January 29 Energy News
Science and Technology:
¶ The past 30 years in Europe have likely been the warmest in over two millennia, new research says. The study used tree ring records and historical documents to reconstruct yearly temperatures going back 2,100 years. It says European summers have warmed 1.3° C between 1986 and 2015. [BBC]
Two thousand years of summer temperatures
World:
¶ Ignite Power has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Government of Rwanda to provide off-grid solar power systems to 250,000 households by 2018. Media reports say Ignite Power is expected to install up to 1 million distributed solar systems at a cost of nearly $50 million. [CleanTechnica]
¶ Senvion has commissioned 14 of its 2-MW turbines for a second wind farm around the city of Nowy Staw, 50 kilometres south-east of Gdańsk, Poland. The wind farms are operated by RWE Innogy. With 36 turbines in…
View original post 657 more words
Fukushima ice wall near completion
An underground ice wall designed to curb the buildup of radioactive water at the Fukushima Daiichi plant will see near completion on Friday. But it’s not yet clear when it can be put into service as the nuclear regulator has not yet given a green light to its use.
The barrier will almost be finished Friday. Only the last procedure, which involves filling underground pipes with coolant, remains.
The wall made of frozen soil stretches about 1.5 kilometers around 4 reactor buildings.
Tokyo Electric Power Company aims to cut the amount of groundwater that seeps into the buildings and then becomes contaminated. The utility expects the barrier to reduce the inflow to 10 tons a day. That’s less than one tenth the current level.
The project to build the wall began in June 2014 at a cost of about 290 million dollars from the national coffers. The plan is to start operation by the end of March.
But the Nuclear Regulation Authority has not given its approval. It fears radioactive water could leak from the reactor buildings if the wall makes the level of groundwater lower than that of contaminated water.
TEPCO says it will closely monitor groundwater levels and inject water if the levels fall too far.
But the regulator insists changes in groundwater levels could cause unintended consequences.
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20160129_04.html
Fukushima nuclear crisis far from over, Kan says
WASHINGTON – Former Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Tuesday the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant is not over five years since a massive earthquake and tsunami triggered the meltdowns.
“There is no doubt” radioactive materials have been seeping into the sea after mixing with groundwater, Kan, who has been a vocal critic of nuclear energy since the crisis started, told the National Press Club in Washington.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has repeatedly said the issue of water contaminated with radioactive substances at the Fukushima plant is “under control,” including when he was making a pitch for Tokyo as host of the 2020 Olympic Games.
Kan disputes this. “The accident is still unfolding,” he said.
Kan was prime minister when the world’s worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl occurred following the massive earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011.
Kan, a lawmaker of the Democratic Party of Japan, also criticized Abe’s decision to raise the ratio of electricity produced by atomic energy to 20-22 percent of the nation’s total output by 2030.
“The goal is not achievable” unless Japan extends the maximum legal period of reactor operations or builds a new nuclear plant, Kan said.
Most nuclear reactors remain off line in Japan, but various operators are seeking restarts.
Kansai Electric Power Co. is set to reactivate a reactor at its Takahama plant in Fukui Prefecture on Friday, in what would be the third restart since new safety standards were put in place.
Fighting for peace in Ireland in the 21st century-John Lannon
“..significant strides to peace in the island of Ireland have been made towards that still, but the democratic governments are behaving in a very different way.” J. Lannon
Posted by Shaun McGee
Posted to europeannewsweekly.wordpress.com
John Lannon of www.Shannonwatch.org is interviewed in the attached podcast (23 mins).
https://soundcloud.com/sean-arclight/fighting-for-peace-in-ireland-in-the-21st-century-john-lannon
On the eve of the new book release in Derry, Northern Ireland I talk with John Lannon about the relevance of the book release coinciding with the Bloody Sunday tragedy on its remembrance day.
