nuclear-news

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

After one MOX nuclear reprocessing disaster, Britain plans another one!

Pete Wilkinson, an independent environmental consultant, said it “beggared belief” that ministers were going down this path after losing an estimated £600m from operating an original MOX plant.

“It would be interesting to see the commercial arrangements which justify turning Britain into a nuclear waste dump for plutonium that no-one else wants.”

UK nuclear authority takes ownership of German plutonium UK risks becoming a ‘nuclear laundry’ looking after unwanted waste from other countries, warns industry expert Terry Macalister guardian.co.uk, 13 July 2012  Britain risks being turned into a “nuclear laundry” by taking ownership of German plutonium in return for cash, the government was warned on Friday.

The move came along with confirmation that ministers were moving towards a controversial decision to build a new mixed oxide fuel (MOX) plant despite having just agreed to close an existing one which lost millions of pounds.

Britain has the largest stockpile of plutonium in the world but has taken permanent control of a further 4 tonnes under a deal with German nuclear power companies.. Continue reading →

July 14, 2012 Posted by | Reference, reprocessing, UK | Leave a comment

France’s huge and growing nuclear waste problem

Nuclear waste in France set to double http://www.upi.com/Science News/2012/07/13/Nuclear-waste-in-France-set-to-double/UPI 21671342208921/#ixzz20dUEDe8D  PARIS, July 13 (UPI) –– France’s nuclear waste agency says the amount of such waste in the country will double by 2030, and some of it will remain radioactive for 2 million years.

The current 45 million cubic feet of nuclear waste in France is likely to reach 95 million cubic feet in the next 18 years, a report by Andra, the agency charged with stocking and disposing of nuclear waste, said.

The current amount of waste represents 4 pounds for every person in the country.

With nuclear power the principle source of electricity in France, the Andra report warns of major problems stockpiling waste, Radio France Internationale reported. While only 0.2 percent of current stocks are highly radioactive, some of the material, such as neptunium 237, can remain active for more than 2 million years.

The socialist government of Francois Hollande has resisted pressure from its coalition partners to drastically reduce the nuclear power industry, responsible for 59 percent of all the nuclear waste generated in the country, RFI reported.

July 14, 2012 Posted by | France, Reference, wastes | Leave a comment

Anti nuclear protest in Tokyo: police crack down

Japanese Journalist: “Like Palestine” at Tokyo protest — ‘Iron fence’ erected as last resort of Prime Minister’s regime http://enenews.com/japan-journalist-like-palestine-at-tokyo-protest-iron-fence-erected-as-last-resort-of-prime-ministers-regime   By ENENews    Ryusaku Tanaka’s Journal  from July 13, 2012 translated by Dissensus Japan:

In front of the Prime Minister’s Office, it became like Palestine.

See more pictures of Friday’s Tokyo anti nuclear protest at http://shoottokyo.com/2011/06/13/anti-nuclear-protests-across-tokyo/#comment-23926

During the meeting against the restarting of nuclear power that happens every friday, the police separated the sidewalk from the roadway with iron fences after having considered it was dangerous that people overflow on the roadway (It happened at the meeting last week and two weeks ago). The jurisdiction, Enforcement Division of Kôjimachi Police station explained in a phone interview: “It’s for the security of the crowd”. But isn’t it the same thing than to surround palestinian people saying that It’s to avoid terrorism? As I went to report about the wall of Palestine since the process of its plan, I couldn’t help comparing it.

The movement against the policy of Noda’s regime to promote nuclear power spreads. They don’t want people to have this image. It seems that their worries are increasing much stronger because the snap general election will be hold soon. Their plant scheme succeeded at first glance.

The iron fence is the last resort of PM Noda’s regime and of the Police and has a very bad reputation among the protesters.

July 14, 2012 Posted by | Japan, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

UK’s secretive discussions on the unknown cost of new nuclear power

“Discussions are happening in smoke-filled rooms, over champagne and croissants, to establish a price that we will all pay,” said Ian Marchant, chief executive officer of the U.K.’s second-largest energy supplier SSE Plc (SSE), which dropped plans to develop reactors in
September. “There is no transparency as to what that price will be.”

