Russia urges UN to consider dangers of US attack on Syria
Russia presses UN to report on risks of possible U.S. attack on Syria George Jahn, The Associated Press CTV News , September 9, 2013 VIENNA, Austria — Russia and the United States clashed Monday over the nuclear hazards posed by any U.S. attack on Syria, with Moscow pressing the U.N. atomic agency for a quick assessment of such dangers and the U.S. dismissing the request as outside of the agency’s authority.
The dispute at the opening session of this week’s 35-nation International Atomic Energy Agency board meeting appeared to be eclipsing the usual focus on Iran and suspicions that it is interested in acquiring nuclear weapons. Iran denies such goals and with IAEA efforts to probe the allegations at a standstill, IAEA chief Yukiya Amano had nothing new to report on the issue in his opening comments to the meeting.
Instead, the morning meeting focused on Russia’s request, backed by Cuba, and U.S. rejection of the appeal. Caught in the middle was Amano. A Sept. 5 letter to Amano from the Russian foreign ministry obtained Monday by The Associated Press repeated Russian concerns expressed last week by ministry officials, warning of “catastrophic” consequences if a research reactor near Damascus is hit.
“There is a probability of contamination of (the) surrounding area with highly-enriched uranium and fission products,” said the letter, whose circulation was restricted to the 35-nations on the agency’s board. Additionally, it warned that the material could fall into the hands of terrorists.
The agency last week agreed to consider an assessment of such dangers after receipt of the letter. On Thursday, two diplomats who were inside the closed IAEA meeting cited Russian envoy Grigory Berdennikov as saying urgent action was needed on the Russian request. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press about the session.
But in comments made available to media, chief U.S. delegate Joseph Macmanus argued there were no grounds for the agency to conduct “a highly speculative investigation of this kind” because it was not part of the IAEA’s mandate. http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/russia-presses-un-to-report-on-risks-of-possible-u-s-attack-on-syria-1.1446451#ixzz2eW6AiGtJ
US Congress to hear about NRC’s plans for radioactive trash
the only sane thing is to stop making the stuff!
Energy Week Ahead: NRC’s Chief to Testify on Nuclear-Waste Plans Bloomberg, By Brian Wingfield – Sep 8, 2013 Congress returns from a five-week recess to take up several perennial issues: turmoil in the Middle East, rising government debt and where to dump more than 65,000 tons of waste from the nation’s nuclear power plants.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Allison Macfarlane and Peter Lyons, the Energy Department’s assistant secretary for nuclear energy, testify tomorrow at a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing on the waste issue.
While U.S. lawmakers were away from Washington, a federal appeals court on Aug. 13 ruled the NRC is “flouting the law” by not completing its safety review for a dump at Nevada’s Yucca Mountain. The agency, which stopped work after President Barack Obama’s administration killed funding for Yucca in 2010, is reviewing options on the matter through Sept. 30.
Now lawmakers just have to agree on a place to dispose of the spent-fuel rods, a debate that has been underway since at least President Ronald Reagan’s first term, when he signed a law to set up a permanent repository. For now, the material is stored at about 75 operating and closed nuclear plants……. The nation’s backlog of commercial nuclear waste is rising so high, even Yucca Mountain won’t be able to hold it all, a independent commission established by Obama reported last year. …..http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-09/energy-week-ahead-nrc-s-chief-to-testify-on-nuclear-waste-plans.html
Nuclear Regulatory Commission trying to instill confidence in its Waste Confidence Rule
NRC ‘Waste Confidence’ meetings to focus on spent nuclear fuel Augusta Chronicle By Rob PaveyStaff Writer Monday, Sept. 9, 2013 Federal regulators will hold a series of meetings this fall to discuss the fate of spent nuclear fuel that could be left behind after commercial power reactors are shut down and closed.
The 12 meetings, held by Nuclear Regulatory Commission, are part of the process of devising a “waste confidence rule” to assess the environmental impact of continued storage until the material can be sent to an underground repository. The closest meeting to Augusta will be held Nov. 4 in Charlotte, N.C., at the Hilton Charlotte University Place, 8629 J.M. Keynes Drive. An open house begins at 6 p.m., and the formal meeting will be held from 7 to 10 p.m.
