Turkey – Coal mining and nuclear power – corporate corruption threatens society and environment but brings big corporations together

 OpEd by Arclight2011part2

Date posted 15 May 2014

Posted to nuclear-news.net

The Mine disaster at Soma has highlighted the issues in Turkey regarding corruption and corporate cost cutting causing health and safety issues . The Turkish government, just two weeks ago, denied an opposition party investigation into ongoing accidents and lax safety procedures ever since the privatisation of the industry in the 1990`s.

A connection between Soma Holdings and the Turkish government was deemed to be a contributing factor.

The price of coal had dropped drastically as wages were cut by using cheap unskilled labour and other cost cutting procedures.

This cost cutting can also be seen in the uranium industry, where the spot price for uranium is a mere (estimated) $20.22/lb (excluding tax and royalty), measured against the Australian spot price of US$34.50 / lb (A price that might cause Palladin mining to possibly go into liquidation as they have to produce their ore using more environmentaly secure practises. The real cost of safe extraction is $144 / lb).

It would be bad enough if Turkeys lax safety procedures (in the name of profit) were just limited to mining coal and uranium. However Turkey is now in the planning process to build eight reactors at two different sites in conjunction with French, Japanese Chinese and Russian consortiums.

In Japan they are using homeless and disabled people with little engineering skills to work in TEPCOS destroyed Fukushima Daichi nuclear site using Yakuza gangster contractors. Areva, who is also involved in the cost cutting Fukushima Daichi nuclear site with their largely failed water processing equipment, are going to supply the design for the Franco-japanese venture.

(Image shows Yakuza recruitment offices in Tokyo)

Russia who is overseeing the beginnings of a civil war in the Ukraine will likely be constructing first reactor to be built using nuclear workers from Belarus who should really be working on the Chernobyl Sarcophagus but the EBRDs (based the City of London) will only give funds to its own International private contractors, so as to deny any funding going to the non privatised Belarus government.

The Chinese will be using an American Westinghouse designed reactor for part of the business deal. China has a terrible record on environmental, transparency and safety issues and they pair well with the USA who are similarly minded.

Finally, none of this could have been possible without causing a thermo nuclear war, was it not for the ever diplomatic and nuclear selling organisation called the IAEA. The IAEA have done more for environmental disaster coverups and corporate profits than the International monetary Fund and all the major oil and coal corporations put together.

(Image shows how Turkish officials deal with the “opposition”)

The corporate international media have not given you all the details on the Turkish mining disaster. They will not say that the “mourners” were confronted by the police. The media says the “opposition” or “demonstrators”, much as in the Ukraine where the opposition is called the “Russians” or “terrorists”. Nor will anyone ask the question as to where did all the Chernobyl sarcophagus money go? And why is the work stopped if the Chernobyl site is actually in a peaceful (if corrupt) Belarus?

(Chernobyl sarcophagus not in Ukraine (As most media claim) and everyone seems to have gone on extended lunchbreak)

My thoughts have to go to the victims of corporate greed in India, Turkey, Japan and the Ukraine and the future victims of corporate greed that will be deemed “terrorists” or similar and have the police or armies controlled by the corporations set upon them.

Links to the above posits are below;

Turkey plans to build two nuclear power plants
English.news.cn 2014-05-14

ANKARA, May 13 (Xinhua) — Turkey and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) discussed Tuesday about the country’s plans to build two nuclear power plants.

“Turkey and the IAEA would continue the cooperation in a strong way, Yildiz said, adding that the IAEA would increase the number of Turkish engineers working in the agency…..There are technology universities of nuclear power plants in France, Russia, South Korea, Japan and the United States. We plan to open one in Turkey,” the minister added.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2014-05/14/c_133331477.htm

(Updated May 2014)

• Turkey has had plans for establishing nuclear power generation since 1970. Today, plans for nuclear power are a key aspect of the country’s aim for economic growth.

• Recent developments have seen Russia take a leading role in offering to finance and build 4800 MWe of nuclear capacity.

• Application has been made for construction and operating licences for the first plant, at Akkuyu, and these are expected in mid 2014.

• A Franco-Japanese consortium is to build the second nuclear plant, at Sinop.

“The Energy minister said in April 2013 that talks were continuing with both Mitsubishi-Areva-led and Chinese consortia, the latter led by China Guangdong Nuclear Power (CGNPC) and proposing ACPR1000 reactors, with Fangchenggang 3&4 (due to be built from 2014) as reference units. These may eventuate for another site.”

“Australian-based Anatolia Energy Ltd* has a 100% interest in 18 exploration licences which include the Temrezli project. Project activities are undertaken by A Dur Madencilik Ltd (Adur), a wholly-owned subsidiary.”

* Anatolia Uranium Pty Ltd (AUL) has 65% ownership of the Temrezli project,

Anatolia Energy also has a significant tenement holding in the Sefaatli (35 km away) and West Sorgun areas.

The Rosatom agreement for Akkuyu also provides for setting up a fuel fabrication plant in Turkey.

http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Country-Profiles/Countries-T-Z/Turkey/

Chain Reaction #119, Nov 2013, www.foe.org.au/chain-reaction/editions/119

The 12% price slump in July was the biggest monthly loss since March 2011. Since September 2, the spot price has been still lower, at US$34.00. Those prices are just over half the spot price of US$66.50 / lb on 11 March 2011, the first day of the triple-disaster in north-east Japan.

http://www.foe.org.au/uranium-price-slumps-paladin-energy-trouble

Soma Mines Tragedy: Turkey burning in protests after police clashes with mourners

http://www.dnd.com.pk/soma-mines-tragedy-turkey-burning-protests-police-clashes-mourners/

“Even though the previous information given by the unauthorized persons about the death roll correspond to our present data, this does not make them right.”

Minister Yıldız’s statement was not a coincidence. Soma Holding, the parent company of Soma Coal, has close ties with the AKP government. Melike Doğru, the wife of the general director of Soma Holding Mine Enterprises, is a councilor from the government party.

“A parliamentary proposal of investigation about the working conditions into Soma mine workers and work accidents in the town proposed by opposition parties was refused just two weeks ago, on April 29, by the majority votes of AKP deputies.”

http://www.sendika.org/2014/05/turkeys-neoliberal-death-roll-hundreds-of-miner-died-in-great-soma-massacre/

“The EBRD and Belarus The current political, economic and structural reform environment in Belarus warrants the continued application of a calibrated strategic approach, incorporating both political and economic benchmarks to gauge the country’s progress or regress against its key Article 1 commitments and adjusting the Bank’s operational response accordingly”

https://nuclear-news.net/2014/04/19/jonathan-steele-ukraine-whats-behind-the-crisis-belarus-next/

https://nuclear-news.net/2014/01/21/russias-rosatom-may-use-belarusian-companies-to-build-nuclear-power-plants/

https://nuclear-news.net/2013/11/21/tv-mentally-disabled-are-working-at-fukushima-daiichi-says-journalist-many-men-forced-to-go-to-plant-homeless-treated-like-disposable-people-video/

http://www.power-eng.com/articles/2014/05/tepco-posts-4-3bn-profit.html

May 15, 2014 Posted by arclight2011part2 | Arclight's Vision | 21 Comments