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US AND ITALY SIGN AGREEMENT ON CLEAN COAL - 23 MAY 2009
A day ahead of the opening of the G-8 summit of energy ministers in Rome, the United States and Italy signed a cooperation agreement on clean coal and carbon capture technology.
The accord on clean coal and carbon capture technology was the first signed by the United States with a foreign nation. U-S Energy Secretary Steven Chu said the problem of carbon capture has still not been resolved.
His Italian counterpart, Italy's Minister for Economic Development Claudio Scajola said the aim of the accord is to exchange know-how, coordinate joint projects, develop new technologies and identify sites to store carbon dioxide.
The bilateral energy meeting between the United States and Italy came one day ahead of the opening of the G-8 summit of energy ministers in Rome.
The Italian minister Claudio Scajola said this is the major energy event that is taking place in 2009, which accounts for 80 percent of all energy consumption and production in our world.
The theme of the meeting is: Beyond the crisis: towards a new world energy leadership.
Scajola says Italy is now developing a new energy policy and its goal is to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, to increase the production of renewables and to restart nuclear energy.
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said the United States generates 20 percent of its electricity with nuclear energy but the last nuclear power plant that was started was in the late 1970s and so there has been a long dry period where the United States has not begun to manufacture new plants. "We intend to begin to restart that industry to develop safer reactors, more economical reactors and again we are looking very much forward to working with Italy and other countries in restarting this industry," he said.
The two-day meeting will be attended by the G8 member countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. A total of 23 nations are taking part including emerging economies such as Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa. Also attending are 8 international organizations and 20 of the world's largest energy companies.
By Sabina Castelfranco
Rome
23 May 2009
The accord on clean coal and carbon capture technology was the first signed by the United States with a foreign nation. U-S Energy Secretary Steven Chu said the problem of carbon capture has still not been resolved.
His Italian counterpart, Italy's Minister for Economic Development Claudio Scajola said the aim of the accord is to exchange know-how, coordinate joint projects, develop new technologies and identify sites to store carbon dioxide.
The bilateral energy meeting between the United States and Italy came one day ahead of the opening of the G-8 summit of energy ministers in Rome.
The Italian minister Claudio Scajola said this is the major energy event that is taking place in 2009, which accounts for 80 percent of all energy consumption and production in our world.
The theme of the meeting is: Beyond the crisis: towards a new world energy leadership.
Scajola says Italy is now developing a new energy policy and its goal is to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, to increase the production of renewables and to restart nuclear energy.
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu said the United States generates 20 percent of its electricity with nuclear energy but the last nuclear power plant that was started was in the late 1970s and so there has been a long dry period where the United States has not begun to manufacture new plants. "We intend to begin to restart that industry to develop safer reactors, more economical reactors and again we are looking very much forward to working with Italy and other countries in restarting this industry," he said.
The two-day meeting will be attended by the G8 member countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. A total of 23 nations are taking part including emerging economies such as Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa. Also attending are 8 international organizations and 20 of the world's largest energy companies.
By Sabina Castelfranco
Rome
23 May 2009
RUSSIA MAY FACE WARS OVER ENERGY SAYS KREMLIN DOCUMENT - 14 MAY 2009
Russia may face wars on its borders in the near future over control of energy resources, a Kremlin document on security policy said Wednesday.
The paper did not name potential adversaries, but Russia, the world's biggest energy producer, shares a border of more than 3,600 km (2,250 miles) with resource-hungry China and a small sea border with the United States.
"In a competition for resources, problems that involve the use of military force cannot be excluded that would destroy the balance of forces close to the borders of the Russian Federation and her allies," said the document, which maps out Russia's security strategy until 2020.
"The attention of international politics in the long-term perspective will be concentrated on the acquisition of energy resources," the paper said.
It said regions where such a competition for resources could arise included the Middle East, the Barents Sea, the Arctic, the Caspian Sea and Central Asia. Russia also sees increased competition for food, fresh water and land.
The strategy document was approved by President Dmitry Medvedev Tuesday and published Wednesday by the Russian Security Council, which includes Russia's top politicians and intelligence chiefs and is chaired by Medvedev.
Russia, the world's largest producer of gas and second biggest exporter of oil, sees these resources as a way to revive its clout as an "energy superpower" after the chaos which accompanied the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union.
The paper did not name potential adversaries, but Russia, the world's biggest energy producer, shares a border of more than 3,600 km (2,250 miles) with resource-hungry China and a small sea border with the United States.
"In a competition for resources, problems that involve the use of military force cannot be excluded that would destroy the balance of forces close to the borders of the Russian Federation and her allies," said the document, which maps out Russia's security strategy until 2020.
"The attention of international politics in the long-term perspective will be concentrated on the acquisition of energy resources," the paper said.
It said regions where such a competition for resources could arise included the Middle East, the Barents Sea, the Arctic, the Caspian Sea and Central Asia. Russia also sees increased competition for food, fresh water and land.
The strategy document was approved by President Dmitry Medvedev Tuesday and published Wednesday by the Russian Security Council, which includes Russia's top politicians and intelligence chiefs and is chaired by Medvedev.
