The headlines: Nuclear and Climate News
Christina Macpherson’s websites & blogs
Nuclear Non Proliferation Talks continue, amidst accelerating weapons race.
Nuclear power industry. Paris Climate Talks will be the focus of theglobal nuclear lobby’s strategy. No new Generation IV Nuclear designs will be ready for build before 2050
Japan: Expert panel says 3 faults beneath Shika nuclear power plant may be active. Opponents of nuclear waste sitehold symposium to counter gov’t forum on same day. Taiwan is banning import of all foodstuffs from Japan. North East Japan rocked by M6.8 earthquake.
Fukushima. 10,000 lawsuits against TEPCO, operator of Fukushima nuclear power plant. High radiation doses in 991 Fukushima Daiichi workers.
Iran. Gulf leaders support nuclear deal with Iran.
France‘s nuclear safety worries as fires break out close to 3 nuclear power plants. AREVA’s nuclear options narrowin attempt to save the company
USA. Alarm in New York following explosion at Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant. Anti nuclear activists Sister Megan Rice, Michael Walli, and Greg Boertje-Obed still in prison with no sentence at all. Weapons proliferation and other risks inUSA’s marketing of nuclear technology to China. Elizabeth Warren makes a compelling case against the Trans-Pacific Partnership
UK. Safety limits relaxed at Sellafield nuclear facility.
Ukraine. Serious concerns over the safety of Ukraine’s nuclear waste storage.
Cyprus, Greek and Turkish groups unite to stop Turkish nuclear plant
Uranium. Things look crook for the uranium market – no respite in sight. Canadian review board knocks back Areva’s planned uranium mineas uneconomic.
Renewable energy. I can’t actually cope with keeping up on this. From now on – I’ll just put headlines brief notes on my website.
Paris Climate Talks will be the focus of the global nuclear lobby’s strategy
Christina Macpherson’s websites & blogs
The global nuclear lobby is getting a bit desperate, especially with nuclear’s ever-escalating costs and delays, and renewable energy’s rapidly declining costs, and speed of set-up.
This extract from an investment advisor shows us just what strategy the nuclear lobby is now adopting – a hypocritical story about nuclear power being “renewable” “clean” and the “answer to climate change”
Uranium’s Glow Still Smothered by Safety Concerns Wall Street Daily, Fri, May 15, 2015 | Shelley Goldberg, Commodity Strategist
“……..If you’re in the uranium market, it’s best to be short and nimble.
The first thing to do is stay focused on the United Nations Climate talks later this year in Paris.While France will likely insist that nuclear reactors are the preferred, low-carbon source, the more important issue is whether or not they can demonstrate that modern nuclear power plants can be built on time, on budget, and convincingly address the issue of radioactive waste. As it stands now, the deck is stacked against them….
This is a tug-of-war between fossil fuels and clean energy. If clean proves to be a winner, it’ll then be a battle between the more traditional solar and wind power and nuclear……“http://www.wallstreetdaily.com/2015/05/15/uranium-commodity-concerns/
MY COMMENT on that strategy
All very well – except that nuclear energy is NOT clean.
For one thing – the total nuclear chain from uranium mining to the burial of dead reactors – emits large amounts of CO2 – and that’s without mentioning all the transport involved.
For another thing – while coal and other mining do emit radioactive isotopes, no industry other than nuclear produces virtually eternal highly carcinogenic radioactive wastes.
No other industry runs the risk, however small, of catastrophic accidents that make large areas of land unlivable for decades.
It’s not merely a joke to call nuclear energy “clean’. It’s a lie
10,000 lawsuits against TEPCO, operator of Fukushima nuclear power plant
Fukushima n-plant operator faces 10,000 lawsuits http://www.newkerala.com/news/2015/fullnews-54069.html Tokyo, May 6 Nearly 10,000 people have filed lawsuits against the operator of the Fukushima nuclear plant, following the 2011 accident at the plant, according to data released by a group of Japanese lawyers. Currently 9,992 people, among them home-owners unable to return to houses near the plant because of high radiation levels, have filed 25 joint lawsuits against Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) in 20 different courts, Efe news agency cited the group as telling Asahi newspaper on Wednesday.
Since then thousands of people, including 900 more so far in 2015, have filed new lawsuits or joined existing ones.
The plaintiffs are dissatisfied with the government’s financial compensation scheme, launched after an earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, triggered the nuclear accident.
