nuclear-news

Radiation exposure to be estimated for 61,000 US personnel in Japan

Military to Calculate Radiation Exposure in Japan, Military.com July 20, 2011, by Seth Robson , YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — The U.S. military plans to calculate radiation doses received by each of the approximately 61,000 U.S. personnel living and working in Japan during this year’s nuclear disaster, according to the U.S. Pacific Command’s top surgeon. Continue reading →

July 21, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | health, USA | Leave a comment

Nuclear Regulatory Commission rubber-stamps another nuclear plant re-licence

Hope Creek nuclear plant’s license extended to 2046, Newsworks, By Monika Zaleska, July 20, 2011 The Hope Creek nuclear plant in South Jersey’s Salem County can now operate until 2046. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission renewed the 1,060-megawatt plant’s license Wednesday.

A watchdog group, Unplug Salem, which is campaigning to close Hope Creek and the two nearby Salem plants, is not happy about the decision.

Norm Cohen, a group coordinator, claims the 25-year-old plant is out of date and unsafe. He says the state should move toward wind and solar energy instead of renewing nuclear licenses.

The Hope Creek reactor is the same model as the plant that melted down in Japan following the catastrophic tsunami and earthquake in the spring…….http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/item/23437

July 21, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Will the Nuclear Regulatory Commission relicense Fermi plant until 2045?

DTE seeks license extension for Fermi 2 nuke plant, DTE Energy has asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to allow the company to operate the Fermi 2 nuclear plant until 2045, Michigan Messenger, By Eartha Jane Melzer | 07.21.11

Fermi 2, located in Monroe County on Lake Erie, is a 1,140 megawatt plant that has the same GE Mark 1 design as the Fukushima, Japan power plant that melted down this spring following an earthquake and tsunami. Continue reading →

July 21, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA | Leave a comment

China touts ‘fast breeder’ nuclear reactor, but it’s an unlikely energy solution

the process hasn’t proved workable on a large scale elsewhere. Fast-breeder programs have been abandoned in a number of countries, including the U.S., and the plants that remain are small.

China’s Nuclear Scientists Unveil Latest ‘Breakthrough, WSJ, James T. Areddy, 21 July 11, “…..The China Institute of Atomic Energy said Thursday that a small, experimental “fast breeder” reactor outside Beijing had been hooked to the grid to produce electricity. …. Continue reading →

July 21, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | China, technology | Leave a comment

Squabble dividing Nuclear Regulatory Commissioners along partisan lines

Split Within Nuclear Regulatory Agency, NYT, By MATTHEW L. WALD 21 July 11, WASHINGTON — A majority of the five-member Nuclear Regulatory Commission is signaling that it wants to move slowly on at least some new recommendations from its staff on how to reduce the chance of a Fukushima-type accident at an American reactor despite calls by its chairman for swift action.Three commissioners are resisting a proposal by the chairman, Gregory B. Jaczko, that the commission act promptly on all the recommendations, which were issued last week by a team of six senior staff members…… Continue reading →

July 21, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, USA | Leave a comment

Thorium nuclear reactors not effective, not a viable technology

‘Even if thorium technology does progress to the point where it might be commercially viable, it will face the same problems as conventional nuclear: it is not renewable or sustainable and cannot effectively connect to smart grids. The technology is not tried and tested, and none of the main players is interested. Thorium reactors are no more than a distraction.’

Don’t believe the spin on thorium being a ‘greener’ nuclear option, The Ecologist, Eifion Rees, 23rd June, 2011 “………China, Russia, France and the US are also pursuing the technology, while India’s department of atomic energy and the UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council are jointly funding five UK research programmes into it.

There is a significant sticking point to the promotion of thorium as the ‘great green hope’ of clean energy production: it remains unproven on a commercial scale. While it has been around since the 1950s (and an experimental 10MW LFTR did run for five years during the 1960s at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the US, though using uranium and plutonium as fuel) it is still a next generation nuclear technology – theoretical. Continue reading →

July 21, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, spinbuster, technology, Uranium | 5 Comments

Typhoon hazard to Japan’s nuclear power

a typhoon like Ma-On could be a huge blow to Japan……. also through the looming threat, again, to the country’s nuclear infrastructure…..What’s more, the shattered Fukushima plant may be so far gone that “insulating the facilities from the typhoon will be impossible,” ….If nothing else, the one-two punch of a tsunami and a typhoon may hasten Japan’s much called-for abandonment of nuclear power,….

Typhoon Tests Japan’s Nuclear Resolve, TIME, by Tara Thean, July 19, 2011 “…The typhoon is moving quickly north- and eastward, with sustained winds and gusts speeding along at 87 and 100 mph respectively. And quite a lot of that predicted rain – over 50mm, or 2 inches – has already hit Shikoku and Honshu islands. It’s still anyone’s guess whether or not the typhoon will lead to another national disaster — the most intense rainfall and strongest convection is still over the open ocean, and convection may be weakening because of warming cloud top temperatures and the movement of dry air

But that doesn’t mean the country shouldn’t be taking precautions: Continue reading →

July 21, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, safety | Leave a comment

More delays, more cost blowouts for France’s “new generation” nuclear plant

The reactor has already faced repeated delays and run billions of euros over budget…….

