Nuclear power an election battle issue in Tokyo
Tokyo governor race turns into battle over nuclear power, Ft.com, 24 Jan 14, By Jonathan Soble in Tokyo Fighting to be heard over the video screens that pummel Tokyo’s Shibuya district with adverts for pop bands and mobile-phone services, Morihiro Hosokawa, the 76-year-old former Japanese prime minister and anti-nuclear campaigner, launched his bid this week to be Tokyo’s next governor.
Mr Hosokawa has returned to politics after two decades of quiet retirement, a period in which he rarely spoke in public and, when he did, talked mostly about pottery, his late-life passion. His motives are reflected in his election strategy: to transform the February 9 vote from a contest for an important but limited municipal governorship to a referendum on Japan’s post-Fukushima energy policy.
This is more than just a Tokyo election,” he told a crowd of supporters and curious onlookers in Shibuya on Thursday, the first day of the formal campaign. “It’s going to decide the fate of Japan.”…….
To assuage voter concerns about the economy, Mr Hosokawa has enlisted Junichiro Koizumi, another former prime minister who is a recent convert to the anti-nuclear cause. Appearing alongside Mr Hosokawa on Thursday, Mr Koizumi, a member of the pro-business LDP, promised that Japan could have economic growth without atomic power, and pointed to the huge costs of the Fukushima clean-up to counter the view that nuclear plants provide low-cost energy.
“Nuclear power isn’t safe, and it isn’t cheap,” he said.
Such statements drew the most applause in Shibuya. “This Tokyo election is a big moment,” said Muko Muto, 49, an office worker who described herself as an opponent of atomic energy. “Pro-nuclear groups are trying to scare people by saying we can’t afford to give up nuclear power.”
Mr Hosokawa has other obstacles to overcome, however. The anti-nuclear vote is likely to be split between him and the Communist candidate, Kenji Utsunomiya, a human rights lawyer and former head of the Japan Bar Association……..
Mr Hoshi, the Asahi columnist, says Mr Hosokawa’s greatest electoral strength may be a growing sense among voters that Mr Abe’s conservative government is overreaching. The national opposition is in tatters and Mr Abe is pushing what many see as an increasingly rightwing social and security agenda, exemplified by his visit in December to the Yasukuni war shrine and the passage of an unpopular official secrets law.
“Hosokawa really has two goals,” Mr Hoshi says. “To end nuclear power and to create some kind of competition for the Abe government and its policies.”http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/1fab426c-84c7-11e3-8968-00144feab7de.html#slide0
Renewable energy is the future for Jordan, not nuclear energy
The cost issues of renewable energy are developing in such a way that are much cheaper than nuclear energy and safer, he said, indicating that there are many expenses associated with nuclear energy that are not applicable when utilising renewable resources, such as risks, insurance and development costs.
“Our belief is that renewable energy is the most viable approach for the future and much more environmentally safe,” Amin stressed.
Jordan’s future lies in renewable energy http://www.albawaba.com/business/jordan-renewable-energy-549840
January 26th, 2014 Renewable energy is the most viable approach for the future of Jordan and regional countries, according to International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Director General Adnan Amin.
“Jordan is a very interesting market because it has a very developed institutional structure in terms of government agencies dealing with energy issues,” Amin said in a recent interview with The Jordan Times on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.
“Jordan is looking very positively at the future of renewable energy,” he added. Continue reading
Nuclear Iran less of a worry than nuclear India and Pakistan?
The evolution of South Asia’s nuclear powers, Journal Pioneer, Henry Srebrnik on January 26, 2014 While much of the world’s attention these days is focused on Iran’s nuclear program, it should not be forgotten that its eastern neighbours, Pakistan and India, South Asia’s two largest countries and long-time enemies, both are nuclear-armed states.
India is not a party to the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and tested what it called a “peaceful nuclear explosive” in 1974. The test was the first after the creation of the NPT, and India’s secret development of nuclear weaponry, using civilian nuclear technology, caused great concern and anger from nations such as Canada, that had supplied its nuclear reactors for peaceful and power generating needs……..
India is also expanding its ability to produce highly enriched uranium for military purposes, including more powerful nuclear weapons, according to a U.S.-based think tank that cited satellite imagery taken last April of a gas centrifuge facility under construction at the Rare Materials Plant near Mysore in Karnataka.
The Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) published a report in 2013 stating that this new facility “could significantly increase India’s ability to produce highly enriched uranium for military purposes, including more powerful nuclear weapons.”
Pakistan, too, is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and built its first nuclear power plant near Karachi with equipment and materials supplied mainly by western nations in the early 1970s. Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto had promised in 1965 that if India built nuclear weapons then Pakistan would too, “even if we have to eat grass.”……http://www.journalpioneer.com/Opinion/Columnists/2014-01-26/article-3591613/The-evolution-of-South-Asia%26rsquo%3Bs-nuclear-powers/1
London gets world’s largest solar-powered bridge
World’s largest solar-powered bridge opens in London, Guardian, 24 Jan 14 Blackfriars rail station secures half its power from 4,400 roof-mounted solar panels, reports BusinessGreenAfter nearly five years in the making, Network Rail has today cut the ribbon on the world’s largest solar-powered bridge at Blackfriars Bridge across the River Thames.
As part of a project with solar installation firm Solarcentury, the roof of the bridge has been covered with 4,400 photovoltaic panels, providing up to half of the energy for London Blackfriars station.
First Capital Connect, which runs Blackfriars, expects the panels to cut the stations’ carbon emissions by an estimated 511 tonnes a year, further reducing the carbon footprint of its train routes to the south east of England.
“Electric trains are already the greenest form of public transport – this roof gives our passengers an even more sustainable journey,” said David Statham, managing director of First Capital Connect. “The distinctive roof has also turned our station into an iconic landmark visible for miles along the River Thames.”
The bridge will also act as a major advertisement for London’s efforts to become a sustainable city, with tourists and workers viewing the panels as they enter the capital……http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jan/22/worlds-largest-solar-powered-bridge-opens-in-london
Solar PV installation at record high in China
China’s solar PV installations soared to record in 2013 http://www.smh.com.au/business/carbon-economy/chinas-solar-pv-installations-soared-to-record-in-2013-20140124-31cck.html Developers in China installed a record 12 gigawatts of solar panels last year, almost matching the total amount of solar power in operation in the U.S., and may exceed that this year, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
The power plants were built mostly in the sunny, western provinces of Gansu, Xinjiang and Qinghai and make China’s state-owned power companies the world’s biggest owners of solar assets, the London-based research company said today in a statement.
China was the biggest solar market last year, surpassing longtime leader Germany. Chinese installation more than tripled from 3.6 gigawatts in 2012, and the nation expects to add 14 gigawatts of solar capacity this year, according to New Energy Finance.
China led a 28 per cent increase in global solar installations last year of 39 gigawatts, and total installation may increase another 20 per cent this year, according to the statement. Before 2013, no nation had ever installed more than 8 gigawatts of solar power in a year.
China blocking “inconvenient” foreign news sites
China blocks foreign news sites that revealed elite’s offshore holdings Guardian among sites blocked over reports • China Digital Times publishes details of directive Tania Branigan in Beijing and James Ball in New York theguardian.com, Thursday 23 January 2014
The blocking of foreign news sites that revealed details of offshore holdings by the relatives of senior leaders has continued in China as reports emerged of a propaganda directive ordering websites and services to target users posting on the subject.
Details of the order were published by China Digital Times, a website that monitors censorship instructions.
“Immediately find and remove the foreign media report “China’s Secret Offshore Tax Havens” and related content. Interactive platforms must strictly check [users]. Related images and accusatory comments about leaders and the system [of government] must be deleted without exception,” said the instructions, according to CDT.
“Block the [user] IDs of those who have an evil influence and coordinate on-the-ground investigations with the relevant departments.”…http://engineeringevil.com/2014/01/23/china-blocks-foreign-news-sites-that-revealed-elites-offshore-holdings/
Youth urged to take up the anti nuclear cause
Bryana Malloy: Young people must tackle today’s issues, like nuclear plant safetyhttp://www.gazettenet.com/home/10303496-95/bryana-malloy-young-people-must-tackle-todays-issues-like-nuclear-plant-safety January 24, 2014 As part of my internship with the American Friends Service Committee, I began to attend monthly meetings held by the Nuclear Free Future coalition. I learned a great deal about the issue of nuclear power and weapons, and after attending a December panel discussion in Northampton on decommissioning the Vermont Yankee plant in Vernon, Vt., the urgency of this issue became more apparent.
