2012 July 09 « nuclear-news

World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2012

“The fact that plant life extension seems the most likely survival strategy of the nuclear industry raises serious safety issues. Most critically will be to what extent and for how long nuclear safety authorities will be in a position to withstand growing pressure from nuclear utilities to keep operating increasingly outdated technology”

We are glad to announce that the report is now available for free download at www.WorldNuclearReport.org. Mycle Schneider Consulting ,Independent Analysis on Energy and Nuclear Policy 9 July 12, Twenty years after its first edition, the World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2012 portrays an industry suffering from the cumulative impacts of the world economic crisis, the Fukushima disaster, ferocious competitors and its own planning and management difficulties.

Key results of the assessment include:

• Only seven new reactors started up, while 19 were shut down in 2011. On 5 July 2012, one reactor was reconnected to the grid at Ohi in Japan and another unit is expected to generate power on the site within two weeks. However, it remains highly uncertain, how many others will receive permission to restart operations in Japan.

• Four countries announced that they will phase out nuclear power within a given timeframe.

• At least five countries have decided not to engage or re-engage in nuclear programs.

• In Bulgaria and Japan two reactors under construction were abandoned.

• In four countries new build projects were officially cancelled. Of the 59 units under construction in the world, at least 18 are experiencing multi-year delays, while the remaining 41 projects were started within the past five years or have not yet reached projected start-up dates, making it difficult to assess whether they are running on schedule.

• Construction costs are rapidly rising. The European EPR cost estimate has increased by a factor of four (adjusted for inflation) over the past ten years.

• Two thirds of the assessed nuclear companies and utilities were downgraded by credit rating agency Standard and Poor’s over the past five years.

• The assessment of a dozen nuclear companies reveals that all but one performed worse than the UK FTSE100 index. The shares of the world’s largest nuclear operator, French state utility EDF, lost 82 percent of their value, that of the world’s largest nuclear builder, French state company AREVA, fell by 88 percent.

In contrast, renewable energy development has continued with rapid growth figures. Continue reading →

July 9, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, business and costs, Reference | Leave a comment

Decaying concrete a problem for aging nuclear power plants

concrete degradation has surfaced in the reactor containment buildings of three U.S. nuclear power stations. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission recently warned operators there that design strengths and assumptions used in original containment building design plans “may no longer hold true,” if ASR and its telltale cracks and fissures are present.

Decaying concrete raising concerns at Canada’s aging nuclear plants, National Post Ian MacLeod, Postmedia News Jul 8, 2012 Decaying concrete at nuclear power plants is the latest concern for nuclear safety authorities.

At Quebec’s sole atomic power station, Gentilly-2, eroding concrete has prompted federal licensing officials to suggest that any provincial attempt to refurbish and re-license the 30-year-old plant must satisfy federal concerns over the aging concrete’s ability to stand up to another two or three decades of service.

The move comes as economic pressures force nuclear utilities to consider refurbishing their nuclear plants and operating them well past their 25- to 30-year initial lives. Continue reading →

July 9, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Canada, safety, USA | Leave a comment

Tamil Nadu officials lie – pretense of an emergency drill near Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP)

‘Kudankulam nuclear plant faked emergency drill’ Chennai: IBN Live, Tamil Nadu | Jul 08, 2012 The official claim of having conducted a mandatory three-stage emergency drill at Nakkaneri hamlet, situated within 7 km from the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) in Tirunelveli district, on June 9 was termed ‘a blatant lie’ by the People’s Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL), which sent a fact-finding team to the place on June 13 and 20, after the villagers denied the version of the authorities.

No drill was conducted and the people of Nakkaneri were surprised to read about it in the newspapers the next day, the PUCL said, and accused the district administration of spreading falsehood through the media.
Announcing the findings in Chennai on Saturday, the team members said that they spoke to 22 people, including senior citizens and panchayat officials, and learnt that on June 9, a team of about 40 policemen had landed at the village, blocking the roads and checking a few vehicles before dispersing in the evening.
The next day, a press note was released saying an offsite emergency drill was held successfully in Nakkaneri. PUCL national secretary P Suresh said that the offsite emergency preparedness exercise was mandatory to get clearance from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) to load fuel into the reactor….
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/kudankulam-plant-faked-emergency-drill/270033-62-128.html

July 9, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | India, secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

266 fires on UK’s nuclear submarines

“Any one of these fires could have had catastrophic consequences and the frequency of these incidents raises the most serious safety concerns.”