Disposal of spent nuclear fuel that continues to accumulate at the nation’s 104 operating commercial reactors has been a perennial dilemma and a source of national debate…… The issue of long-term storage and disposal of spent fuel is an important issue nationwide, and especially in Georgia and South Carolina, said Tom Clements, Southeastern nuclear campaign coordinator for Friends of the Earth.
The solution favored by Friends of the Earth includes removing spent fuel from storage pools, and storing it on-site in protected casks, until a geologic repository can be completed.
Under the Blue Ribbon Commission’s proposals, such a repository must be sited through a “consent-based” process that requires support and coordination from state and local officials who are willing to host such a project. The issue of long-term storage and disposal of spent fuel is an important issue nationwide, and especially in Georgia and South Carolina, said Tom Clements, Southeastern nuclear campaign coordinator for Friends of the Earth.
Japan desperate to sell nuclear reactors overseas
Reactor makers look abroad as home market fizzles , Japan Times, BY KAZUAKI NAGATA 10 Sept 13, The Fukushima meltdowns and the continuing radiation crisis may have turned the public off of atomic energy at home, but it’s full steam ahead for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Japan’s heavy industries when it comes to exporting that technology to power-hungry economies abroad.
The marketing push being led by Abe and his Liberal Democratic Party, which brought Japan into the nuclear age, has angered nuclear protest groups, which, like many members of the public, blame the party’s cozy ties with big business for setting the stage for the Fukushima meltdown debacle.
Here are some questions and answers about Japan’s nuclear technology exports: How does the process of exporting nuclear plants work? Continue reading
UK nuclear decommissioning executives rorted the system
Nuclear plant bosses forced to pay back inappropriate expense claims including a £714 taxi bill for a CAT, Mail Online 9 Sept 13
- Executives at Nuclear Management Partners consortium widely criticised
- They were brought in to help decommission part of the Sellafield plant
- Claims also included trip to US Masters and £719 on good from Amazon
- One boss demanded £714 cab fare for themselves ‘and the cat’
- Audit of claims from 2008 to 2012 leads to thousands being handed back Taxpayer-paid executives running the Sellafield nuclear power plant billed £714 to chauffeur-drive a cat, expense claims revealed today.
- Bosses at consortium Nuclear Management Partners (NMP) also used the perk to pay for flights to the US Masters golf tournament and Amazon purchases submitted without receipts.NMP were brought in to decommission a nuclear plant at Sellafield in Cumbria, but senior staff have now been forced to hand back thousands of pounds after an audit of their claims between 2008 and 2012.
- From more than 606 expense documents it emerged £236,781 of claims were requested without a proper description, £30,557 worth were purely for personal expenditure and £42,711 should not have been claimed at all.
Jamie Reed, Labour MP for Copeland in Cumbria, which contains Sellafield told City AM: ‘A workforce that is being asked to accept many changes – including pay restraint – will have many questions.
‘Taxis for cats and flights to the US Masters simply beggars belief.’ Continue reading
Britain’s Olympic chairman shows a sly way to subsidise nuclear power
Olympian effort for nuclear build World Nuclear News 09 September 2013 The chairman of Britain’s Olympic Delivery Authority has suggested that a similar body could be set up to construct nuclear power plants before selling them to the private sector. The proposal for a new way to finance nuclear power plants as well as other kinds of key national infrastructure came from Sir John Armitt in an interview with Construction News. His ideas relate to his UK infrastructure experience, but would be equally applicable in other markets…….
an alternative approach would be to create a body rather like the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), which would be responsible for getting the first, maybe second, maybe third nuclear power plants built.”