Russia, the world's largest producer of gas and second biggest exporter of oil, sees these resources as a way to revive its clout as an "energy superpower" after the chaos which accompanied the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union.
AT LAST THE WORLD IS SEEING THE SENSE OF CLEAN COAL - 10 MAY 2009
Unless we all. chooses to "fix what we've got" by making coal-fired power as clean as possible, the entire world could easily fail "the biggest challenge we've ever faced," Entergy Corp.'s chief executive officer said Friday.
Economics and China's rise as a global power are key pivot points in a time when mankind is trying to bring global warming under control, said J. Wayne Leonard to about 200 people gathered at the Statehouse Convention Center for Entergy's annual meeting.
At Entergy's 2005 annual meeting, also held in Little Rock, Leonard told many of those same people that nuclear power was "really the only way to go" in the 21st century because "we no longer can rely on natural gas."
Times have certainly changed. With the average total cost of a nuclear project around billion to billion, atomic power - despite its zero-emissions technology - is now "priced out of the market" in the U.S., he said.
Meanwhile, an uncharacteristic dip in natural gas prices saw Entergy save its 2.7 million customers - including 687,000 in Arkansas - about billion in 2008 by purchasing power on the open market, Leonard said.
Through similar analogies, Leonard argued that renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power - despite all their promise - have hidden costs that must be reduced in order to become viable.
"The price tag to build out wind power is estimated around 0 billion. That's not wind power itself [wind farms], just the grid," Leonard said, adding that grid modernization initiatives could push such costs as high as .2 trillion.
Yet if utilities and regulators focus on carbon reduction and capture technologies, harmful emissions can be reduced by at least 80 percent while saving the global economy nearly trillion, he said.
"Every component for [carbon sequestration] exists. It just needs to be put together," Leonard said. "It's estimated to be half the cost of any other alternative. There are hundreds of years of storage capacity. And there's not as much need for pipelines because most plants sit on top of storage areas."
Such a strategy also addresses China's push to build hundreds of new coal-fired power plants - plus as many as 100 new nuclear plants by 2030 - to fill the growing energy needs of more than 1.2 billion people, he said.
If other nations embrace carbon-capture solutions, perhaps China will too - reducing emissions that would otherwise go unchecked.
Even then, there are no guarantees, Leonard said.
"The hardest truth of all is that the U.S. no longer controls its destiny when it comes to something like this. ... Even if we shut down all of our power plants, China will do what it will no matter what," he said.
"China is the largest Englishspeaking nation in the world. It is also the biggest Internet user. They became the U.S. almost overnight, but without the lifestyle - and don't think they don't know it. They are part of 6 billion people in the East who resent having 1 billion people in the West tell them how to run their economy."
Economics and China's rise as a global power are key pivot points in a time when mankind is trying to bring global warming under control, said J. Wayne Leonard to about 200 people gathered at the Statehouse Convention Center for Entergy's annual meeting.
At Entergy's 2005 annual meeting, also held in Little Rock, Leonard told many of those same people that nuclear power was "really the only way to go" in the 21st century because "we no longer can rely on natural gas."
Times have certainly changed. With the average total cost of a nuclear project around billion to billion, atomic power - despite its zero-emissions technology - is now "priced out of the market" in the U.S., he said.
Meanwhile, an uncharacteristic dip in natural gas prices saw Entergy save its 2.7 million customers - including 687,000 in Arkansas - about billion in 2008 by purchasing power on the open market, Leonard said.
Through similar analogies, Leonard argued that renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power - despite all their promise - have hidden costs that must be reduced in order to become viable.
"The price tag to build out wind power is estimated around 0 billion. That's not wind power itself [wind farms], just the grid," Leonard said, adding that grid modernization initiatives could push such costs as high as .2 trillion.
Yet if utilities and regulators focus on carbon reduction and capture technologies, harmful emissions can be reduced by at least 80 percent while saving the global economy nearly trillion, he said.
"Every component for [carbon sequestration] exists. It just needs to be put together," Leonard said. "It's estimated to be half the cost of any other alternative. There are hundreds of years of storage capacity. And there's not as much need for pipelines because most plants sit on top of storage areas."
Such a strategy also addresses China's push to build hundreds of new coal-fired power plants - plus as many as 100 new nuclear plants by 2030 - to fill the growing energy needs of more than 1.2 billion people, he said.
If other nations embrace carbon-capture solutions, perhaps China will too - reducing emissions that would otherwise go unchecked.
Even then, there are no guarantees, Leonard said.
"The hardest truth of all is that the U.S. no longer controls its destiny when it comes to something like this. ... Even if we shut down all of our power plants, China will do what it will no matter what," he said.
"China is the largest Englishspeaking nation in the world. It is also the biggest Internet user. They became the U.S. almost overnight, but without the lifestyle - and don't think they don't know it. They are part of 6 billion people in the East who resent having 1 billion people in the West tell them how to run their economy."
NOTICE OF FULL CLOSURE OF MPS REINSTATMENT OPTION - 09 MAY 2009
You may recall that the option of MPS reinstatement would close down at the end of 2006.
