China’s authoritarian nuclear push meets community opposition
China’s authoritarian government, adept at corralling public opinion to get its way, can ram through its plans over the objections of people like Ms. Liu. But opponents say its closed, secretive political system is ill equipped to manage a rapid expansion of nuclear power, pointing to its struggle to prevent industrial disasters such as the chemical explosions in Tianjin in August that killed 173 people.
“The Chinese are beginning to wrestle with the same issues that Western countries were dealing with, concerning fear of the technology, transparency in decision making and trust of the authorities,”
Opponents of nuclear power in China maintain that the country can achieve its clean energy goals without a nuclear building spree, by investing heavily in improving solar and wind power and by upgrading the power grid so it can send electricity more efficiently across vast distances.
They point to the deadly explosions in Tianjin, where hazardous chemicals appear to have been stored improperly at a facility close to residential areas, as an example of how of lax regulation, graft and official obfuscation can undo the Chinese government’s promises to put safety first.
China’s Nuclear Vision Collides With Villagers’ Fears, NYT By CHRIS BUCKLEYNOV. 21, 2015“………..Hubin is one of dozens of sites across the country where officials have plans ready, awaiting further approval, to build atomic reactors over the next decade — an ambitious program to expand the use of nuclear energy that Beijing considers essential to weaning the Chinese economy from its reliance on coal-fired plants, which churn out air pollution and carbon dioxide.
Ask villagers here what they think of the proposed plant, though, and talk quickly turns to the Communist government’s dismal record of industrial accidents, as well as the 2011 nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan. Residents in Hubin will be resettled to new homes a few miles away, but many said that they would still feel threatened living so close to a nuclear station.
“It’s just not safe,” said Liu Shimin, a farmer in her 20s, nursing a baby outside her home near the banks of the Yahe River. “We’ll always be wondering, ‘What if there’s a big accident, like that one in Japan?’ ”
Such fears are on the rise in China as the nation embarks on a new phase of nuclear power construction that could make it the world’s biggest producer of nuclear energy by 2030. Continue reading
1.5 degrees C is the global warming level limit required to save islands and coastal cities
“We definitely think that staying below 2 degrees is still very possible,” Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, told reporters as the report was released. “Getting down to the range of 1.5 should not be taken off the table either.”Jumeau of the Seychelles pointed out that a 1.5°C goal would be achievable, and that adopting and meeting it would benefit rich coastal nations as well as those whose existences may be threatened by rising seas.
“It’s not just about the islands, it’s about New York, it’s about New Orleans, it’s about London, it’s about Venice,” Jumeau said. “There is no way we can compromise on 1.5.”
The Forgotten U.N. Climate Goal: 1.5°C, Climate Central November 19th, 2015 While much of the attention on a historic Paris climate meeting in the coming weeks will focus on the confounding task of trying to keep global warming below 2°C, or 3.6°F, a battle over another goal — one that has been forgotten by many — will be playing out in the negotiating halls.Delegates representing island states and others whose homelands are most threatened by rising seas will be pushing for the formal adoption of a long-overlooked goal, one that limits warming to less than 1.5°C, or 2.7°F.
UK’s “pro nuclear” environmentalists should now be having second thoughts
when you sup with these nuclear devils you can never be sure what you’re going to end up with.
It’s no surprise to me, therefore, that our pro-nuke greenies have been keeping very quiet about the now inevitable prospect of a huge part of our energy system in the UK being handed over to the Chinese.
Meltdown for Pro-Nuclear Environmentalists http://www.jonathonporritt.com/blog/meltdown-pro-nuclear-environmentalists#comment-1778, Jonathon Porritt, 19 Nov 15 I wonder what our pro-nuclear greenies will be thinking this week as they listen to President Xi Jinping and George Osborne bombastically declaring ‘a new nuclear dawn for the UK’. I hope they’ll be feeling as ashamed as they should be.
