Environment news

• Libya resuming oil exports from some major ports

  15-09-2016 23:33
  By Ayman al-Warfalli BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Libya is resuming oil exports from some of its main ports which forces loyal to eastern commander Khalifa Haftar seized in recent days and has lifted related "force majeuere" contractual clauses, the National Oil Corporation (NOC) said on Thursday. The north African nation is highly dependent on hydrocarbon revenues and needs oil exports to resume to save its economy from collapse. Conflict since Libya's 2011 uprising has reduced its oil output to
  
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• Obama joins other world leaders to create new ocean sanctuaries

  15-09-2016 23:31
  By Ayesha Rascoe and Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday joined more than 20 countries in creating 40 new marine sanctuaries around the world to protect oceans from the threat of climate change and pollution. President Barack Obama designated the first U.S. marine reserve in the Atlantic Ocean: 4,913 square miles (12,724 square km) known for underwater mountains and canyons off the coast of New England. The various sanctuaries, unveiled at a high-level conferenc
  
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• Sea ice in Arctic shrinks to second lowest level on record

  15-09-2016 21:53
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Arctic sea ice this summer shrank to its second lowest level since scientists started to monitor it by satellite, with scientists saying it is another ominous signal of global warming.
  
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• Crude rises on Wall Street rally, gasoline spike amid pipeline outage

  15-09-2016 21:33
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose about 1 percent or more on Thursday after tracking a rally in gasoline futures sparked by a delayed restart of the main gasoline line at Colonial Pipeline, the No. 1 carrier for the motor fuel in the United States. A run up in Wall Street shares also boosted oil prices as weak U.S. economic data dampened the likelihood of a Federal Reserve rate hike this month. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose 33 cents, or 0.8 percent,
  
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• Theresa May accused of avoiding security and cost issues of Hinkley

  15-09-2016 21:00
  
  Vince Cable, former business secretary, says economics of project are unresolved, while Greenpeace chief condemns PM’s review as ‘hot air’ Theresa May was accused of backing down on security concerns about Chinese involvement in nuclear power and failing to drive a better deal for taxpayers, following the announcement on Thursday on building the £18bn Hinkley Point C plant.May’s surprise decision to review the first planned nuclear power station for a generation whe
  
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• Oil disaster investigator alarmed by BP Great Australian Bight response

  15-09-2016 21:00
  
  Exclusive: Bob Bea, who investigated Deepwater Horizon, blasts BP and Australian regulators, calling their response to concerns about faulty equipment an ‘early warning sign’ of a potential disasterA leading global expert on oil disasters has said the response to concerns about potentially faulty equipment in offshore drilling planned for the Great Australian Bight by BP is an early warning sign of problems that could potentially lead to disasters.Bob Bea, an emeritus professor and f
  
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• Arctic sea ice heading towards second lowest on record

  15-09-2016 20:07 via feedproxy.google.com
  This year the extent of summer sea ice in the Arctic is heading towards being the second lowest on record. The Arctic sea ice minimum marks the day – typically in mid-September – when sea ice reaches its smallest extent at the end of the summer melt season. British Antarctic Survey sea-ice scientist, Dr Jeremy Wilkinson, provides a scientific perspective on the trend of rapidly decreasing Arctic sea ice.
  
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• Second lowest minimum for Arctic ice

  15-09-2016 19:21 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Arctic ice cover in 2016 reached the second lowest minimum on record, tied with 2007.
  
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• Dinosaur's camouflage pattern revealed

  15-09-2016 18:40 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists have recreated the colour patterns of a dinosaur, revealing a camouflage used by animals today.
  
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• 'It puts us on the map': Bridgwater business toasts Hinkley Point C

  15-09-2016 18:21
  
  Government go-ahead for nuclear plant excites residents eager for economic boost, but others fear for their safetyMalcolm Pyne, butcher and entrepreneur, cracked open a bottle of bubbly at his store and takeaway in Bridgwater to celebrate the announcement.“This is fabulous news for the town and for Somerset. It really puts us on the map. I feel a bit tingly to be honest. We’ve been here before, thinking it’s going to happen but it really looks like this is it now. The lady [The
  
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• MH370 search: Tanzania debris 'part of missing plane'

  15-09-2016 18:15 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A large item of debris found off the coast of Tanzania belongs to the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, Australian investigators confirm.
  
