nuclear-news

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

Is a Saudi Arabian nuclear bomb a bigger danger than Iran’s?

Unsurprisingly, many US politicians are extremely worried about a Saudi bomb. As in the case of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia had what one might call ‘fluid’ ties to Islamist terrorists.

Never mind Iran, is Saudi Arabia about to acquire a nuclear bomb? Mail Online, By MICHAEL BURLEIGH, 24th February 2012 Both Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council maintain that they want a WMD-free Middle East. However, key members of the Saudi royal elite have recently signalled that if Iran develops a nuclear weapon, then Saudi Arabia will get one too.
Speaking of signalling, they have also long indicated that if Israel were to overfly the desert kingdom to bomb Iranian nuclear sites, they would temporarily turn their radars off.
Saudi Arabia has signed nuclear technology agreements with several
states: China, France, Argentina and South Korea, Continue reading →

February 25, 2012 Posted by | Saudi Arabia, weapons and war | 1 Comment

Rocky Flats nuclear weapons site still contaminated with plutonium

The Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center hired independent contractors to test the soil and find out what the level of present plutonium contamination really looks like – but they were barred from actually entering the refuge. Instead, they tested the soil along the outside of the fence, and found that the level of contamination hasn’t changed since the 1970s. 

 Plutonium particles in the soil at Rocky Flats will one way or another, sooner or later, come into people’s lungs and lives, since, with a half-life of 24,000 years, it poses a radiation hazard essentially forever

the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center has filed a lawsuit to attempt to block any construction.

Former Colorado Nuclear Weapons Plant Just As Contaminated 40 Years Later http://www.care2.com/causes/former-colorado-nuclear-weapons-plant-just-as-contaminated-40-years-later.html, Care 2, by  February 24, 2012 16 miles northwest of Denver, CO sits the Rocky Flats site, formerly home to a plant that produced nuclear weapons from 1952-1989. These operations were shut down for repeated safety violations, which whistleblowers started bringing to the attention of the EPA and FBI in 1987. The extent of the contamination of the site was never revealed publically. Continue reading →

February 25, 2012 Posted by | - plutonium, Reference, USA | Leave a comment

Nuclear reprocessing not a viable option for Japan

Fast-breeder said realistic no more, Japan Times, 25 Feb 12,  Kyodo A panel of experts reviewing the nuclear fuel cycle policy in light of the Fukushima crisis has agreed that while a fast-breeder reactor has advantages, from a technology viewpoint it can’t be considered a realistic option for the next 20 to 30 years. The nuclear fuel policy involves reprocessing spent fuel to produce plutonium that can be reused to produce electricity.

The subcommittee of the Japan Atomic Energy Commission said in a draft document summarizing its discussions that two viable options during the next few decades would be to not reprocess spent nuclear fuel, and to recycle plutonium-uranium mixed oxide fuel, or MOX fuel.

The former option is called the “once-through” cycle, in which uranium fuel is used in nuclear reactors just one time and disposed of by burying it in the ground. In the latter option, MOX fuel is manufactured from plutonium recovered from spent nuclear fuel and used
in ordinary reactors. Continue reading →

February 25, 2012 Posted by | Japan, Reference, reprocessing | Leave a comment

Chernobyl, Fukushima teach us that nuclear power is not worth the risk

Nuclear plant risks are not worth it, Green Bay Press Gazette, Mary Tordeur,24 Feb 12, “………Fukushima cannot be considered a small incident that can easily be corrected. It caused a great area to be uninhabitable, as well as a risk to the health of the entire nation’s population for generations to come.

The 1986 Chernobyl disaster caused 6,000-8,000 deaths due to cancer and other radiation-related illnesses, another 15,000 suffering related diseases since 1992, along with 32 deaths from the explosion itself, according to a story in the Press-Gazette story in 1992.
Cleanup costs were estimated to hit $400 billion. It caused a lethal cloud that drifted over Europe, risking the health of millions and contaminating water, livestock, milk, hay and food crops. It left 1,000 square miles highly contaminated and nearly 3 million acres of
agricultural land considered lost for a century. It was estimated there could be 1 million extra cancers worldwide within 70 years of Chernobyl. Continue reading →

February 25, 2012 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Tonga aiming for 50% renewable energy by 2015

Tonga has set its renewable energy target at 50% by 2015, and already has a plan
(the Tonga Energy Roadmap) for how it will achieve this lofty figure.