Under the compensation scheme, TEPCO has been paying compensation to people who had to abandon their homes and to business owners in the affected region for the losses suffered because of the accident.
However, the plaintiffs claim the payments are insufficient and are asking for TEPCO to pay an additional indemnity until radiation levels around the plant return to the levels of prior to the accident.
They are also claiming financial compensation for the destruction of their communities. Most are also seeking compensation under Japan’s rehabilitation law. Fukushima is the world’s worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl, Ukraine, in 1986, forced the evacuation of thousands of people from the area and seriously affected agriculture, fisheries and local livestock.
Japan: Expert panel says 3 faults beneath Shika nuclear power plant may be active
Shika N-plant faults not ‘inactive’ / Power firm to challenge findings of NRA expert panel The Yomiuri Shimbun 15 May 15, An expert panel of the Nuclear Regulation Authority said Wednesday three faults running beneath the No. 1 reactor and other facilities of Hokuriku Electric Power Co.’s Shika nuclear power plant in Shika, Ishikawa Prefecture, may be active.
Members of the panel agreed on the view that “the possibility that the faults are active cannot be denied.”
The NRA’s new safety standards prohibit the construction of key nuclear facilities such as reactor buildings over active faults.
The No. 1 reactor may have to be decommissioned if the NRA concludes the faults are active. In addition, it also will become difficult to reactivate the No. 2 reactor.
There are eight faults under the nuclear facility site. Among them, it is said that three faults — one called S-1 running beneath the No. 1 reactor and others called S-2 and S-6 located beneath the plumbing system to deliver cooling seawater, which is a key facility — may be active……..
The panel has concluded so far that the No. 2 reactor at Japan Atomic Power Co.’s Tsuruga nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture sits on an active fault, while it has denied possibilities that faults located beneath Kansai Electric Power Co.’s Oi nuclear power plant and Mihama nuclear power plant, both in the same prefecture, are active……..http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0002149236
Gulf leaders support nuclear deal with Iran
Barack Obama wins support from Gulf leaders for nuclear deal with Iran
Qatar welcomes ‘key factor for stability in region’ and Saudis voice growing acceptance of deal at end of Camp David summit., Guardian, Dan Roberts 15 May 15 Barack Obama has secured support from Gulf leaders for his attempt to reach a nuclear deal with Iran as a summit outside Washington concluded on Thursday with the first glimpses of possible rapprochement on an issue that has alarmed many US allies in the region…….
Nuclear corporation Exelon tries to stifle the competition from renewables
Exelon’s Pepco Takeover Fuels Fear That Nuclear Will Trump Solar, Blomberg, by Mark Chediak & Jim Polson 14 May 15 Fear that Exelon Corp. could slow the growth of solar power in Maryland to protect its high-cost nuclear reactors is fueling a push to block its planned acquisition of Pepco Holdings Inc.
The debate pits the state’s top lawyer, who has urged regulators to reject the sale, against the nation’s biggest nuclear power plant owner. The Maryland Public Service Commission is scheduled to rule on the $6.8 billion merger Friday.
If approved, Exelon will supply more than 80 percent of the state’s utility customers, giving it extraordinary market clout to favor its aging nuclear fleet over renewables, Attorney General Brian E. Frosh has argued. Exelon, based in Chicago, has countered with a promise to develop 15 megawatts of solar power in the state, and to create a $19.8 million fund to encourage investment in rooftop solar and energy efficiency.
In Illinois, where three Exelon reactors are at risk of closing, the company has blamed the growing use of wind power for crimping revenue, and it supports a requirement that utilities buy some power from “low-carbon” plants that include nuclear reactors.
‘Transformative Opportunities’
“The evidence shows that Exelon intends to control the pace of development of distributed energy resources,” Frosh said in a filing with the commission. Solar and wind, “while threatening to Exelon’s central station merchant power plants, offer unprecedented and transformative opportunities for Maryland consumers.”…….http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-15/exelon-s-pepco-takeover-fuels-fear-that-nuclear-will-trump-solar
Opposition in Greenland to Australian rare earths/uranium mining project
The concerns come as Greenland Minerals and Energy, an Australia-based mining outfit, closes in on final approval to begin production rare earths, a mineral vital for use in modern technologies……
in order to extract rare earths, GME will also need to mine uranium as a by-product, and that has raised fears, particularly among farmers, sheep farmers and those making a living off tourism, that dust from the open-pit facility will taint the region’s soil and water, and in the process spoil the region’s image.
