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
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
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
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?”Only lawyers see growth, as nuclear industry faces wind-down in Europe
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. |
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
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/
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
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
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
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.
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
The menace of humanity’s growing environmental footprint
Are we all doomed?, New Statesman, Martin Rees,11 June 11 “…….We have entered an era when human beings pose a greater threat than nature to the earth’s future. This started with the invention of nuclear weapons. Robert McNamara, US defence secretary during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, later said: “We came within a hair’s-breadth of nuclear war without realising it. It’s no credit to us that we escaped – [Nikita] Khrushchev and [John F] Kennedy were lucky, as well as wise.”
The threat of global nuclear annihilation involving tens of thousands of bombs has been in abeyance since the end of the cold war. But, in future decades, a global political realignment could lead to a stand-off between new superpowers which could be handled less well or less luckily than the Cuban crisis was. In the meantime, there is more risk than ever that smaller nuclear arsenals will be used in a regional context, or even by terrorists……
Humankind’s collective footprint is growing. It may irreversibly degrade our environment as our numbers grow and we each consume more. Advanced technology threatens us with other vulnerabilities…….
“The bells which toll for mankind, are – most of them, anyway – like the bells on Alpine cattle; they are attached to our own necks and it must be our fault if they do not make a cheerful and harmonious sound.”
New Statesman – Are we all doomed?
94% vote against nuclear energy in Italy’s referendum
a historic result. …The expected majority against nuclear power was 94%……The outcome was a huge success for the anti-nuclear movement in the world’s first nationwide vote on the issue since Japan’s Fukushima disaster….”The era of nuclear [energy] is coming to an end today….”
Berlusconi’s nuclear power plans crushed Referendums see huge votes against PM’s plans – a second setback in under two weeks John Hooper in Rome,guardian.co.uk, 13 June 2011 The anti-nuclear movement won a crushing victory in Italy on Monday when well over 90% of voters rejected Silvio Berlusconi‘s plans for a return to nuclear power generation.
The result represented an overwhelming setback for the prime minister, who had tried to thwart the outcome by discouraging Italians from taking part. Continue reading
Anger of Japanese as thousands protest against nuclear power
AUDIO Thousands protest against nuclear power in Japan, ABC Radio AM Mark Willacy reported this story on Monday, June 13, 2011 “…MARK WILLACY: Marching on the headquarters of the Tokyo Electric Power Company, thousands of Japanese rallied against nuclear power in one of the biggest demonstrations since the triple disaster.”I’m really worried that my children’s kids will be born with defects,” says Yu Matsuda, holding her young daughter.
“I have no choice but to live in the radiation zone even though it’s dangerous,” says school teacher Yoshihisa Satou.
Last week, radioactive strontium-90 was found as far away as 60 kilometres from the crippled Fukushima plant. And that’s a particular worry, because strontium has a half-life of 30 years and is known as a bone-seeker because it can cause bone cancer and leukaemia. And now radioactive caesium above legal limits has been detected in tea, grown in Shizuoka more than 350 kilometres away from the nuclear plant….
AM – Thousands protest against nuclear power in Japan 13/06/2011
Fukushima Investigation Panel might be taken over by Nuclear Industry
the possibility of METI officials renewing their push for control of the panel. With Kan expected to step down in the near future, the energy mandarins may still have their way. ( Image below from Japan Nuclear Industry Trying To Hijack Fukushima Investigation Panel )
Japan Nuclear Industry Trying To Hijack Fukushima Investigation Panel by Alexander Higgins – June 13, 2011 Japan’s largest newspaper is reporting that bureaucrats associated with the nuclear industry in Japan are trying to hijack the Fukushima investigation panel.
While the prime minister has rebuked their first attempt, he is expected to step down any time now at which point they will try to take it over again. METI tried to gain influence over Fukushima panel Asashi Shimbum 2011/06/12 – BY SHINJI MURAMATSU Continue reading
1 This Month
10 June – Assessing Canada’s Investments in Small Modular Nuclear Reactors – https://zoom.us/meeting/register/IiqHA5feRhaEBycOLNTJlA#/registration
Cuba Is Not a Failed State – It Is a Besieged State
PETITION: “Global Appeal to Endorse Palestinian Right of Return of Refugees”
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