It may be just a little harsh to blame the meltdown in UK energy policy on a handful of well-meaning but monumentally misguided environmentalists, who chose some time ago to lend their voices to the nuclear establishment here in the UK. They were warned that it would probably end in tears, and so it has turned out. Here’s the indictment against them:
1. They were warned that their high-profile support would prove to be massively confusing for many people, including a large number of environmentalists who were persuaded (often against their better judgement) that if the likes of George Osborne and his pro-nuclear buddies had decided that nuclear is ‘a necessary evil’, then that was good enough for them. Continue reading
Nuclear weapons are no use against terrorists
Imti Choonara Derby Telegraph November 21, 2015 THE horrific terrorist attacks in Paris have been rightly condemned by all political and religious leaders. We are all appalled at the loss of innocent civilian lives.
We need to stand united with the people of Paris against terrorism and the promotion of hatred – it is a reminder of the greatest threat to Britain, that of terrorist groups.
Why, therefore, does the Government wish to spend billions on replacing Trident? Nuclear weapons have no military value against terrorists.
Additionally, no sane politician can ever use nuclear weapons as it would result in the loss of innocent civilian lives on a far greater scale than all the terrorist attacks combined. Mr Corbyn’s statement that he would never authorise the use of nuclear weapons is to be welcomed.
Nuclear industry is rattled, as reactors close
Makhijani recommends a a two-prong remedy to this problem.
“Rather than keep old, clunky nuclear power plants going, we should have a community and worker protection fund — a small charge on nuclear electricity that can be used to protect workers from unemployment and transition them into new employment,” he suggests. “We give companies incentives to come, but then they can be a kind of pension fund for communities when they die or leave.”
The second part of the solution is to replace the plant with efficient and renewable energy that can create a lot of tax revenues and jobs, Makhijani says……….
Why should we be spending $60, $70, $80 a megawatt hour for old power plants that are generating nuclear waste that we don’t know what to do with instead of simply going to renewable energy?”
And then there’s the problem of nuclear waste. Opponents of nuclear power contend we should not even be talking about nuclear power if we can’t solve the waste problem. Makhijani agrees.
Nuclear reactor closings in the US continue to roil the energy industry Living on Earth November 22, 2015 Adam Wernick In the face of growing safety problems, cheap natural gas and the rising use of renewable energy sources, aging nuclear power plants are closing down across the US, raising questions about the future viability of nuclear energy production. The Entergy Corporation is the most recent company to announce closings. Entergy plans to shut down the Fitzpatrick nuclear power plant on Lake Ontario near Syracuse, New York, and the Pilgrim Nuclear Power station near Boston, Massachusetts, before the end of this decade.
The two plants typify some of the problems facing the US nuclear energy industry, Continue reading
PETITION: Kick Big Polluters out of Climate Policy
Kick Big Polluters out of Climate Policy We are committed to stopping life-threatening abuses by global corporations and increasing their accountability to public institutions and people around the world. As global corporations have grown richer and more powerful than many nations, they increasingly operate without limits on their power or influence. Around the world, global corporations drive government policies, unchecked by strong global policies to protect public health, human rights and the environment.
about the petition
Today, we are facing the prospect of the destruction of life as we know it and irreversible damage to our planet due to climate change. Scientists are telling us with ever more urgency that we must act quickly to stop extracting fossil fuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
This is a global problem that needs global action. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change can be a major part of the global solution that the people of the world are urgently calling for.
But the world’s largest polluters have prevented progress on bold climate action for far too long. The time has come to make a change. Take action to kick big polluters out of the most important climate policy negotiations. ……. https://takeaction.takepart.com/actions/kick-big-polluters-out-of-climate-policy?cmpid=action-share
USA research shows that Israel has 115 Nuclear Warheads
Israel Has 115 Nuclear Warheads, U.S. Research Institute Says, Haaretz, 22 Nov 15 Arms race to speed up, if Australia supplies uranium to India
India-Australia nuclear agreement: supplying uranium to a nuclear flashpoint http://www.dianuke.org/john-hallam-india-australia-nuclear-agreement-supplying-uranium-to-nuclear-flashpoint/ AUSTRALIA/INDIA U-DEAL SELLS URANIUM DIRECTLY INTO SUBCONTINENTAL NUCLEAR ARMS RACE, John Hallam Nuclear Weapons Campaigner PND-NSW
The India-Australia uranium deal, whereby Australia agrees to sell uranium to India in spite of India’s not being a signatory of the nuclear nonproliferation treaty, and in spite of the fact that a vigorous nuclear arms race is in progress on the subcontinent, beggars belief for anyone who has been involved for decades as I have, in questions of nuclear nonproliferation, disarmament, and nuclear safety.
