2010 May 06 « nuclear-news

World Council of Churches pushes for Nuclear Weapons Convention

Churches push for nuclear treaty at NPT Review conference, | Ekklesia, 7 May 2010, “…….after years of work – mostly by civil society groups including churches – a majority of the governments represented in New York are now in favour of starting work on a nuclear weapons convention. While the NPT was designed to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and someday to reverse it, the proposed convention would ban them completely. Continue reading →

May 6, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, Religion and ethics | antinuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

UN Secretary General welcomes Nagasaki Archbishop at Nuclear Non Proliferation Conference

Nagasaki prelate takes anti-nuclear plea to UN, CathNews Asia May 6, 2010 Nagasaki Archbishop Joseph Mitsuaki Takami has met with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on the opening day of the UN 2010 Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, to appeal for the abolition of nuclear weapons.Welcoming the archbishop, Ban said that such an appeal from a religious leader, a Catholic bishop, is of great importance, UCA News reports.

The archbishop handed the secretary general a copy of a joint statement that he and Bishop Atsumi Misue of Hiroshima issued last February calling on world leaders “to take a courageous step toward the total abolition of nuclear weapons and the realization of a world without wars.”

Nagasaki prelate takes anti-nuclear plea to UN | CathNews Asia

May 6, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, weapons and war | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

Worldwide nuclear energy diminishing

Another drop in nuclear generation, World Nuclear News, 05 May 2010 …Annual generation of nuclear power has continued on a slight downward trend, decreasing 2% last year to 2558 TWh, according to the latest estimates……One factor in nuclear power’s perfomance since 2007 has been the prolonged shutdown of large reactors at Kashiwazaki Kariwa in Japan following the Niigata-Chuetsu-Oki earthquake. …….Two reactors came back into service during 2009 with five still under repair.

Last year saw the shutdown of four reactors but the start-up of only two. Closures included France’s Phenix, a prototype fast reactor which produced 233 MWe, and Lithuania’s Ignalina 2 which produced 1185 MWe but has been closed early as a condition of EU entry. This was the last of the EU-motivated shutdowns that have taken away a total of 4806 MWe since 2002.

May 6, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, business and costs | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, reactors | Leave a comment

USA nuclear industry stalled momentum, despite govt $billions,

Some States Push For New Nuclear Reactors, With Little Success | SolveClimate.com, by Dave Levitan – May 5th, 2010 “…..Stalled Momentum

Many other states do not have moratoria in place —only about 12 do—but even those that have the legal greenlight are seeing the nuclear momentum get held up recently. In Georgia, the first two reactors to be singled out for multi-billion dollar federal loan guarantees hit a bump in the road last week, when a judge ruled the certification process was illegal. Skyrocketing costs of other plants have put them on hold in the past, and environmentalists like Kraft and Metropulos think there is ample reason to simply stop trying…..

The billions of dollars potentially coming from Washington to help build nuclear reactors may be enticing, said Metropulos, but the pushback on the state level might indicate a lack of real motivation.

“Although the federal government seems to want to put out a lot of subsidies, I don’t think the people will buy it,” he said. “I think there are other ways that people will go about energy production rather than looking at nuclear.” Some States Push For New Nuclear Reactors, With Little Success | SolveClimate.com

May 6, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

Iran would do nuclear fuel swap with Brazil

Iran Accepts Brazilian Mediation for Nuclear-fuel Deal, New American,

Warren Mass

Wednesday, 05 May 2010

The Voice of America reported on May 5 that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has agreed “in principle” to accept Brazilian mediation in a United Nations-backed nuclear fuel swap deal. The UN deal calls for Iran to send its uranium to Russia for enrichment. Continue reading →

May 6, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Iran, politics international | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, plutonium | Leave a comment

Is the West ready to talk peace with North Korea?

Pyongyang has said that it is ready to talk peace. Now the question is: Are we?

North Korea’s Bomb and the Road to Peace, THE HUFFINGTON POST, Andy Marra, May 4, 2010 I was born in Seoul. … I am left feeling more concerned about potential United States military actions against North Korea instead of North Korea attacking us. This past January, the world witnessed an unprecedented gesture by Pyongyang stating they will permanently dismantle its nuclear program in exchange for a formal treaty with the U.S. to finally end the Korean War. Washington, however, dismissed this historic offer and refused to engage in any meaningful dialogue. Continue reading →

May 6, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | North Korea, weapons and war | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons, peace | Leave a comment

Nuclear industry resuscitation stalled again in USA

Proposed New Vogtle Reactors Hit Roadblock, May 5th, 2010 › Clean Energy › Sara Barczak ›Once again, the “Nuclear Relapse” hits home. Do these recent headlines inspire confidence in the nuclear industry’s much-hyped “comeback? Continue reading →

May 6, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | antinuclear, nuclear renaissance, nuclear spin | Leave a comment

Dissent in Malaysia over nuclear power

it will involve toxic waste disposal and a radioactive system that can harm the environment,”

Selangor against nuclear power plant newstraitstimes 2010/05/05 SHAH ALAM: Selangor has refused to support and allow the construction of a nuclear power plant in the state as it believes other energy sources are available. Continue reading →

May 6, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | ASIA, politics | antinuclear, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

IAEA pressure on Israel to admit is nukes

UN watchdog wants Israel to join NPT, Palestine Note, 5 May 2010, IAEA seeks international input on persuading Israel to join treaty Washington – The UN’s nuclear watchdog is seeking international support in persuading Israel to join the Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) in a step that will likely put pressure on Israel to publicly confirm the existence of its unacknowledged nuclear arsenal, The Associated Press reported Wednesday. Continue reading →

May 6, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Israel, politics international | antinuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

Nuclear radiation leaks are invisible, unlike oil spills

If only radiation — which leaks every day at the 104 nuclear reactors in the US — was as visible as the growing BP oil slick in the Gulf Coast

Wake up and smell the oil THE HUFFINGTON POST, John Rosenthal, May 3, 2010 “………..Close your eyes and imagine for a minute that instead of BP’s deepwater offshore well exploding 5,000 feet below the surface of the ocean, spreading millions of gallons of toxic and visible oil across the Gulf Coast, that one of the 104 nuclear reactors operating in the US, exploded Continue reading →

May 6, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | antinuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear renaissance, nuclear secrecy, nuclear technology, radioactive, reactors, uranium | 1 Comment

Uranium mining project in Australia abandoned due to low uranium prices

$57m uranium deal falls through in Central Australia, ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), By Louisa Rebgetz May 4, 2010 Australian uranium producer Toro Energy has pulled out of a project in Central Australia.The company says a drop in uranium prices has made it unviable to go ahead with the Napperby uranium project, 160 kilometres north-west of Alice Springs.