The Impact of New Nuclear at Bradwell...

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Living with the local Bradwell Nuclear Dump...

On Friday September 23rd 2016 Essex County Council voted to allow Magnox Limited to move intermediate level nuclear waste from their Sizewell and Dungeness nuclear power stations into the new storage facility to the east of the Bradwell reactor buildings just across the water from Mersea.

The experience of watching the Development and Regulation Committee (think Planning) consider the application swung between watching your sports team playing far better than the opposition yet still conceding against the run of play and a weird, dark drama where the truth is subverted in deference to the Party line by deliberately missing a penalty.

Essentially this application is for a lifting of the planning restrictions the same Council voted for just 4 years ago ie: that the Interim Storage Facility (ISF) could only contain Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) from Bradwell’s own decommissioning processes.

After a lengthy submission by the Planning Officer opportunities were given for pre booked presentations for and against the proposal which could last for only three minutes. First to go was BANNG's Barry Turner who ably delivered a compelling romp through the inconsistencies in the documentation. This was followed by Mrs Judy Lea, from the Maldon area, who gently made emotive points that conveyed the seriousness of the impact this would have. There then followed two brief pitches for the proposal from Magnox and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA - keep up!) which were astonishingly poor in delivery, conviction and believability.

Thereafter the debate was conducted solely by the councillors with Mersea resident Cllr John Jowers (Conservative Party) giving a remarkable sermon in full support of his constituency passionately condemning the proposal. Then, inexplicably, as he neared the end of his contribution confessed he felt bound to vote for the proposal on the grounds of a ‘quasi judicial issue’ simply because it would eventually go through on appeal from Magnox. Astonishing!

The Mersea posse was stunned along with representatives from Tollesbury and Maldon. Furthermore Cllr Jowers was given the impression that the radioactive discharges into the river arising from the Fuel Element Debris (FED) dissolution process have finished. This is fundamentally both erroneous and deeply concerning in that this was not corrected, at the time, by the Planning Officer. I would like to think this would have enabled a vote more in line with conviction rather than acquiescence to national government ‘policy’.

Next to speak was Cllr James Abbott (Green Party) who made specific requests to establish where the data was in the application to support the generic claims made on Climate Change aspects comparing effects of transport versus buildings. This was bounced back to the planning officer who effectively dismissed these points on the basis that Magnox had done their homework, therefore it was fine and also, in his opinion, it was ‘basic common sense’.

Cllr Michael Mackrory (Liberal Democrat Party) also made considered points including drawing reasonable conclusions on the potential high level of risk from the caution given about time windows to transport the ILW containers through villages in the Dengie. Furthermore he was concerned about project creep as he considered members only granted the original permission because of the condition they were now being asked to rescind. Cllr Colin Seagers (Conservative Party) suggested that actually an amount of ‘aforethought’ was Magnox’s ‘intent always to use this as additional storage for other sites’ at the time of the original planning application. Amongst other contributions Cllr Sue Lissimore (Conservative Party) also made a pitch that aligned herself with Cllr Jowers and said she was not comfortable with abstaining... and then abstained.

So respect to Cllrs Abbott and Mackrory for having the spine to vote in line with the courage of their convictions, the laws of physics and putting people above political and fiscal expediency. For the BANNG team I travelled with and yours truly it was both shocking and disappointing. However, on reflection that personal disappointment is tempered with the determination to do much more…

We all know that what looms on the horizon is massive, let’s choose to sing in perfect harmony… all together now “there may be trouble ahead”.

Peter Banks - First appeared in the Mersea Island Courier 2nd October 2016

Click here to hear full audio from Essex County Council website

Colchester Green Electric Car Event

We had a great time at the Colchester and District Green Party's EV Workshop in and outside the impressive Firstsite Art Gallery. Check out the video above from one of our Q & A contributors James Cooke.

An unexpected delight was fellow EV car drivers turning up and aligning their cars alongside the display models, an embodiment of a like minded community!

