2013 March 29 « nuclear-news

UK’s Liberal Democrats do a U turn on nuclear power policy

A Liberal Democrat promise goes nuclear – Time for another ’sorry’
video? http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/03/26/a-lib-dem-promise-goes-nuclear/
By Andy McSmith , 26 March 2013
Looking back at page 59 of the 2010 Liberal Democrat manifesto, one
finds a promise to “reject a new generation of nuclear power
stations.”
Last week the Energy Secretary Ed Davey, a Lib Dem, gave the go ahead
for the first new nuclear power station in Britain for a generation,
at Hinkley C, in Somerset. Today, he and the Business Secretary Vince
Cable and another Lib Dem promised help to enable UK business to
compete in the global nuclear energy market.

Time for another ’sorry’ video?

March 29, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, UK | Leave a comment

Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority suspect earthquake cause of Fukushima disaster

Japan: A New Nuclear Inquiry
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/28/world/asia/japan-a-new-nuclear-inquiry.html?_r=0By
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS March 27, 2013 Japanese government regulators
said Wednesday that for the first time they will conduct their own
investigation into the country’s nuclear crisis to address unanswered
questions. The March 2011 earthquake and tsunami cut power and
destroyed vital cooling systems at the Fukushima Daichi nuclear plant,
causing meltdowns at three of its reactors. Experts still suspect that
the quake, not the tsunami, may have set off the meltdowns.

The
Nuclear Regulation Authority said this issue, which could affect
antiquake measures at nuclear plants nationwide, would be part of its
investigation. The authority said the inquiry would also look into
other issues, including how much and from where radiation leaked at
the plant.

March 29, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Fukushima 2013 | Leave a comment

Strange developments in the Julian Assange legal affair

Assange blasted Justice Lindskog – who is chair of the Supreme Court of Sweden, the country’s highest court of appeal – for his decision to publicly discuss the case. “If an Australian High Court judge came out and spoke on a case the court expected or was likely to judge, it would be regarded as absolutely outrageous,” he told Fairfax media.

“This development is part of a pattern in which senior Swedish figures including the Swedish Foreign Minister, the Prime Minister and Minister for Justice have all publicly attacked me or WikiLeaks,” Assange added…..

WikiLeaks characterized the judge’s lecture as part of the Swedish government campaign against Assange, following Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt’s recent visit to Australia.

“The head of Swedish Supreme Court campaigning on a case they expect to judge with $ from the embassy in the run up to an election,” the group wrote on Twitter.

Assange legal shakeup: Prosecutor walks, Supreme Court judge to speak out on case RT March 28, 2013 The lead Swedish prosecutor pursuing sexual assault charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is no longer handling the case, media reports revealed. Her departure comes as a top Swedish judge is set to speak publicly on the ‘Assange affair.’ Continue reading →

March 29, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA, Legal | Leave a comment

Scrap fossil fuel subsidies, says International Monetary Fund (IMF)

IMF Urges Reining In Of Fossil Fuel Subsidies http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3662 29 March 13, A new report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that energy subsidies total $1.9 trillion worldwide – the equivalent of 2.5 percent of global GDP. Earlier this month, Earth Policy Institute (EPI) pegged the number at USD$620 billion; however the IMF’s figures are based on a post-tax basis that also factors in a range of negative externalities from energy consumption.

The IMF’s paper shows for some countries the burden of energy subsidies is becoming so great that it threatens the stability of those economies. Continue reading →

March 29, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, climate change | Leave a comment

Solar energy systems for all new homes, rules Californian City Council

CALIFORNIA CITY TO REQUIRE SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS ON ALL NEW HOMES HTTP://E360.YALE.EDU/DIGEST/LANCASTER_CALIFORNIA_TO_REQUIRE_SOLAR_ENERGY_SYSTEMS_ON_NEW_HOMES/3804/ 28 MAR 2013: A city in southern California this week passed a zoning regulation that requires developers to install solar power systems on every new house they build. Beginning next year, all new homes built on lots at at least 7,000 square feet in size in Lancaster, Calif. will be required to produce at least one kilowatt of solar electricity. Developers also have the option of purchasing solar energy credits from other developments within the city limits. The new zoning rules are the latest initiative in Mayor Rex Parris’s quest to make Lancaster, which has a population of 150,000 and abundant sunshine, the “solar capital of the universe.” Since 2008, the city has also introduced an initiative to attract utility-scale solar developers to the city, proposed a transmission project to deliver solar-generated power to other communities, and created an affordable solar financing program for homeowners, businesses, and nonprofits. “To truly establish ourselves as the alternative energy capital of the world, we must continue to take a progressive approach,” Parris, a Republican, said in a statement.

March 29, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | decentralised, USA | Leave a comment

Influence of USA on Taiwan govt’s nuclear power policy

NSC denies US role in nuclear energy policy, Taipei Times By Mo Yan-chih 27 Mar 13

The National Security Council (NSC) yesterday denied that it had discussed the recent dispute over the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s (新北市) Gongliao District (貢寮) with the US, saying that nuclear power issues would not affect US-Taiwan relations.

