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Palisades Nuclear Power Plant shuts down, with radioactive waster leaking into Lake Michigan

water-radiationFlag-USANuclear plant Palisades Nuclear Generating Station spills radiation into Lake Michigan Earth First Newswire, by John Upton / Grist  6 Aug 13,  Last summer, a leaky tank led to the shutdown of the Palisades nuclear power plant in Michigan. So plant owner Entergy patched up the leak, fired back up the reactor, and hoped for the best.

Unfortunately, the best did not materialize.

The tank began leaking again. But no worries, thought the Einsteins at Entergy, it was only leaking a gallon a day. That was OK, they figured, because the NRC had allowed it to leak up to 38 gallons a day. As of Friday, they were still doing that whole “hoping for the best” thing.

But on Saturday the leaky drip turned into a gush, and all the hoping in the world couldn’t hold back the tide of spilling radioactive water. Nearly 80 gallons of water containing small amounts of radioactive tritium and possibly trace amounts of cobalt and cesium spewed into Lake Michigan, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission told the AP. Early Sunday morning, the tank was ruled inoperable and the nuclear power plant began powering down. This is reportedly the ninth time that the facility has been shut down since 2011.

The Kalamazoo Gazette reports:

Leaks have been an ongoing issue at Palisades, owned by New Orleans-based Entergy Corp., which shut down four times in 2012 and twice so far this year. Most recently, in February, the plant shut down for six days to repair a component cooling water heat exchanger and replace a damaged switch.

The NRC resident inspectors monitored the shutdown and are closely watching repairs, [said the NRC’s Viktoria Mitlyng], and the NRC is sending an additional inspector. There is no current timeline for when Palisades might resume service, she said…….

What should be of concern to regulators and the public, Jackson said, is whether any nuclear power plant has enough of a culture of safety in place. That’s especially important because of the intense pressures in the electrical power industry to keep costs low. http://earthfirstnews.wordpress.com/2013/08/06/nuclear-plant-spills-radiation-into-lake-michigan/

August 7, 2013 Posted by | safety, USA | 4 Comments

Australian government’s hypocritical pretense of ‘helping’ Julian Assange

Assange,-Julian-1Australia could seek an assurance from Sweden that following the completion of all Swedish legal proceedings that Assange would be deported to Australia. This would be an entirely appropriate outcome for an Australian citizen who has been subject to extradition to a foreign country.

If the Gillard government was able to obtain these diplomatic assurances, which are consistent with international law, then Assange would face his accusers in Sweden and not face the prospect of onward extradition to the United States.

How Australia can end the Assange stalemate The Drum Australia can help Julian Assange negotiate his legal problems while remaining consistent with the norms of international law and with the level of assistance that would be offered to other Australians, writes Donald Rothwell. …….. the UK has indicated that it does not recognise Ecuador’s granting of asylum and if Assange were to leave the Embassy he is liable to arrest and extradition to Sweden.

Ecuador revealed in mid-August – as the Assange matter reached a pivotal point- that Britain had threatened to rely on its Diplomatic and Consular Premises Act and revoke the Ecuadorian Embassy’s diplomatic protection so as to enter and seize Assange.

This threat was extraordinary and without modern precedence and it was unsurprising that the Ecuadorian Government responded with such fury. British Foreign Secretary William Hague has now downplayed any suggestion that the Ecuadorian Embassy will be raided, and emphasised Britain will act consistently with international law.

Nevertheless, Hague and the British government have made it clear that they have a legal obligation to Sweden to extradite Assange and that they will continue to seek his arrest for breach of his bail Carr,-Bob-two-facedconditions……..

Australia has been remarkably silent on some of these recent developments. Throughout the year Assange has been highly critical of what he claims has been a lack of support from the Australian government, but Foreign Minister Bob Carr insists that Assange has received more consular assistance than any other Australian in similar circumstances.

The reality is that Australia can still play a proactive, and perhaps even pivotal role, in seeking to bring about a resolution to the current stalemate. Continue reading →

August 7, 2013 Posted by | AUSTRALIA, spinbuster | 2 Comments

EDF, largest nuclear company in the world, turns from nuclear to renewable power

sun-championNuclear Power Company Turns To Renewables http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3877  7 Aug 13 The world’s biggest operator of nuclear plants is exiting the nuclear power sector in the USA; turning instead to renewable energy.

According to Reuters, French utility EDF recently struck an agreement partner Exelon with regard to EDF’s exit from their Constellation Energy Nuclear Group (CENG) joint venture, which operates five nuclear power stations totalling 3.9 gigawatts capacity.

EDF’s US operations will now focus on developing renewables-based generation, primarily solar power and wind energy, through EDF Renewable Energy.  The company currently has a portfolio of over 5 gigawatts of projects and 2.3 gigawatts of installed capacity.