Instead representatives from Urani Naamik, an anti-uranium group, together with IA, the main opposition party, have put forward 17 proposals they say could help to stimulate job growth in other sectors of the economy, including agriculture, fishing and bottling of glacial meltwater.
Until 2013, mining uranium in Greenland was explicitly banned. A law change opened up the possibility for such operations to be approved, but the issue remains divisive.
“We’re told that without a mine out at Kvanefjeld, Narsaq will die. We say that Narsaq will die if the build a mine it will kill Narsaq,” Mariane Paviasen, a Urani Naamik representative, said in April…….
Another criticism of the Kvanefjeld mine is that GME intends to dump tailings, a miner’s term for unwanted material, into a lake close by the facility. Berthlesen defends the process, calling it the best way to protect the surrounding area against possible radiation from the tailings.
Urani Naamik, however, wants an independent study looking into the mine’s environmental impact to be conducted. …..http://arcticjournal.com/oil-minerals/1583/uranium-opponents-look-other-sectors-job-growth
Obama has given in to corporate lobby on the Trans Pacific Partnership
Scarier still is the part of the TPP that will give corporations the right to sue governments for lost profits. The proceedings will be conducted before secret corporate tribunals.
Foreshadowing nasty corporate suits are what is happening now in Australia, Egypt, and Germany.
Philip Morris, an American tobacco company, is suing Australia for prohibiting the sale of cigarettes to underaged smokers in that country.
Why Obama Is Making the Mistake of Pushing the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership)
Michael E. Drake Democratic Perspectives on the corporate take-
over of America, 15 May 15
He has convinced himself that American labor cannot compete with labor forces in the rest of the world, particularly in Asia. He said, “That ship has already sailed.” Obama has given up. He has given in to corporate interests who want things both ways for the sake of short term profit. Corporations, who recognize no international boundaries, insist on producing goods for the lowest possible cost in labor. That means, first of all, outsourcing and building factories in other countries. Secondly, they insist on this country importing those goods for sale here in the United States with no tariffs.
What has this way of doing business cost us already? Start with 60,000 factories in this country since the year 2000. Also disappearing is the millions of manufacturing jobs that went along with these factories. Then comes the gigantic trade deficit that we as a country has been running for decades. Lately, the trade deficit (the difference between what we sell to other countries and what other countries sell us) has been running around 50 billion dollars a month. Our wealth is flying out the door at an incredible rate, and we, suckers that we are, are left holding the bag. Congressman Alan Grayson of Florida has helped produce a short film which explains it all. I urge you to take a look at it…….
Now, in addition to the economic loss that has already occurred, our president is asking us to give away even more. He wants us to do it on a fast track in Congress, which means no real debate, no amendments, no changes whatsoever to an agreement negotiated by corporate executives and corporate lobbyists. Continue reading
Renewable energy racing ahead – nuclear power declining
It’ s harder to find real new about nuclear power, than it is for renewable energy. Renewable energy is the future, and this website should, theoretically, be following the excitinfg developments in both large and small-scale wind and solar developments.
However – it IS “nuclear-news” – so from now on, I’m concentrating on the more strictly “nuclear” issues, and just pointing to headlines and brief notes for that other topic – however tantalising its news:
RENEWABLE ENERGY:
California’s Renewable Energy Plan Will Save $51 Billion a Year by Andrew Burger on Friday, May 15th, 2015 California’s new renewable energy target, proposed by Gov. Jerry Brown during his inaugural address in January, is not only achievable: It would result in as much as $51 billion in annual savings for the state’s residents, according to an analysis by Strategen Consulting that “quantifies the economic and societal impacts” of the governor’s proposed goals.
Ahead of schedule when it comes to meeting a current goal of sourcing 33 percent of electricity from renewable sources by 2020, Gov. Brown proposes raising the state’sRenewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) target up a big notch – to 50 percent by 2030…….http://www.triplepundit.com/2015/05/ca-govs-renewable-energy-plan-will-save-51b-year/
UK Renewable Energy Investment And Generation Surges In 2014, Clean Technica May 15th, 2015 by Joshua S Hill A new report shows that renewable energy investment in the United Kingdom hit a record high in 2014, with electricity generated from renewables increasing by 20% as well.