Tonga is receiving financial support from New Zealand and technical support from the Renewable Energy & Efficiency Program (REEP) in the development of its renewable energy projects

Tonga Starts on its Plan to Achieve 50% Renewable Energy by 2015, Oil Price, By Charles Kennedy , 24 February 2012 As oil prices increase, steady oil supplies become more uncertain, and CO2 emissions continue to increase, many countries around the world are trying to invest in renewable energy sources. Continue reading →

February 25, 2012 Posted by | OCEANIA, renewable | Leave a comment

Some progress in USA – North Korea nuclear talks

U.S. nuclear talks with N. Korea produce progress but no breakthrough, Washington Post,   By Chico Harlan,   February 24,  TOKYO — The United States’ nuclear negotiations with North Korea ended Friday with “a little bit of progress” but no breakthrough, said chief U.S. negotiator Glyn Davies, who hinted that a long and slow process will determine Pyongyang’s willingness to swap its weapons program for aid. Continue reading →

February 25, 2012 Posted by | North Korea, politics international | Leave a comment

Forceful opposition to renewing license for Pilgrim nuclear power plant

Pilgrim is one of the 23 reactors in the United States that is of the exact same design of the Fukushima reactors

Ms. Lampert also accused the federal government of bowing to corporate interests by disregarding the NRC’s own cautionary findings that these types of reactors should not be allowed to operate. 

 a 1990 Massachusetts Department of Health study  pointed out elevated levels of leukemia among residents living in the region around Pilgrim Power

Opponents To Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant Turn Out In Force For Panel Discussion, Cape News.net, 24 Feb 12  “……The panel they came to hear from included Carolyn O’Connor, director of external affairs for ISO New England, the entity that oversees the power grid in the region, state Senator Daniel A. Wolf, and Mary E. Lampert, founder and director of Pilgrim Watch and a longtime health and safety advocate.

Entergy Nuclear, the owner of the Pilgrim plant, declined an invitation to have a representative speak at the forum. Continue reading →

February 25, 2012 Posted by | opposition to nuclear, USA | Leave a comment

Our generation should not pass the nuclear problem on to our grandchildren, says US Senator

Senator Wolf calls for Pilgrim nuclear plant shutdown By Rich Eldred, Herald news, Cape Codder, Feb 24, 2012 CAPE COD — State Sen. Dan Wolf, who represents most all of Barnstable County, called for the shutdown of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant at a forum
sponsored by the Cape and Islands Renewable Energy Collaborative Wednesday night at Cape Cod Community College..

… Wolf said if this was a brand new proposed plant it would never be built in Plymouth, close to so many people. Pointing to two 13-year olds in the audience he said, “When you’re 32 you’re going to have to figure out what you’re going to do with a 60-year old piece of technology. Our generation is kicking the can down the road.”..

February 25, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Taiwanese will march for a nuclear power free homeland

Anti-nuclear rallies set for March 11 Taipei Times, Staff Writer, with CNA  25 Feb 12, Nearly 20 local non-governmental organizations (NGO) yesterday urged the public to take to the streets on March 11, the first anniversary of Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami, to demand that the government scrap plans for further construction of nuclear power plants.

The organizers said they hope to draw more than 10,000 demonstrators in rallies to be held in Taipei, Greater Taichung and Greater Kaohsiung. The march would mark continuing efforts to build local momentum amid global concerns over nuclear safety, the organizers said.

The action is also aimed at pushing the government to commit to a nuclear-free homeland, said Tsui Su-hsin (崔傃欣), secretary-general of the Green Citizens’ Action Alliance, one of the participating NGOs.  Continue reading →

February 25, 2012 Posted by | opposition to nuclear, Taiwan | Leave a comment

Renewable Energy World Africa gearing up for Exhibition 2012

Renewable Energy World Africa 2012 launches Website and announces new Sponsor Renewable Energy World Africa Conference and Exhibition 2012, taking place in Johannesburg, South Africa on 6-8 November 2012, have launched their eagerly anticipated website at www.renewableenergyworldafrica.com.

Environmental Expert.com. 24 feb12, The Renewable Energy World Africa website contains important information with regards to exhibiting and sponsorship opportunities, travel and accommodation for the event, registration prices and will in time contain the preliminary conference programme, as well as the latest industry news and information on Renewable Energy World Africa as a whole.

Renewable Energy World Africa is co-located with the inaugural POWER-GEN Africa and will include a dedicated conference stream featuring three days of presentations and debate about the strategic challenges and technical solutions for expanding renewable energy power generation across sub-Saharan Africa. Exhibitors will also have a dedicated Renewable Energy World Africa pavilion on the show floor which will be a focus of expertise and global technological excellence in the green energy sector…..  http://www.environmental-expert.com/news/renewable-energy-world-africa-2012-launches-website-and-announces-new-sponsor-282593

February 25, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Obama promised to renew Renewable Energy Tax Credits

If the Renewable Energy Production Tax Credit is renewed, the renewable energy investments in the U.S. will continue to grow – and promote green jobs growth as well.

