2015 November 14 « nuclear-news

America ramping up its nuclear weapons systems – sea, land, and air

The U.S. Is Now Flexing Its Nuclear Muscles on a Weekly Basis, Popular Mechanics,
The Pentagon is suddenly very interested in making sure Russia knows America’s nukes still work. By Kyle Mizokami Nov 12, 2015 The Last Three Weeks Has Seen A Surge In Testing Of American Nuclear Weapon Systems, Accompanied By Carefully Released Photos On Social Media. The Tests And Pictures Appear Calculated To Drive Home One Point: The Cold War May Have Ended 24 Years Ago, But America’s Nuclear Weapons Still Work.

On October 21, a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in in Southern California. The missile, launched by crews from the 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming, delivered a re-entry test vehicle to Kwajalein Atoll 4,200 miles away.

On November 3, 2015, a pair of B-52H bombers flew from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana to Spain, where they participated in a maritime strike scenario exercise. Although the mission simulated a conventional strike, the B-52H has the ability to drop nuclear bombs.

On November 7, a Trident II D-5 submarine-launched ballistic missile launched from the Pacific Missile Test Center in Southern California, also at Kwajalein Atoll. This launch from the nuclear submarine USS Kentucky was seen up and down the West Coast, as far as Arizona and San Francisco, and widely photographed and shared on social media. Five members of Congress were on board to observe the launch. On November 9 a second Trident was launched from Pacific Missile Test Center……..

There you have it: All three legs of America’s nuclear “triad”—land, sea, and air-based nukes—have been doing some stretches in the past three weeks……..

The first Trident II launch occurred during evening commute hours in Southern California, which virtually guaranteed the public would see it. The Minuteman III test occurred at 5:45 AM on the West Coast, which was 4:00 PM the same day in Moscow. Both launches probably were meant to generate publicity—in their own way—that would make its way back to Putin.

Either that, or America really doesn’t like Kwajalein Atoll. http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a18154/americas-nuclear-muscle-flexing-now-a-weekly-thing/

November 14, 2015 Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Employee-shareholders of EDF call for halt to too-costly British Hinkley Point nuclear project

Hinkley Point nuclear plan puts survival of EDF at risk, say employee shareholders http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/nov/13/hinkley-point-nuclear-plan-puts-survival-edf-at-risk-say-employee-shareholders

French energy firm should halt expensive UK project in which it has has nothing to gain and everything to lose, says association of employee-shareholders EDF’s £18bn project to build two nuclear reactors in Hinkley Point, Britain, is so expensive and so risky that it puts the survival of the French utility at risk, an association of employee-shareholders said on Thursday.

EDF Actionnariat salarié (EAS) said in a statement that the interests of EDF are gravely threatened by the Hinkley Point project, which it calls “a financial catastrophy foretold” in which EDF has nothing to gain and everything to lose.

“EAS asks the management of EDF to stop this risky project, whose financial risks are to big for our company and which could put EDF’s very survival at risk,” the association said.

EDF staff own 1.72% of the utility’s capital, making employees the second-largest shareholder after the state, which hold 84.5%, according to ThomsonReuters data.

Last month, EDF announced a partnership with Chinese utility CGN to build Hinkley Point, but the two companies have not yet made the final investment decision to go ahead with the project, which EDF reluctantly agreed to finance on its already stretched balance sheet after other partners pulled out.

EDF, which already has to borrow money every year to pay its dividend, faces a €55bn (£39bn) upgrade of its nuclear fleet over the next decade, will spend some €5bn to install Linky smart meters in coming years and needs to invest billions in the reactor unit of Areva, which it plans to buy next year.

Standard & Poor’s last month warned that it might downgrade EDF’s debt if it goes ahead with Hinkley Point, because of the project’s high execution risks and substantial investment needs.

November 14, 2015 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, France, UK | Leave a comment