In fact, in 2014, not only did renewable energy investment hit a record of £10.7 billion, but renewable jobs increased by 9% as well…..http://cleantechnica.com/2015/05/15/uk-renewable-energy-investment-generation-surges-2014/
Renewable energy storage will end capacity payments Capacity payments and fossil energy can be made redundant by electric cars, writes Teodora Serafimova. The European Commission recognises the important role energy storage technologies will have to play in the future energy system, both in its Energy Security Strategy of May 2014 as well as in its more recent Energy Union strategy. Bellona has long been convinced of the necessity of energy storage in the face of a rapidly growing share of renewables in the energy mix. With such storage technology quickly materialising, notably from the electric car industry, it’s time to take stock of the changes this will bring.
Energy storage does not only hold the potential for us to make better use of renewable power, but in doing so it also allows us make less use of fossil power. Being less dependent on fossil power erodes the case for subsidies like capacity payments keeping this industry alive.
Energy storage technologies, such as compressed air storage and batteries, can store low-cost renewable energy when the system experiences oversupply, then release this energy to the grid when it is more needed, such as at night in the case of solar or when the output of wind power falls below demand.
In short, energy storage gives renewable energy the flexibility it currently lacks. ……http://www.euractiv.com/sections/transport/renewable-energy-storage-will-end-capacity-payments-314609
High radio frequency (RF) exposure – a health hazard requiring Radiation Warnings on Cell Phones
California City Will Vote on Requiring Radiation Warnings on Cell Phones http://time.com/3855722/radiation-warnings-cell-phones/ Victor Luckerson @VLuck May 12, 2015 Some scientists have called for further study about the impact of the radiation
The city council in Berkeley, Calif. will vote Tuesday on whether cell phones should come with a warning notice explaining the dangers of high radio frequency (RF) exposure. If the law is passed, retailers in the city would have to warn customers that carrying a phone in a pocket or bra while it is on and connected to a wireless network could expose the user to excessive RF radiation.
Cell phones emit radio frequency energy that can be absorbed by human tissue. There isn’t any conclusive evidence that this type of radiation causes cancer, but some scientists have called for further study into the issue. Cell phone makers such as Apple recommend keeping your cell phone at least 5 to 10 mm away from your body to avoid excessive RF exposure, but these warnings are often buried in phone manuals or deep in settings menus.
Lawmakers have attempted to institute similar ordinances in places such as Maine, Hawaii and New Mexico, but Berkeley would be the first place to actually pass such a law. In Berkeley, 82% of adults would like to know the recommended distance a phone should be kept from their bodies, according to a survey funded by the California Brain Tumor Association.
Trans Pacific Partnership Versus The Environment
Here’s why. Continue reading
Things look crook for the uranium market – no respite in sight
Uranium prices have taken a turn for the worse due to a combination of factors that pulled the floor from underneath the commodity.
Back in November 2014, prices spiked from $28 per pound to $44 per pound. This was largely due to the sanctions imposed on Russia after the annexation of Crimea, thus portending a supply shortage.
But the price is currently close to $35 per pound. And technical indicators are pointing south once again……..
France was so confident in its atomic energy capabilities that, about 10 years ago, the French nuclear establishment made a bet on a new generation of reactors using European pressurize reactor (EPR) technology. These reactors were touted as the safest and most powerful ever made.
But, France isn’t living up to its promises. New plants that would ostensibly showcase the most cutting edge of nuclear energy prowess are years behind schedule and billions of euros over budget. Some are as much as three times more expensive than the original cost projections! At this point, many are questioning if they’ll ever be completed.
Plus, The New York Times reported on April 7 that one reactor, the Autorite de Surete Nucleaire, had discovered imperfections in the steel used by Areva (AREVA.PA) to make the caps of the main reactor vessel.
The caps contain the extreme heat, pressure, and radiation produced by nuclear fission. These same parts were used for a plant under construction in Taishan, China, which is being built in partnership with France……http://www.wallstreetdaily.com/2015/05/15/uranium-commodity-concerns/
Sister Megan Rice Michael Walli, and Greg Boertje-Obed still in prison with no sentence at all
TNP attorneys file motion for immediate release https://transformnowplowshares.wordpress.com/2015/05/15/tnp-attorneys-file-motion-for-immediate-release/ BY TNPLOWSHARES ⋅ MAY 15, 2015
Everyone seemed to have the same question following the news that the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals had thrown out the sabotage charge against Michael Walli, Megan Rice and Greg Boertje-Obed and vacated the sentences on both the sabotage and the depredation charges. The court noted if the three had been sentenced only on the depredation charge, according to the sentencing guidelines, they would likely have received shorter sentences and would have already served their full time. So the question of the day: When are they getting out?