Green Jobs: Obama to Renew Renewable Energy Tax Credits  Green Buildings. com Advice provided by: Claire Moloney, LEED Green Associate, Cornell University 24 Feb 12,  As I reported in my most recent article, “Green Jobs: Renewable Energy Stocks, Investments“, renewable energy stocks showed rapid growth in early 2012. This growth followed a major renewable energy milestone – a total of $1 trillion in global clean energy investments to date in late 2012. Continue reading →

February 25, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Japan’s nuclear recycling plant, a probable failure

“an 80 to 90 percent chance of the [nuclear recycling] plant being a failure”

even if Rokkasho gets up and running, two problems remain: it alone cannot recycle enough fuel to stop the waste mounting up, and there is still the issue of burying the vitrified waste permanently in a crowded, quake-prone country.

Beyond Fukushima Japan faces deeper nuclear concerns, Vancouver Sun, By RISA MAEDA, Reuters February 24, 2012 TOKYO – On a hillside in northern Japan, wind turbines slice through the cold air, mocking efforts at a nearby industrial complex to shore up the future of the demoralised nuclear power industry.

The wind-power farm at Rokkasho has sprung up close to Japan’s first nuclear reprocessing plant, a Lego-like complex of windowless buildings and steel towers, which was supposed to have started up 15 years ago but is only now nearing completion.

Dogged by persistent technical problems, it is designed to recycle spent nuclear fuel and partly address a glaring weakness in Japan’s bid to restore confidence in the industry, shredded last year when a quake and tsunami wrecked the Fukushima Daiichi power station to the south, triggering radioactive leaks and mass evacuations.
But the Rokkasho project is too little, too late, according to critics who say Japan is running so short of nuclear-waste storage that the entire industry risks shutdown within the next two decades unless a solution is found.

“You don’t build a house without a toilet,” said Jitsuro Terashima, president of the Japan Research Institute think tank and member of an expert panel advising the national government on energy policy after the Fukushima disaster….
Long-term storage of highly radioactive waste is a problem common to all nuclear-powered nations, including the United States, but experts say Japan’s unstable geology and densely populated terrain mean that its challenges are far bigger. Continue reading →

February 25, 2012 Posted by | Japan, reprocessing | Leave a comment

Concern in UK over nuclear regulator paid through private company

Nuclear regulator paid through private firm will not have contract renewed Paul Brown’s friends accuse ministers of panicking after revelations about Student Loans boss’s tax arrangements Rajeev Syal guardian.co.uk,  24 February 2012  One of Britain’s leading nuclear regulators will not have his contract renewed after he was identified as receiving payment through a private company rather than the staff payroll.

Paul Brown is the chief operating officer of the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and was a senior director at the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)…. The ONR, an agency of the HSE, is responsible for the regulation of the UK’s nuclear sector. It must also oversee new safeguards being drawn up after the Fukushima meltdown triggered by the earthquake in
Japan last year. Continue reading →

February 25, 2012 Posted by | secrets,lies and civil liberties, UK | Leave a comment

Exposure to radiation by workers in Finalnd

Outokumpu workers exposed to radiation   http://af.reuters.com/article/metalsNews/idAFL5E8DO6SX20120224

 * Four Outokumpu workers exposed to radiation

* One worker’s exposure “material safety risk”

* Radiation should not have adverse health effects

* Recycled steel had contained americium (Adds detail) Continue reading →

February 25, 2012 Posted by | Finland, incidents | Leave a comment

Kazakhstan says Japan will continue to buy its uranium

Japan to Purchase Contracted Kazakh Uranium, Kazatomprom Says Bloomberg,  By Nariman Gizitdinov and Yuriy Humber – Feb 23, 2012 Kazatomprom (KZAP), the state nuclear company in the world’s biggest uranium-producing nation, said its Japanese customers will take delivery of the fuel they agreed to buy even as the country idles its atomic stations.

The supply contracts with Japan haven’t changed, Chief Executive Officer Vladimir Shkolnik told reporters in Almaty, Kazakhstan, today without identifying the buyers…..
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-24/japan-to-purchase-contracted-kazakh-uranium-kazatomprom-says.html

February 25, 2012 Posted by | business and costs, Kazakhstan, Uranium | Leave a comment

« Previous Entries     Next Entries »