The ODA is a government body not affiliated to any department. It coordinated with several other large public bodies to manage the construction of the facilities for the London 2012 Olympic Games. This was seen as a success, and the ODA continues to manage the conversion and development of the Olympic sites for the long term. In the power sector a similar organisation could use a mix of public funds and business taxes to build a power plant, bring it to operation and then sell to a private company for profit………
The suggestion follows a trend across the global nuclear sector to find new ways to raise the funds for construction and share construction risk. Russia’s state corporation Rosatom is constructing a nuclear power plant at Akkuyu in Turkey on a build-own-operate basis and plans to do the same in Vietnam. More usual is government support in the form of a loan guarantee for part of the construction cost …http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/C_Olympian_effort_for_nuclear_build_0909131.html
We don’t need hoaxes about ionising radiation: the truth is bad enough
I was very grateful to “Hoax-Slayer” for this article. Arclight alerted me to the photo of these ‘fatally radioactive’ whales, and at the group of people so close to them , and none wearing protective clothing. And I puzzled as to how these whales got so close to highly radioactive matter at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plants?
It is important for us, who oppose nuclear [power, and warn about ionising radiation, to scrutinuse extreme stories like this. We don’t need fantasies for evidence. The true facts are bad enough. And – the nuclear lobby will use sories such as this one, against us!
No, Radiation from Fukushima has NOT Killed Hundreds of Whales Outline, Hoax Slayer 10 Sept 13 Circulating message couched as a news report claims that hundreds of whales have been killed by radiation from the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan. The report features a photograph showing dead whales on a beach.
Brief Analysis The claims in the story are outright lies. There are no credible reports of large numbers of whales dying from Fukushima radiation. The image used in the articles shows pilot whales stranded on a New Zealand beach in 2010 and has no connection whatsoever with the 2011 Fukushima meltdown. While the potential effects of the Fukushima disaster are of significant concern, spreading lies and misinformation about the issue is counterproductive and irresponsible…….
And the image depicting dead whales – which comprises the only evidence of the alleged event presented in the report – has no connection with Fukushima whatsoever.
In fact, the image shows pilot whales stranded on a beach in New Zealand. And the event occurred in August 2010, months before the March 2011 Fukushima meltdown. ….. The Fukushima disaster and the possible long-term effects on the environment are certainly of concern, not only to Japan, but to the world as a whole. And that is why it is vital that discussions of the issue use verified facts rather than lies, hearsay and misinformation. http://www.hoax-slayer.com/fukushima-dead-whales-hoax.shtml
Can Japan contain Fukushima radiation before the Tokyo Olympic Games?
2020 Tokyo Olympics: With Fukushima Radiation Scare Looming Large in the Background, How Capable is Japan to Contain It Before the Global Games? IB Times, 10 Sept 13“……While the country’s hosting the global games will help boost and regain its self-confidence after the much negative impact brought by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami as well as the resulting nuclear disaster, bringing the games there is touted to be already parallel to a global suicide for everyone concerned….. “Japan Needs the Power of This Dream Now!” banners splashed around Tokyo city screamed in the lead-up to Sunday’s big winning pronouncement by the International Olympic Committee, which chose radiation stricken Japan over rivals Istanbul and Madrid……. http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/504600/20130909/tokyo-olympics-fukushima-radiation-japan.htm#.Ui9xytJwonE
Wind power to dismantle nuclear weapons
The Largest Federal Wind Farm Will Power The Dismantling Of Nuclear Weapons, Stan Alcorn, Co exist 10 Sept 13 “…..The largest federal wind power plant is now being built to power a facility that does most of the nuclear weapons dismantling in the United States.
At the Pantex in the wind-rich Texas panhandle, electricity will soon come from five massive turbines, to help “green the nuclear security enterprise.”….. The case for the project is largely economic. The 47 million kilowatt hours of energy the five massive turbines will deliver should provide of 65% of the plant’s energy needs. That will save $2.8 million annually over the course of the 18-year contract, according to Siemens–money that will be used to pay back the original investment…. it’s a smart investment in the long run. And Marks says it’s only the beginning. “We hope to expand the wind farm even beyond these five turbines,” she says. “There’s plenty of property there, and plenty of wind.” http://www.fastcoexist.com/3016748/the-largest-federal-wind-farm-will-power-the-dismantling-of-nuclear-weapons
Miserable market for uranium stops Colorado uranium mill build
Plan to build uranium mill in SW Colorado on hold The Associated Press September 8, 2013 DURANGO — A Toronto-based energy company is holding off on its plan to build a uranium mill in southwest Colorado.