In July, EDF Renewable Energy also announced it had entered into a Membership Interest Purchase Agreement with Lincoln Renewable Energy to acquire the first phase of the Hereford Wind Project in Texas.

The nuclear power industry has fallen on very tough times in the USA; primarily due to cheap gas and wind power.

Perception of nuclear energy also took a major hit after the Fukushima nuclear crisis, which worried many Americans. Approximately 18 million people live within a 30 kilometre radius of a nuclear power plant in the USA – an area the same size as the initial Fukushima evacuation zone.

The Fukushima disaster continues to generate crises on a regular basis. A new emergency has recently been declared; triggered by radioactive groundwater breaching a barrier built to contain it.

Contaminated water could rise to the surface within three weeks and if it should do so, the flow could be “extremely fast“.

TEPCO, operator of the Fukushima facility, says it has been slow to deal with the subterranean water leaks as it was focused on cooling the damaged reactors that posed greater risks.

Faith in TEPCO’s abilities to address the situation is fragile and the company’s apologies are being received coolly by the people of Japan – and more nasty surprises are certainly possible during the massively expensive cleanup.

August 7, 2013 Posted by | business and costs, USA | Leave a comment

BBC: Water crisis at Fukushima has only just begun — “Plant sits smack in the middle of an underground aquifer” — It’s rapidly being overwhelmed deep beneath ground (VIDEO)

Published: August 6th, 2013 at 3:14 pm ET
By

http://enenews.com/bbc-water-crisis-at-fukushima-has-only-just-begun-plant-sits-smack-in-the-middle-of-an-underground-aquifer-its-rapidly-being-overwhelmed-deep-beneath-ground-video

Title: Fukushima radioactive water leak an ‘emergency’
Source: BBC News
Date: August 6, 2013

Transcript Excerpts

Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, BBC News, Tokyo: […] Engineers are now facing a new emergency. The Fukushima plant sits smack in the middle of an underground aquifer. Deep beneath the ground, the site is rapidly being overwhelmed by water. […]

It’s now so high, the water will soon reach the surface. Then it will start flowing over-ground into the sea. […]

Even if the government does step in, it’s not clear what it could do. The only other solution is to pump out the contaminated groundwater and put it in storage tanks. […] Most of them are already filled up.

At least 400 tons of new water pours into the site every day. It’s going to continue for years and years.

Fukushima’s water crisis has only just begun.

Watch the broadcast here

August 7, 2013 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Fukushima I Nuke Plant Accident: The Blind (METI) Still Leading the Blind (TEPCO)

 

http://ex-skf.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/fukushima-i-nuke-plant-accident-blind.html

6 August 2013
So Nuclear Regulatory Authority finally butted in, formed its own committee and started ordering TEPCO to do something (probably wrong “something”, again, but…) over the groundwater saturating the embankment at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant because of TEPCO’s ill-conceived underground impermeable wall.

I was wondering why it took NRA until very recently to actively participate in dealing with the accident, until I read independent journalist Ryuichi Kino’s tweet just now. It is because Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) is in charge of decommissioning the plant:

福島第一の現場で何かが行われているのか、何を基準に工法や、工事の優先順位を決めているのか、この判断理由が外からはまったく見えない。事故収束作業の管理監督をしているのは資源エネルギー庁を事務局とする廃炉対策推進会議だけども、エネ庁はコストの確認をしていない。

What is going on at Fukushima I Nuke Plant? Who decides what method of construction to use on what criteria, and who decides which construction to be given the priority? From outside, the decision-making is completely opaque. The entity in charge of managing and supervising the works to control the plant is the Council on Decommissioning Measures with the Agency of Natural Resource and Energy [under Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry] acting as the secretariat, but the Agency does not know the cost of works at the plant.

 

The Council was set up by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry as of February 8, 2013, and so far has had 5 meetings. The members are (information from TEPCO):

  • Chairman: Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry
  • Deputy Chairman: Vice Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry
  • Council members: President of TEPCO, Director General of JAEA, President of Toshiba, President of Hitachi
  • Secretary: Advisor to Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry in charge of energy and technology
  • Observer: Nuclear Regulatory Authority/Nuclear Regulatory Agency

 

Nuclear Regulatory Authority/Nuclear Regulatory Agency is just an observer, which in case of Japan has a privilege to sit in the meeting and literally “observe” the meeting but not say much (or at all).

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) had to relinquish NISA (Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency) in September last year when the new nuclear regulatory body (NRA) was created. Or so I thought.

Reuters’ article from yesterday quoting Mr. Kinjo, who is the observer to this Council, fails to mention that it is still good old METI in charge of decommissioning work.

Kino says the Secretary to the Council is a career bureaucrat, and the current one was rotated into this position in June this year. Just a part of career stepping stone for bureaucrats at the Agency of Natural Resources and Energy.

Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry is ex-McKinsey consultant Toshimitsu Motegi, who just dispensed consulting advice to “the parties concerned” regarding Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant.

For politicians and bureaucrats, it’s “Après moi, le déluge”. Literally.

August 7, 2013 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

ICAN – Future Fund should divest from nuclear weapons

Published on 5 Aug 2013

On 6 August 2013 — the 68th anniversary of the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima — ICAN delivered 1,000 paper cranes to David Gonski, the chair of the Australian government’s Future Fund, which invests in nuclear weapons companies.

http://www.icanw.org/

 

 

CLICK ON PICTURE TO SIGN THE PETITION

 

August 7, 2013 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Scotland’s Moray dunelands to be tested for radioactivity

Testing begins on possible Moray radiation sites
http://www.scotsman.com/news/environment/testing-begins-on-possible-moray-radiation-sites-1-3031685  by ALISTAIR MUNRO 06 August 2013 TESTING has begun on potential radiation contamination at sand dunes in Moray where hundreds of aircraft were dismantled during World War
Two.

Environmental protection officers will be digging a series of test pits at Findhorn dunelands, next to the former RAF base at Kinloss. It was revealed last year that a stretch of the sand dunes had been
used to dismantle more than 1,000 aircraft following the war.

It is believed parts were disposed of in the area, including instruments with radioactive luminous paint.

The investigation is being carried out by staff at Moray Council contaminated land section and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency.

The authorities believe the residue could pose a potential risk tohuman health and the environment.The land is no longer owned by the Ministry of Defence, but is one of nine sites in Scotland thought to be contaminated.

A Moray Council spokesman said: “Geophysical surveys of the area have
already detected the presence of material which experts believe is
worthy of further investigation.

“Staff expect to be on site for four or five days and will wear
protective clothing as a precaution.

“The investigation will entail excavating a number of shallow pits
based on information obtained from geophysical surveys of the area.”

August 7, 2013 Posted by | environment, UK | Leave a comment

legal action against regulators over removal of radioactive material

justiceFlag-USAGroups sue to block demolition at ex-nuclear site San Francisco Chronicle, , August 6, 2013 SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (AP) — Several environmental groups on Tuesday sued state regulators over the cleanup of a former nuclear research lab, saying low-level radioactive waste was improperly shipped to landfills.

Consumer Watchdog, along with other groups, filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Sacramento County Superior Court against the Department of Public Health and Department of Toxic Substances Control, which oversees the cleanup at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory.

Located about 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles, Santa Susana was once home to nuclear research and rocket engine tests. In 1959, one of the reactors suffered a partial nuclear meltdown. Responsible parties including Boeing Co., NASA and the U.S Energy Department have been working with state officials to meet a 2017 deadline to rid the nearly 2,900-acre site of contaminated soil…… In their complaint, the groups contend that materials from several buildings that were demolished were sent to landfills and metal recycling shops that are not licensed to accept radioactive waste. They also sought a temporary restraining order to stop Boeing from tearing down a plutonium fuel fabrication building on the hilltop complex.

“It is paramount that the public be protected from toxic, and in this instance radioactive, harm,” Liza Tucker of Consumer Watchdog said in a statement…….

During the Cold War, workers at the site tested thousands of rockets and experimented with nuclear reactors, which were operational until 1980. And by the time the rest of the lab closed in 2006, a toxic legacy of radioactive and chemical contamination had been left.

Former workers and residents in nearby neighborhoods have blamed the lab for a variety of health problems. http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Groups-sue-to-block-demolition-at-ex-nuclear-site-4711401.php

August 7, 2013 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Iran’s new President determined to resolve nuclear issue

New Iranian president Hassan Rouhani pledges resolution with West over nuclear issue, ABC News 7 Aug 13  Iran’s new president, Hassan Rouhani, says he is determined to resolve his country’s dispute with the West over its nuclear regime.

In the first media conference since being sworn in for the man seen in the west as a relatively moderate leader, Mr Rouhani said he was ready to begin negotiations over the issue which has caused years of stalemate.

“We will not do away with the right of the nation,” the 64-year-old said, indicating Iran would not be abandoning its nuclear program.

“However, we are for negotiations and interaction. We are prepared, seriously and without wasting time, to enter negotiations which are serious and substantive with the other side.

“If the other party is also prepared like we are, then I am confident that the concerns of both sides will be removed through negotiations within a period which will not be very long.”

Warns against carrot and stick approach

Western countries and Israel have said in the past they believed Iran was trying to achieve nuclear weapons capability, but Tehran says its program is purely for peaceful needs.

The new president’s approach is likely to reinforce a sense of cautious optimism in the West, despite the fact negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program have long frustrated both sides……….. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-07/iran27s-rouhani-pledges-resolution-of-nuclear-issue/4869626

August 7, 2013 Posted by | Iran, politics international | Leave a comment

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