Since then the Trustees have considered reinstatement of 75 cases on a discretionary basis, the majority of these being referred by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) and all demonstrated that there had been an exceptional reason for reinstatement not being achieved prior to 31 December 2006.
The option for MPS reinstatement will close down fully with effect from 1 October 2009. The final date on which a reinstatement cost quotation may be offered will be 30 June 2009, allowing a three month guarantee period. The FSCS and the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) have been notified of the closure arrangements in order to provide sufficient notice to ensure that the small number of
unsettled cases they have are completed prior to 1 October 2009.
There will be an article in the next edition of Pensions Newsline in an effort to ensure that any individuals affected contact their personal pension provider, adviser or the FSCS to seek urgent completion of their reinstatement.
Since then the Trustees have considered reinstatement of 75 cases on a discretionary basis, the majority of these being referred by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) and all demonstrated that there had been an exceptional reason for reinstatement not being achieved prior to 31 December 2006.
The option for MPS reinstatement will close down fully with effect from 1 October 2009. The final date on which a reinstatement cost quotation may be offered will be 30 June 2009, allowing a three month guarantee period. The FSCS and the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) have been notified of the closure arrangements in order to provide sufficient notice to ensure that the small number of
unsettled cases they have are completed prior to 1 October 2009.
There will be an article in the next edition of Pensions Newsline in an effort to ensure that any individuals affected contact their personal pension provider, adviser or the FSCS to seek urgent completion of their reinstatement.
THE FAT CATS WRECKED YOUR ECONOMY BUT THEY ARE DOING JUST FINE – 08 MAY 2009
Thirty-nine top executives on £500,000 or more, including 18 on over £1 million received wages increases that mean they are on a minimum of £9,615. The figures exclude share-based bonuses and pension contributions to final salary and money purchase schemes.
The top five are headed by executives of media group Reed Elsevier. Pat Tierney, who retired in early January 2008 with a bonus of £2.3 million and
Sir Crispin Davis, who stood down as chief executive this March, were the only two over £2 million a year.
They include that rarity — a woman chief executive — Dorothy Thompson of power group Drax. She has to survive on just £894,000 a year. Year-on-year comparisons can be made for total pay packages of 29 top directors, and 17 got a pay increase last year.
Eleven directors got a rise of at least 11.0% against the 2.9% rise in average earnings for the whole economy.
It was no gamble for Simon Lane, finance director of bookies William Hill, who tops the pay rises with a hike of two-thirds (64.6%).
International Power’s Tony Concannon heads the Australian operations of the group and his 59.3% rise puts him in second spot, followed by John O’Reilly, who heads the online gambling division of another bookie Ladbrokes, with a 48.6% rise.
David Illingworth, chief executive of medical products group Smith & Nephew, ranks fourth with a 34.5% hike and Graham Gibson, chief operating officer of security group G4S, completes the top five with a 30.5% rise.
Labour Research Department
The top five are headed by executives of media group Reed Elsevier. Pat Tierney, who retired in early January 2008 with a bonus of £2.3 million and
Sir Crispin Davis, who stood down as chief executive this March, were the only two over £2 million a year.
They include that rarity — a woman chief executive — Dorothy Thompson of power group Drax. She has to survive on just £894,000 a year. Year-on-year comparisons can be made for total pay packages of 29 top directors, and 17 got a pay increase last year.
Eleven directors got a rise of at least 11.0% against the 2.9% rise in average earnings for the whole economy.
It was no gamble for Simon Lane, finance director of bookies William Hill, who tops the pay rises with a hike of two-thirds (64.6%).
International Power’s Tony Concannon heads the Australian operations of the group and his 59.3% rise puts him in second spot, followed by John O’Reilly, who heads the online gambling division of another bookie Ladbrokes, with a 48.6% rise.
David Illingworth, chief executive of medical products group Smith & Nephew, ranks fourth with a 34.5% hike and Graham Gibson, chief operating officer of security group G4S, completes the top five with a 30.5% rise.
Labour Research Department
Industrial Action
The National Union of Mineworkers expresses its support for fellow trade unionists in the Public Sector who today are having to resort to withdrawing their labour (a fundamental right of any worker) and take strike action against these unfair cuts to their pensions and terms and conditions.
T
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Funeral of Gerry Gibson
It is with deep regret that the NUM (Yorkshire Area) announce the Funeral Service details for Gerry Gibson who tragically lost his life at Kellingley Colliery on Tuesday 27th September 2011.The Service in dedication to Gerry a much respected member,work mate & fellow miner will be held in
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Statement from Gerry's Family
We are all truly devastated by Gerry's sudden and tragic death.
We would like to pay tribute to everyone involved in attempts to rescue Gerry - all work colleagues; Kellingley rescue team; the air ambulance team and all other medics who were on site. Their tireless efforts were not i
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Fatality at Kellingley Colliery
it is with deep regret that the national union of mineworkers has to confirm that as a result of a tragic accident at kellingley colliery one of our members has lost his life.
the whole workforce at the colliery are devastated at the loss of a friend and colleague as a result of a roof fall on 502s
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