nuclear-news

Is the Missouri Landfill Fire a Chernobyl or Fukushima in the Making? Initially this seems like an odd question, and even hyperbole. However, the tonnage of radiological waste at the Bridgeton-Westlake landfill exceeds that of Fukushima over 20 fold, and Chernobyl by 163 times. Nonetheless, how diluted the Bridgeton nuclear waste is appears unknown. The fire may reach the area where this radiological waste was disposed, in as little as 3 to 6 months, if action is not taken to stop it. Even if it is stopped, it should serve as a warning of the risks of sending nuclear waste, and radioactive rubble from decommissioned reactors to regular landfills, as is becoming the fashion. The burial of nuclear waste, even in special facilities, constitutes a hazard, as well.

Both the steam from the Missouri landfill fire and flaring of the landfill (methane) gas can release the radionuclides into the air…

World:

¶ Ormat Technologies Inc and Toshiba Corp have signed a strategic collaboration agreement that will bring together the companies’ expertise in different geothermal technologies. The two will explore ways to provide a more competitive offering for comprehensive geothermal development to capture a larger market share. [SeeNews Renewables]

Geothermal power plant. Featured Image: cate_89/Shutterstock.com

¶ Australian developers hope to tap into the voracious demand for clean energy from the big north Asian economies, and create a “solar fuels” export industry at a scale many would find unimaginable. Proponents are talking of developing massive solar arrays in the Australian outback at a scale of “multiple tens” of gigawatts. [RenewEconomy]

¶ On October 15 Japan restarted a second nuclear reactor after a shutdown triggered by the 2011 Fukushima crisis, as the government pushes to return to a cheaper energy source. The development is despite widespread public opposition. Engineers will now spend several days bringing the newly restarted reactor…

BY GARY GRIPP, to a future generation:

“Everything central to our way of life is in the growth mode: the banks, the corporations, all our extractive and service industries, and, not least of all, our population. More people means: more willing buyers of homes, cars, electronic gadgets, and all the trappings of modern life. More jobs, more prosperity, more everything.

“More, more, more. It is in the interest of banks and corporations, as well as businesses large and small, that the market for products continues to grow. More, more, more. Grow, grow, grow.

“On a finite planet with degraded natural systems and diminishing natural resources, this growth imperative, built-in to our systems and into our lives, is an irresistible force coming up against an immovable object. It is us hitting a wall, and doing so at speed. More and more people in my time now see this crash coming.” blog.edsuom.com

World:

¶ The Swedish government seeks to become the world’s first fossil fuel free nation. The country says it is laying the groundwork and reinforcing progress at every turn. It will be spending an extra $546 million on renewable energy and climate change action, according to “The Budget Bill for 2016 – Investing in Sweden’s Future.” [CleanTechnica]

Image by magnus.johansson10 (CC BY-SA)

¶ Siemens announced it had been awarded the contract to supply, install, and commission 54 of its direct-drive, SWT-3.2-101 wind turbines, amounting to 172.8 MW, for the Clyde Extension project. The project will increase the capacity of one of Europe’s largest onshore wind power plants to an impressive 523 MW. [CleanTechnica]

¶ Kenya’s electricity generator said on Wednesday it plans to add 511 MW of renewable energy to the national grid by the end of 2018. Electricity Generating Company MD Albert Mugo told an investor briefing in…