Brazil and its Nuclear Power Programme
Nuclear energy provides about 3% of Brazil’s electricity. In November 2006 the government announced plans to complete Angra 3 and also build four further 1000 MWe nuclear plants from 2015 at a single site. Angra 3 construction approval was confirmed by Brazil’s National Energy Policy Council in June 2007 and received Presidential approval in July. Environmental approval was granted in March and all other approvals by July 2009. In December 2008, Eletrobrás Termonuclear S/A (“Eletronuclear”) signed an industrial cooperation agreement with Areva, confirming that Areva will complete Angra 3 and be considered for supplying further reactors. Areva also signed a services contract for Angra 1. First concrete for Angra 3 was due in 2009. A construction licence was granted by the National Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN) at the end of May 2010, and construction resumed two days later, in June. The plant is expected in operation at the end of 2015 after 66 months.
Green Buildings in Russia – is all still quiet on the Eastern Front?
The World Bank and IFC have recently reported that Russia’s current energy inefficiency is equal to the annual primary energy consumption of France. Indeed, the low local cost of energy, a mainly declarative legislation on environmental efficiency and little public interest have long kept Russia out of the global warming debate, and far away from the exotic issue of green buildings.
This trend is hopefully coming to an end with the recent enactment of a new law with compulsory requirements on energy saving and efficiency. This marks a clear ambition by Russian policymakers and will probably enhance the nascent interest in green buildings of the main players in the real estate industry, who were severely hit by the current crisis and seek new growth opportunities.
The Middle East Nuclear Renaissance – Update
To continue the nuclear theme of my last blog, which considered the legal and regulatory frameworks necessary for a country aspiring to nuclear power, and suggested that the UAE had set the bar high in its progress to date, this blog looks at what other countries in the region are up to and how all these projects might be financed.
The Nuclear Option: legal consequences
As you will all have noticed, there is something of a nuclear renaissance underway. Among existing nuclear powered countries those leading the comeback are the US, China and India, all building, or with ambitious plans to build many more nuclear power plants. There is also substantial interest in nuclear power from countries that do not currently have nuclear power. Of these countries, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) can probably claim to be one of the furthest along the path of nuclear new build having recently announced the award of a contract to build four nuclear reactors to a South Korean consortium and with first power to the grid scheduled for 2017. So what does an aspiring nuclear [...]
Going Green Gets Greatly Muddled
The spreading trend toward “green” building has resulted in a number of competing and overlapping certification systems, with only faint hope in sight of better standardization. United States builders are most familiar with the LEED system sponsored by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). Through USGBC’s association with the World Green Building Council, LEED is now available in almost 60 countries, spanning the globe from Malaysia to Morocco.
Starting in 1996, Canada’s Building Research Establishment developed its Environmental Assessment Method. This then evolved into an online assessment and rating tool owned by BOMA Canada, known as Green Globes. BOMA Canada then [...]
