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

Russia’s nuclear-powered ice-breaker ship

The Soviet Ship That Cuts Through Ice Like a Nuclear-Powered Knife Through Butte, Wired.com, By Andrew Tarantola, Gizmodo.com  , July 8, 2011 ………who else would think to pack two nuclear reactors into a ship and set it loose in the Arctic breaking ice? The North Koreans? Psshhh, not likely…….”

…..Breaking with the Soviet tradition of intuitive, straightforward design, the reactors are used to power Rube Goldberg propulsion system. The reactors power boilers which generate high pressure steam to power 12 dynamos which in turn power electric motors attached to each of the three propeller screws. These motors provide each screw with roughly 25,000 horsepower or 55.3MW. With that much power, the Yamal punches through ice up to 2.3m thick at a speed of 3 knots. And though the Yamal’s maximum rated ice thickness is 5m, it has been recorded smashing individual ice ridges as thick as 9m…

….Despite its ability to break through 20 vertical feet of ice at a time, the Yamal is effectively trapped in the Arctic. Because the reactors use the area’s frigid water for cooling, the Yamal is physically incapable of traveling near (and definitely not past) the equator without overheating and melting down its fuel supply.  ….

July 8, 2011 Posted by | Russia, technology | Leave a comment

India wants USA to agree to it enriching uranium

Hillary Clinton to visit India, nuclear waiver, AfPak tops agenda, The Economic Times, 8 July 11–– NEW DELHI: Amid anxieties about new guidelines of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), India will press the US for the transfer of sensitive technologies to enable full civilian cooperation when secretary of state Hillary Clinton comes to New Delhi for a strategic dialogue July 18.

Clinton will be on a three-day visit for the second strategic dialogue, with external affairs minister S.M. Krishna, said well-placed sources…. Continue reading →

July 8, 2011 Posted by | India, politics international | Leave a comment

Nuclear power a tragic cause of global warming, rather than a solution?

That which cannot be controlled must be prevented. Today, that means preventing the threat of climate change and eradicating nuclear weapons. But we cannot afford efforts to address one challenge that end up aggravating the other. Attempting to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions through nuclear energy, thereby fueling the dangers of the ultimate global incendiary – nuclear war – could be the most tragic of all miscalculations…….

From Fukushima to disarmament, BY MALCOLM FRASER,  ABC Environment | 5 JUL 2011 In our rush to find a solution to climate change, nuclear energy has again been promoted. But the disaster at Fukushima reminds us of just how devastating nuclear can be.

MONTHS AFTER THE devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami hit Japan, the ongoing nuclear disaster at Fukushima compounds the humanitarian tragedy and impedes recovery. The damaged reactors and spent-fuel ponds contain around 10 times as much nuclear fuel as did the Chernobyl reactor that exploded in 1986. In three reactors, the fuel has melted, almost certainly through the reactor vessels; primary containment structures have been breached; explosions have torn away the secondary containment (the buildings); radioactive releases continue; and closed-loop cooling has not been re-established.

Fukushima has highlighted how vulnerable spent-fuel ponds are to direct damage or disruption of power, water, or pumps for cooling. Continue reading →

July 6, 2011 Posted by | 2 WORLD, climate change | Leave a comment

Global warming will bring increased wildfire threats to nuclear installations

While there are a range of findings, the majority point toward greatly increased stresses upon western North American forests due to climate change. There are even detailed studies, nearly all of them, indicating that climatic changes will increase the number and severity of fire events beyond the parameters reconstructed through paleodendrological evidence. Wildfires are likely be the punctual culmination of various stresses, in one quick moment transforming forests into deserts where trees may never again grow in any great numbers…….While building nuclear weapons might not quite be fiddling, you get the idea. While America burns, its leaders are busy pouring scarce money and manpower into nuclear weapons. The fire in New Mexico is both symbolic and literal in this sense.. 

