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The News That Matters about the Nuclear Industry Fukushima Chernobyl Mayak Three Mile Island Atomic Testing Radiation Isotope

How humans are geo-engineering the planet

“…….Aren’t we too puny rival the great forces of nature that shape our planet? .  But the facts show that we are fundamentally impacting planet Earth in unprecedented ways, and we’ve known about it for a century…..

we are well on the way to doubling CO2. In the past 100 years we have added almost 40 per cent, and warming that can only plausibly be attributed to a greenhouse effect is not only heating the atmosphere, but is also pumping heat into the oceans and the crust at a phenomenal rate.

How we’re geo-engineering the planet, Climate Spectator  Mike Sandiford 16 June 11  Continue reading →

June 16, 2011 Posted by | 2 WORLD, climate change | Leave a comment

The devil, as usual, is in the details. For instance, the cost of a nuclear reactor per unit of electrical generating capacity declines with increasing size……There are economies of scale associated with security, too ….Nuclear power advocates have long promised far more than they can deliver, ignoring essential hurdles such as cost, safety, and performance. Decades of experience, however, have proven those promises to be hollow and hazardous. The notion that “small is beautiful” for nuclear reactors is not just fanciful; it is whistling past the graveyard of the “nuclear renaissance” that never was

The problems with small nuclear reactors, THE HILL, By Dr. Arjun Makhijani – 06/15/11  “…… the enthusiasts of small reactors are back, promoting “small modular reactors” (SMRs) which, they say, can solve the central economic problem of large reactors that each cost so much and take so long to build that it becomes a “bet the farm” risk. But this is hype and hope more than substance. Unfortunately, Congress and the administration are buying into it. Continue reading →

June 16, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, technology, USA | Leave a comment

75% of Japanese want a nuclear free future – poll results

Japan poll finds most back a nuclear-free future,THE AUSTRALIA N AFP , June 14, 2011  ALMOST three-quarters of Japanese respondents to a newspaper poll favour a gradual phase-out of nuclear energy in the wake of the Fukushima atomic accident.

The Asahi Shimbun daily said in its weekend opinion poll that only 14 per cent were against such a gradual reduction.

The poll also showed 64 per cent of respondents believed “natural energy” such as wind and solar power would replace nuclear power in the future, while 24 per cent said they did not think so……..http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/japan-poll-finds-most-back-a-nuclear-free-future/story-e6frg6so-1226075144056

 

June 16, 2011 Posted by | Japan, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

Japan’s’:Nuclear Power Village a cosy closed community of industrialists and govt officials

The nuclear power village is the nickname for a tight circle of government entities, utilities, manufacturers and others involved in the promotion of nuclear power who believe nuclear plants are safe and reject out of hand any opposing views….

But destroying the nuclear village is no easy task. The community involves heavy back-scratching and complex personnel relationships.

NUCLEAR CRISIS: HOW IT HAPPENED / ‘Nuclear power village’ a cozy, closed community, The Yomiuri Shimbun, 16 June 11 Three months have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake triggered a nuclear crisis that shows little sign of ending anytime soon. Continue reading →

June 16, 2011 Posted by | Japan, secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

Nuclear expert ‘s recommendations on risk management

“Why not consider Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima as warnings of greater catastrophes to come and avoid the inevitable by shutting them down, much like changing your diet and/or lifestyle after finding out that your cholesterol or blood pressure is elevated, rather than continuing down the same path until a heart attack or stroke strikes?”
Confessions of a Nuclear Power Safety Expert   Miller McCune 15 June 11 hen Italy decided in the mid-’70s to add nuclear power to its power portfolio, young mechanical and nuclear engineer Cesare Silvi was among those attracted to the opportunities it presented. Continue reading →

June 16, 2011 Posted by | 2 WORLD, safety | Leave a comment

Only lawyers see growth, as nuclear industry faces wind-down in Europe

.In such an environment, the only nuclear energy growth field currently is lawyers’ fees.

Nuclear Twilight in Europe

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OilPrice.com by John Daly , 15 June 2011
 It is becoming evident to many that the March nuclear catastrophe at Japan’s six reactor Daichi Fukushima complex has dealt a huge, possibly fatal, blow to the nuclear industry’s hopes of a revival.