A vigorous nuclear arms race is taking place right now on the Indian subcontinent between India and Pakistan, with Pakistan now having some 130 nuclear warheads, and India not far behind with between 110 and 120.
Pakistan has deployed short-range, war-fighting ‘mini nukes’ to repel Indian tank attacks. India has said that their use will lead to full-scale nuclear war.
India and Pakistan are poised on a nuclear knife-edge. While we can say all we like that Australian uranium will only ever be used to ‘civil’ uses, the fact is that because India has limited uranium supplies of its own (mined under appalling conditions at Jharsguda in Bihar with catastrophic effects on the health of local people) – the fact is that use of Australian uranium will ‘free up’ un-safeguarded Indian uranium for weapons use. It can be no other way, there is simply no avoiding the brute facts of arithmetic. Uranium that has been replaced by imported (Australian) uranium for nuclear power use is now available for use in nuclear weapons.
Australia has chosen to sell its uranium into the worlds most dangerous nuclear flashpoint. It has done so against the recommendations of a parliamentary joint committee.
This is a mindbogglingly foolish decision.
Japan to step up radiation protection, as worker’s leukaemia attributed to radiation
Leukemia case recognized Last month, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry acknowledged a man in his 40s who developed leukemia after working at the Fukushima plant as a sufferer of work-related illness. He was the first decommissioning worker to be recognized as such.
Appropriate radiation control vital for Fukushima decommissioning http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0002580144, November 22, 2015 The Yomiuri Shimbun It will take about 40 years to decommission reactors at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. To secure the personnel necessary for that task, it is important to thoroughly safeguard the health of such personnel.
TEPCO has started stepping up its safety measures. The utility has established a consultative body in cooperation with subcontracting firms that dispatch personnel to the plant, thereby increasing the frequency of visits and inspections at their work sites. Measures also include expanding worker safety education. These steps are in keeping with a set of safety guidelines laid down by the government in late August.
An average of about 7,000 personnel work at the Fukushima facility every day, and not a small number of accidents tied to construction and other work have occurred. We hope TEPCO will comprehensively improve the work environment of these personnel.
It is particularly important to reduce the workers’ radioactive exposure. Continue reading
Iran helped by world powers to redesign reactor as part of nuclear deal
World powers to help Iran redesign reactor as part of nuclear deal, REUTERS, 21 Nov 15 DUBAI | BY BOZORGMEHR SHARAFEDIN Six world powers will help Iran redesign its Arak heavy water reactor so that it cannot produce weapons-grade plutonium, according to a document released by the state news agency IRNA on Saturday.
The document was signed separately on Nov. 13, 17 and 18 by the foreign ministers of Iran and the P5+1 (the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia plus Germany) as well as EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini. It became effective on the date it was signed by all states.
The fate of the Arak reactor in central Iran was one of the toughest sticking points in the long nuclear negotiations that led to an agreement in July. Removing the core of the heavy water reactor to produce less plutonium is a crucial step before the relief from sanctions starts…….http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/21/us-iran-nuclear-arak-idUSKCN0TA0IK20151121#REED39oPKDuwmqS4.97
Londan Mayor Boris Johnson scathing about £18bn cost of Hinkley nuclear plan
Boris Johnson attacks ‘disgraceful’ spending on Hinkley – just a month after David Cameron hailed the ‘flagship’ deal, Independent 21 Nov 15
Mayor of London said the estimated £18bn cost of Britain’s first nuclear power station in two decades was an ‘extraordinary amount of money’ Boris Johnson has attacked the £18bn cost of Britain’s first nuclear power station in two decades as “a disgrace” – just one month after David Cameron announced the deal and hailed it as a “flagship project of cooperation” between China and the UK.
