Renewable energy a great job provider in Scotland
Renewables Sector Employs 11,695 People In Scotland ,Renewable Energy News, 15 Jan 14, A survey commissioned by Scottish Renewables has found Full Time Employment (FTE) among participating companies has reached 11,695.The result is an increase of 5% over last year’s study and is a higher employment growth rate when compared to the Scottish economy as a whole.
The sector with the most workers by far is wind energy; with 3,397 persons employed on a full time equivalent basis in the onshore wind sector and 1,842 in offshore wind activities.
Solar has a long way to go to catch up, with just 353 persons.
The good renewable news in Scotland seems as though it will continue. 54% of firms stated they envision increasing their staffing levels during the next 12 months and just 1.6% felt their employment levels would decrease.
The majority of employment is in Scotland’s Central Belt – the area of highest population density within the country…….http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=4124
International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) will highlight transformative role of renewable energy
IRENA to Highlight Transformative Role of Renewable Energy 4 Traders Abu Dhabi, 14th Jan. 2014 Renewable energy is transforming the global energy system, the International Renewable Energy Agency /IRENA/ will highlight at the Agency s Fourth Assembly, setting the stage for this year s Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week /ADSW/. Showcasing the Agency s original research and policy advice, IRENA will present “REmap 2030”, a roadmap for doubling the global renewable energy share by 2030. The transformative socio-economic impact of renewable energy will be the focus of theIRENA Renewable Energy Jobs Conference. In partnership with the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development /ADFD/, IRENA will announce funding of transformative, innovative and replicable renewable energy projects in developing countries.
“Renewable energy is the driving force in the global energy transition, and Abu Dhabi is emerging as a clean energy hub where the world s renewable energy leaders convene to discuss the path forward,” Adnan Z. Amin, IRENA s Director General said. “IRENA research provides analysis and data, as well as policy recommendations for this energy transition, and has become a partner of choice for leading countries and companies in the renewable energy space.”
The “REmap 2030” report argues that renewable energy can and must play a vital role in overcoming the energy challenges of the 21st Century. The study maps out a path to doubling the global share of renewable energy with technology options that exists today. This includes widening energy access and strengthening energy security, as well as analysing the adverse effects of inaction. “REmap 2030” will be published on January 19.
The IRENA Renewable Energy Jobs Conference in Abu Dhabi gathers experts, practitioners, academics and other stakeholders from the public and private sector. The first conference of its kind, it focuses on sharing knowledge, experiences and best practices on the social and economic benefits of renewable energy, particularly job creation. Ahead of the conference, IRENA launches a major new report on this topic, Renewable Energy and Jobs. The Renewable Energy Jobs Conference will take place on January 21 at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center /ADNEC/……..http://www.4-traders.com/RENEWABLE-ENERGY-HOLDINGS-4005058/news/Renewable-Energy-Holdings-Plc–IRENA-to-Highlight-Transformative-Role-of-Renewable-Energy-17810603/
USA Congress about to scuttle Iran nuclear deal?
s Congress about to kill Iran nuclear deal against Obama’s wishes?(+video) Congress appears to be moving toward approving new sanctions against Iran with a veto-proof majority, potentially undermining the interim nuclear deal now being implemented. Christian Science Monitor, By Howard LaFranchi, Staff writer / January 13, 2014 Sen. Robert Menendez (D) of New Jersey,, has been a leading voice in the push to pass new sanctions against Iran. WASHINGTON
President Obama is warning Congress against steps that could scuttle a deal that he says is the best chance to peacefully stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. But a dubious Congress appears close to taking veto-proof action to approve new economic sanctions on Iran – a step the United States has specifically agreed not to take in the nuclear accord with Iran, and one which officials from countries that are party to the agreement say would likely doom diplomatic efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Continue reading
Deadly levels of radioactive cesium found in fish caught off Fukushima
Fish testing at 124 times over radiation limit caught off Fukushima, Rt.com Fish with deadly levels of radioactive cesium have been caught just off the coast of Fukushima prefecture, as scientists continue to assess the damage caused to the marine food chain by the 2011 nuclear disaster.
One of the samples of the 37 black sea bream specimens caught some 37 kilometers south of the crippled power plant tested at 12,400 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium, making it 124 times deadlier than the threshold considered safe for human consumption, Japan’s Fisheries Research Agency announced. ……..
Professor Chris Busby from the Scientific Secretary of the European Committee on Radiation Risk and a member of the UK Department of Health Committee Examining Radiation Risk for Internal Emitters (CERRIE), says that despite a high level of radiation in the marine food chain, Japan so far is the only one dealing with a direct threat.