France delays new generation nuclear plant, News Tribune, July 21, 2011 – Tacoma, WA, PARIS — France’s electricity giant announced Wednesday it is delaying its new generation nuclear reactor for two years after a pair of deadly accidents and safety reviews prompted by the disaster at Japan’s Fukushima Dai-ichi plant. Continue reading →

July 21, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, France | Leave a comment

Australian govt to question Rupert Murdoch’s media monopoly

Phone hacking: Australian PM promises ‘hard questions’,BBC News, 20 July 11, The Australian branch of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire will face “hard questions” in the wake of the phone hacking scandal in Britain, Prime Minister Julia Gillard has said.

She said she was “disturbed” by revelations about his UK business.

The company dominates Australian media – it controls 70% of the newspaper readership and has extensive holdings in television, the internet, and other media….

The Greens, which hold the balance of power in the upper house, have called for a parliamentary inquiry into News Limited, Mr Murdoch’s Australian firm.,,,,, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14212954

July 21, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA, media | 1 Comment

CBS investigation of safety of Tennessee nuclear plant

VIDEO http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/07/20/earlyshow/main20080965.shtml Whistleblowers “terrified” at TVA nuke plants?, (CBS News) 20 July 11, In the wake of the Fukushima disaster in Japan, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has released a task force report on the safety of America’s 104 nuclear reactors.

And on “The Early Show” Wednesday, CBS News Chief Investigative Correspondent Armen Keteyian offered Part Two of his investigation into one troubled nuclear power plant, in Spring City, Tenn.

On Tuesday, he reported on whistleblower Ann Harris, a 71-year-old great-grandmother who’s made it her life’s calling to hold those operating the plant accountable when it comes to safety……

CBS News spoke with one whistleblower, Gail Richards, who said she was too afraid to appear on-camera for “fear of further risk of retaliation for me and my family by the TVA and NRC.”

July 21, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Resources -audiovicual | Leave a comment

Jobs and savings, in renewable energy for Wisconsin

The report found the state could see $2.7 billion in investment from renewable energy projects, while aggressive move to deploy energy efficiency could save Wisconsin residents $5.9 billion on their electric and natural gas bills..

Report: Greener energy policies will create more Midwest jobs, Journal Sentinel, By Thomas Content, 19 July 11, One week after a report found Wisconsin ranked 13^th in the nation in green jobs, a new report projects the state would add another 11,500 jobs if it adopted more aggressive policies supporting renewable energy and energy efficiency. Continue reading →

July 21, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | renewable, USA | Leave a comment

Risks for USA’s 10 oldest nuclear power plants

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2011/07/pictures/110720-10-oldest-nuclear-plants-in-the-us/

Pictures—Ten Oldest U.S. Nuclear Plants: Post-Japan Risks, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, Marianne Lavelle and Christina Nunez, 20 July 11The world’s largest nuclear energy producer, the United States, Tuesday aired its first detailed public examination of whether stronger safety standards are needed in light of Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.

Continue reading →

July 21, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Resources -audiovicual | Leave a comment

Whistleblower sceptical on safety of Tennessee nuclear plant

You’ll have to pardon Ann Harris if she’s heard it all before. She’s won a record six whistle-blower lawsuits against Watts Bar over issues like millions of feet of faulty electrical cable, and says she’s paid a price for speaking out…..

VIDEO http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/07/19/earlyshow/main20080633.shtml?tag=contentMain;contentBody Fukushima-type disaster inevitable in U.S.?, CBS News, Armen Keteyian, 19 July 11, The Nuclear Regulatory Commission was to meet Tuesday to discuss sweeping new safety recommendations, after having just finished inspecting all 104 U.S. nuclear plants in the wake of Japan’s Fukushima disaster.

On “The Early Show,” CBS News Chief Investigative Correspondent Armen Keteyian spotlighted one of those facilities’ post-Fukushima inspection reports.

Watts Bar, in Spring City, Tenn., is the last nuclear plant to be licensed in the U.S., and a textbook study of the pros and cons of nuclear power. It provides electricity to some 9 million people in seven states, yet is dogged with a long history of safety issues and whistle-blower lawsuits — including six by a 71-year-old great-grandmother named Ann Harris…. Continue reading →

July 21, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Opposition growing to Manhattan Project Atomic Parks

Anti-Nuke Groups to Fight Manhattan Project Parks, ABC News, By JERI CLAUSING Associated Press, ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. July 18, 2011 (AP) Anti-nuclear activists are lining up against legislation to create national parks at Los Alamos National Laboratory and two other sites where the world’s first nuclear bombs were developed, calling the plan an expensive glorification of an ugly chapter in history.

“It is a debasement of the national parks idea,” said Greg Mello, a co-founder of the anti-nuclear watchdog, Los Alamos Study Group……http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=14098560

July 21, 2011 Posted by Christina Macpherson | opposition to nuclear, USA | Leave a comment

Greenhouse emissions by nuclear industry – the facts are obscured

Most studies,.. obscure the complexity and variation inherent in the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the nuclear lifecycle rather than explaining it…..

Nuclear Industry Must Be Transparent on Uranium Mining, Carbon Output Before New Plants, The Energy Collective, by David Thorpe, July 19, 2011 ”….significant grounds for concern. In this piece I will discuss firstly uranium mining and then the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the nuclear power life cycle before asking – if this industry has nothing to hide – why isn’t it more transparent?… Continue reading →