Continue reading →

June 16, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, EUROPE | Leave a comment

With nuclear industry’s uncertain future, uranium miners cut back production

Nuclear Uncertainty Causes Uranium Production Pullback The Bedford Report Provides Investment Research on Denison Mines & First Uranium 16 June NEW YORK, NY–(Marketwire – Jun 15, 2011) – Uranium spot prices are facing downward pressure this month amidst uncertainty regarding global nuclear demand. These consumption worries have led several uranium explorers to slash production estimates going forward. The Bedford Report examines the outlook for companies in the Uranium Sector and provides equity research on Denison Mines Corporation (NYSE Amex: DNN) (TSX: DML) and First Uranium Corporation (TSX: FIU)…….http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/nuclear-uncertainty-causes-uranium-production-pullback-nyse-amex-dnn-1526989.htm

June 16, 2011 Posted by | Uranium | Leave a comment

South Africa moves radioactive wastes to Northern Cape

Low-level nuclear waste moved to Northern Cape, Mail & Guardian JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – Jun 15 2011 Low-level radioactive waste packages accumulated from the 1960s at the Nuclear Energy Corporation South Africa (Necsa) in the North West have been removed to a waste disposal site, the corporation said on Wednesday. ….The trip to Vaalputs took two days over about 1 200km…..http://mg.co.za/article/2011-06-15-lowlevel-nuclear-waste-moved-to-northern-cape/

June 16, 2011 Posted by | South Africa, wastes | Leave a comment

34000 Japanese children to wear radiation badges, as “hot spots” found

Fukushima’sPlan  To Put Radiation Badges on Children Not pleasing parents NPR by MARK MEMMOTT  15 June 11 The news that the city of Fukushima, Japan, plans to give badge-like dosimeters to 34,000 children in September — to gauge how much radiation they’re exposed to from the nearby nuclear power plant that was crippled by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami — isn’t sitting well with some parents. ..As Lucy Craft reported forMorning Edition, those parents say the government should be evacuating everyone 18 and under and any woman who is pregnant, not waiting three more months and then only issuing badges that will be checked one a month to determine exposure.

But, as Reuters reports today, the nuclear plant “is estimated to have released just 15 percent of the radiation at Chernobyl, but a complicated software modeling system created by the government to predict where the radiation would drift proved useless.” So-called hot spots are showing up hundreds of miles away

About 40 miles from the crippled Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant, Fukushima City (population 300,000) is outside the Japanese government’s 12-mile “no-go zone” around that facility…..  http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/06/15/137195386/fukushimas-plan-to-put-radiation-badges-on-children-not-pleasing-parents

June 16, 2011 Posted by | - Fukushima 2011 | Leave a comment

Radioactive cesium found in whales off Japanese coast

Whales in Japan Could Face Radiation Poisoning Gamut News 15 June 11 Japan is reporting that two whales, caught by whalers there along the northern coast, had traces of radiation assumed to come from leaks at the damaged nuclear power plant. Out of a total of 17 whales caught off the Pacific coast of Hokkaido, two showed traces of radioactive cesium…..http://gamutnews.com/20110615/25100/whales-in-japan-could-face-radiation-poisoning.html

June 15, 2011 |

June 16, 2011 Posted by | - Fukushima 2011 | Leave a comment

Pictures of planned sarcophagus for Fukushima nuclear reactor

PICTURES Fukushima entombed: Nuclear firm reveal how it plans to put a covering shield over reactor to stop leaks By DAILY MAIL   15th June 2011

  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2003901/Fukushima-entombed-Nuclear-firm-reveal-plans-covering-shield-reactor-stop-leaks.html#ixzz1POAlcnht

The is the first picture of the giant polyester cover Japanese nuclear scientists hope will shield the doomed Fukushima reactor No.1.

The giant construction will be built by the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) as part of a bid to stem dangerous radiation being released into the atmosphere.

TEPCO said that it would start to build a giant cover shield around the No.1 reactor building on June 27, as a temporary measure to prevent further release of radioactive substances into the atmosphere.

Fukushima entombed: Nuclear firm reveal how it plans to put a covering shield over reactor to stop leaks By DAILY MAIL 15th June 2011 The is the first picture of the giant polyester cover Japanese nuclear scientists hope will shield the doomed Fukushima reactor No.1.

The giant construction will be built by the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) as part of a bid to stem dangerous radiation being released into the atmosphere.

TEPCO said that it would start to build a giant cover shield around the No.1 reactor building on June 27, as a temporary measure to prevent further release of radioactive substances into the atmosphere.

June 16, 2011 Posted by | Resources -audiovicual | Leave a comment

Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s poor record on fire safety

According to NRC records, there have been at least 154 fires at nuclear plants since 1995, an average of 10 a year. On June 7, a fire at the Fort Calhoun nuclear plant in Nebraska temporarily knocked out cooling to a pool holding spent fuel at the site, prompting an emergency declaration.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chief Blasts Agency’s Approach to Fire Safety by John Sullivan,   ProPublica June 15 In a forceful critique of his agency’s approach toward fire safety, the chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission declared that the policy of not enforcing most fire code violations at dozens of nuclear plants is “unacceptable” and has tied the hands of NRC inspectors. Continue reading →

June 16, 2011 Posted by | safety, USA | 2 Comments