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UK concerns about safety of French European Pressurised Reactor (EPR).

“the design of the EPR presents a serious risk of a major nuclear accident – a risk deliberately taken by EDF to increase its profitability.”

Design flaws in new nuclear reactors ‘could lead to UK’s Chernobyl’ | Ekklesia, 9 March 2010, Local authorities have written to the nuclear watchdog following new concerns over the design safety of nuclear reactors planned for the UK and of fears about a Chernobyl-type accident. Continue reading →

March 10, 2010 Posted by | safety, UK | , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Nuclear industry’s “Safety Cultures” questioned

Aging Reactors Put Nuclear Power Plant ‘Safety Cultures’ in the Spotlight  The New York Times By PETER BEHR , March 9, 2010 “…..”The resurgence in interest [in nuclear power] is dependent upon the sustained faith and reliability performance of the current fleet,” NRC Commissioner Kristine Svinicki said last year. “The nuclear industry remains … just one incident away from retrenchment.”..

Aging Reactors Put Nuclear Power Plant ‘Safety Cultures’ in the Spotlight – NYTimes.com

March 10, 2010 Posted by | general | , , , , | Leave a comment

NRC denies Nuclear Energy Institute pitch to extend security deadline

Nuclear Plants Lose Bid to Extend Security Deadline , BusinessWeek, March 08, 2010, By Christopher Martin, March 8 (Bloomberg) — The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission denied a petition by the Nuclear Energy Institute to extend by nine months a deadline for new security requirements. Continue reading →

March 10, 2010 Posted by | safety, USA | , , , , , | 1 Comment

France’s Sarkozy keen to sell nuclear reactors, but just to help poor countries!

+jordanFrench President Sarkozy Says Nuclear Power Key To Economic Growth, Clean Environment, Examiner.com March 9, Examiner, Michael Zey “…In his speech Sarkozy reiterated France’s support for the continued development of nuclear energy throughout the world. However, Sarkozy made an even more important pronouncement: aggressive development of technologies such as nuclear power is key to lifting the developing nations out of poverty and increasing the net wealth of the planet…..Of course, the French president’s own candidate for best new nuclear plant design is the one France’s own Areva has developed. Areva has designed the European Pressurized Reactor (EPR), a third-generation reactor design that France considers the most advanced in the world.

+jordanFrench President Sarkozy Says Nuclear Power Key To Economic Growth, Clean Environment

March 10, 2010 Posted by | France, spinbuster | , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

India’s nuclear power industry stalled in Parliament

Now, nuclear liabilities bill under a cloud, Business Standard, New Delhi March 10, 2010, The Bharatiya Janata Party, the largest opposition party that helped pass the women’s Bill, has now told the government that it would do nothing to jeopardise the Finance Bill and the Vote on Account — which needs to be passed by March 16 when Parliament goes into recess.

But it would not help it pass the critical Civil Liability for Nuclear Damages Bill…..The nuclear liabilities Bill is considered essential to jump-start civil nuclear commerce. …If the UPA could have banked on SP and RJD’s support, it could have ignored the opposition’s objections. But in the current environment, it is entirely possible that if the Bill is introduced in the lower House, it could be defeated.

Now, nuclear liabilities bill under a cloud

March 10, 2010 Posted by | India, politics | , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

France taking a moral posture on its nuclear sales pitch

French PM: EPR Reactor Is World’s Safest In Its Class – WSJ.com, By Adam Mitchell Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES PARIS (Dow Jones) 10 March 2010, –France’s flagship EPR-type nuclear reactor is the world’s safest in its class and the French nuclear-safety arrangements are the most complete in the world, French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said Tuesday.Fillon’s speech to a nuclear conference contrasts with recent allegations by an anti-nuclear group, Sortir du Nucleaire, which cast aspersions on the EPR-type reactor’s safety….
The prime minister also said that France ….. has a “responsibility” to promote civil nuclear technology around the world.

