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"HINKLEY Point A nuclear power station near Bridgwater has achieved a major milestone in its decommissioning programme - by using technology similar to an industrial car wash. The site has decontaminated the last of its huge inventory of nearly 1800 'skips' that were used during generation to store spent fuel elements prior to their despatch to Sellafield. "

Proposals for the new Hinkley Point C nuclear power station have been put on show in Somerset. A series of public consultations begin on Saturday at the village hall, in Cannington, near Bridgwater. Simon Dunford, the plant's project manager, said the events were about presenting the public with options. "These could be, do we - possibly - build a bypass on one side of a town or where should we site accommodation units?" he said. Mr Dunford also said the plans would address what the "legacy benefits" of the building process would be for the local community. The energy company EDF won the go-ahead to construct the new power station a fortnight ago.

Proposals for the new Hinkley Point C nuclear power station have been put on show in Somerset. A series of public consultations begin on Saturday at the village hall, in Cannington, near Bridgwater. Simon Dunford, the plant's project manager, said the events were about presenting the public with options. "These could be, do we - possibly - build a bypass on one side of a town or where should we site accommodation units?" he said. Mr Dunford also said the plans would address what the "legacy benefits" of the building process would be for the local community. The energy company EDF won the go-ahead to construct the new power station a fortnight ago.

Consultation has begun on plans to build a nuclear power station at Hinkley Point in Somerset. French energy company EDF is proposing to build a third-generation plant on the 86 hectare site. A series of exhibitions, newsletters and meetings will allow people to submit their views on the proposals.

Centrica (CNA.L) is not interested in taking a larger stake in four new nuclear plants to be built by France's EDF (EDF.PA), The Daily Telegraph reported on Tuesday citing sources. EDF, which already owns eight nuclear power stations in the UK after its acquisition of British Energy last year, confirmed over the weekend that it may sell a 20 percent stake worth at least 3 billion pounds ($4.78 billion) in two reactors at Hinkley Point in Somerset and two at Sizewell in Suffolk, the Telegraph reported. Centrica, which bought 20 percent of British Energy for 2.3 billion pounds earlier this year, has the right to take up a 20 percent stake in the new nuclear projects, but is understood not to want a bigger share, the paper said.

Centrica (CNA.L) is not interested in taking a larger stake in four new nuclear plants to be built by France's EDF (EDF.PA), The Daily Telegraph reported on Tuesday citing sources. EDF, which already owns eight nuclear power stations in the UK after its acquisition of British Energy last year, confirmed over the weekend that it may sell a 20 percent stake worth at least 3 billion pounds ($4.78 billion) in two reactors at Hinkley Point in Somerset and two at Sizewell in Suffolk, the Telegraph reported. Centrica, which bought 20 percent of British Energy for 2.3 billion pounds earlier this year, has the right to take up a 20 percent stake in the new nuclear projects, but is understood not to want a bigger share, the paper said.

A request from a council for cash from nuclear firms bidding to build a new power station in Hinkley, Somerset has angered protesters. Campaigners claimed the move shows a "conflict of interest". Sedgemoor District Council has written to EDF and British Energy asking for £750,000 to help pay for the planning work to consider the application.

A series of public events is planned to discuss plans for a new nuclear plant at Hinkley, Somerset. Local residents will be give the opportunity to see current plans and to raise any concerns they have. British Energy and EDF are arranging events as part of proposals to involve the local community in discussions about new nuclear power plants. Events are planned at Nether Stowey, Cannington, Bridgwater, Combwich, Burnham-on-Sea, Williton and Stogursey.

A nuclear reactor being built in Finland to the same design expected to be used in Britain is running three years behind schedule. Its developers, Areva, the French nuclear energy group, and Siemens, of Germany, had hoped it would start generating electricity yesterday. The reactor, in Olkiluoto, western Finland, is set to be the world's most powerful nuclear reactor, with a generating capacity of 1,600 megawatts - enough to power a city of 1.6 million people, or nearly one third of Finland's 5.5 million population. However, it is running three years late and is vastly over budget, beset by design delays, water-logged concrete and faulty pipes. EDF, the French state-owned energy group, has said that it will build at least four of the so-called EPR reactors - a new design - in the UK. The first, expected to be at Hinkley Point in Somerset, is slated to enter service in 2017 to help to plug a looming gap in Britain's energy supplies.

"Local residents say they have been 'insulted' rather than 'consulted' over Government plans for new nuclear power stations Local campaign groups have given a damning verdict on Government engagement with local communities over its plans for new nuclear power stations and have called for a new round of consultations to take place. The groups, representing residents in ten of the communities earmarked by the Government as potential sites for new reactors, gave evidence to MPs from the Energy and Climate Change Committee earlier this week. Jim Duffy, from campaign group Stop Hinkley, told MPs that the timing, advertising and location of the consultations had been unacceptable. "

"The Government's £73bn nuclear decommissioning programme is to be accelerated with a radical repackaging of its private sector contracts. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) had planned up to five nuclear plant clean-up contracts, which would be let sequentially and take about two years each to select a preferred bidder. This has now been cut by two, with the later three projects combined into a single £13bn-plus outsourcing contract. The large value of this contract will also ensure greater private sector interest. Originally, the clean-up of its Magnox reactors, relics from the 1960s, were to be split into north and south site contracts. The south included Sizewell A, Suffolk, and Hinkley Point A, Somerset, while the north had Wylfa in Anglesey, North Wales, and Chapelcross, south-west Scotland. "

Residents living near existing nuclear reactors only have "qualified support" for new power stations, a study shows. While most locals trusted the operators of their nearby power station, some had a strong distrust of the UK Government and the nuclear industry, it added.