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USA Senator calls for independent health study of radiation airport scanners

Collins wants TSA to study health effects of scanning machines, THE HILL By Gautham Nagesh – 11/23/11  Senate Homeland Security Committee ranking member Susan Collins (R-Maine) wrote to the head of the Transportation Security Administration on Wednesday reiterating her request for an independent study of the health effects of scanning machines. Continue reading →

November 25, 2011 Posted by | health, USA | Leave a comment

French company EDF’s plans for UK nuclear plant now available for public scrutiny

EDF Energy’s Hinkley Point plans released to public, BBC News 24 November 2011 Plans for a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point in Somerset have been released to the public. EDF Energy handed its application to the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC), which deals with large-scale projects, on 31 October. The 30,000-page document has now been accepted by the IPC allowing its release to the public for scrutiny. Further public consultation will take place and the final decision will be made by the energy secretary…..

Before people can take part in the public consultation they will have to register with the IPC, however the deadline to register will be set by EDF Energy.

It must be a minimum of 28 days but could be longer in order take into account the Christmas and New Year public holidays…. West Somerset, Sedgemoor, and Somerset councils highlighted concerns about a lack of detail about transport proposals and said they felt not enough effort had been made to contact the whole community.

The application has also attracted criticism from anti-nuclear campaigners who believe nuclear power is unsafe.If the application is approved, the new nuclear power station could open in 2020. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-15869975

November 25, 2011 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Solar energy partnership – European Union and Desertec

EU welcomes Desertec and Medgrid cooperation on solar energy in North Africa and the Middle East ENPI  info centre 24-11-2011 EU Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger today welcomed the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Desertec Industry Initiative (Dii) and Medgrid, establishing closer cooperation between the two private industry initiatives, which are key to the promotion of a renewable energy partnership between the EU and countries in the Southern Mediterranean.

 According to a press release from the European Commission, areas of cooperation will include exchange of information, update on progress, joint evaluation of potential synergies, and joint efforts on the EU and Middle East and North Africa level to obtain a more favourable regulatory framework for renewable energy markets.
Speaking today, in the margins of the Energy Council, Energy Commissioner Oettinger stated that: “By joining efforts and coordinating their approaches, the two initiatives take a truly European dimension. There is now a concrete perspective of solar and wind energy being produced for the joint benefit of European and Northern African and Middle Eastern citizens, as well for the benefit of both markets.”…..

November 25, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, EUROPE | Leave a comment

More uranium produced, but prices continue downward

Uranium Stocks Build Momentum but Prices Remain Weak,  Equity Research on Cameco Corp & Denison Mines NEW YORK, NY, Nov 24, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) — “………While uranium stocks are on the upswing on long term optimism and takeover speculation, the spot price for uranium remains low. The spot uranium price dropped to slightly below $53 a pound U3O8, according to price publishers TradeTech and Ux Consulting, as little new buying interest emerged over the past week in the spot uranium market. Ux noted in its Monday report that a number of buyers and sellers already have met their volume expectations for the year — not surprising given volume levels posted since July…..

Cameco Corp reported…net profit fell 60 percent ….. Denison Mines  As a result of the events in Japan in March 2011, the uranium spot market demand has declined and the price has been trading in a range of $50.00 to $55.00 per pound. In response to these weaker market conditions, Denison has deferred uranium sales to later in the year.

November 25, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, Canada, Uranium | Leave a comment

Uncertainty on Japan’s nuclear power plants

Japan nuclear plant ops (Takahama No.2 to go offline) Nov 24, 2011 (Refiles to add year in table for Kyuchu Genkai No.4 reactor) Reuters – Kansai Electric Power Co said on Thursday it would start four months of regular maintenance on the 826 megawatt No.2 reactor at itTakahama nuclear plant in northwest Japan on Friday as planned.

    When the facility is shut, only 10 reactors will be online in Japan with a
capacity of 9,038 MW, leaving just 18 percent of the nation's total nuclear power
capacity in use. 	
    Public fears about nuclear safety sparked by the Fukushima radiation crisis have
prompted the nation's nuclear watchdog to require utilities to conduct stress tests as a precondition for restarting reactors stopped for routine maintenance.	
    But it is unclear when the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency or the government will approve the stress test reports or when approval will be given by local
authorities for reactor restarts. 	
    Japan, the world's third-biggest nuclear power user, has 54 reactors for
commercial use, with a total generating capacity of 48,960 MW.	
    In the table below, capacities are shown in megawatts. "P" represents a planned regular inspection shutdown and "U" an unplanned shutdown..... http://af.reuters.com/article/commoditiesNews/idAFL3E7L708120111124

November 25, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, Japan | Leave a comment

United Arab Emirates’ $30 billion nuclear- power program,

U.A.E.’s Nuclear Power Program Said to Cost $30 Billion, November 24, 2011, By Ayesha Daya and Stefania Bianchi   (Bloomberg) — The United Arab Emirates’ nuclear- power program, a joint venture between state-owned Emirates Nuclear Energy
Corp. and Korea Electric Power Corp., will cost about $30 billion,
according to two people with knowledge of the project. Continue reading →

November 25, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, MIDDLE EAST, politics | Leave a comment

Nuclear waste train meets strong protest in France

Nuclear waste train spurs protests in France, Nov 23 (Reuters) – French anti-nuclear activists scuffled with police in Normandy on Wednesday as they tried to hold up a train transporting radioactive waste processed by nuclear producer Areva to a storage site in Germany.