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• Oil jumps on firmer gasoline, U.S. equities; snaps two-day rout

  15-09-2016 18:10
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose as much as 2 percent on Thursday, tracking a surge in gasoline futures and higher U.S. equity markets that helped stem a two-day rout in crude futures. Oil lost a combined 6 percent in the past two sessions, pressured by data showing large weekly builds in U.S. petroleum products and forecasts by the world's energy watchdog and OPEC that signaled the global crude glut could persist into 2017. Gasoline futures shot up as the profit margin fo
  
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• Greenhouse gas-monitoring aircraft keep tabs on the Amazon's rising methane levels

  15-09-2016 17:25 via feedproxy.google.com
  Research led by the National Centre of Earth Observation at the University of Leicester is going to new heights in the atmosphere to get a better handle on methane emitted from wetlands in the Amazon.Using small aircraft flying in an upward spiral and collecting samples of the air, the team has measured the levels of methane in the atmosphere over the Amazon basin in unprecedented detail.In the process they've shown the value of satellite measurements of methane for the region, paving the way fo
  
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• UK to double marine protection areas around overseas territories

  15-09-2016 17:23
  
  More than £20m will be invested in doubling the area of ocean under marine protection around British overseas territories, the Government has announced today (15 September).
  
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• Hundreds of Japanese horseshoe crabs wash up dead on beaches

  15-09-2016 17:22 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Nearly 500 horseshoe crabs wash up dead on Japan's southern beaches, near Kitakyushu City, mystifying experts.
  
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• Monsanto isn’t making life harder for smallholders – the Indian government is | Letters

  15-09-2016 17:02
  
  It’s refreshing to read a Guardian editorial describing the benefits of GM crops (The Guardian view on GM cotton: handle with care, 5 September). However, we disagree with the article regarding our relationship with farmers and technology pricing. Related: The Guardian view on GM cotton: handle with care | EditorialContinue reading...
  
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• China launches second trial space station

  15-09-2016 16:48 via bbc.co.uk
  
  China launches a second experimental space station, Tiangong 2, as it looks to have a crewed outpost by around 2022.
  
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• Endangered Hawaiian crows join elite list of animals known to use tools

  15-09-2016 16:10
  
  Scientists have discovered a rare bird that uses sticks to find food – making it the latest addition to a select list that includes sea otters, elephants and octopuses The Hawaiian crow is the latest animal to be added to the elite group of species that use tools, after scientists documented it employing sticks to extract hard-to-reach morsels of food from crevices in a log in less than one minute. Its cousin, the New Caledonia crow, was already known to be a master toolmaker and user, and
  
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• Google steps up circular economy ambitions with zero-waste data centre pledge

  15-09-2016 16:06
  
  Multinational tech giant Google has made a commitment to achieve zero waste to landfill status across all of its global data centres, accelerating its efforts to transition to a closed-loop business model.
  
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• Indonesia and EU announce historic deal on timber trade

  15-09-2016 16:02
  
  Indonesia will become the first country in the world to export wood products to the EU that meet new environmental standards to curb illegal loggingIndonesia will in November become the first country in the world to export wood products to the European Union meeting new environmental standards in a move aimed at bolstering transparency and curbing illicit logging.
  Officials from both parties unveiled measures on Thursday to ensure timber exports to the trade bloc, valued at roughly $1bn a year,
  
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• Hinkley Point Chinese firm to submit Essex nuclear plant plans

  15-09-2016 15:36
  
  China General Nuclear due to submit designs for Bradwell power station within weeks of Somerset approval, sources say
  The Chinese company involved in the Hinkley Point C nuclear project is planning to submit its design for a new power plant in Essex within weeks, setting China up for a central role in the future of Britain’s nuclear industry.China General Nuclear has agreed to take a 33% stake in the £18bn nuclear power station at Hinkley Point C and said it was “delighted&rdqu
  
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• Clear path to Ariane 6 rocket introduction

  15-09-2016 15:25 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The company set up to manufacture Europe's next-generation rocket - the Ariane 6 - says it is open to orders as the European Space Agency gives its final approval to the new vehicle.
  