Here are some further links to websites and commentators we mentioned during the presentations:

Darren Smith's featured car, Nissan LEAF: 
https://www.nissan.co.uk/vehicles/new-vehicles/leaf.html

James Cooke’s YouTube Channel: 
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDKtaH6RMcn22L3_ArtDBgw

Tesla Motors UK: https://www.tesla.com/en_GB/

Robert Llewellyn’s TEDx talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l_cIAxRc9U

Fully Charged YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/fullychargedshow

Electric Highway: https://www.ecotricity.co.uk/for-the-road/our-electric-highway

UK Grid displays: http://www.mygridgb.co.uk/
(alternative http://gridwatch.co.uk/ for more detail but excludes Solar)

I've had a few requests for more information on my own LEAF purchase and am more than happy to share the figures if you get in touch.

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After The Fire Spotify Chart (for statistics nerds)

Position	Title	Album	Label	12/09/2016
1	Der Kommissar	DK	CBS	1,003,100
2	1980-F	DK	CBS	91,113
3	One Rule For You	DK	CBS	22,792
4	Laser Love	DK	CBS	9,769
5	1984-F	AT2F	AA	8,849
6	Who's Gonna Love You?	DK	CBS	8,121
7	Joy	DK	CBS	7,247
8	Rich Boys	DK	CBS	6,486
9	Starflight	DK	CBS	6,391
10	Dancng in the Shadows	DK	CBS	4,890
11	Love will always make you cry	DK	CBS	4,627
12	Frozen Rivers	DK	CBS	4,578
13	Billy, Billy	DK	CBS	4,454
14	Sailing Ship	DK	CBS	3,411
15	Bright Lights	BBC	AA	2,218
16	Life in the City	BBC	AA	2,102
17	Dance of the Marionette	SoC	AA	1,896
18	Suspended Animation	BBC	AA	1,544
19	Cariba	AT2F	AA	1,470
20	A Little Sun, A Little Rain	BBC	AA	1,375
21	Back to the Light	SoC	AA	1,344
22	Now that I've Found	SoC	AA	1,308
23	Time to Think	BBC	AA	1,229
24	Step by Step	AT2F	AA	1,170
25	Signs of Change	SoC	AA	1,169
26	Like the Power of a Jet	BBC	AA	1,103
27	Pilgrim	SoC	AA	1,060
	ATF post 2005
28	Der Kommissar (re-recorded & remastered)	Single	AA/Cleo	362,551
29	Der Kommissar	OR	RMX	14,400
30	Sometimes	OR	RMX	2,781
31	1980-F	GB+	AA	1,942
32	One Rule For You	OR	RMX	1,710
33	Dungeon Ghyl	OR	RMX	1,497
34	High Fashion	OR	RMX	1,471
35	Laser Love	OR	RMX	1,212
36	Dancing in the Shadows	OR	RMX	1,129
37	You	OR	RMX	1,039

Label Key: CBS = CBS / Epic / Sony : AA = Angel Air Records : Cleo = Cleopatra : RMX = Roughmix

Over the weekend (10th Sept 2016) Der Kommissar went past 1 million plays - so a statistic like that gets me going! Certainly the songs that were singles do well, but there are notable absences that were popular live.

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Colchester Green Party Electric Car Event...

Electric Car / Vehicle (EV) Workshop

public event – all welcome

Sunday 18th September 2016 at 3pm - finish 5pm

Firstsite : Lewis Gardens : High Street : CO1 1JH

Forum and Q & A on Air Quality, Myths and Visions

Darren Smith - EV Advocate Glyn Hopkin Nissan

Test drives (pre-book with greens@mband.co.uk)

twitter.com/ColcGreenParty
eastern.greenparty.org.uk/colchester-green-party

www.facebook.com/colchestergreenparty

This Colchester GP event could not take place without the generous support of Glyn Hopkin Nissan

Never mind the Batteries…

Myths and Mysteries - The Electric Car - Future or Fallacy?

So let me fess up straight away, my name is Peter Banks, I drive an electric car and, since my conversion, I want to share the good news about EVs (Electric Vehicles) with everyone! So am I biased? Of course! My carbon footprint is less, I am now practising what I preach and I’m saving money. Whilst the last point will be highly important to many, for me making a personal, yet token, action towards saving the planet is reason enough.

My second confession is I have been concerned about our environment for some time and nailed my colours to the mast by joining the Green Party in 2008. Sadly, in this country, addressing climate change is not given the urgent and critical priority it warrants.