“What you have is a whole bunch of people saying they know what a new reactor will cost and they don’t,” 

U.K. Seen Doubling Power Price to Guarantee New Reactor  Bloomberg News, By Kari Lundgren on July 13, 2012. “……The future of the U.K.’s nuclear industry will be decided on one number: the price the government’s willing to guarantee Electricite de France SA will get
for generating atomic power. Continue reading →

July 14, 2012 Posted by | UK | Leave a comment

High radiation stalls efforts to close down Fukushima nuclear reactor No.3

VIDEO Robot probe detects high radiation at No.3 reactor http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20120713_10.html  The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has detected high levels of radiation in the basement of the No. 3 reactor, with a maximum dose of 360 millisieverts per hour.

Tokyo Electric Power Company sent in a robot on Wednesday to the room where the suppression chamber is located. It was the first robot to probe this area of the plant. TEPCO released video taken inside. They show that a door on the southwestern side is broken. There is no other apparent damage or sign of water leakage.

But high levels of radiation were detected. Readings exceeded 100 millisieverts per hour in a number of locations. Average levels were higher than those in the No.2 reactor.

Engineers lost control of the remote-controlled robot after around 3 hours of operation. They say there are problems with the connecting cable and they’ve been unable to regain control.
TEPCO officials say they have no option but to leave the robot where it is for the time being.

This may pose a problem to the utility’s efforts to decommission the reactor. The operators are in a hurry to identify and repair damage to the reactor’s suppression chamber and containment vessel. They want to pump in water in order to remove the melted fuel lying at the bottom.

July 14, 2012 Posted by | Fukushima 2012 | Leave a comment

A litany of ongoing, and rising, costs for San Onofre nuclear power plant

The Sustainability Alliance of Southern California last night hosted a discussiont: “Nuclear Power in Southern California – Can We Afford It? San Diego Reader, 13 July 12,  “…  Featured speakers were Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility executive director Rochelle Becker and counsel for the Alliance/former executive director and commissioner of the California Energy Commission John Geesman.

A recurring theme of the talk was the cost of nuclear power, touted as a cheap alternative to gas-fired power plants or other means of power.

“For San Onofre, [the original cost estimate] was under $180 million dollars. But it was $4.7 billion dollars when finished,” Becker said. She also pointed out that the cost of new seismic studies needed due to the discovery of earthquake faults near the plant has risen from an original estimated cost of $21 million to a new request by plant operator Southern California Edison to bill its customers as well as those of San Diego Gas & Electric up to $64 million for the studies. Continue reading →

July 14, 2012 Posted by | business and costs, Reference, USA | Leave a comment

High radiation level at Fukushima school, even after ‘decontamination’

1,000,000 Bq/kg of cesium detected at Fukushima school… after being ‘decontaminated’ — “It’s obvious they will just leave it” – Local Official y 13th, 2012   By ENENews  July 11, 2012 post by Koichi Oyama, Minamisoma city council member, translated by Dissensus Japan:

1.000.000 Bq detected in a school after a decontamination conducted!

A University’s research team collected lichen at the entrance of the gymnastic hall of a school that restarted after a decontamination operation, and the sample measured the Cesium radiation level, 989.000 Bq/Kg.

It’s obvious they will just leave it. I told them my ideas at least, but I’m not sure if this inspired them to do anything. No one makes decision to get rid of dangers.
I want to believe that at least “school principal” won’t leave the danger at the place where students walk by. I would go there tomorrow to make sure.   Read the report here

July 14, 2012 Posted by | environment, Japan, secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

Unusual number of birth deformities at Fukushima hospital

Evacuee: Fukushima hospital worker says 5 out of 7 babies were born with birth defect, Down’s syndrome, or lost by miscarriage — After this, husband agreed to evacuate July 13th, 2012 By ENENews Original published June 13, 2012 by a Fukushima evacuee, translated by Dissensus Japan:

Someone I know finally moved out of Fukushima to Mie (middle west of Japan). I wasn’t close to her, but she told me a major incident occurred that inspired her to be scared of radiation.At a hospital in Fuksuhima where she was working in, 5 babies out of 7 were born with birth defect, Down’s syndrome or lost by miscarriage.

