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Mini Nukes Can Fix Britain’s Energy Woes

Mini nukes can fix Britain’s energy woes

Britain’s energy crunch has a clear and immediate cause – namely, a sudden surge in international gas prices. But the underlying problems exposed by what is now a serious crisis-in-the-making have been building up for years.

The UK’s combined choices, over decades in fact, regarding energy market design, price controls, gas-led power generation and the push for renewables have this week been shown to be sorely lacking.

Successive governments have sought reliable and affordable domestic and commercial energy supplies, while wanting to lower emissions. The tension between those objectives has now been laid bare by spiralling gas prices.

The price of wholesale gas over recent years has averaged around 50p per therm. Yet since early 2021, soaring post-lockdown demand and sluggish supplies have seen prices skyrocket over 400pc. But so far, at least, price caps have, for the most part, kept customers’ utility bill increases in check.

The mismatch between soaring costs and flat revenues means numerous energy companies are now folding – particularly those who bet the wrong way, not using forward markets to hedge against dearer gas. Until recently, there were around 50 UK retail energy suppliers. By the end of this crisis, there could be as few as 10.

Several times last week, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng insisted the Britain won’t, as the nights draw in and temperatures drops, face 1970s style power cuts. There is “absolutely no question of the lights going out,” he said. A former Energy Minister, Kwarteng has a good knowledge of the industry and the UK’s broader energy complex. But one hopes – and not only for his sake – these words don’t come back to bite.

While the UK still relies on gas for around 40pc of our electricity generation, we have scant gas storage capacity. Since the closure of the Rough facility off the Yorkshire coast in 2017, we’ve operated a “just in time” approach to gas procurement – effectively relying on Germany, the Netherlands and other nations for our storage needs.

Around half our gas supply is domestically produced, with another fifth pumped via the Langeled pipeline from Norway – seen as an ultra-reliable source. But if a harsh winter and supply crunch causes blackouts and stoppages in mainland Europe, Britain’s reliance on cross-channel interconnectors will become all too apparent.

Certain geopolitical pressure should be considered on top of that. Around two-fifths of Western Europe’s gas comes from Russia – at a time when Moscow wants European Union approval for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline bringing Russian gas to the EU via the Baltic Sea rather than Ukraine. And it’s less than a year since President Emmanuel Macron threatened Britain with an energy embargo if he didn’t get his way over some aspect of new UK-EU fishing arrangements.

With the European mainland itself seriously vulnerable to gas-market disruption, UK gas storage capacity is vital. Yet we now have less than 10 terawatt hours of stored reserves, compared to 75 in the Netherlands, 113 in France, 148 in Germany and 166 in Italy.

Renewables account for around 20-25pc of UK electricity production – but are intermittent, subject to weather vagaries. Given all that, despite Kwarteng’s assurances, we can’t be sure outages will be entirely avoided.

What’s clear is that some combination of a higher retail price cap – more expensive bills for households – and/or government bailouts of energy firms is now in the offing. This energy crunch is also most definitely refocusing attention on atomic energy – not as a source of immediate relief, but as part of a solution to achieving broader energy security.

The UK has around 10 operational nuclear power stations, generating almost a fifth of our electricity. Most of them are run by EDF, majority-owned by the French government – yet another reason Macron’s embargo threats are absurd.

Back in 2018, the Government’s National Infrastructure Commission suggested just one more major nuclear facility should be built beyond the new plant EDF is building at Hinkley Point in Somerset ­– even though all the UK’s existing operational plants are due to be decommissioned by 2035.

This time last year, Hitachi walked away from plans to build a plant in Anglesey, citing the “severe” investment environment created by Covid. This followed Toshiba abandoning plans for a new nuclear facility in Cumbria in 2018. On top of this, when Boris Johnson outlined his 10-point plan for a green industrial revolution in November, he didn’t even mention large-scale nuclear reactors.

While some environmental purists shun atomic energy, the industry’s hugely improved safety record means nuclear can make a major contribution to decarbonisation – “filling the renewables gap when the when the wind doesn’t blow”. Wind power, while accounting for almost a quarter of UK electricity last year, remains expensive, as well as unreliable.

