Between the Broadsheets

Envoys from the world's top 20 polluting countries, which are together responsible for 80 percent of the world's emissions blamed for global warming, were trying to bridge gaps on what to do after Kyoto's obligations expire at the end of 2012. - France24

Royal Dutch Shell hopes to boost oil output in Nigeria after agreeing a new plan to tackle chronic funding shortfalls hitting production at its joint venture with the government.
The Anglo-Dutch oil major has accepted the outlines of a presidential proposal under which the joint venture would raise its own financing rather than rely on cash from the government, say people familiar with the talks. - The Financial Times

Centrica, the owner of British Gas, is in talks with potential investors about funding for its massive £3bn expansion into alternative energy following a sharp rise in project costs.
The head of Centrica's renewables division has warned that the economics of the industry have changed radically and government targets for powering Britain on "green" electricity face being blown off course. - The Daily Telegraph

British Energy Group, the nuclear power generator, is in talks about a takeover or merger of the £5.9 billion company.
The Times reported a month ago that British Energy, the UK’s biggest electricity generator, was considering a break-up plan that would involve creating a new company focused on building the next generation of nuclear power plants. - The Times

A 100-year-old steel mill that once forged guns for the Japanese Imperial Navy has hit a production bottleneck that threatens to derail more than £150 billion of global nuclear power-plant construction.
The capacity shortage at Japan Steel Works (JSW) has created a worldwide stampede among electricity producers to place orders with the Tokyo-based engineer for nuclear reactor cores - a specialised component in which the company has an effective global monopoly. - The Times

Britain's climate change emissions may be 12% higher than officially stated, according to a National Audit Office investigation which has strongly criticised the government for using two different carbon accounting systems. There is "insufficient consistency and coordination" in the government's approach, the NAO said. - The Guardian

After decades of procrastination, the government is promising to solve the problem of disposing of the country’s nuclear waste and is looking to Sweden for guidance.
The Scandinavian country, along with neighbouring Finland, leads the world in research into radioactive waste disposal and is sharing its findings with the UK’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, the agency set up to deal with the atomic clean-up. - The Financial Times