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• UK says Nigerian's conviction stands despite bribery evidence

  15-09-2016 15:19
  By Estelle Shirbon LONDON (Reuters) - Jailed former Nigerian state governor James Ibori's convictions remain valid despite evidence a British police officer took bribes during the investigation of his case, Britain's state prosecution agency said on Thursday. Ibori, who as governor of oil-producing Delta State from 1999 to 2007 was one of Nigeria's most powerful men, is serving a 13-year sentence in a British prison after pleading guilty in 2012 to 10 counts of fraud and money-laundering.
  
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• New foreign investment rules better match UK national interest - MP Clark

  15-09-2016 14:10
  LONDON (Reuters) - British business secretary Greg Clark said the government's new approach to foreign investment, announced alongside approval for a new French-built, Chinese-backed nuclear power plant, better met the national interest than previous rules. "It is important that the right balance between foreign investment and securing the national interest is met, and that is exactly what these changes will achieve," he told parliament on Thursday. ...
  
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• Concern over falling kea numbers in New Zealand

  15-09-2016 14:10 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Conservationists seek public help to protect the famously inquisitive birds.
  
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• Corbyn says vote to leave EU was 'decisive rejection of failed economic model' - Politics live

  15-09-2016 14:09
  
  Rolling coverage of all the day’s political developments as they happenLunchtime summary 1.09pm BSTThere is a live feed of the Jeremy Corbyn speech here. The Labour MP Rebecca Long-Bailey is introducing him now. 12.58pm BSTIn his speech Jeremy Corbyn will also confirm that Labour is looking at the viability of a universal basic income. Here’s a preview story from Heather Stewart and Jessica Elgot. Related: Jeremy Corbyn to investigate idea of universal basic incomeContinue reading...
  
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• Shell agrees $80 million sale of remaining Danish downstream business

  15-09-2016 13:53
  Royal Dutch Shell has agreed an $80 million (60.62 million pounds) sale of its remaining Danish downstream business, including its Fredericia refinery, to Denmark's Dansk Olieselskab, the company said on Thursday. The transaction, which completes Shell's exit from Denmark's downstream oil and gas market after the sale of its marketing business to Couche-Tard in May, includes Danish trading and supply activities and around 240 employees in total. Shell has to complete divestments of $6-8 billion
  
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• Toshiba, Engie UK nuclear group says wants clarity on government special stake proposal

  15-09-2016 13:43
  A British nuclear joint venture between Japan's Toshiba and France's Engie , NuGen, said it will work with the government to understand its proposal to hold a special share in future nuclear projects. "NuGen will continue to work with the government to understand more about the proposal to 'take a special share in all future nuclear new build projects' and how this might affect NuGen's Moorside project," the company said in a statement. NuGen plans to build a 3.8 gigawatt nuclear power station i
  
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• May approves Hinkley Point nuclear plant, sets tighter controls

  15-09-2016 13:41
  By William James LONDON (Reuters) - Britain gave the go-ahead on Thursday for a $24 billion (£18.1 billion) nuclear power plant, ending weeks of uncertainty that strained ties with China and France but also signalling a more cautious approach to foreign investment in critical infrastructure projects. The government of new Prime Minister Theresa May said it would proceed with the Hinkley Point C project in southwest England, approving French utility firm EDF's plan to build Britain's first
  
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• New foreign investment rules better match UK national interest - Greg Clark

  15-09-2016 13:34
  LONDON (Reuters) - British business secretary Greg Clark said the government's new approach to foreign investment, announced alongside approval for a new French-built, Chinese-backed nuclear power plant, better met the national interest than previous rules. "It is important that the right balance between foreign investment and securing the national interest is met, and that is exactly what these changes will achieve," he told parliament on Thursday. ...
  
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• UK approves Chinese-backed nuclear plant, sets tighter controls

  15-09-2016 13:32
  By William James LONDON (Reuters) - Britain gave the go-ahead on Thursday for a $24 billion (£18.1 billion) nuclear power plant, ending weeks of uncertainty that strained ties with China and France but also signalling a more cautious approach to foreign investment in critical infrastructure projects. The government of new Prime Minister Theresa May said it would proceed with the Hinkley Point C project in southwest England, approving French utility firm EDF's plan to build Britain's first
  
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• From Blair to May: a complete timeline of Hinkley Point's approval

  15-09-2016 13:19
  
  As Prime Minister Theresa May finally gives the green light for Hinkley Point, edie takes a look back at the various twists and turns of the controversial nuclear energy project which has taken more than a decade to gain Government approval.
  