Britain pioneered domestic nuclear energy – when the Calder Hall plant opened in 1956. By the mid-1960s, more nuclear power was generated here than the whole of the rest of the world put together. Since then, we seem to have lost our atomic expertise, relying not just on EDF, but nuclear operators from the US, Japan and elsewhere. This must now change.

Since this energy crisis intensified last week, it has emerged the UK government is in talks with America’s Westinghouse to build the planned large-scale reactor on Anglesey. Any deal, ahead of November’s Cop26 climate change conference, would be presented as part of efforts to reduce the UK’s carbon emissions to net zero by 2050.

Such a plant could become operational in the mid-2030s and generate power for 6m of the UK’s 30m or so homes.

That surely makes sense.

One downside is that a Westinghouse deal could scupper the Welsh government’s plans to use the same Anglesey site to house a small-scale nuclear reactor designed by Rolls-Royce. Such small modular facilities have yet to be approved by Britain’s regulatory authorities. But this looming winter energy scare, even if Kwarteng is right and “the lights stay on”, should surely provide a spur to speed up such approval.

Sites should also be found for more of the Rolls-Royce modular plants – as part of a broader effort to re-establish Britain’s domestic nuclear expertise, as we take vital steps to enhance our energy security.

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Health

No cases of Ebola virus disease yet in Nigeria — NCDC

Following the fresh outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in Uganda, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), in collaboration with relevant ministries, departments, agencies, and partners through the National Emerging Viral Hemorrhagic Diseases (EVHD) Technical Working Group, has continued to monitor disease occurrences and has initiated measures to strengthen preparedness in the country.

According to a circular issued by the Director General of the NCDC, Dr. Jide Idris, strategies already implemented include updating the EVD emergency contingency plan, heightened surveillance, especially at points of entry, and optimizing diagnostic capacity for EVD testing in designated laboratories in cities with international airports and at the National Reference Laboratory.

“In addition, all Lassa fever testing laboratories can be activated to scale up testing if the need arises,” the statement added.

Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is a severe and often fatal illness caused by the Ebola virus, with a fatality rate of 25–90%.

There are five distinct species of the virus: Bundibugyo, Zaire (the most fatal strain, responsible for most EVD outbreaks, including the 2014–2016 outbreak in West Africa), Reston, Tai Forest, and Sudan (responsible for the outbreak in Uganda).

The infection is transmitted from animals to humans, with human-to-human transmission occurring through direct contact with body fluids (blood, saliva, vomit, urine, feces, sweat, breast milk, and semen) of an infected person, contaminated objects, or infected animals such as fruit bats, chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys, porcupines, and forest antelope.

The virus can also be transmitted through contact with wildlife and unsafe burial practices.

The incubation period—i.e., the time from exposure to the development of symptoms—ranges from 2 to 21 days. During an outbreak, those at the highest risk of infection include healthcare workers, family members, and others in close contact with infected or deceased patients.

EVD symptoms include the sudden onset of high fever, headache, body aches, muscle pain, weakness, vomiting, and diarrhea.

According to the NCDC, Nigerians are urged to strictly adhere to the following preventive measures:

“Practice good hand hygiene – Wash your hands regularly with soap under running water or use hand sanitizers when soap and water are not readily available.

“Avoid physical contact with anyone who has symptoms of an infection with an unknown diagnosis.

“Avoid the consumption of bush meat, particularly bats and non-human primates, which are known reservoirs of the Ebola virus. And if you have to, ensure that such is properly prepared and cooked before consumption.

“Avoid direct contact with the blood, saliva, vomit, urine, and other bodily fluids of suspected or confirmed EVD cases.

“If you or someone you know (with a travel history to any country with Ebola cases) experiences symptoms of EVD enumerated above, call 6232 or your State Ministry of Health hotline IMMEDIATELY for guidance.”

In its advise to health workers, the centre declared: “Our Healthcare workers are advised to maintain a high index of suspicion for EVD in their encounter with their patients. In the management of a suspected or confirmed case of EVD:

Calling for the strict isolation of the patients, the center cautioned Nigerians to: “Adhere strictly to infection prevention and control (IPC) measures, including the use of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) like face masks, hand gloves, appropriate gowns etc.

“Report suspected cases immediately to the NCDC or State Ministry of Health for appropriate response and management.”