Nuclear Fiddling, While Los Alamos Burns, The 4th Media, DARWIN BOND-GRAHAM | BeiJing Time, July 5, 2011 LANL is not just any government lab. LANL is the epicenter of the US nuclear weapons program. It is the home base of the weaponeers, the thousands of Department of Energy employees and subcontractors who have tethered their careers, livelihoods, and identities to the atom bomb’s continuing role in American foreign, and domestic policy. In this respect LANL is the brain trust (or moral pit, if you prefer) of US nuclearism. LANL is also now the center of US plutonium manufacturing for nuclear weapons; the Lab is host to billion dollar factories dedicated to storing, milling (one could even say supplicating to) this most deadly material. Expansions are underway Continue reading →

July 6, 2011 Posted by | climate change, USA | Leave a comment

Global warming causes jellyfish surge, causes nuclear plant shutdowns

Increasing fishing activity and global warming are giving jellyfish populations a boost, scientists said, potentially making jellyfish invasions at nuclear power plants located near the open sea more common in the future

Jellyfish keep UK nuclear plant shut, Reporting by Karolin Schaps; editing by Jason Neely),  Scientific American ,| June 29, 2011 An invasion of jellyfish into a cooling water pool at a Scottish nuclear power plant kept its nuclear reactors offline on Wednesday, a phenomenon which may grow more common in future, scientists said. Continue reading →

July 6, 2011 Posted by | climate change, UK | Leave a comment

California’s solar electricity exceeds nuclear by 6%

California rooftop solar installations surge; renewable energy approaches oil output, reports say, LA Times 6 July 11 Renewable sources in the U.S. are starting to produce enough energy to rival oil output, according to the federal Energy Information Administration.

Biomass and biofuels along with geothermal, solar, water and wind-power generation were responsible for nearly 12% of the country’s energy production during the first quarter of the year. That’s nearly 6% more than nuclear’s output and 77% of the amount coming from domestic crude oil, the agency said. Continue reading →

July 6, 2011 Posted by | decentralised, USA | Leave a comment

Baseload solar energy is here

The dawn of baseload solar energy, 6 Jul 2011, Climate Spectator, Giles ParkinsonSolar energy and baseload power are not usually two words that detractors of renewable energy allow to be included in the same phrase, unless it is accompanied by the word “not.” From now on though, they may become indelibly linked. Continue reading →

July 6, 2011 Posted by | 2 WORLD, renewable | Leave a comment

Dangers of USA’s spent nuclear fuel pools

A Safer Nuclear Crypt, NYT, By ,  July 5, 2011, The nuclear calamity at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi plant has refocused attention on the vulnerability of spent fuel pools at the 104 operating American nuclear plants.

“…….The pools are generally far more packed than the damaged ones at Fukushima. Some scientists argue that the crowding raises the risk of a fire and makes the pools a tempting target for terrorists. Continue reading →

July 6, 2011 Posted by | USA, wastes | Leave a comment

Collusion by government and industry to downplay Fukushima radiation report

the government is diluting real mortality rates of children by burying the expected death rates for children exposed in with statistics that are derived from the entire population…

Nuclear apologists will be quick to say this (criticism) is all hysteria and turn to their common talking points such as “show me one person who has become sick or has died from Fukushima radiation.” Even though it is well known it can take up to 20 years after radiation exposure to develop cancer, they stick to such cleverly constructed tricks which easily deceive the majority of the masses who are have not yet been equipped with the knowledge required to counter their propaganda.

Nuclear Radiation Survey: 1 in 20 Fukushima Children Will Develop Thyroid Cancer, The Intel Hub, By Alexander Higgins – Contributing Writer, July 5, 2011

Japan finally releases a nuclear radiation survey that reveals that 45% of Fukushima children had sustained thyroid radiation exposure by the end of March. Despite government attempts to downplay the survey results, the data shows that at least 1 in 20 children will develop thyroid cancer. Unfortunately, this is just the latest side show in the 3 ring circus being ran by our corporate dictators. Continue reading →

July 6, 2011 Posted by | Japan, spinbuster | 1 Comment

Training US nuclear staff for nuclear calamities

At U.S. Nuclear Reactors, Crews Train For The Worst, 5 July 11NPR, by RICHARD HARRIS..…..”…….— Berry says reactor operators in these training scenarios can respond to some pretty intense crises, on the scale even of Fukushima. But David Lochbaum, a nuclear engineer at a watchdog group called the Union of Concerned Scientists, says he’s skeptical that the mess in Japan could have been prevented, given the real-world conditions there….

