2012 December 22 « nuclear-news

Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion behind schedule and over budget,

“It’s time to cut our losses now because you are throwing good money after bad,”

Nuclear energy critics assail Plant Vogtle http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2012/12/18/nuclear-energy-critics-assail-plant.html
Atlanta Business Chronicle by Dave Williams, December 18, 2012, Georgia’s energy regulators should pull the plug on the Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion rather than make customers keep paying for a project that is behind schedule and over budget, Continue reading →

December 22, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, USA | Leave a comment

Pro nuclear Mr Amari likely to be Japan’s Economic Minister

Abe to Give Posts to Stimulus, Nuclear Advocates By TAKASHI NAKAMICHI, WSJ, December 20, 2012,
TOKYO—Incoming Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will likely form an
old-boy economic team led by fiscal stimulus and nuclear energy
proponents,….. Along with Mr. Aso, the incoming prime minister will
likely tap the policy head of the Liberal Democratic Party and
longtime ally, Akira Amari, to fill in a new ministerial post
responsible for guiding overall economic policy discussions. Mr. Amari
held the trade minister’s portfolio when Mr. Abe was last prime
minister from 2006-2007.

One of the LDP’s leading energy experts, Mr. Amari has defended
Japan’s reliance on nuclear plants, even after the March 2011
earthquake triggered the nation’s worst nuclear crisis. A one-time
employee at Sony Corp., 6758.TO -1.63% Mr. Amari represents the voices
of corporate Japan……
Mr. Abe is diverging from the path trodden by the outgoing ruling
Democratic Party of Japan, which has grown more fiscally conservative
and has pledged to exit nuclear power by 2040……
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324461604578191052600447858.html

December 22, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, politics | Leave a comment

Indigenous community resisting nuclear reactor in Eastern Cape, South Africa

the Gamtkwa community still feels marginalised
and establishing a nuclear reactor atop a priceless heritage site is
likely to alienate them further.

There goes the neighbourhood…and here comes nuclear, Mail and
Guardian, Africa,
21 DEC 2012 05:00 – LIONEL FAULL

What happens when government plans to build a nuclear plant in your
hometown? Lionel Faull went to the Eastern Cape to find out.The
process of rolling out a massive nuclear power expansion programme
gained momentum in November when the Cabinet endorsed electricity
utility Eskom as the owner and operator of the proposed new nuclear
power stations. But the plan still faces an uphill public battle, not
least from the people in whose back yard the first new nuclear
behemoth is going to be carved out.

The Mail & Guardian went to Thyspunt in the Eastern Cape, where Eskom
is finalising the environmental plan for its preferred site, to hear
what locals have to say about living next door to nukes……. Continue reading →

December 22, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | indigenous issues, South Africa | Leave a comment

Nuclear power: factor in all aspects, and it contributes to global warming

Wishful thinking on nuclear power

By Dr. Dale Dewar, The StarPhoenix December 21, 2012 Dewar is
executive director of the group Physicians for Global Survival.

” What’s to like about nuclear power?……….Is it green, as a Dec. 7 editorial suggests? Those who promote nuclear
as a rescue to global warming get mixed up about the proportion of the
world’s energy that is actually provided by nuclear power. The fact is
that nuclear power represents less than three per cent of the world’s
total energy use. Increasing its share of electricity production would
not make a dent in preventing climate warming.

Nuclear power accounts for only 11 per cent of the world’s total
electrical production, down from its peak in 1995 of 17 per cent. At
the current rate of new builds versus old power plants reaching their
end dates, the IAEA estimates a 2040 share of 6.7 per cent.

Factor in the mining, transportation, carbon costs of construction,
security, waste management and decommissioning all at the greatest
cost of any source and nuclear power is only green at best when it is
up and running at 90 per cent or better efficiency a figure rarely
reached by most reactors.

The cost to our pocketbooks and to the environment is incredibly
important. At a time when Saskatoon city council is trading off
improved bicycle paths for fixing potholes in streets, doesn’t it make
sense to invest in conservation and sustainable energy sources .
http://www.thestarphoenix.com/news/Wishful+thinking+nuclear+power/7729997/story.html#ixzz2FnvtztHi

December 22, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, climate change | Leave a comment

What would be the consequences of a flooded nuclear power plant?

