2013 January 17 « nuclear-news

There’s money in them thar nuclear wastes

Veolia Draws Upon Fukushima to Move Into Nuclear Dismantling, Bloomberg, By Tara Patel – Jan 15, 2013 Veolia Environnement SA (VIE), which treated radioactive water from Japan’s nuclear meltdown at Fukushima, plans to use the experience to move into decontamination and power plant dismantling.

The water utility and the nuclear research group known as CEA plan to earn as much as 400 million euros ($534 million) in revenue within about four years by cleaning radioactive sites and taking apart installations, they said today.

“The market is developing very quickly,” Veolia Chief Executive Officer Antoine Frerot told a press conference today in Paris. About 300 nuclear reactors will have to be halted worldwide within two decades including in France, Germany, Japan and the U.S., he said.

The shift into the atomic market comes after President Francois Hollande pledged to lower France’s dependence on the energy and shut the country’s oldest plant at Fessenheim. It’s also the first new market Veolia has publicly announced it will enter into since Frerot pledged to pull out of some countries and businesses in a bid to boost profit…… http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-15/veolia-draws-upon-fukushima-to-move-into-nuclear-dismantling-1-.html

January 17, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, decommission reactor, Japan | Leave a comment

Binding religious decree against nuclear weapons for Iran

Iran: Religious decree against nuclear weapons is binding TEHRAN, IRAN http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57564199/iran-religious-decree-against-nuclear-weapons-is-binding/ 15 Jan 13,

Iran sought Tuesday to spell out in its clearest terms yet that it is not seeking nuclear weapons, highlighting a religious decree issued by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that bans nuclear weapons. Continue reading →

January 17, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Iran, Religion and ethics | Leave a comment

Opposition growing to nuclear waste plan for Cumbria’s Lake District

‘Nuclear waste? No thanks,’ say Lake District national park tourism
chiefs, Martin Wainwright guardian.co.uk, 16 January 2013
Board joins clamour against idea of digging repository to hold power
station waste under landscape much loved by visitors Cumbria’s tourism
board has joined the growing clamour against any further research into
the burying of nuclear power station waste within the borders of the
Lake District national park.

The board – which oversees the park, the county’s largest earner and
one of the most-visited group of attractions in the UK – has also
stated its strong opposition to investigations in the Solway Coast
area of outstanding natural beauty on the West Cumbrian side of the
famous lakes and fells…..
A crucial meeting of the three councils potentially affected – Cumbria
county and Allerdale and Copeland districts – will decide on 30
January whether to agree to full-scale preliminary planning for a
repository whose underground facilities would cover an area larger
than the nearby town of Workington.
The three councils are the only ones in the UK still considering a
government request to provide underground nuclear storage, but
Cumbria’s fractured geology has already narrowed potential areas to
limited parts of the western coast, including the Ennerdale valley in
the national park.

There were gasps at public meetings in November when mock-ups of the
possible construction project were shown.

The projections, based on a French scheme, showed how construction and
surface maintenance buildings might irrevocably scar the beautiful
foothills of legendary fells such as Great Gable and Pillar…….

January 17, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, UK, wastes | Leave a comment

Flooding danger if uranium mine goes ahead in Virginia

Flooding near proposed uranium mining site worries some, VUI says there’s no concern Keep the Ban, January 16, 2013 A road closes near Coles Hill that runs through the Virginia Uranium Incorporated but getting home isn’t the only concern for one nearby farmer. PITTSYLVANIA CO., Va.—

Today’s heavy rain is bringing more attention to the proposed uranium mining site in Pittsylvania County.

A road on the Coles Hill site is flooded.

Opponents say the mining would contaminate streams and rivers……. “you can see what two and three inches of rain is doing it’s flooding the roads down here,” Motley said.

Motley believes the proposed mine could contaminate the water, which runs into a nearby water source.

“Any residue has the potential of washing down this way and going directly into the Banister River,” Motley said….. The Virginia Department of Transportation will keep the road closed until water levels are again below the road.

Article: http://www.wdbj7.com/news/wdbj7-flooding-near-proposed-uranium-mining-site-worries-some-vui-says-theres-no-concern-20130115,0,1945578.story

January 17, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, Uranium, USA | Leave a comment

Huge ecological advantages with solar photovoltaic energy

Solar Panels In Harmony With Nature http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3555 17 Jan 13, A new report released by WWF says a world powered by solar panels would require an insignificant amount of land.

The report, based on studies of six countries and one region, shows in each case less than 1% of the total land mass in each case would be needed to provide 100% of projected electricity demand in 2050 if generating electricity with only solar panels.

Estimations were based on a study of Indonesia, Madagascar, Mexico, Morocco, South Africa, Turkey and the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Continue reading →

January 17, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, renewable | Leave a comment

Japan’s nuclear regulator to set rules about tsunami heights

Watchdog to define maximum tsunami heights for nuclear plants January
16, 2013.Asahi Shimbun, By RYUTA KOIKE/ Staff Writer
The Nuclear Regulation Authority decided Jan. 15 to set maximum
heights of possible tsunami striking individual nuclear plants and
obligate their operators to take commensurate safety measures. Continue reading →

January 17, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general, Japan | Leave a comment

NRC chief Allison Macfarlane cautious about San Onofre nuclear plant restart

Regarding the future of the San
Onofre plant, NRC regulators will not allow the reactors to restart
until they are convinced the plant is safe, she said.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission chief visits Diablo Canyon, The Tribune
January 15, 2013 Chairwoman discussed seismic safety issues with plant
managers during her first tour of the local facility By David Sneed
Allison Macfarlane, chairwoman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
was in San Luis Obispo on Tuesday to tour Diablo Canyon nuclear power
plant and meet with local elected officials, plant managers and
community activists.

This was Macfarlane’s first visit to Diablo Canyon since being
appointed chairwoman by President Barack Obama in July. On Monday, she
toured the troubled San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in Southern
California, which is idled because of problems with its steam
generators. Continue reading →

January 17, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | Leave a comment

Ionising radiation a cancer danger in CT scanning

Concerns about exposure to ionising radiation inducing cancer NPS, 15 Jan 13, People are exposed to ionising radiation through medical imaging with X-rays, CT and nuclear medicine scans, including positron-emission tomography (PET).⁵ While MRI has the advantage of not using ionising radiation⁴ most of the new MBS items for MRI requested by GPs will require X-ray as a first investigation.²

As there are no completed, large-scale epidemiological studies of cancer risk associated with CT, risk has been approximated using organ doses (or the distribution of dose in the organ) and application of organ-specific cancer incidence and mortality data derived from studies of atomic-bomb survivors on the peripheries of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.⁶ Risk estimates adjusted to take into account the greater use of CT since 2006 indicate that 1.5–2% of all cancers in the US may be due to radiation from CT.⁶ Estimating cancer risk from CT remains a contentious issue, and large-scale epidemiological studies are needed for a direct assessment of this risk.⁶

Imaging is justified if the potential benefits outweigh the risks7…….

http://www.nps.org.au/publications/health-professional/nps-direct/2013/mri-reducing-radiation-exposure

January 17, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | history, Reference, USA | Leave a comment

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