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• EDF Levy sees no immediate changes to Hinkley Point shareholding

  15-09-2016 13:19
  Britain gave the go-ahead on Thursday for French utility EDF's $24 billion (£18.1 billion) Hinkley Point nuclear power plant, ending weeks of uncertainty that strained ties with China and France. * EDF's CEO Jean Bernard Levy told a news conference that the company had no intention of giving up controlling stake in Hinkley Point. * Levy said there could yet be further changes to size of EDF's 66 pct stake but undertaking means its will stay above 50 pct in Hinkley Point.
  
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• UK to ban fishing from a million square kilometres of ocean

  15-09-2016 12:58
  
  Government creates marine protected areas around four islands in the Pacific and Atlantic, with commercial fishing banned in some areasThe UK is to ban commercial fishing from a million square kilometres of ocean around British overseas territories, the government said on Thursday.In total, the government is creating marine protected areas around four islands in the Pacific and Atlantic, including the designation this week of one of the world’s biggest around the Pitcairn Islands.Continue
  
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• Corbyn accused of encouraging 'trolls' to abuse Labour MPs - Politics live

  15-09-2016 12:55
  
  Rolling coverage of all the day’s political developments as they happen 11.55am BSTJeremy Corbyn has repeatedly denied condoning the abuse of MPs online. When asked about this, he says that he does not indulge in personal abuse himself, that he does not approve of others abusing MPs and that action has been taken against members who have been found to have been engaged in this.In the Sky debate last night Corbyn was asked about the way his supporters had been booing his opponent, in last n
  
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• Revised terms of Hinkley nuclear deal will enhance security - PM May's spokesman

  15-09-2016 12:47
  The inclusion of new investment controls in the government's approval for a new French-built, Chinese-backed nuclear plant in Britain will enhance the project's security, a spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May said on Thursday. Earlier, Britain gave the go-ahead for the $24 billion (£18.1 billion) nuclear power plant, ending weeks of uncertainty that strained ties with China and France but also signalling a more cautious approach to foreign investment in infrastructure projects.
  
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• Oil edges up, returning supply caps gains

  15-09-2016 12:39
  By Mark Tay and Dmitry Zhdannikov SINGAPORE/LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices edged up on Thursday after two consecutive days of losses, with gains capped by returning supplies from Nigeria and Libya. Brent crude futures were trading at $46.23 per barrel at 1012 GMT, up 38 cents, from the last settlement. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures were up 25 cents, or 0.6 percent, at $43.83 a barrel.
  
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• Tesla criticised over Autopilot safety

  15-09-2016 12:35 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Tesla has been criticised by a former business partner for "pushing the envelope" on car safety with its Autopilot technology.
  
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• Western Isles rock offers potential clue to life on Mars

  15-09-2016 12:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Analysis of rocks in the Western Isles has provided "a tantalising clue" that Mars may contain habitats which can potentially support life.
  
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• Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant gets green light – video

  15-09-2016 12:04
  
  The business secretary, Greg Clark, says the Hinkley Point deal will have a ‘series of measures to enhance security’ after Theresa May gave the green light to the construction of Britain’s first new nuclear power plant in two decades on Thursday. The plant will be financed by a Chinese nuclear power provider and French energy group EDFHinkley Point C nuclear power station gets government go-aheadContinue reading...
  
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• 'No one's an exception': toll of climate change, from US to the Marshall Islands – video

  15-09-2016 12:00
  
  If global temperatures rise more than 1.5C, the Marshall Islands will disappear. The thin atolls scattered across the Pacific Ocean are already seeing regular flooding and droughts directly related to climate change. More Marshallese are leaving in search of dry land, with nearly one-third of the population currently in the US. Many fear that with the exodus, their culture will be lost to a country that has already taken so much from them Continue reading...
  