  • 2 Down’s syndrome
  • 1 born with 6 fingers
  • 1 anencephalia
  • 1 miscarriage
  • 2 other infants were 4 months old old at the time. They have been followed over time.

Speaking in terms of probability, it’s hardly possible this happens in a same hospital. This terrified her. With experts’ knowledge and experiences, it reached the conclusion that this was associated with radiation.

After this, her husband finally agreed and her family evacuated home.

July 14, 2012 Posted by | Fukushima 2012, health, Japan, women | 2 Comments

Legal action – no confidence in USA’s nuclear Waste Confidence Rule

Beyond Nuclear files Nuke Waste Con Game contentions against 4 atomic reactors 12 July 12,  Beyond Nuclear has filed intervention contentions against a total of four atomic reactors (proposed new reactors at Grand Gulf Unit 3, MS and Fermi Unit 3, MIseeking construction and operating licenses, as well as degraded old reactors at Grand Gulf Unit 1, MSand Davis-Besse Unit 1, OH seeking 20 year license extensions) based on a recent U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruling gutting the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) “Nuclear Waste Confidence Decision.”

That confidence game has been used against states, environmental groups, and concerned citizens for decades, blocking them from challening the generation of high-level radioactive waste in atomc reactor licensing proceedings, as the NRC has flippantly expressed “confidence” that storage on-site was safe for decades or even centuries, and that a geologic repository for permanently disposing of irradiated nuclear fuel was just over the horizon — despite mounting evidence to the contrary. Continue reading →

July 14, 2012 Posted by | Legal, USA | Leave a comment

Ski resorts taking climate change seriously, going to renewable energy

Ski resorts go renewable U.S. ski resorts tap renewable energy sources to combat climate change Action Sports  July 13, 2012,   By Jesse Huffman  As the volatility of the 2011-12 season made clear, the stake ski resort’s have in resolving climate change is a big one. Over the past three years, resorts like Bolton , Burke , Jiminy Peak  and Grouse Mountain  have installed wind turbines, while others have pursued efficiency updates, in an effort to take responsibly produce, and reduce, the power and heat involved in swinging chairs and heating lodges all winter long. Now, four more areas, from local ski hills in the Northeast to major resorts in the Rockies, have installed or invested in renewable power sources ranging from solar to biomass to coalmine methane.

Smuggler’s Notch  closed early this winter after a spring meltdown saw the highest March temperatures in Vermont’s history. The same solar energy that drove skiers and riders batty as it took away their snow is now being put to use by an array of 35 solar trackers, which collectively produce 205,000 kWh per year — around five percent of Smuggler’s total electrical use. The array provides enough juice for most of the resort’s Village Lodge. Continue reading →

July 14, 2012 Posted by | climate change, USA | Leave a comment

Police taking a tough line with Australian anti uranium protestors

“Whilst the police have publicly stated that our right to protest will be upheld, policing approaches to date have set an unreasonable precedent for depriving people of their civil liberties and their right to engage in political demonstration and communication,”

LIZARD’S REVENGE KICKS OFF AT OLYMPIC DAM  Saturday 14th July  Protestors continue to gather for the Lizards Revenge music and arts festival at BHP Billiton’s Olympic Dam uranium mine. The event officially begins today and is scheduled to run for the next five days. Continue reading →

July 14, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Nuclear Plant Vogtle – escalating costs, delays, don’t augur well for nuclear industry

Most of the [USA’s nuclear power] projects have been delayed or scrapped due to the lower than expected demand for electricity, the inability to secure financing or because the utility decided a cheaper alternative, such as natural gas, was easier.