“The government never discussed nuclear power plant issues with the US and did not receive any response from the US on the matter,” it said in a press release.

Amid mounting opposition to the power plant’s completion, the Chinese-language China Times yesterday said that while Taiwan imports most of its uranium from Australia, the uranium is sent to the US to be refined into fuel for the generation of nuclear power. The Taiwanese government pays billions to the US government every year for uranium refinement and for consultations about the power plant.

Citing anonymous sources from the council, the report said that the fuel refinement business with the US plays a role in the Taiwanese government’s nuclear power policy, such as its insistence on only gradually reducing the use of nuclear energy, or aversion to abruptly suspending construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, because a policy change could jeopardize bilateral relations…….http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2013/03/28/2003558195

March 29, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics international, Taiwan | Leave a comment

Fears in Ukraine that ageing nuclear reactors will be kept going

Nuclear Safety Plan Has Ukrainians Worried By Pavol Stracansky KIEV, Mar 27 2013 (IPS) – A 300 million euro loan to improve nuclear safety in the Ukraine has been attacked by environmental groups who say it will instead be used to keep ageing reactors working well beyond their planned lifespans – increasing the risks of a nuclear accident – while doing nothing to address serious issues with the country’s energy intensity.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), which approved the loan earlier this month, has said that the money will be used to upgrade safety at nuclear plants to international standards.

But environmentalists say it will instead be used by state energy company Energoatom to keep open or restart ageing reactors and that the EBRD should be helping the Ukraine move away from nuclear power and support renewable energy projects.

Iryna Holovko of the pan-European Bankwatch NGO, which together with other environmental groups has opposed the loan, told IPS: “Energoatom and the Ukrainian government is imposing another 20 years of additional nuclear risk – because of the increased risks associated with ageing of reactors – on the people of Ukraine without developing or offering an alternative option.”….

Environmental groups in the Ukraine point to an accident at the Rivne nuclear power plant’s Reactor 1. Its original lifespan had expired at the end of 2010 but it was given an extension for 20 years. One month later there was an accident, although no radiation leaked…… http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/03/nuclear-safety-plan-has-ukrainians-worried/

March 29, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, Ukraine | Leave a comment

UK will slug renewable energy providers for the costs of new nuclear

The question of state-sanctioned support for new nuclear power, paid ultimately by consumers, has become a fraught one for ministers.

Renewable energy providers to help bear cost of new UK nuclear reactors Damian Carrington guardian.co.uk, 27 March 2013 Experts say decision to share cost of accommodating Hinkley Point reactors among providers amounts to subsidy for nuclear The row over subsidies for the UK’s new nuclear power stations has deepened after it emerged that the £160m-a-year cost of accommodating the giant reactors on the national electricity grid will be borne by all generators, including renewable energy providers. Continue reading →

March 29, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, UK | Leave a comment

The looming threat of cancers from Fukushima

Two years after the Fukushima nuclear disaster is Japan facing a cancer time bomb? Express UK, by Adrian Lee, 26 March 13, TWO years after the Fukushima nuclear disaster local children are showing signs of cancer, prompting cries of a cover-up. “…… Officially the mass evacuation was a success and the prompt action of a heroic band of workers at the crippled plant averted a nuclear catastrophe. No one has so far died as a result of radiation from Fukushima, insist the authorities. However there are growing concerns that the full scale of the disaster has yet to be seen. There are claims of complacency and a cover-up. It’s not the Japanese way to stage protests but there has been a series of anti-nuclear rallies in Tokyo, 160 miles south. Continue reading →

March 29, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | Leave a comment

Google street views of Fukushima nuclear exclusion zone

Explore the Fukushima nuclear exclusion zone with Google Street View http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/27/4151848/google-adds-namie-fukushima-street-view-imagery By Sam Byford March 27, 2013 No-one has lived in the town of Namie, Japan for over two years since it was evacuated following the nearby Fukushima nuclear disaster, but you can visit for yourself today with Google Street View. Earlier this month, Google sent its camera-equipped cars into the exclusion zone at the request of Namie’s mayor Tamotsu Baba, who wanted both to show the world the ongoing crisis facing his town, and give its 21,000 displaced residents a way to return home.

“Many of the displaced townspeople have asked to see the current state of their city,”says Baba, “and there are surely many people around the world who want a better sense of how the nuclear incident affected surrounding communities.” The imagery has been uploaded to Google Maps and the “Memories of the Future” website.

Google’s Street View cameras have captured images such as fishing boats washed several kilometers inland, collapsed buildings that remain on the streets, and abandoned residential areas. “We would greatly appreciate it if you viewed this Street View imagery to understand the current state of Namie-machi and the tremendous gravity of the situation,” says Baba.

March 29, 2013 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | Leave a comment

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