“The concentrations of radionuclides, which are going to the Pacific or have been injected to the Pacific, by the time they get to the US, and to China and to South East Korea and so on will not be enormously high,” Busby told Voice of Russia.
Yet the scientist warned that nuclear contamination of Japan could result in 400-800 extra cancer cases in Japan in the next fifty years. “We’ve already seen some effects in infant mortality and thyroid cancer in Japan,”Busby said. “So I think this is just going to get worse. I think we are going to see a major effect on the general health of the Japanese population in Northern Japan. There’s going to be a decrease in the birth rate and an increase in the death rate.”
In the meantime, TEPCO, the operator of the Fukushima nuclear site, reported radiation levels 8 times government safety guidelines. TEPCO told press that the predominant reason behind the sharp increase in radiation at the plant was X-rays coming from storage tanks holding radioactive water that has been leaking from the Fukushima facility. http://rt.com/news/fukushima-fish-cesium-radiation-548/
State of inside nuclear reactors and melted fuel at Fukushima is unknown
Japan TV: ‘State’ of Fukushima melted fuel unknown — Asahi: They “still do not know exactly what is going on inside” — U.S. NRC: Increased radioactive leaks at plant are “traveling underground to sea” (VIDEO) http://enenews.com/japan-tv-fukushima-melted-fuel-in-unknown-state-asahi-no-one-knows-whats-going-on-in-the-reactors-nrc-contamination-leaks-out-into-soil-and-is-traveling-underground-to-the-sea-video
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission document on ‘Water Situation at Fukushima’ as of Sept. 20, 2013 (.pdf link here): Over the past three months, radiation measured within the plant site […] has been increasing. The increase in radiation in the water is caused by contaminated water traveling underground to the sea. Sources of the contaminated water include […[ continued cooling of the damaged cores leaking directly from the reactor buildings. […] contaminated water leaks out of the basements into the soil and the groundwater, despite the outside water table being higher. This contaminated water includes radioactive cesium, strontium, and tritium. Cesium moves very slowly in groundwater, since the soil adsorbs (holds on its surface) the Cesium. Strontium is adsorbed less than cesium and moves faster […] TEPCO has plans to impede the flow of groundwater.
NHK,, Jan. 12, 2014: A Japanese research institute on nuclear decommissioning will ask 3 non-Japanese experts for advice on scrapping reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi […] The organization has been soliciting technological assistance in Japan and abroad. […] Under the present plan, removing nuclear fuel debris from the reactors will start as early as in the first half of 2020. How that will be done is yet to be decided as not much is known about the exact state of the damaged fuel that will require sophisticated technologies to remove.
See also: Radiation Expert: Fukushima plant “out of control” — Nuclear fuel “is now in the ground… no way they can get at it” — “Will just wash uranium out to sea” — Pollution of Pacific Ocean to continue more or less forever (AUDIO & VIDEO)
Increasing radiation levels at stricken Fukushima nuclear plant
FUKUSHIMA WATER TANK RADIATION RISEShttp://fukushimaupdate.com/fukushima-water-tank-radiation-rises/via NHK / January 10, 2014 /Nuclear regulators will discuss measures to prevent the increase of radiation levels around the crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant.
The level of radiation at the plant’s border rose to more than 8 milisieverts in annualized figures in December, from less than 1 milisievert in March in the same year. The regulators say that’s due to the increasing number of storage tanks for radioactive water at the plant. There are now about 1,000 tanks at the site.
They explained that the water basically emits beta-rays, which are too weak to penetrate the steel tanks. But they say, when beta-rays hit metals, stronger X-rays come out of the tanks, affecting the environment
At long last, Port Hope’s radioactive trash problem is being addressed
Port Hope properties tested for radiation http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/2014/01/13/port_hope_properties_tested_for_radiation.html About 450 Port Hope homeowners have had their soil sampled and properties tested in the first phase of the biggest radioactive cleanup in Canadian history. By: Raveena Aulakh Jan 13 2014 About 450 Port Hope homeowners have had their soil sampled and properties tested for radon and gamma radiation in the first phase of the biggest radioactive cleanup in Canadian history.
Some 1.2 million cubic metres of contaminated soil — enough for 500 Olympic-size pools — will be entombed in a storage facility. A waste-water treatment plant at the site is close to completion, said Judy Herod of Port Hope Area Initiative, the agency in charge of the cleanup.
“We are still on schedule to complete (cleanup) by 2022,” she said.
The 450-plus homeowners whose properties were tested have yet to receive the results. Radon gas levels were measured inside their homes while bore hole drilling outside yielded soil samples.