Several hundred protesters tried to occupy the train tracks near the town of Valognes in northwestern France before being repelled by police in riot gear. Police said they had detained five people. Before the train eventually departed around mid-afternoon, the activists played a cat-and-mouse game with police officers, who launched canisters of tear gas to disperse them before charging the crowd with batons.

“This movement is about the indignation of people who are aware of the dangers of nuclear power and who reject politics geared only toward the profit of certain businesses,” said a 60-year-old activist, who did not want to give his name……

The train carried 11 tubular containers of highly radioactive nuclear waste processed by Areva at its treatment plant at La Hague, northwest France. The treated waste, which originates from German nuclear plants, was en route to the nuclear waste facility of Gorleben in northeastern Germany for storage. Wednesday’s train marked the last of 12 shipments of treated nuclear waste sent in recent years from France to Gorleben. An expired contract between the two countries is not expected to be renewed.  http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/23/france-nuclear-protests-idUSL5E7MN30R20111123

November 24, 2011 Posted by | France, opposition to nuclear, wastes | Leave a comment

Earthquake risk to India’s planned huge Jaitapur nuclear plant

Jaitapur nuclear plant site not immune to earthquake: Experts Economic Times, 23 Nov 11 BANGALORE: Two leading geologists have warned that a magnitude 6-plus earthquake cannot be ruled out in Jaitapur – the proposed site of India’s largest 9,900 MW nuclear power plant on the west coast that has seen protests against it for safety reasons – and that it could occur within the lifetime of the power plant. Continue reading →

November 24, 2011 Posted by | India, safety | Leave a comment

Small is economic, as well as beautiful – renewable energy developments

And will the rest of Europe follow? The poll-leading Socialists in France, after all, are talking of halving the country’s nuclear capacity. “Most of the world will follow this way, but it will be slow,” Dudenhauser says. “Everyone expected blackouts after the nuclear shutdown, but it didn’t happen.  But it would not be manageable if everyone goes Germany’s way in the next two years.”

Size not a factor in German power play , Climate Spectator, GilesParkinson, 24 Nov 11 It seems strange that the world’s most cautious and best performing economy should be acting as some sort of crash test dummy for the world’s clean energy future. But this is exactly the position that Germany finds itself in following its commitment earlier this year to abandon nuclear energy and to push towards its vision of a fully renewable power supply by 2050.

And if this is the future, then companies that have based their models around the principal of centralised power stations may find little cause for comfort. But it is presenting enormous opportunities for those focused on the concept of distributed generation, particularly fuel cells – at least that’s the take of Roman Dudenhausen, the CEO and co-founder of German energy consultants ConEnergy, and a recently appointed director to the board of Australia’s Ceramic Fuels Cells.

Dudenhausen says the accelerated phase-out of Germany’s nuclear capacity is presenting companies such as Ceramic with a unique opportunity…… Continue reading →

November 24, 2011 Posted by | decentralised, Germany | Leave a comment

Increasingly cost competitive – renewable energy report by IEA

Renewable energy becoming cost competitive, IEA says, By Henning Gloystein, LONDON  Nov 23,  (Reuters)–Renewable energy technology is becoming increasingly cost competitive and growth rates are in line to meet levels required of a sustainable energy future, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a report on Wednesday.

The report also said subsidies in green energy technologies that were not yet competitive are justified in order to give an incentive to investing into technologies with clear environmental and energy security benefits.

The renewable electricity sector has grown rapidly in the past five years and now provides nearly 20 percent of the world’s power generation, the IEA said during the presentation of the report titled Deploying Renewables 2011.

The IEA’s report disagreed with claims that renewable energy technologies are only viable through costly subsidies and not able to produce energy reliably to meet demand. ”A portfolio of renewable energy (RE) technologies is becoming cost-competitive in an increasingly broad range of circumstances, in some cases providing investment opportunities without the need for specific economic support,” the IEA said, and added that “cost reductions in critical technologies, such as wind and solar, are set to continue.”

“The portfolio of RE technologies, which includes established hydro power, geothermal and bioenergy technologies is now, therefore, cost-competitive in an increasingly broad range of circumstances, providing investment opportunities without the need for specific economic support.”