Some believe the energy produced at nuclear power plants is the cleanest and safest form available. But if you look into the steps taken to produce this energy, you will find it can be extremely dangerous. The possibility of large amounts of radioactive material leaking into the environment is a reality. The decommissioning process, if not done sensibly, will increase the likelihood that radioactive material will be released into the environment.
This integrity of this process is perhaps more important than nuclear power plant operation as a whole. The placement of spent fuel rods is a decision that must be made with long-term consequences in mind. Materials used in the nuclear power plant will be radioactive for years to come.
Terrorism, natural disasters, leaks and accidents can lead to disasters that affect our communities. The thought of what may happen is frightening, but is something that we should all be aware of. With the busy lives we all lead, it is easy to fall prey to ignorance. As a third-year college student, I admit there are many issues to which I should pay more attention. It is our civic duty to take action on these issues. I am working to become an active citizen and wish that more citizens, especially young people, would do the same.
If we do not take the time to get involved now, there is no guarantee that life will be the same in the future. These are issues relevant to our lives and the lives of generations to come. No matter the differences we see when we look at each other on the outside, we must remember that we are all humans —every person matters when it comes to the fight for life.
IRENA and ADFD join in funding renewable energy in several countries
IRENA and ADFD announce joint renewable energy financing programme 24 January 2014 http://www.renewableenergyfocus.com/view/36581/irena-and-adfd-announce-joint-renewable-energy-financing-programme/ Organizations commit $41 million in concessional loans for renewable energy projects in developing countries.
According to the International Renewable Energy Agency and the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, the financed projects have a combined total capacity of 35 MW. More importantly, the funding aims to bring reliable and sustainable power to rural communities that are currently lacking access to modern energy services.
“IRENA and ADFD selected projects bring power to isolated off-grid populations, in some cases for the first time,” said Adnan Z. Amin, IRENA’s director-general. “This will stimulate local economic development and raise living standards.”
The loans go to a geographically diverse set of countries, including the Republic of Ecuador, Sierra Leone, the Maldives, Mauritania, Samoa, and Mali. IRENA is assessing the socio-economic impact and technical merit of the projects, and ADFD is making its selection based on the Agency’s recommendation. Projects selected need to be transformative, innovative and replicable.
The UAE government has committed a total of $350 million in concessional loans through ADFD to support the deployment and sustainable use of all forms
Security violations at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station
Mass. nuclear plant faulted on security issues Security Info Watch, BY CHRISTINE LEGERE CAPE COD TIMES, HYANNIS, MASS. JANUARY 24, 2014 NRC found five security-related violations during recent inspection Jan. 24–PLYMOUTH — Federal nuclear regulators found five security-related violations at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station during a routine inspection last month.
Two of those had been spotted by inspectors as long ago as 2012 but the shortcomings had yet to be addressed.
On Thursday, Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman Neil Sheehan characterized the number of infractions found in this latest inspection as high.
It isn’t uncommon for plants to receive multiple “green” or “low security significance” inspection findings, “but five is above the normal average,” Sheehan said.
For two of the violations, the NRC issued written notices to Entergy Nuclear Operations, the plant’s owner and operator, for failing “to correct long-standing equipment deficiencies important to station security defense … within a reasonable amount of time,” according to the NRC letter.
The deficiencies dated back to November 2012……http://www.securityinfowatch.com/news/11299738/regulators-find-security-issues-at-pilgrim-nuclear-power-station
PSR Mourns Loss Of Dr. Jeff Patterson
Former head of Physicians For Social Responsibility, Dr. Jeff Patterson unexpectedly died of a heart attack earlier this week.
Dr. Patterson was a long time member of PSR, starting the chapter in Madison WI and working at the national level. He also worked extensively with the Hackett Hemwall Foundation to bring medical care to people in Mexico and the Phillipines.
PSR has an extensive write up of Dr. Patterson’s work through his life.
http://www.psr.org/news-events/press-releases/dr-jeff-patterson.html
Dr. Patterson will be greatly missed. He dedicated his life to making the world a better place.