He adds that you can’t truly simulate the kind of crisis response we saw at Fukushima, where a lot of the action took place outside the control rooms. Workers scrambled around to try to read dials, fix electrical circuits and struggle with stalled pumps. And he adds training might not be enough when a crew is confronting not only severe conditions but simultaneous crises at multiple reactors.

“Fukushima showed us that we could have an across-the-board situation where all the reactors are in jeopardy and there’s no on-site cavalry that can come running to the aid of the accident unit,” Lochbaum says.

He adds that overall, the U.S. training system is an important element of emergency preparedness. But it’s no guarantee that crews here can handle anything and everything thrown their way.http://www.npr.org/2011/07/06/137633351/at-u-s-nuclear-reactors-crews-train-for-the-worst

July 6, 2011 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Video on flooded Fort Calhoun Nuclear Plant

VIDEO .http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/video/2011-07/05/c_13965568.htm  U.S. Fort Calhoun nuclear plant flooded BEIJING, July 5 (Xinhuanet) — The Fort Calhoun plant north of Omaha in the US state of Nebraska has been surrounded by flood water from the Missouri River for over ten days. As worries mount, US authorities have reassured the public the plant is safe.

Could this be another Fukushima?

Operators of the Fort Calhoun plant say no.

But pictures like this make it hard to believe the official statement that only part of the utilities are flooded.

Rumors have spread that the reactors suffered a complete meltdown and that radioactive tritium is leaking into the river.

Nebraska has two nuclear plants along the Missouri River. The troubling photos have brought the Fort Calhoun facility into the spotlight.

But plant operator, Omaha Public Power, says all key buildings in the plant are secure. No flooding, no meltdown, no radioactive leakage……..

July 6, 2011 Posted by | Resources -audiovicual | Leave a comment

Fukushima soil more radioactive than Chernobyl’s was

Japan groups alarmed by radioactive soil, News 5 July(AFP) , TOKYO — Soil radiation in a city 60 kilometres (40 miles) from Japan’s stricken nuclear plant is above levels that prompted resettlement after the Chernobyl disaster, citizens’ groups said Tuesday.

The survey of four locations in Fukushima city, outside the nuclear evacuation zone, showed that all soil samples contained caesium exceeding Japan’s legal limit of 10,000 becquerels per kilogram (4,500 per pound), they said. The highest level was 46,540 becquerels per kilogram, and the three other readings were between 16,290 and 19,220 becquerels per kilogram, they said.

The citizens’ groups — the Fukushima Network for Saving Children from Radiation and five other non-governmental organisations — have called for the evacuation of pregnant women and children from the town.The highest reading in the city of 290,000 people far exceeded the level that triggered compulsory resettlement ordered by Soviet authorities following the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine, they said.

Kobe University radiation expert professor Tomoya Yamauchi conducted the survey on June 26 following a request from the groups.

“Soil contamination is spreading in the city,” Yamauchi said in a statement. “Children are playing with the soil, meaning they are playing with high levels of radioactive substances. Evacuation must be conducted as soon as possible.” The coastal Fukushima Daiichi plant has been spewing radiation since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami knocked out its cooling systems…..http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ivr747xKaxw9RGq5zMSDO-On_WRQ?docId=CNG.62875ee35cc28aa30725ee1bfd4cfbde.111

July 6, 2011 Posted by | - Fukushima 2011 | Leave a comment

French regulators allow oldest nuclear reactor to keep going

French nuclear watchdog allows Fessenheim to continue,  PARIS, July 4 (Reuters) – France’s nuclear watchdog on Monday gave its go-ahead for France’s oldest operating nuclear reactor in eastern France to continue working for another 10 years, a move that will anger ecologists.

But the government could still decide to shut the plant, commissioned in 1978, permanently after results of post-Fukushima stress tests are made public around mid-November.

There has been mounting pressure from ecologists over the last few years to permanently shut the plant because of its age, location in a seismic area and its proximity to the German border.