More than 5,000 private and public properties will undergo such testing to identify places which need remediation, said Herod.
The $22-million waste water treatment plant will be operational this summer. A tender for construction of the mammoth waste storage facility is being prepared. Port Hope, the picturesque lake town about 110 kilometres east of Toronto, is riddled with low-level radioactive waste, a product of radium and uranium refining at the Cameco refinery, the former Eldorado Nuclear Ltd. Crown corporation, from the 1930s to the 1980s.
Contaminated soil used as fill was identified as a health hazard in the ’70s but it took decades to find a long-term solution.The waste, from all over the town, will be dug up and trucked to the storage facility north of town, where it will be sealed and monitored. When Ottawa approved the cleanup 13 years ago, the cost was pegged at $260 million. It has since ballooned to $1.28 billion.
“It was understood that estimates made at that time would need to be reviewed after the planning phase was completed,” said Joshua Kirkey, a spokesman for the Natural Resources ministry, adding the cleanup cost is “in line with similar cleanups that have taken place internationally.”
UK Council takes up the cause of atomic bomb test veterans
Nuclear test veterans’ case backed by council Shields Gazette, 14 Jan 14 CRUSADING South Tyneside Council has taken up the cause of nuclear test veterans who were exposed to radiation in the Pacific back in the 1950s. A motion is to go before a meeting of the borough council on Thursday calling on the Government to acknowledge its debt to the servicemen.
It also urges Prime Minister David Cameron to establish a £25m benevolent fund to provide assistance for these veterans and their descendants in need.
Both the borough’s MPs, Stephen Hepburn in Jarrow and Emma Lewell-Buck for South Shields, are being asked to support the campaign. And the authority is to write to the Government’s defence secretary, Philip Hammond, urging him to heed their plea.
Today, the intervention was enthusiastically welcomed by nuclear test veteran John Taylor, 76, of Carnegie Close, South Shields.
Mr Taylor has battled for justice for years as one of the 1,000 British ex-servicemen who were exposed to radiation.
Wearing little or no protective clothing, he witnessed three nucl.ear explosions between July and September 1957, during Operation Antler……..http://www.shieldsgazette.com/news/local-news/nuclear-test-veterans-case-backed-by-council-1-6371471
Radiation monitoring by helicopter, over Baltimore
Helicopter over Baltimore to monitor radiation http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/helicopter-over-baltimore-to-monitor-radiation/2014/01/14/3eef0586-7d4d-11e3-97d3-b9925ce2c57b_story.html By Associated Press, January 14 BALTIMORE — The National Nuclear Security Administration says a helicopter will fly over Baltimore to measure naturally occurring background radiation.
The NNSA says the twin-engine Bell 412 helicopter may be seen flying at low altitudes Wednesday and Thursday. It will be equipped with radiation sensing technology and can fly at speeds of up to 80 mph. The flyovers are a part of a research project sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security’s Domestic Nuclear Detection Office. The background data will be used by to improve aerial radiation measurement capabilities.
South Korea pulls back on its nuclear power program
South Korea cuts target for nuclear power Ft.com By Simon Mundy in Seoul 14 Jan 14 Seoul has drastically reduced its long-term target for nuclear power generation, adding to the pressure on the South Korean nuclear industry amid a major corruption scandal……
nuclear power’s reduced share of the future energy mix reflects increased popular opposition to nuclear power following Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi disaster almost three years ago, as well as recent allegations of large-scale corruption in South Korea’s domestic nuclear sector.
Last year three of the country’s 23 nuclear reactors were shut down after investigators found that safety certificates had been forged for thousands of components – in many cases, allegedly, because of bribes paid to nuclear plant designers.
The chief executive of Kepco, the national electricity company that is the monopoly provider of nuclear power, resigned as the scandal gathered pace in November 2012.
The revelations have thrown the spotlight on a tightly knit domestic industry that some local media dubbed the “nuclear mafia”, and raised fears of power cuts as energy usage surged last summer.
Despite Seoul’s efforts to present a show of confidence in its nuclear power sector, the domestic scandals threaten South Korea’s efforts to win contracts for building plants abroad, said Lee Won-hee, a researcher at Samsung Economic Research Institute.