The Durango Herald reports (http://bit.ly/15H4qMC ) Stephen Antony, president and CEO of Energy Fuels Resources Inc., told investors during a conference call Friday the company won’t build the Pinon Ridge mill in Montrose County unless there is an unexpected turnaround in uranium prices…..http://gazette.com/plan-to-build-uranium-mill-in-sw-colorado-on-hold/article/1506008he gaztte,
Russian press attacks over alleged Norwegian pollution distracting and ill-informed, say observers
http://www.bellona.org/articles/articles_2013/media_attacks
A steady drum beat of reports in the Russian media based on poorly understood pollution data that cast Norway as a villain in Murmansk’s pollution woes are threatening to damage sensitive negotiations regarding cross-cross border contamination.
The source of the reports were findings presented by the group Green Patrol at an August 18th press conference, saying that Norway, Germany, Finland and Sweden are responsible for 45 percent of the pollution in the Murmansk Region.
Green Patrol’s assertions came shortly after a northern Norwegian Mayor threatened to attempt to prosecute Kola Mining and Metallurgy Company (KMMC) for excessive emissions of sulfur dioxide and other heavy metal concentrations under Norwegian law.
Cross border pollution from the KMMC – a daughter enterprise of the giant Norilsk Nikel – is a decades-old source of tension between Norway and Russia.
Green Patrol, in conjunction with the St. Petersburg institute Atomosfera, laid a large share of the pollution blame on nitrogen compounds migrating from Norway and other northern European countries.
The Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU) immediately responded to Green Patrol’s claims by issuing a statement on its website (in Norwegian) saying that it had “critical scientific objections” to the groups accusations.
The statement also noted that nitrogen compounds, which primarily migrate from west to east, are not arriving from Norway in sufficient enough quantities to be considered pollution.
Further, NILU pointed out that Green Patrol’s data has yet to be published or supported in any documentary fashion. In response to an official request from Bellona, the group’s leader Andrei Nagibin said the results would soon be available on Green Patrol’s website.
What’s the real pollution issue?
The assertions have served to distort the real argument over trans-border pollution between Murmansk and Norway, assert observers of the recent flap, who say it is being egged on by certain sectors of the Murmansk media for political purposes.
The barbs thrown in Norway’s direction have become so shrill that, last week, Alexei Smirnov, head of the Murmansk Region’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology was drawn into the debate and held a press conference to explain Green Patrol’s conclusions.
Though cast by the Murmansk-based nord-news web portal as somehow supporting Green Patrol’s assessment, Bellona advisor Larisa Bronder said it was clear Smirnov did not.
“From the minister’s remarks, it is clear that he does not agree with the conclusions forwarded by representatives of Green Patrol during their press conference,” she said.
Japanese breed new fish for the Olympics
http://www.geekosystem.com/three-eyed-fish-nuclear-power-plant/
Westinghouse goes after Saudi nuclear project
Image source ; http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/feb/24/saudi-arabia-backs-arming-syrian-opposition
Sep 9, 2013,
Westinghouse Electric Co. is partnering with Toshiba Corp. and Exelon Nuclear Partners on a proposed nuclear power plant in Saudi Arabia.
Monday’s announcement calls for the companies to work together on a joint proposal for the building of a nuclear power plant in King Abdullah City. Westinghouse and its corporate parent Toshiba will contribute initiatives related to their nuclear reactors, while Exelon, which is the biggest operator of nuclear power plants in the U.S., would be in charge of operations.