Work on the Hinkley Point C in Somerset is set to begin within weeks after Mr Cameron announced that a deal had been struck between French firm EDF and state-owned China General Nuclear Power (CGN) in October.
China pledged £6bn investment – a third of the total cost, with EDF funding the remaining £12bn, while the Government has agreed a “strike price” – a guaranteed price paid for electricity generated by Hinkley Point of £92.50 per megawatt hour for 35 years.
However the huge cost of the plant will ultimately be paid for by consumers through their bills.
Asked by Baroness Jones, a Green party London Assembly member who is fiercely opposed to nuclear power, whether he supported the building of Hinkley Point C despite its cost, Mr Johnson said: “I’m totally with you on that one – it’s a disgrace……http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-attacks-disgraceful-spending-on-hinkley-just-a-month-after-david-cameron-hailed-the-a6742281.html
Tennessee unhappy about new radioactive trash plans for Oakridge.
Tennessee raises concerns about proposed Oak Ridge nuclear landfill http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/local/story/2015/nov/22/tennessee-raises-concerns-about-proposed-oak-ridge-nuclear-landfill/337007/ November 22nd, 2015by Associated Press OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — Tennessee officials are raising concerns about the U.S. Department of Energy’s plans for a new nuclear landfill at Oak Ridge.
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation is pushing DOE to consider other Oak Ridge sites beyond the agency’s preferred one, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported.
The federal agency’s preferred site is adjacent to an existing landfill on the government reservation and only 650 yards from the city boundary.
“We are continuing to work with the DOE and EPA on this issue and taking the matter very seriously,” Kelly Brockman, communications chief for TDEC, said in an email response to questions.
The Department of Energy’s current landfill for cleanup wastes is approaching capacity. That’s largely due to the mountains of hazardous and radioactive debris generated by the demolition of K-25 and other former uranium-processing facilities in Oak Ridge. Continue reading
France still keen to market nukes to South Africa
FRANCE STILL KEEN ON SA’S NUCLEAR POWER DEAL http://ewn.co.za/2015/11/22/France-still-keen-on-SAs-nuclear-power-deal French Foreign Minister says France named a special envoy to make the pitch to supply SA’s needs. Jean-Jacques Cornish | about 13 hours ago
PRETORIA – French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius says his country is still willing to take part in South Africa’s nuclear power project despite reports of a deal being made with Russia.
He told President Jacob Zuma France has named a special envoy to make the pitch to supply South Africa’s needs. Fabius says the purpose of his talks with Zuma yesterday was to ensure South African participation in the climate change summit in Paris at the end of this month.
But he took the opportunity in their Pretoria meeting to assure the South African president that France has the competency to supply and install the nuclear power station it’s looking for.
Despite reports that Russia has already clinched the deal with South Africa, France does not regard this as a fair accomplishment. (Edited by Winnie Theletsane)
Sale of nuclear reactors to Egypt entails big debt to Russia
Russia to finance Egypt’s nuclear power plant, Utilities, by Baset Asaba on Nov 22, 2015 Moscow and Cairo signed an agreement for Russia to build a nuclear power plant in Egypt, with Russia extending a loan to Egypt to cover the cost of construction.
A spokesman for Russia’s state-owned nuclear firm Rosatom said the plant, Egypt’s first, would be built at Dabaa in the north of the country and was expected to be completed by 2022, reported Reuters.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, speaking on state TV, gave few details but said the project would involve the building of a ‘third-generation’ plant with four reactors.
It is not clear how much the deal is worth but Sisi said the loan from Russia would be paid off over 35 years………http://www.utilities-me.com/article-3882-russia-to-finance-egypts-nuclear-power-plant/
Hillary Clinton promises, if elected, renewable energy power enough for all homes
Clinton promises ‘enough clean energy to power every home in America’ The Hill, By Bradford Richardson – 11/21/15 If elected president, Democrat Hillary Clinton says she can create enough green energy to power every home in America by the end of her second term.
The Democratic presidential front-runner said her plan to subsidize alternative sources of energy would not entail a middle-class tax hike…….http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/261023-clinton-promises-enough-clean-energy-to-power-every-home-in-america
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