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• Lives in the balance: climate change and the Marshall Islands

  15-09-2016 12:00
  
  The numerous atolls that make up the island nation are now regularly swamped due to sea level rise. But as more people flee for the US, many fear their culture will be lost to a country that has already taken so much from themSupport the Guardian’s independent journalism by making a contribution or becoming a member
  There may be music in the roar of the sea, as Byron eulogized, but the waves can also bring creeping unease. On low-lying fragments of land like the Marshall Islands, the tides
  
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• Climate change and the Marshall Islands: lives in the balance

  15-09-2016 12:00
  
  The numerous atolls that make up the island nation are now regularly swamped due to sea level rise. But as more people flee for the US, many fear their culture will be lost to a country that has already taken so much from themSupport the Guardian’s independent journalism by making a contribution or becoming a member
  There may be music in the roar of the sea, as Byron eulogized, but the waves can also bring creeping unease. On low-lying fragments of land like the Marshall Islands, the tides
  
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• Three firms vie for BP's China petrochemicals plant - sources

  15-09-2016 11:54
  By Arno Schuetze and Ron Bousso FRANKFURT/LONDON (Reuters) - At least three leading chemical companies are set to vie for BP's stake in Chinese petrochemicals joint venture SECCO which could fetch more than $2 billion (1.51 billion pounds), sources close to the process said. Offers for the 50 percent stake, the British oil and gas company's largest investment in China, will be submitted in the coming days, the sources said. BP's partner in the joint venture, state-owned China Petroleum & Che
  
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• Chinese investor to submit UK nuclear reactor design soon - source

  15-09-2016 11:45
  China General Nuclear Power Corp (CGN) will submit a design proposal for a nuclear reactor it wants to build at Bradwell to British authorities "pretty soon", a source familiar with the situation said on Thursday. The source was speaking after the British government gave the green light for French utility EDF to build a new nuclear plant at Hinkley, in southwest England, with an $8 billion investment from CGN. "They can now invest in Hinkley and proceed with the development of Bradwell, the firs
  
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• Hinkley Point: Green economy reacts as Government approves nuclear power deal

  15-09-2016 11:38
  
  The Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in Somerset has today (15 September) been given the go-ahead by UK Prime Minister Theresa May, ending months of speculation and dividing opinion among Britain's industry groups and environmentalists.
  
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• UK's Hinkley decision good news for nuclear industry - China's CNNC

  15-09-2016 11:20
  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's decision to go ahead with the Hinkley C nuclear project was good news for the industry, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), said on Thursday. CNNC Chief Economic Officer Huang Mingang was speaking at the World Nuclear Association conference in London. CNNC is a state-owned nuclear power developer. Britain's government said on Thursday it would go ahead with EDF's 18 billion pound Hinkley C nuclear project, in which state-owned China General Nuclear Power Corpo
  
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• Global investment in energy falls but renewables remain strong

  15-09-2016 11:20
  
  Energy investment fell 8% in 2015, reflecting low oil and gas prices, but falling costs and government policy shift spending towards clean energy, data showsGlobal investment in energy fell by 8% last year to $1.8tn (£1.4), reflecting low oil and gas prices and cost falls in the sector, new data shows.
  Nearly half of the decline was accounted for by the US, where plunging oil prices and a recent boom in shale gas, along with cost deflation in the energy sector, have played an increasing ro
  
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• China General Nuclear says happy with UK nuclear plant approval

  15-09-2016 11:17
  BEIJING (Reuters) - China General Nuclear Power Corp is "very happy" with Britain's decision to approve the construction of a part Chinese-invested nuclear plant at Hinkley Point in southern England, the company said on Thursday. The company can now work with its partner, the French utility firm EDF, to provide Britain with a safe, reliable, sustainable source of low carbon energy, it said on its official Weibo microblog. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
  
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• Chinese nuclear investor not concerned by new UK rules on foreign owners - source

  15-09-2016 11:09
  The Chinese company set to invest $8 billion (6.03 billion pounds) in the Hinkley nuclear plant welcomes Britain's decision to go ahead with the project and is not concerned by new rules around future foreign investment in the UK, a source close to the deal said. The government of Prime Minister Theresa May said earlier on Thursday it had given the go ahead for French firm EDF to build Britain's first new nuclear reactor in decades, backed by an investment from China General Nuclear Power Corp (
  
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