SPED – March 2011 - SPED in the UK & Ireland
There is little to report that directly relates to SPED. The 30th Anniversary offer does not seem to be generating much corporate interest over here.
Like the rest of the world we look on in horror at Japan’s plight both on the natural disaster front and the nuclear catastrophe that they are bravely struggling to avoid. It is easy now to see the mistakes of the location of the cooling water pumps but the implications on the lay public across the world will be enormous.
The UK needs more base load power stations to be built now and the promised one per year nuclear now look unlikely.
Then there is all the trouble in many of the oil producers and how likely it is to spread further.
Logic says that this nuclear concern means that we have to take risks with oil projects in difficult political circumstance. Certainly not more wind. There have been several articles of late in the British technical press on sub-sea currents which is welcome.
Perhaps the only safe bet is coal. In common with much of the developed world we and the USA have plenty of that.
UK Process News
The month started with one of the nuclear construction bidders announcing partnership agreements with 60 British companies. A serious attempt to give one of only two bidding consortia the pole position. But perhaps a forlorn bid now!
Most of the technical pages are taken up with defence issues. The folly of the UK cutbacks in the state of the world today! And the great expansion of electric cars and how wonderful their impact on climate. Do they just run on hot air like most of the media?