“This joint promotion, bringing together Toshiba and Westinghouse’s proven technologies and Exelon’s operating know-how, allows us to develop proposals for Saudi Arabia for the most advanced and safest nuclear energy technologies in the world today,”said Yasushi Igarashi, Corporate Executive Vice President of Toshiba. “We are confident that we can support the Kingdom in its efforts to diversify its energy mix and ensure long-term energy security.”
Paul J. Gough is digital producer at the Pittsburgh Business Times. Contact him at pgough@bizjournals.com or 412-208-3827. You can also follow him on Twitter.
A message to missmilky1 from Arclight2011
nice catch patrick.. in the uk the insurance underweiting corporations work hand in hand with the mi5 and mi6.. look at the directors and “paid advisors” a anice little pension scheme.. imo i looked and got me arse kicked by them.. aviva increased my insurance on motorbike by 300 percent for no reason losing me my job!! argh!!
death to rip off nuclear insurance imo
This message was blocked by you tube.. on the comments to this video .. so i posted my comment here instead.. 😉
Published on 9 Sep 2013
Plume-Gate: NRC Price-Anderson Act Q and A’s not appropriate for the WEB
http://youtu.be/k6z-2W0B6yo by Patrick Henry
NRC FOIA document page 411 Here: http://tinyurl.com/q53qmu8
Something Wicked This Way Comes: The story of Plume-Gate, the world’s largest, provable cover-up: http://hatrickpenryunbound.com/?p=3683
also, scroll down and read More:
The cost of decommissioning a nuclear power station Conveniently ignored.
It may be the cheaper and easier sell now, but certainly the more expensive in the long run. The spiralling costs at Sellafield are testament to that.
Image source ; http://www.cndcymru.org/
Image source ; http://www.banthebomb.org/
By Mark Brierley Published 09 September 2013
http://www.newstatesman.com/business/2013/09/cost-decommissioning-nuclear-power-station
Much has been made in the press of Britain’s looming energy crisis over the past few years, with the more hysterical among us claiming that rolling blackouts are just around the corner. It is certainly true that if demand for electricity rises as predicted over the next decade or so, Britain will not have the generation capacity to keep up with demand. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that much of the country’s current power supply, especially its aging nuclear power plants, is reaching the end of its design life and will shortly be closed down. In fact, by 2023, all but one of Britain’s currently operating nuclear plants will have ceased operation, with the remaining reactor at Sizewell B soldiering on alone until 2035.
This has spurred the government into action, searching in earnest for new generation capacity to plug the looming gap. The cheapest and quickest solution would be to build larger and larger coal-fired thermal power plants, an especially attractive option given the current low price of coal on the international market, thanks to demand falling in the US as a result of its boom in shale gas production.
Of course, as well as being environmentally-toxic, this solution is also politically-so, with few willing to advocate a non-green solution to our energy needs. This leaves the government with the choice between renewables and nuclear power, both much cleaner alternatives, barring any Fukushima-style meltdowns. At this stage, it boils down to the cost of the electricity produced, on a per megawatt hour (MwH) basis. By the time the first of the new power plants is up and running in the 2020s, experts are predicting nuclear power to sell for around £95/MwH , whereas the leading renewable alternative, offshore wind power, would come in at just over £100/MwH. So, nuclear it is, simple as that.
Having reached this conclusion, so followed a global search for investors willing to stump up the cash for a fleet of new ultra-efficient, ultra-safe nuclear power plants. So far, the Horizon project, with plans to build reactors in Oldbury and Wylfa has been spearheaded by Japan’s Hitachi, and new reactors at Sizewell and Hinkley Point have been agreed with France’s EDF. The Financial Times has also reported that state-owned Chinese and Russia nuclear power suppliers are keen to enter the UK market, showing no shortage of potential options. At £95/MwH, investors know they can turn a profit, despite the large initial capex of nuclear power, estimated by EDF to stand at £14bn for the construction at Hinkley Point.
But what this price prediction fails to recognise is the massive cost of decommissioning nuclear reactors once they are finally closed after decades of service. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), the body responsible for coordinating the dismantling of closed nuclear power facilities and the disposal of radioactive waste, is learning the hard way just how much decommissioning can cost.
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