A consortium led by Kepco subsidiary KHNP is waiting to hear whether it has won a tender to build a reactor in Finland, while Seoul is also hoping to win similar contracts in Turkey, Vietnam and Saudi Arabia…….http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/4e8c1872-7cf7-11e3-81dd-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2qTvZkY9R
Lawsuit coming in Germany, after court rules on a nuclear shutdown as illegal
RWE to sue after German nuclear plant shutdown ruled illegal
Tue Jan 14, 2014 * Federal court backs last year’s decision by Hesse court
* RWE could claim 187 million euros -industry analysts
* Shares rise 4.3 percent (Adds RWE spokeswoman, environment ministry, context)
By Christoph Steitz and Tom Käckenhoff DUESSELDORF/FRANKFURT, Jan 14 (Reuters) – Germany’s No.2 utility RWE is preparing to sue for millions of euros of damages after a federal court confirmed that a state’s decision to shut down the company’s Biblis nuclear plant for three months in 2011 was illegal.
A spokeswoman for RWE said it planned to take action against the German state of Hesse, which ordered the closure of Biblis, Germany’s oldest nuclear plant, as a precaution following the disaster at Japan’s Fukushima plant nearly three years ago.
“Preparations for a lawsuit are being made,” the spokeswoman said on Tuesday.
RWE is the only utility to have taken legal steps over three-month shutdowns, which the states of Hesse, Lower Saxony, Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg imposed on Germany’s seven oldest nuclear plants at the time.
RWE had filed a complaint in April 2011 against Hesse. Last February, the Hesse Administrative Court said the order had been illegal, a decision that was backed by Germany’s Leipzig-based Federal Administrative Court on Tuesday.
Hesse’s Environment Minister Lucia Puttrich said the court’s ruling could not be seen as a preliminary decision on whether RWE could assert damage claims against the state of Hesse. This would have to be determined in a separate suit, she said in an emailed statement……..
E.ON, RWE and Vattenfall have filed constitutional complaints with Germany’s highest court against this decision, claiming billions of euros in compensation. A decision could come as soon as this year, the court has said.
“The decision of the Federal Administrative Court has to be respected. But the decision does not change the fact that pulling out of nuclear power is irreversible,” a spokesman for Germany’s Environment Ministry said…….
RWE estimates that dismantling its two reactors at Biblis will cost 1.5 billion euros, excluding storage costs for the nuclear waste. ($1 = 0.7324 euros) (Editing by Anthony Barker) http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/14/rwe-biblis-idUSL6N0KO23L20140114
Jamaica find radioactive elements in cars shipped from Japan
Radiation Alert – Harmful Elements Detected at Ports In Shipments From Japan Livern Barrett, , Th Gleaner, 10 Jan 14 Jamaica Customs authorities have revealed that in the last 13 months, tests conducted at the nation’s ports have confirmed the presence of higher-than-normal levels of radiation in two shipments from Japan……..
The discovery of higher-than-normal levels of radiation in Jamaica comes days after Russian authorities barred 132 used Japanese vehicles from entering that country because of “radioactive pollution concerns“.
The cars were among a batch of 165 contaminated goods, including motor-vehicle spare parts, that were not allowed to enter Russia……http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20140110/lead/lead1.html
TV: Fukushima “is the most important issue going on in the world, everyone should stop what they’re doing and work together” — Newspaper Editor: Gov’t afraid to look into Fukushima as it could lead to destruction of fishing industry on West Coast (VIDEO)
Published: January 13th, 2014 at 7:45 pm ET
By ENENews
Daily Nexus (UC Santa Barbara), Opinion Editor Emile Nelson, Jan. 9, 2014: Start Thinking Fukushima […] it is impossible to avoid seeing and feeling the effects of this tragedy, even here in sunny Santa Barbara. […] Recently, there has been a great deal of concern surrounding the potential consequences of this kind of radiation: Is our seafood still safe to eat? Is the Pacific Ocean still swimmable? How far could the radiation reach if it is actually a part of the Pacific’s ecosystem? […] Fearing that exploring these questions further could lead to the destruction of the fishing industry of the Pacific Ocean, it is a difficult topic for any official government agency to address and, thus, the uncertainty remains. […] Santa Barbara needs to start paying attention to how the aftermath of the crisis at Fukushima is being handled because it will absolutely affect our future, one way or another. If we want to keep our community safe from the effects of this tragedy, we need to remind the world that we are watching and paying attention and that we will not simply stand by as our world deteriorates. Think something, write something, say something or do something, just don’t ignore the fact that one day, safely surfing or even walking the beach at UCSB may be nothing but a bittersweet memory.
Breaking the Set, RT, Jan. 9, 2014 (at 24:00 in):
Abby Martin, host: This is the most important issue going on in the world. Everyone should stop what they’re doing and work together. What can the average person do? Because I’m feeling really helpless […] I’m from California, my family’s there — what can we do to combat this, any advice?