So, how did I get here?

Until recently I drove a diesel car, rather than a petrol version, because I was led to believe that was the most environmental option. In September 2015 I was horrified to discover it could have far worse emissions than specified after the ‘Diesel Gate’ revelations. When I started the tricky task of researching my next car the massive amount of jargon and rhetoric was overwhelming to my non petrol head grey matter! Then came the epiphany...

From a Twitter post I followed a link to a talk by Robert Llewellyn, he of Red Dwarf and Scrapheap Challenge fame, and a clearer light started to dawn. Whilst he now has his own YouTube channel, Fully Charged, all about news relating to EVs, it was his TEDx talk, as above, that summarised his own journey. Whilst he claims not to be a scientist, and he is shockingly poor at mental arithmetic, his layman’s approach to explaining sometimes difficult concepts in straightforward, non jargonised language - with a generous helping of humour - is compelling.

Unfortunately there is much mis-information bandied about concerning Electric Cars, ostensibly referred to as research, which, on closer inspection, proves to be data provided by vested interests in the status quo, aka the fossil fuel industry. So let’s banish five myths to start with.

Myth One - EVs are slow

Essentially petrol and diesel engines utilise Victorian technology. They employ the same principle as a good old Steam Locomotive: pistons, cylinders, valves and connecting rods but obviously use a more efficient fuel. Now, despite fossil fuels being very energy dense, electric cars do not have to convert energy to such extremes: the battery powers a motor that drives the wheels which is highly efficient and makes them extremely nippy. In fact the prestige Tesla cars can achieve an impressive 0-60 mph performance of under 3 seconds!


Myth Two - EVs are expensive

Yes, the List prices of EVs are higher than an equivalent petrol or diesel car, however, there is currently a £4500 pound government sponsored discount, zero road tax, no congestion charges and, along with manufacturer's deals, this actually makes the cost competitive. On top of all that even if you have a relatively low mileage of say 20 miles a day (the average daily car commute is 26 miles) you will save £1600 per year!

Myth Three - EVs are heavier and cause more pollution

I could think of ruder words but let’s just go with ‘Tosh’! Come on, they are NOT heavier than trucks, buses or heavier than thou 4 x 4s for goodness sake?! EVs utilise something called Regenerative Braking which reverses the use of the motor to slow the car down whilst also recharging the battery. Similar to changing gears to slow down it means brake wear is much less and, taking Tesla, Nissan and BMW, for example, their manufacturing plants have each committed to providing renewable energy on site. Another challenge raised is that the electricity when charging is never ‘Green’. Well, even if all electricity used l was non-renewable, CO2 emissions are reduced by more than 50%, and we are producing more electricity from renewable energy all the time – although we could do more!

Myth Four - If everyone drove EVs the Grid couldn’t cope

The founder of Ecotricity has carried out detailed research and the numbers are such that if every car in the UK was an EV an increase of 12% of grid capacity would be required. However most charging is carried out at home overnight when the demand on the grid is at its lowest which actually helps reduce the overall costs of shutting down power stations and turbines to reduce output. On top of this the massive amount of electricity used to refine crude oil to diesel or petrol would be recovered.

Myth Five -The batteries might explode

I’ll make this one short! Batteries can overheat but there is sophisticated technology to cool and control that. So how long have you driven a car around with a far more explosive medium just behind you? Petrol / diesel cars are all potential bombs…

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There’s so much more I could share - suffice to say I am entering an exciting new world which fulfils my environmentalist standpoint and is proving to be a very pleasant pilgrimage!

You can share the start of this journey at 3pm Sunday, September 18th in FirstSite, Colchester. CO1 1JH. The Colchester Green Party are holding an Electric Vehicle Workshop with a Guest Speaker Darren Smith from Glyn Hopkin Nissan, daily video blogger James Cooke and yours truly in the Chair. Electric Vehicles will be on display and you can even sign up for a test drive.


First published in the Regional Life magazines - used with permission and with minor edits!
Ref: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l_cIAxRc9U Robert Llewellyn on TEDx

The Bradwell Baffle

The recent contrasting news concerning Hinkley Point C is paradoxical for the possible Bradwell B new build. The local protest groups will have been put into even more uncertainty than ever before, no news is, well, no news! One thing for sure is that there will be even more delay.