A fair question—they now are being held in federal prison with no sentence at all.
Within days of the Sixth Circuit’s ruling, Judge Amul Thapar, who handled the original case, convened a conference call with the lawyers from both sides. He apparently told them he had not yet been assigned the case, but he wanted to set a schedule in case he was. The result was a July 8 date set for resentencing. (The Court’s decision to throw out the sabotage charge and vacate the sentences could be appealed by the prosecutor, a decision we are told would be made not in Knoxville, but in Washington; the feds have two weeks to file a notice of appeal, then as much as 90 days to actually file the appeal, after which the defense gets time to respond, and the feds get more time for a final response—you can see how this would drag out with Greg, Megan and Michael still in prison.
But the case resides still in the Sixth Circuit (Thapar, who is a federal judge in Lexington, KY, originally drew the case because the Knoxville court had a vacancy on the bench; the judge who had been assigned the case had retired; Thapar drew the reassignment. That empty seat in Knoxville has since been filled, so it is not absolutely certain that the case would be remanded to Thapar for re-sentencing.) So, long story short, attorneys for MGM filed a motion with the Sixth Circuit on Thursday, May 15, asking for immediate release.
The Sixth Circuit wasted no time. Within hours, it issued an order requiring the government to respond to the motion for immediate release by noon on Monday, May 18.
That is where things stand at this moment.
Here is a copy of the Defense Motion for Immediate Release:Def Motion for Immediate Release 5-14-15
Essential for Internet lifestyles to be powered by renewable energy – Greenpeace
Renewable energy vital for internet lifestyles: Greenpeace, news.com.au MAY 13, 2015 A GREENPEACE report released on Tuesday charged utilities with hampering efforts to use renewable energy to power data centres needed for services hosted in the cloud.
- Greenpeace praised moves made by Apple, Google and other internet titans to fill a skyrocketing demand for electricity with solar, wind or other environmentally-friendly sources but lamented expansion of data centre capacity in places where utilities reliant on carbon-spewing coal fuel dominate markets.
“A growing number of companies have begun to create a corner of the internet that is renewable powered and coal free,” the report said in an executive summary.
Internet companies that have committed to being completely powered by renewable energy sources include Apple, Facebook, and Google, according to Greenpeace.
Those commitments have driven growth of renewable power in several key markets, and caused some utilities to invest more heavily in that kind of electricity generation to meet demand, the report stated……
- Amazon, Microsoft, eBay, and Oracle were among technology giant’s who scored low grades from Greenpeace when it came to green energy deployment and advocacy.
“The magic of the internet seems almost limitless,” Greenpeace said. “But each new internet enabled magic trick means more and more data.” Increasing demand for data, particularly streaming video, and processing power in the cloud means ramped up demand for power by data centres doing the online work.
“While there may be significant energy efficiency gains from moving our lives online, the explosive growth of our digital lives is outstripping those gains,” Greenpeace said………http://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/renewable-energy-vital-for-internet-lifestyles-greenpeace/story-fnjwvztl-1227353611355
Australia’s right wing think tank uses tax breaks to promote climate change denialism
IPA uses Australian tax breaks to help fund U.S. climate skeptic’s libel defence Independent Australia DeSmog Blog 16 May 2015 Environment charities like the ACF face having their Deductible Gift Recipient status stripped by the Abbott government, yet corporate mouthpiece, IPA, keep theirs to help fund U.S. climate skeptic Mark Steyn’s libel suit. Graham Readfearn fromDeSmogBlog reports.
WHEN THE facts on climate change become inconvenient or they start to rub your ideology or vested interest up the wrong way, then there are really only two options available.
Option one is to change your mind. Option two is to try and change, distort, misrepresent or just outright ignore the flood of scientific studies over decades showing the serious impacts of loading the biosphere with fossil fuel emissions.
Mark Steyn is a prominent conservative polemicist and writer in the United States and Canada who has chosen option two.
Australian “free market” think-tank The Institute of Public Affairs chose option two in the late 1980s and has stuck with it since.
Now a climate misinformation book produced by the IPA and paid for with the help of tax breaks in Australia is seemingly helping to finance Steyn in a high profile libel case.
So there are two stories to tell here – one about the libel case and the other about the book. The two meet up at the end…….. Continue reading
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