Delays, cost increases at nation’s new nuclear projects, By Kristi Swartz The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 13 July 12, Despite promises from the nuclear industry to regulators and consumers that they learned from mistakes of the past, the nation’s first two nuclear reactor projects built from scratch in 30 years are headed toward hundreds of millions of dollars in cost overruns and months, if not years, of delays.

Georgia Power customers currently are paying the financing costs of Plant Vogtle’s twin reactors. The impact of the early delays and budget increases at Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle and South Carolina Electric & Gas’s Plant Summer will have on future nuclear projects is unclear. Continue reading →

July 14, 2012 Posted by | business and costs, USA | Leave a comment

Nuclear capable missile tested by India

India tests nuclear-capable Agni-I missile South Asian News Agency (SANA) ⋅ July 13, 2012 ⋅  ALASORE,   India on Friday successfully test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear capable Agni-I ballistic missile, with a strike range of 700 km, as part of the Army’s user trial from a test range at Wheeler Island off Odisha coast..

.. The trajectory of the missile, which has an operational strike range of 700 km, was tracked by sophisticated radars and electro-optic telemetry stations located along the sea coast and ships positioned near the impact point in the downrange area.

Weighing 12 tonnes, the 15-metre-long Agni-I, which can carry payloads up to 1000 kg, has already been inducted into the Indian Army. http://www.sananews.net/english/india-tests-nuclear-capable-agni-i-missile/

July 14, 2012 Posted by | India, weapons and war | Leave a comment

90 cancer victims bring lawsuit against nuclear power plant operators

Patricia Ameno, a plaintiff in a previous round of litigation, told Post-Gazette reporter Rich Lord that, due to health problems, “A lot of people have lost not only their entire savings but their homes.”
Families have been torn apart by illnesses and deaths, she said.

Radioactive: Revelations on nuclear plants sound a warning http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/opinion/editorials/radioactive-revelations-on-nuclear-plants-sound-a-warning-633299/#ixzz20deylWXd July 3, 2012 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Like a dark family secret long suspected but never confirmed, the shock of discovery is all the more lurid for coming into the light years later. So it is with the news of radioactive material released into the air — at levels higher than any seen in the nation — at closed nuclear fuels plants in Armstrong County.

Incredulity feeds the first reaction: Surely this could not have happened. But apparently it did, according to good authority. That would be Joseph P. Ring, a Harvard University radiation safety officer who teaches at Harvard and the University of Massachusetts. He
wrote a 37-page report that was filed Tuesday as part of federal lawsuits brought against plant operators Babcock & Wilcox Co. and Atlantic Richfield Co. by about 90 cancer victims. Continue reading →

July 14, 2012 Posted by | Legal, USA | Leave a comment

USA exempting uranium mining on federal lands from environmental reviews

Republicans push through mining deregulation bill http://www.nuclearfreeplanet.org/articles/republicans-push-through-mining-deregulation-bill.html  7-13-2012   Joined by only 22 Democrats, Republicans successfully pushed through a bill allowing uranium mining on federal lands to be exempted from “formal environmental reviews. Also included in the exemption would be copper, silver, and gold. Rep. Ed Markey (Dem-MA) accused the Republicans  of “actually appear[ing] to be trying to usher in a new stone age,” saying the bill was “a pretext for gutting environmental protections relating to virtually all mining operations” and “a GOP giveaway game show here on the House floor.”
Rep. Rush Holt, Democrat- NJ joined Ed Markey in saying: “It has almost nothing to do with national strategic critical minerals production… Make no mistake, this is a giveaway… It is free mining, no royalties, no protection of public interest, exemption from royalty payments, near exemption from environmental regulations, near exemption from legal enforcement of the protections.”


LARRY MARGASAK (AP) l Seattle Times l 12 Juy 2012

Republicans pushed a bill through the House Thursday that allows the government to exempt gold, copper, silver and uranium mining on federal land from formal environmental reviews…

Read full text

July 14, 2012 Posted by | environment, politics, Uranium, USA | Leave a comment

« Previous Entries