Mimi German, RadCast.org: I think that we have to look at mitigation. We can’t get rid of the fallout, we can’t get rid of what’s happening at Fukushima. No one can, that’s the problem with Fukushima. It’s going to be a perpetual disaster to us everywehere on the planet for thousands of years to come. What we can do is if we got monitors for instance, we can do our own testing in our own area.
Seafood Industry Counters Fukushima “Misinformation”
Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute >>counters<< scaremongering claims of radioactive salmon (I think not – arclight2011, read on)
POSTED: 07:11 PM AKST Jan 05, 2014
ASMI (AZ’-me) communications director Tyson Fick says the institute has seen a resurgence of unsubstantiated, scaremongering articles designed to generate advertising revenue by curious readers clicking on websites.
Fick tells the Kodiak Daily Mirror (http://bit.ly/1crItqr) that the latest wave of misinformation claims Alaska fish has been contaminated by radiation from a Japanese nuclear power plant damaged in a 2011 earthquake.
Fick says ASMI previously have countered misinformation that Alaska salmon contained mercury or PCBs.
He says ASMI refers people to the Food and Drug Administration website. The FDA has found has no evidence of dangerous Fukushima radiation in the U.S. food supply.
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Berkeley Lab and Cal State Long Beach Researchers Launch ‘Kelp Watch’ to >>Determine Extent of Fukushima Contamination<<
Researchers from California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have launched “Kelp Watch 2014,” a scientific campaign designed to determine the extent of radioactive contamination of the state’s kelp forest from Japan’s damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant following the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami.
Initiated by CSULB Biology Professor Steven L. Manley and the Berkeley Lab’s Head of Applied Nuclear Physics Kai Vetter, the project will rely on samples of Giant Kelp and Bull Kelp from along the California coast.
“The California kelp forest is a highly productive and complex ecosystem and a valuable state resource. It is imperative that we monitor this coastal forest for any radioactive contaminants that will be arriving this year in the ocean currents from Fukushima disaster,” said Manley, an expert in marine algae and kelp.
“I receive calls and emails weekly from concerned visitors and Californians about the effect of the Fukushima disaster on our California marine life,” he continued. “I tell them that the anticipated concentrations that will arrive are most likely very low but we have no data regarding its impact on our coastal ecosystem. Kelp Watch 2014 will provide an initial monitoring system at least in the short-term.”
The project includes the participation of 19 academic and government institutions and three other organizations/businesses. These participants will sample kelp from the entire California coastline as far north as Del Norte County and as far south as Baja California. The sampling will begin in mid-February and will end in late winter.
Nuclear Plume Moving Off Barnwell Site –
DHEC Confirms Nuclear Plume Moving Off Barnwell Site
“It combines with oxygen to form basically radioactive water. So, it gets everywhere in the environment,” Clements said. “The level was far above the drinking water standard but fortunately it doesn’t look like anyone is drinking the water.”
http://www.wltx.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=260884
Jan 9, 2014
Video on link
The Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) confirmed to the Governor’s Nuclear Advisory Council a plume of radioactive Tritium is in the groundwater.
“DHEC has documented there is a plume leaking from the site but the problem with Tritium is it’s hard to remediate, it’s hard to clean it up,” said Tom Clements, Southeast Nuclear Campaign Coordinator for Friends of the Earth. “So we have to look at ways to stop it from leaking from the dump.”
Clements says DHEC’s annual updates monitor the plume, but fail to provide a long term solution on how to keep ground water safe.
The plume is moving off the Barnwell Nuclear site southwest toward the Savannah River Site. Traces of Tritium have also been found in Mary’s Branch Creek.
“About 95 percent of the 235 acres are under institutional care,” said site director Michael Benjamin.
1 This Month
26 April – Chernobyl: Inside the Meltdown airs on National Geographic on Sunday 26th April from 4pm
29 April – Nuclear Expert Webinar #1 – Radiation Impacts on Families with Mary Olson and Cindy Folkers
- 12:15 PM MT – 1:45 PM MT
- Location: Virtual – REGISTER TODAY
4 May -West Suburban Peace Coalition to discuss Iran war at May Educational Forum
Monday, May 4, 7:00 – 8:00 PM Central Standard Time
Title: : How Trump’s Narrative Tries to Shape the Reality of the War on Iran.
Contact Walt Zlotow, zlotow@hotmail.com 630 442 3045 for further information
14 May – online event From Bombs to Data Centres: the Face of Nuclear Colonialism
Pine Ridge Uranium is the real threat, not Tehran- Tell Burgum: Stop the Extraction.
Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes – A good documentary on Chernobyl on SBS available On Demand for the next 3 weeks– https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-program/chernobyl-the-lost-tapes/2352741955560
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity – go to https://nuclearinformation.wordpress.com
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