Fessenheim’s opponents stepped up their pressure after Japan’s nuclear disaster in March and after Germany decided last month to pull out of nuclear energy by 2022, arguing the plant would not resist an earthquake…….http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFWEB831820110704

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July 6, 2011 Posted by | France, safety | Leave a comment

Finish nuclear power – says Japan’s potential next Prime Minister

Japan PM contender says ditch nuclear, FT.com, By Mure Dickie and Tom O’Sullivan in Tokyo 4 July 11,   A leading contender to replace Naoto Kan as Japan’s prime minister has called for the country to phase out nuclear power over the next two decades.

Seiji Maehara, one of the most popular figures in the ruling Democratic party, told the Financial Times in an interview that construction of new nuclear reactors should “basically be stopped” following the crisis at the tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi atomic plant……A Japanese retreat from atomic power would have far-reaching implications for domestic utilities and companies such as Toshiba, Hitachi and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which are seeking to sell nuclear technology overseas.….

Opinion polls suggest a majority of voters support a gradual reduction in the use of atomic energy. Mr Maehara said Japan should aim to phase out nuclear power completely. “That is what is going to happen and … what should happen, but given that we depend on nuclear power for 30 per cent of electricity generation, we can’t get rid of it right away,” he said. “While increasing the safety of nuclear power, we need to use preferential policies to reduce our dependence on it over 10 or 20 years.”

Mr Maehara’s relative popularity and status as a former leader of the DPJ mean his call for a nuclear phase-out could put the issue at the centre of any party election to replace Mr Kan.  Mr Maehara’s status as a possible successor to Mr Kan has been boosted by recent opinion polls. One survey by the Nikkei Shimbun suggested one-fifth of voters thought him the most suitable person to become DPJ leader and thus premier….   http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/caa106b6-a581-11e0-83b2-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz1R7kQ1HSH

July 4, 2011 Posted by | Japan, politics | Leave a comment

Fukushima: How the nuclear industry, governments and media went into PR damage control right from the start

The emails show that the Fukushima “PR campaign” cover-up planning started hours after the catastrophe, specifically targeted nuclear disarmament human rights defenders, and aimed to protect industry’s plans for more nuclear facilities rather than protect human life……..Major news networks are owned by energy corporations, as only days ago, investigative journalist Wayne Madsen explained during a June 24th Russia Today interview …..

Scandalous collusion’: Gov’t, nuclear industry planned Fukushima cover-up, Government, nuclear industry covert media blackout, Examiner.com , Human Rights Examiner, July 1, 2011, Human rights to health of children and pregnant women, the most vulnerable to radiation, have been violated in what Greenpeace called ”scandalous collusion,” a planned Fukushima nuclear cover-up conducted by government and the multi-national nuclear industry according to leaked emails to the Guardian that it exposed Thursday. The emails show that the Fukushima “PR campaign” cover-up planning started hours after the catastrophe, specifically targeted nuclear disarmament human rights defenders, and aimed to protect industry’s plans for more nuclear facilities rather than protect human life.

For over three months, Japanese and American outrage about Fukushima disinformation and lack of aid for people at risk of Fukushima fall-out, has seemingly fallen on deaf ears. Gulf of Mexico coastal residents find the Fukushima scenario all too familiar, having experienced a similar intensive media blackout andprotection of BP rather than humans suffering for over a year. (La emergency summit fisher wife slams media black-out (video), Examiner, June 20, 2010)

The Guardian‘s leaked emails indicate that British government and industry possibly have had a hand to play in both Fukushima and Gulf Coast survivors’ misery. One implication of media black-outs result is that survivors gain little or no support otherwise forthcoming from people of goodwill.

“Internal emails seen by the Guardian show how the business and energy departments worked closely behind the scenes with the multinational companies EDF Energy, Areva and Westinghouse to try to ensure the [Fukushima] accident did not derail their plans for a new generation of nuclear stations in the UK,” theGuardian reports in its article, “Revealed: British government’s plan to play down Fukushima.”

Major news networks are owned by energy corporations, as only days ago, investigative journalist Wayne Madsen explained during a June 24th Russia Today interview …..

http://www.examiner.com/human-rights-in-national/scandalous-collusion-gov-t-nuclear-industry-planned-fukushima-cover-up

July 4, 2011 Posted by | 2 WORLD, spinbuster | Leave a comment

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