are reporting that between 3,000 and 5,000 people hailing from different cities in Spain, as well as from Portugal and France, rallied this weekend in Salamanca to express their rejection to a uranium mine being built in the Retortillo municipality. Talking to local journalists, the activists said they decided to march this weekend to take advantage of the current political atmosphere, shaken by the designation of Pedro Sánchez as the new Prime Minister following the corruption scandal that led to Mariano Rajoy’s firing through a vote of no confidence. Uranium exploitation in Salamanca would have serious environmental impacts both in Spain and Portugal. The project does not make economic sense because of low uranium prices, because it would create very few job opportunities for the local people and because the trend in Europe is to shut down these types of mines due to the dangerous pollution they cause. BKY FUERA DE SALAMANCA
The project was granted preliminary approval by a prior government in early 2013 but has since faced stiff local opposition with between 3,000-5,000 people reportedly rallied against Salamanca in June, soon after the People's Party government was ousted following a no-confidence motion over corruption concerns. Local cattle ranchers are concerned stigma associated with the mine will kill their industry, and there are concerns radioactive material could contaminate local water supplies. The Socialists are also aiming to close Spain's aging nuclear plants when they reach their end of life at 40 years of age. "The government will wait for the ongoing proceedings to go through but it will say no,"
July 12, 2017 Berkeley Energia is pleased to announce a key milestone in the construction of the Salamanca mine, following the delivery of the primary crusher to site. ....... May 31, 2019 The crusher has been removed to an unknown destination. Decommission of the site reaches a key milestone. Bye bye BKY. FUERA DE SALAMANCA!