Nuclear submarine fire figures revealed BBC News 9 July 12, There have been 266 fires on nuclear submarines in the past 25 years, the Ministry of Defence has revealed. The incidents included 74 on ballistic missile submarines. Three happened while the vessels were in naval bases; one of these was on a ballistic missile submarine. Continue reading →

July 9, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | incidents, UK | Leave a comment

Researchers tracking patients’ medical radiation as it adds up

Experts plan to track radiation doses from medical checks Asahi Shimbun, http://ajw.asahi.com/article behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201207090009 July 09, 2012 By YURI OIWA/ Staff Writer Concerned about an increase in radiation exposure at hospitals, a group of researchers plans to set up a system to track patients’ cumulative radiation doses and protect children from potential harm. Continue reading →

July 9, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | health, Japan, Reference | Leave a comment

Irresponsible dumping of hospitals’ radioactive wastes

Toxic health dumping scandal, SMH, July 8, 2012 Natalie O’Brien The dangerous disposal of hazardous substances including liquid uranium and contaminated objects, the dumping of the confidential records of patients and the mishandling of asbestos have exposed a culture of mismanagement in Sydney hospitals. : http://www.smh.com.au/national/health/toxic-health-dumping-scandal-20120707-21nqp.html#ixzz204LVGURR

July 9, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA, secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

Iran ready to negotiate on uranium enrichment

Iran May Consider Halt To 20% Uranium Enrichment, Press TV Says By Ladane Nasseri – Jul 7, 2012 http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-08/iran-may-consider-halt-to-20-uranium-enrichment-press-tv-says.html An Iranian parliament lawmaker said his country is willing to consider the temporary suspension of 20-percent uranium enrichment as part of a negotiated accord, state-run Press TV news channel reported.

In return the so-called P5+1 — U.S., U.K., France, China, Russia and Germany — must agree to meet the country’s needs for 20-percent enriched uranium, said Mohammad-Hassan Asferi, a member of the Parliament’s national security and foreign policy committee, according to Press TV.

Iran would be willing to suspend its 20-percent enrichment activity for a specific period if western powers meet its enrichment needs during this time, Asferi said, adding that permanent suspension is “by no means acceptable.”

Iran would also expect sanctions to be lifted and the nuclear dossier to be pulled out of the UN Security Council and referred back to the International Atomic Energy Agency, he said, according to Press TV.

July 9, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Iran, politics international, Uranium | Leave a comment

Book describes the murders of Iran’s nuclear scientists

Israeli spies behind Iran assassinations: Book, Times of India. AP | Jul 9, 2012, WASHINGTON: A new book claims Israel’s spy agency dispatched assassins into Iran, as part of a campaign to sabotage the country’s disputed nuclear program.

Israeli operatives have killed at least four Iranian nuclear scientists, including targeting them with operatives on motorcycles, an assassination technique used by the Israeli spy service, the Mossad, according to authors Dan Raviv and Yossi Melman in their book to be published July 9, “Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel’s Secret Wars“. Continue reading →

July 9, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | resources - print | Leave a comment

AREVA scrambles to sell nuclear technology to China

Areva Looks To China As France Rethinks Nuclear Power By Francois de Beaupuy and Caroline Connan – Jul 7, 2012 Areva SA (AREVA) Chief Executive Officer Luc Oursel is seeking fresh talks to sell nuclear reactors to China , halted in the wake of last year’s nuclear accident in Japan and amid questions about the new French government’s energy stance. …. Continue reading →

July 9, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, France | Leave a comment

AREVA and others scramble to sell nuclear technology to Britain

Areva confirms joint bid with China’s CGNPC for UK’s Horizon AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France, July 7 | Sat Jul 7, 2012 (Reuters) – French nuclear group Areva will make a joint bid with China Guangdong Nuclear Power Corporation Holding (CGNPC) for the UK’s 6-gigawatt Horizon project, its chief executive Luc Oursel said on Saturday.

“We will participate in the British government’s plan to make this project a reality, and we will probably do it with Chinese power companies and other players,” Oursel said on the sidelines of a conference in Aix-en-Provence, southern France. “Probably by the end of the year, the sellers will make public their choice for the team that will take over the project,” Oursel told
reporters.