But the IEA also defended subsidies in renewable energy technology as a necessary means to create a clean and independent energy supply system.  In the past, the IEA has been criticized by environmental groups for underplaying the role of renewable energy technologies in favor of nuclear and fossil-fuels….. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/23/us-energy-iea-renewables-idUSTRE7AM0OV20111123

November 24, 2011 Posted by | 2 WORLD, renewable | Leave a comment

Independent report on water concerns in uranium mining and milling

“The most powerful influences in any decision on uranium mining and processing are likely to be financial and political,”
“Thus, it is imperative that the public evaluate the long-term ‘big picture’ because the actual impacts will be paid for by numerous future generations.”..

Uranium mining, milling threatens water, report claims, By TIM DAVIS/Star-Tribune, November 22, 2011 A report funded by the Roanoke River Basin Association warns that a proposed uranium mining and milling project in Pittsylvania County could be a serious threat to water quality and may increase competition for water in the future.

 

The 39-page report, “Site-Specific Assessment of the Proposed Uranium Mining and Milling Project at Coles Hill, Pittsylvania County, Va.,” was released Thursday.

It was written by Colorado scientist Robert E. Moran, PhD., who has 40 years of experience and served as a hydrogeological and water quality consultant to Marline Uranium and Union Carbide on the Coles Hill project in the early 1980s. Continue reading →

November 24, 2011 Posted by | Uranium, USA, water | Leave a comment

Fukushima area – 5.9 magnitude earthquake

Magnitude-5.9 quake hits near Japan nuclear site, USA Today 24 Nov 11TOKYO (AP) – A strong earthquake struck Thursday morning near the Japan nuclear power plant hit by a powerful tsunami earlier this year. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude-5.9 quake struck shortly before 4:30 a.m. local time. It hit 62 miles (101 kilometers) east of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. The quake struck at a depth of 23 miles (37 kilometers).

The quake struck 151 miles (244 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not immediately issue a tsunami alert. Similar quakes have struck in the region since a March 11 magnitude-9.0 earthquake…

The region lies on the “Ring of Fire” — an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones that stretches around thePacific Rim. About 90% of the world’s quakes occur in the region.http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2011-11-23/japan-earthquake-1123/51372658/1

November 24, 2011 Posted by | Japan, safety | Leave a comment

Republican presidential hopefuls clash on issues of nuclear weapons and Pakistan

Nuclear Fears Fuel GOP Debate on U.S. Aid to Pakistan, Nov. 23, 2011, By Diane Barnes, Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — Fear that terrorists might gain access to Pakistani nuclear weapons played into a Tuesday clash between Republican presidential hopefuls over whether the United States should continue providing economic and security assistance to the South Asian state (see GSN, Nov. 18). Continue reading →

November 24, 2011 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

USA Republican presidential candidate against supporting Israeli attack on Iran

If Israel were to conduct such an attack [on Iran] , “that’s their business, but they should suffer the consequences,” Paul continued. He added that Israel has hundreds of nuclear missiles, so “they can take care of themselves.”

Ron Paul: Why does Israel need our help?  During foreign policy debate, republican presidential candidate says would not back Israeli strike on Iran. Romney: My first foreign trip as president will be to Israel to show we care about them  Israel News, Yitzhak Benhorin WASHINGTON 23 Nov 11- Republican presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul suggested that the US should have less involvement in Israel‘s affairs.

I think they’re quite capable of taking care of themselves,” he said during a two-hour long foreign policy debate between eight Republican presidential hopefuls at Constitution Hall in Washington overnight Wednesday (Israel time).

The comment came in response to a question about whether the Republican candidates would, if elected president, back Israel in a strike against Iran‘s nuclear facilities. Continue reading →

November 24, 2011 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Silex laser uranium enrichment may open the door to nuclear weapons proliferation

many of the good things GE is using to make a case about Silex—less use of resources and electricity and increased efficiency—are actually negatives that make it easier for rogue states to hide clandestine plants…..methods for the production and use of nuclear materials that would be more difficult to detect,” the report states

New Uranium Enrichment Technology Alarms Aviation Week, By Kristin Majcher Washington 23 Nov 11 General Electric says it has successfully tested a faster, cheaper way to produce nuclear reactor fuel, and is planning to commercialize the technology by building a facility in Wilmington, N.C. While the prospect of saving resources to generate energy at a lower price sounds like a breakthrough, scientists are concerned that the top-secret method of enrichment that GE is using will indirectly elevate proliferation risks around the world, thus inspiring rogue states to develop their own laser enrichment facilities for nuclear weapons.
The enrichment technology is the Separation of Isotopes by Laser Excitation (Silex). It was developed by Silex of Australia in 1992. The technology company USEC funded early research on Silex, but abandoned it in favor of focusing on centrifuge enrichment. In 2006, GE signed an exclusive agreement to commercialize and license the technology and spearhead further research and development. Continue reading →

November 24, 2011 Posted by | Reference, technology, Uranium, USA, weapons and war | Leave a comment

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