“In the travel guide advise given, the center declared: “Though the WHO advises against any restrictions to travel and/or trade to Uganda, the NCDC advises Nigerian citizens and residents to AVOID ALL BUT ESSENTIAL TRAVEL to countries with confirmed cases of the Ebola Virus Disease.

“Persons already in Nigeria but with recent travel history to or transit through countries with Ebola cases in the last 21 days who experience symptoms such as fever, muscle pain, sore throat, diarrhoea, weakness, vomiting, stomach pain, or unexplained bleeding or bruising should adhere to the following guidelines:

“Promptly call 6232 or State Ministry of Health hotlines for assessment and testing.

“Shelter-in-place to avoid further spread through shared transport systems (public or private) until health authorities reach out.

“Await dedicated responders for assessment and possible transport to a designated treatment center if required.

“On our part, we will continue to strengthen surveillance across the country, including our borders and airports especially for travelers from affected areas; alerting our health workers to heighten their level of suspicion for suspected cases; enhancing our laboratory capacities for quick testing of suspected cases; as well coordination with the WHO and the African Regional Health Authorities to monitor developments and share critical information.

“As you are aware, we continue to manage several other disease outbreaks, like Lassa fever, Meningitis, Diphtheria, Mpox, Measles and Anthrax, ravaging our communities. We will continue to provide periodic updates on these.”

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Health

Only 6,000 medical consultants remain in Nigeria – MDCAN

The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, MDCAN, said only 6,000 consultants are left in the country.

MDCAN President, Prof. Muhammad Mohammad, said this on Thursday during the association’s National Executive Council, NEC meeting in Ilorin.

The meeting was themed, “Policy Making for Quality Healthcare Services: Engaging Policy Makers for Quality Healthcare Delivery.”

Mohammad explained that 6,000 consultants remain as of February 2024, lamenting that data showed that about 1,300 left Nigeria in the last five years.

According to him, the number will continue to dwindle as the retirement age for medical consultants is 60 years.

“About 1,700 consultants are above 55 years of age.

“This means that in the next five years, they are going to leave the services for retirement,” he said.

The MDCAN president emphasised that the number of consultants would continue to reduce, as long as the country produces only one or two per annum.

“So you can see that the replacement cannot keep up with the loss from ‘Japa’ syndrome and from retirement,” he said.

Mohammad commended the government for its efforts toward finding solutions to the challenges.

According to him, the association is hopeful that consultants will be able to serve up to 70 years, while other healthcare workers will continue to serve up to 65 years.

He noted that such a move would ensure that medical and dental consultants who remain in the country continue to give their expertise in the health field.

Mohammad also appealed to the government at all tiers to ensure medical lectures are placed on the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure, CONMESS, addressing disparities in their emoluments.

“We also want to have an environment where we will be able to practice and deliver the best quality healthcare in Nigeria,” he said.

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Health

AU Commission decries U.S. withdrawal from WHO

Moussa Faki, Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) has expressed dismay over announcement by the U.S. to withdraw from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The U.S. President, Donald Trump, had earlier on Monday announced that U.S. government will withdraw from the global health body, citing WHO’s mishandling of the COVID-19 outbreak from Wuhan, China and other health crisis.

Faki, the Chief Executive Officer, legal representative of the AU and the Commission’s Chief Accounting Officer, made this known in a statement by the mission on Thursday via its website.

Faki said, “The U.S. as a member of WHO was crucial in shaping global WHO instruments and norms on public health, security and well being over the past seven decades.

“In Africa, the U.S. was an early and strong supporter towards the establishment of Africa CDC, the African Union’s technical agency for public health emergencies.

“The agency works with WHO and the global WHO membership to detect, prepare for, respond to and recover from pandemics.

“Today, now more than ever, the world depends on WHO to carry out its mandate to ensure global public health security as a shared common good.

“It is therefore hoped that the U.S. government will reconsider its decision to withdraw from this key global organisation of which it is a founding member,” Faki said.

The Chairperson of the Commission is often elected by the AU General Assembly for a four-year term, renewable once to oversee the administration and finances; promoting and popularising the AU’s objectives.

Also, to enhance the Commission’s performance, consulting and coordinating with Member States, development partners, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), appointing and managing Commission staff, and act as depository for all AU and OAU treaties and legal instruments.

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