From the Government’s perspective let’s look at what Hinkley is supposed to provide before we examine the points in greater detail:

• 7% of UK electricity
• Energy security
• Clean energy (?!)
• Employment

What they fail to mention which the environmentalists and the media has picked up on are:

• The astronomical build cost
• Use of 20th century technology
• Similar reactors in France and Finland overdue, overspent and still not working
• Massive cost to the taxpayer
• Potential delays
• Long term costs
• National security

However, the last minute U-turn has some additional implications that need exploration.

Tom Burke, Chairman of E3G and a former government environmental adviser suggests there must be something substantial over and above the known potential issues that has caused this ‘dislocation’. Having pointed out that Theresa May was out of the country when the pause button was hit giving added credence to there being something major involved he also feels that it is high time for a ‘proper, decent forensic examination’ into ‘the assumptions with which this project has been brought forward’. This is backed up by the government’s official statement given by the new business and energy Greg Clark ‘wanted to consider carefully all the component parts of this project’.

Local lobbyist BANNG has led on the notion that Bradwell B, as a pure Chinese new build using their Hualong One reactors, has always been the carrot to entice the deep pocket Chinese investment in both Hinkley and Sizewell. This was highlighted on BBC’s Newsnight program recently along with detail of the McKinsey & Co report for the DECC in 2012 that capturing full electricity efficiency could provide a six fold yield of Hinkley Point C.

The National Grid is moving deeper into a Smart Grid where the response to fluctuating demand has to be swifter than that of a nuclear or coal fired power stations. Currently the biggest component of the UK’s electricity mix is generated using gas, right now at the point of writing this sentence viewing gridwatch.co.uk that is a colossal 55.9%.

And here’s the rub. Whilst the latest type of gas generation utilises efficient and responsive Combined Cycle Gas Turbines (CCGT) the UK is neither energy secure (around 50% of gas is imported) or less fossil fuel dependent. This is a key reason the current and previous governments see the answer as Nuclear despite the high initial cost and creation of long term waste storage problems.

There are even more prudent nuclear alternatives than the giant and costly proposals such as Hinkley. The government has invested £250 million into research and support of SMRs, Small Modular Reactors, that would be built in a factory and shipped to site. The trouble is, as with so much of nuclear technology, it is still 20th century, unproven and will provide a legacy of waste for our descendants.

So how to proceed? The UK has the most wind in Europe. On shore wind farms are the lowest cost means of providing electricity and along with the substantial offshore wind farms wind power will provide some of the mix. Being an island nation, tidal power must be another element of the energy equation. Solar farms and domestic solar installations both save the load on the grid and feed back units. These would all provide more employment, too, each system with a much lower maintenance requirement.

However, it will be efficiency coupled with far less consumption that will be the biggest factor along with improvement in battery storage that will move us in the direction of a fossil free future.

Article first appeared in the Mersea Island Courier 7th August 2016

Peter Banks - Colchester Green Party - Written August 1st 2016

Hallelujah, new use for abandoned power plant!

Rufus Wainwright joins a 1500 voice choir in a disused power station in Toronto give a moving rendition of Leonard Cohen's anthem 'Hallelujah'. Of course, Rufus knows the song well, one of the soundtrack highlights in Shrek... and the phrase "The Secret Chord" forms the title of Jonathan Evens and my book.

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Robert Llewellyn on Hinkley Point C madness...

This very clever chap famous for his role as Kryten in Red Dwarf and as a presenter of Scrapheap Challenge has a YouTube channel devoted to mainly electric cars along with presentations about environmental issues. Whilst he professes to be a Nuclear Power supporter but this excellent and entertaining short film tackles head on the lunacy about Hinkley Point which will be of great interest to local Mersea bods.

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Green Party standing up for Mersea & Pyefleet

Candidates and Mersea residents Lisa and Peter

Mersea Island and villages in the Ward face unique challenges in addition to those of Colchester Borough. The ridiculous decision of the Chancellor to build a new nuclear power station at Bradwell to be designed and operated by the Chinese has energised the population to protest. Furthermore, despite the Tory government’s undermining of renewable energy, sustainable electricity generation in the UK has now reached 24.7% and increasing. Why should we rely on nuclear power for future energy supplies?