Reuters reported on June 18 that Westinghouse teamed up with SNPTC to make a bid, while Areva picked China Guangdong to put forward a bid…. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/07/areva-horizon-idUSL6E8I72CS20120707

July 9, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, France, UK | Leave a comment

the “Arab Spring” has pulled the plug on nuclear power for the Middle East

Arab Spring proves winter to nuclear ambitions Times Live, Sapa-dpa | 08 July, 2012 Along with lifetime presidencies, emergency laws, and personalised security forces, the Arab Spring uprisings of the past year have claimed another illustrious victim: nuclear energy.

“All the plans, all the agreements, all the studies; everything has stopped,” said Abdelmajid Mahjoub, director of the Arab Atomic Energy Agency (AAEA), a regional atomic energy body affiliated with the Arab League. Continue reading →

July 9, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, MIDDLE EAST, politics international, Reference | Leave a comment

“Regulatory Capture” by the global nuclear industry, not just Japan

in the Japanese original of Thursday’s report…it explains the disaster in terms of “regulatory capture” – that is, that the relationship between the regulators and the regulated was much too close, enabling the regulated to subject the regulators to undue pressure and influence.

he supposedly Japanese qualities that the report outlines, such as obedience, reluctance to question authority, “sticking with the programme” and insularity, are not at all unique to Japan, but are universal qualities in all societies.

The Fukushima report hides behind the cultural curtain By claiming the disaster was ‘made in Japan’, an official report reinforces, yet does not explain, unhelpful stereotypes Naoko Shimazu guardian.co.uk, 6 July 2012 More than a year after a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami struck Japan on 11 March 2011, the Fukushima nuclear accident independent investigation commission released an 88-page report this week delivering the indictment that Fukushima could not be considered a natural disaster but a “profoundly man-made disaster”.

It went on to state that “this was a disaster ‘made in Japan’. Its fundamental causes are to be found in the ingrained conventions of Japanese culture: our reflexive obedience; our reluctance to question authority; our devotion to ‘sticking with the programme’; and our ‘insularity’.”…. Continue reading →

July 9, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

USA has done 1030 nuclear bomb tests – it’s time to stop

Rid world of nuclear tests Observer and Eccentric, Fern Katz, 9 July, “….July 16 marks the 67th anniversary of the first nuclear test explosion in New Mexico, commonly known as “Trinity.” In the years that followed, the United States conducted 1,030 nuclear test explosions — more than any other country in the world.

Radioactive fallout from nuclear testing has negatively impacted health all across America and the globe. A National Cancer Institute study showed that every county in the lower 48 states received some amount of fallout from nuclear tests.

With the negative effects that come from nuclear test explosions, how can our nation’s leaders think that holding open the option of ever conducting these tests again is a good idea? Continue reading →

July 9, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, weapons and war | Leave a comment

United States, Russia, China, France, UK refusing to sign ASEAN Weapons Free Zone treaty

Nuclear states shun ASEAN treaty Supalak Ganjanakhundee, The Nation, Phnom Penh July 9, 2012 Powers won’t sign weapon-free accord this week Nuclear weapons states will not sign the protocol of the Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapons Free Zone treaty (SEANWFZ) at this week’s Asean meeting as many of them still have reservations, Foreign Minister Surapong Towichukchaikul said yesterday.

Nuclear powers including the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom were supposed to sign the protocol when their representatives attended the Asean ministerial meeting in Cambodia this week. However, many of them voiced reservations to the group at
short notice over their rights and sovereignties in zones defined as “nuclearweapons free”. Continue reading →

July 9, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | ASIA, politics international, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Earthquake danger for nuclear power plants

Earthquakes are a fairly common occurrence in Japan, and so, if the earthquake was indeed the cause of the accident, it would call into question the safety of much of Japan’s nuclear fleet, including, presumably, the reactors at the Ohi plant.

The Nuclear Power Conundrum, Bill Chameides Dean, Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment HUFFINGTON POST, 07/06/20 “…. a report released on Thursday by the Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission concluded that last year’s accident in northeastern Japan at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant operated by the Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) was “profoundly a man-made disaster — that could and should have been foreseen and prevented.”

While the official story has been that the accident was caused by the “once-in-a-millennium” tsunami, the report concludes that damage resulting from the earthquake (before the tsunami struck) could have been liable as well. Continue reading →

July 9, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Fukushima 2012, safety | Leave a comment

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