UPDATE: French PM: EPR Reactor Is World’s Safest In Its Class – WSJ.com

March 10, 2010 Posted by | France, spinbuster | , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Obama’s nuclear greenwash just doesn’t wash

Don’t buy Obama’s greenwashing of nuclear power | Erich Pica |   guardian.co.uk, 10 March 2010, Last month, inspectors found dangerous chemicals in the groundwater near the Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor. The situation demonstrates that from the mining of uranium ore to the storage of radioactive waste, nuclear reactors remain as dirty, risky, and as costly as they ever were. If President Obama’s recent enthusiasm for nuclear reactors has led you to believe otherwise, you’ve bought in to the administration’s greenwashing of nuclear. Continue reading →

March 10, 2010 Posted by | general | , , | 1 Comment

President Obama the nuclear industry’s Golden Boy

Obama’s Nuclear Dreams: Resurrecting a Noxious Industry, He may soon be called the nuclear industry’s Golden Child. t r u t h o u t |, 10 March 2010, No president in the Obama’s Nuclear Dreams: Resurrecting a Noxious Industrylast three decades has put more taxpayer dollars behind atom power than Barack Obama. And there may be good reason why the president is salivating over the prospect of building new nuclear power plants around the country. … Continue reading →

March 10, 2010 Posted by | politics, USA | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Israel pushing for Iran nuclear sanctions

Israel tries to jump-start calls for Iran nuclear sanctions

Washington Post Staff Writer
March 9, 2010, Israeli officials are beginning to signal impatience with the slow pace of diplomacy aimed at restraining Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Continue reading →

March 10, 2010 Posted by | Israel, politics international | , , , , | Leave a comment

World Bank withholds support for renewable energy in South Africa

It’s not just activists who are up in arms: the Cape Town Chamber of Commerce is calling for a national investigation into Eskom’s “sweetheart deals” for big industrial energy users at the expense of everyone else.

World Bank Gives South Africa Lumps of Coal, THE HUFFINGTON POST, by Lori Pottinger, 10 March 2010, In case you didn’t catch it, the World Bank’s top official for Africa just thumbed her nose at the dozens of renewable energy companies lining up to build clean energy in Africa’s dirtiest economy. Continue reading →

March 10, 2010 Posted by | politics international, South Africa | , , | Leave a comment

AREVA warns on nuclear industry safety shortcuts

No “two-track” nuclear industry, warns Areva | Business News, 9 March 2010, The CEO of nuclear reactor builder Areva has warned against cutting corners on nuclear reactor projects at an international nuclear conferenceBy Chris Farnell
The conference took place at the headquarters of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Speaking to the conference, Areva Chief Executive, Anne Lauvergeon, said: “We cannot see a two-track nuclear industry develop, with a low-cost one for some and high standards for others.”….

United States Deputy Secretary of Energy, Daniel Poneman, who also attended the OECD conference, said there could be no compromise on safety at nuclear plants.

“We still must focus on security. A nuclear accident anywhere is a nuclear accident everywhere,” he said.

No “two-track” nuclear industry, warns Areva | Business News | Energy Digital

March 10, 2010 Posted by | France, safety | , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Revealed: Japan’s secret nuclear arms deals with USA

Japan ‘lied’ on secret US nuclear deal  Peter Alford, Tokyo correspondent , The Australian  March 10, 2010 JAPANESE governments lied to their people for more than 30 years about a “tacit” secret agreement allowing nuclear-armed US vessels to use their ports, a special Foreign Ministry panel reported yesterday. Continue reading →

March 10, 2010 Posted by | Japan, secrets,lies and civil liberties | , , , , , | Leave a comment

U.S., Russia, negotiating nuclear arms reduction

U.S., Russia resume talks on reducing nuclear arsenals GENEVA, March 9 (Xinhua) Editor: Mu Xuequan— Negotiators from the United States and Russia on Tuesday resumed talks aimed at reaching a new nuclear arsenals reduction agreement to replace the 1991 START treaty, diplomatic sources said. Continue reading →

March 10, 2010 Posted by | general | , , , , | Leave a comment