Colchester Green Party actively supports campaigns against the dissolution of Fuel Element Debris (FED) at Bradwell and subsequent discharges of radioactive residue into the shallow Blackwater estuary. The authorities have a duty to leave a clean, safe environment for our children, grandchildren and beyond. Local fishermen and conservationists share these concerns.

The local elections this May 5th are unusual due to the ward changes and you will each have 3 votes to choose 3 councillors. The Green Party has 3 candidates standing in our ward:

• Lisa Britton (Mersea)
• Peter Banks (Mersea)
• Bartosz Mizgier (Colchester)

Vote Green to demonstrate your desire for change; for a clean, green environment and a caring community.

Locally we need:

• Renewable energy sources and subsidies
• Revival of the Cycle Highway to Colchester outlined in the Mersea Appraisal
• Fair-Fare & eco-friendly bus services
• Appropriate infrastructure suitable to support new and affordable housing
• Sustainable and ethically managed industries

What we don’t want:

• A new nuclear power station
• Lack of transparency re dismantling processes of Bradwell Power Station
• More nuclear industry waste storage at Bradwell
• Any radioactive discharges into the Blackwater and atmosphere arising from FED dissolution

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Promoted by Robbie Spence on behalf of Lisa Britton, Peter Banks and Bartosz Mizgier
Colchester & District Green Party, all at 124 Morant Road, Colchester CO1 2JD

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Only the Greens think this is ****** crazy

Welcome to the world of safe, environmentally secure Shale Gas Extraction... and remember taxpayers will pick up the bill when things go pear shaped.

Vote Green!

Seeing Green...

So I was asked to stand as a candidate for the Green Party in the Colchester Borough Council election coming up on 5th May 2016... I said 'Yes'... here's a summary of 'Why Me?' thoughts:

Yes, I was born and bred an Islander, albeit on the Isle of Wight, and first visited Mersea in the 60s before moving here permanently in 2002. I feel a deep sense of belonging to the Borough, this island and am passionate about the need for greener, renewable energy, sustainable businesses and lifestyles.

In the ward of Mersea and Pyefleet we live directly in the lee of Bradwell Power Station. Currently the station is being decommissioned and dismantled with completion dates repeatedly shifting from 2015 through to 2019 and possibly even further. The issues in the process have meant that the highly radioactive reactor cores have had to be encased in-situ which means that they, along with the Intermediate-Level Waste (ILW) store, it will be on our doorstep for the next century or so. Another part of this process is dissolution of fuel element debris (FED) which results in a discharge of radioactive residue, after treatment with nitric acid, directly into the Blackwater and Tritium into the atmosphere. As the river and estuary are relatively shallow it means this radioactive effluent will travel back and forth in the Blackwater for many tides before dispersion, promoting continued local community objections. Additionally the trapping of eddies of effluent in the mud creeks and saltings strengthens and concentrates this waste for longer still.

It is now being proposed that ILW from other sites should be transferred to Bradwell, which will make the site a regional waste store OR would not only increase the amount of waste on the site but, more importantly, the amount of radioactivity.

Entrust the role of councillor to me and I will work with local agencies and protest groups to prevent this. Groups such as:

• FAB - Fight Against Bradwell (closed Facebook Group - apply to view)
• MIEA - Mersea Island Environmental Alliance
• BANNG - Blackwater Against New Nuclear Group
• Save Mersea Harbour
• Blackwater Guardians

Since entering parliament in 2010 Green Party MP Caroline Lucas has been extraordinarily diligent in her efforts to ensure public views are represented. I would do the same for Mersea. You will already know me through my involvement in HM Coastguard (to 2015), the Parish Church and other voluntary groups and activities. As one who contributes towards the creative arts I am well qualified to encourage culture and aspiration for all to enjoy the fruits of our labours.

Let’s join together and make the world a better and more joyful place for us and the generations to come can enjoy.

P

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Promoted by Robbie Spence on behalf of Lisa Britton, Peter Banks and Bartosz Mizgier
Colchester & District Green Party, all at 124 Morant Road, Colchester CO1 2JD

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Happy St Patrick's Day...

Try singing along to one of the greatest hymns ever (if you can keep up!!)

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