This article would not be possible without the extensive efforts of the SimplyInfo research team
Russia – Largest icebreaker construction now underway
Rendering of the new LK-70 icebreaker, for which the keel has been laid at the Baltic Shipyard in St Petersburg
Work has begun in Russia on a new nuclear-powered icebreaker, considerably larger and more powerful than any existing vessel, while a smaller Russian icebreaker soon to be completed in Finland, offers a novel approach to clearing wide channels, writes Dag Pike.
As part of the Russian programme to open up the Northern Sea route across the Arctic and to assist with the exploitation of the natural resources in the region, a Russian shipyard has started construction of the world’s largest icebreaker. Russia already has the world’s only fleet of very powerful nuclear powered icebreakers, but the new vessel will be by far the largest and most powerful ever built.
The keel of the new vessel has been laid at Baltiysky Zavod (Baltic Shipyard) in St.Petersburg and completion of this major newbuilding project is scheduled for 2017. The new icebreaker is codenamed LK60. The length of the vessel will be 173.3m on a 34m beam. The wide beam will allow the vessel to cut a channel through ice which will be sufficient in width for tankers up to 70,000dwt. Previously two icebreakers working together were necessary to cut a wide enough channel for these larger ships.
The LK-60 has been designed with a variable draught. In open waters the vessel would operate at a minimum draft of 10.5m but this measurement can be reduced to 8.55m when the icebreaker is operating in inshore waters and in rivers. The difference in draught is achieved through a specially-designed ballasting system.
The design of this icebreaker was originally developed by CDB Aisberg back in 2009. LK-60 will be the first such ship with the capability of creating a channel through ice up to 3m thick, which will allow shipping routes in the Arctic to stay operational through longer winter periods.
The nuclear power unit for LK-60 will be a new design of liquid cooled pressurised water reactor developed by Rosatom’s Nizhniy Novagorod located OKBM Afrikantov. This is claimed to be half the size of existing reactors and to be more reliable and economical, with the core needing refuelling every seven years. The lifespan of this icebreaker is expected to be around 40 years. This reactor is said to have a capacity of 170MW, and this will be applied with a total propulsion power of 60MW divided between three shafts.
Reports say that the ship will be named Arktika as a tribute to a former prominent Soviet nuclear-powered icebreaker of the same name, which was the first surface ship to reach the North Pole. Russia is due to build three such icebreakers in the next decade, which are expected to replace four smaller ships. An even more powerful vessel, codenamed LK-110yA, is said to be at the design stage. This will be able to negotiate ice up to 3.5m in thickness, which should allow Arctic navigation through the entire winter period in most years.
American hurried Japan to return plutonium
Plutonium is a radioactive transuranic elements of American Scientists first discovered the element in 1940 and it is currently being used in nuclear weapons and nuclear reactors. Compared to other radioactive elements, the greater the risk of plutonium, once into the human body, plutonium will be lurking in the lungs, bones and other tissue cells, genetic damage cells, raising the risk of cancer, according to Xinhua News Agency
http://www.readdailynews.com/news-6307368-American-hurried-Japan-also-plutonium.html
Published: 7:46:28 January 27,2014
During the Cold War the United States had
AC 331 kilograms of plutonium in Japan
American hurried Japan to rteurn plutonium
Japanese media quoted the 26th in Japan and the United States government news sources reported that the United States is urging Japan returned more than 300 kilograms of plutonium radioactive substances. Reported that the United States during the Cold War put these radioactive substances to Japan for study, most of them weapons-grade plutonium.
This exclusive Kyodo news release on the 26th. Reported that during the Cold War the United States had handed over 331 kilograms of plutonium in Japan, most of the abundance of weapons-grade plutonium for nuclear research. Kyodo said these plutonium present in Naka-gun, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan Tokai-mura used for fast reactor fuel.
1 This Month.
Let’s keep radioactive waste away from our river!
Nuclear Power? -Never again
(Switzerland –https://www.greenpeace.ch/de/handeln/atomkraft-nie-wieder/+)
PETITION – Close Down the Monticello Nuclear Reactor on the Mississippi River!
Now until to February 10, 2026 Radioactive waste storage in France: the debate is finally open! How to participate?
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