What would be the consequences were a nuclear power plant to flood?

In the case of a natural disaster like a hurricane, the direct impact on a single nuclear power station would likely be exacerbated by a cascade of indirect effects: a range of emergencies and failures unfolding throughout the surrounding area. As during Sandy, transportation would be radically curtailed with roads, bridges, tunnels, trains, and airports shut, as well as some roads blocked by floodwaters, felled trees, and large-scale debris. There could also be widespread power and water outages, fuel shortages, and downed communication lines..

Nuclear power plant flood risk: Sandy was just a warm-up Remapping Debate, By Heather Rogers Dec. 20, 2012 — As Hurricane Sandy approached the East Coast late last October, more than a dozen nuclear power plants from North Carolina stretching up to New England were in its wide-ranging path. On Oct. 29, the night that the eye of the storm made landfall near Atlantic City, New Jersey, five nuclear plants were forced to either reduce power or make emergency shutdowns.
“These facilities need to be hardened more because if they were faced with a Category 2 or a Category 3 [hurricane], it makes me concerned about whether or not they’d be able to safely shut down.” — Michael J. Reilly, National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University Continue reading →

December 22, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA | Leave a comment

Watts Bar Nuclear Plant official abruptly leaves the job

Official in charge of Watts Bar Nuclear leaves TVA employment
Times Free Press, by Pam Sohn 20 Dec 12, The TVA vice president in
charge of Watts Bar Nuclear Plant abruptly left the employment of TVA
today, but TVA officials will not say why.

“Timothy Cleary will serve as acting site vice president for Watts Bar
Nuclear Plant, effective immediately. Cleary replaces Don Grissette.”
said TVA spokesman Ray Golden on Thursday.

Golden said TVA will not elaborate on Grissette’s departure.

The news comes on the same day that TVA is announcing Watts Bar worker
incentives if the behind-schedule, over-budget new reactor there can
be made operational by the end of the 2015……
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/dec/20/official-charge-watts-bar-nuclear-leaves-tva-emplo/

December 22, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | Leave a comment

Shintaro Ishihara a worrying hawkish choice in Japan’s government

In Japan, it’s bring in the old, turf out the new, The Conversation,
Richard Broinowski, 20 Dec 12 “….The new Japanese prime minister,
Shinzo Abe, is, to put it mildly, unimpressive…. The JRP is led by
the former Governor of Tokyo, Shintaro Ishihara, and his colleague
from Osaka, Toru Hashimoto. Ishihara gained prominence by standing up
to Washington in his book The Japan that can Say No. He wants bigger
military forces and their re-appellation as Army, Navy and Air Force
rather than “self-defence forces”. He wants to revise Article Nine of
the Constitution to allow Japan the capacity to wage war.

The Fukushima disaster, he asserts, was divine punishment for Japanese
indulgence. Japan should continue to pursue nuclear energy and acquire
nuclear weapons. Continue reading →

December 22, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Lynas rare earths project – the saga in Malaysia

The IAEA also recommended that Lynas proceed no further until it had filed comprehensive plans for the permanent disposal of waste, decommissioning of the plant and remediation of the site at the end of its life.

Lynas’ waste plans a toxic pipe dream Aliran, 19 December 2012 Scientists and community leaders are concerned about radioactive waste from Lynas’ Malaysian plant but the company representative who took Wendy Bacon’s questions brushed off the criticism. This is the second of two articles about Lynas by Wendy Bacon.Read the first here.http://aliran.com/11005.html

Australian rare earth company Lynas has always known it had a waste problem.

It plans to process rare earth concentrate, imported from its mine at Mount Weld in Western Australia, at its Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (Lamp) in Malaysia. It will not only produce rare earths for export but also a huge amount of waste, including more than a million cubic metres of low level radioactive material. Continue reading →

December 22, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Malaysia, RARE EARTHS, Reference, Uranium | Leave a comment

California racing ahead as top solar power state

Which State Leads the the Solar Power Race? http://www.enn.com/energy/article/45368 20 Dec 12,
According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, in the second quarter of 2012, California again led the nation in installed solar capacity, with a total of 217 MW. The state is expected to lead the nation in the solar race again in 2013. According to new research from the California-based NPD Solarbuzz, California is projected to keep its position at number one in 2013, much thanks to its combination of policy initiatives and citizen motivation.
This year, San Diego was named the top Solar City in California for the second year in a row by the California Center for Sustainable Energy, making it not only the top city in the state, but in the country — and the city is not ready to lose that title anytime soon.
California has one of the most ambitious Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) requirement goals in the United States. By 2020, their standards require both public and investor-owned utilities to make 33 percent of all electricity delivered to customers from renewable energy sources.
The Go Solar California Campaign contains several policy initiatives to help the state become more solar friendly. The California Solar Initiative (CSI), for example, is the largest rate-payer-funded solar rebate program in the US. It serves homeowners who are customers of investor-owned utilities, and has supported California’s baseline market demand for solar panels.
The state’s New Solar Homes Partnership provides financial incentives and other support to builders of new, energy efficient solar homes. This, together with the CSI and the several other rebate programs offered through the dozens of publicly owned utilities in the state are key components of the Go Solar California initiative.
Although California is leading the race, New Jersey is a close second — and getting closer. New Jersey has intended for increased solar photovoltaic growth within the coming year, as part of the state’s plan to rebuild after Hurricane Sandy. One example of the rebuilding using solar panels is solar-powered traffic lights.
Many homeowners and housing developments within New Jersery will be installing back-up solar generation, either grid-tied or off-grid, which can provide power during future major outages. In 2012, New Jersey’s solar efforts generated 103 MW of solar power.
Despite New Jersey’s efforts, California is projected to be the lead state yet again in solar panel installations and energy generated. California is just 7 years away from reaching its goal of 33 percent renewable energy, and is not planning to slow down anytime soon.
Read more at Clean Techies.

December 22, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | renewable, USA | Leave a comment

Shutting down the critics of Lynas rare earths Malaysain project

New Matilda asked to interview Lynas Executive Chairperson Nick Curtis but he was not available. Instead we interviewed a Lynas spokesperson who insists that the waste products of the Lamp project are “not hazardous in any way”. He refers to the safety record of Lynas which in “all of its constructions … has been achieved with zero lost time injury”.

When New Matilda suggested that problems are more likely to arise in the long term, even 20 or 30 years away, he replied: “I would be lying if I categorically tell you there is no risk in 20 or 30 years time from anything. What I can tell you is that the unanimous conclusion of all of the scientific experts from all of the different organisations that have investigated this material and everything else is that there will be no discernible risk for the public or anyone else from this facility.”

But this is far from true.

For example, in April this year, the National Toxic Network (NTN), a community-based network “working to ensure a toxic-free future for all”, published a preliminary assessment of the waste steam of Lynas’s Lamp project. It was prepared by Lee Bell, a qualified environmental scientist with 20 years experience in analysis of industrial process plants, groundwater monitoring and contaminated sites. He co-chaired the Core Consultative Committee on Waste under the former Labor government in Western Australia, which reformed the state’s hazardous waste sector. Readers of his 29 page NTN report (pdf), which was reviewed by another scientist, are likely to be concerned about the company’s environmental plans.

I asked Lynas’ spokesperson about the NTN report: “Whatever you think of it, it [the report] is a solid document. It appears to be academically referenced and it also appears to have had some form of review. If you read it, on a number of scores, you would be concerned?”…..

The Lynas spokesman rejected an NTN claim that Lamp’s location on a reclaimed swamp with a high rainfall is relevant to disposal of low level radioactive waste. Asked if he was aware it was a “marshy site”, he said, “I have no idea”. He explained that although there is a pristine fishing village and beach at Kuantan three and a half kilometres away on the coast, “if there is a risk there, it is much wider than just Lynas because the Lamp is in a petrochemical zone”. In fact, the site is on a reclaimed peat swamp……..http://aliran.com/11018.html

December 22, 2012 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Malaysia, RARE EARTHS, Reference, secrets,lies and civil liberties, Uranium | Leave a comment