With recent news coming out about unregulated Snowden style spying by the Irish state on citizens, politicians and journalists we find that the UK Government makes the same mistakes today that Magaret Thatchers government made concerning the military strategy employed in Northern Ireland. The Irish Times claims some 1000`s of deaths could have been saved if a diplomatic solution was used at an earlier point.
John Lannon said that he felt that ireland was well on the track towards the trend of NATO imperialsim and violence if things were to continue on this course.
He said;
“The book looks at the transformation of Shannon Airport to a U.S. forward operating base”
He went on to say that a recent poll showed that 68 percent of Irish people were in favour of Irish neutrality.
The book has many testimonials from well known academics and politicians attesting to Irelands strong stand on human rights and peace issues.
The book will be launched at the tragedy that happened in Derry during a peaceful protest where british soldiers opened fire on innocent civilians. The opening page is a draft of the Irish constitution that was agreed in 1916. This year is the 100th year of the Irish state.
John went on to say that many people, from the Republics conception, have been fighting for seperation of imperialist asperations and rejecting the pull to war. John points out that there were many communities that worked over the 20 years, of mis-guided British security operations, to slowly move towards greater peace and stability. John also points out that much has been done but there is still a way to go as there are remnants of criminal activities still left from the worst of the “troubles”.
John then went on to say that in so many areas that the governments did not listen to the peoples wishes and that supporting Saudi Arabias war in Yemen, continuing wars in the middle east and the refugee disaster that ensued.
“Significant strides to peace in the island of Ireland have been made towards that still, but the democratic governments are behaving in a very different way”
I asked John how he would enlighten the public and make them fully aware of the implications of having a US base of operations and allowing US military access to Irelands airspace. He pointed out that there is a loss of revenue associated with these flights and the claims of the agreement bringing prosperity, were likley false claims.
John thought that the gloal authorities suffered from “Greed, avarice and a grave lack of self respect for life and human dignity”
Image source; http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2012/10/2012102282736909598.html
John also said that another way that might work is to involve groups that are fighting the same problems or in the case of Japan and the Okinawa US base has left a trail of criminality including rapes of local girls. The Japanese contituion is one of peace and similar to ireland so John called out to any Okinawa activist groups to contact him so information and experiences could be shared.
He also said that using the media that would run with the story (there are some but too rare) and publishing this new book as well as a raft of protests, meetings direct actions and good old perserverence to get the word out.
You can get an electronic version of this book on the Shannonwatch website
Wrap up of nuclear news
Doomsday Clock to stay at 3 minutes to midnight.
The growing climate problem of data farms’ consumption of energy.
USA.
- Criminal investigations into Department of Energy, Lockheed Martin, the Department of Labor and more.
- USA changes law to make it harder for nuclear radiation victims to get compensation.
- Experts concerned in debate on Wisconsin lifting moratorium on new nuclear stations.
- Nort.h Carolina Environment Chief aims to restrict solar power, promote nuclear power!
- New York Governor Cuomo’s schizophrenic nuclear policies.
- Washington State Bill Calls Nuclear “CLEAN”!
- Dangerous situation in Los Angeles gas crater.
FRANCE. French unions unhappy with arrangements for UK’s Hinkley nuclear build. Fatal rockfall at planned French repository site. France’s President Hollande visits India, hoping to market nuclear reactors.
JAPAN.
- Japan wrestling with problem of compensation for victims of nuclear accidents.
- Japan doles out over ¥16 billion in subsidies for slow-moving MOX projects.
- Japan considering building network of tunnels beneath seabed to store thousands of tonnes of nuclear waste.
- Radiation in Tokyo’s water at higher level than in Fukushima’s.
- Toshiba might sell off its unprofitable nuclear business in Japan.
- Former PM Naoto Kan says Fukushima nuclear disaster is still unfolding.
UK. The nuclear revolving door: Former Labour MP appointed boss of nuclear industry trade body. It’s looking increasingly as if the Hinkley C Nuclear EPR is dead in the water. What if EDF says no to Hinkley Point? The danger oftransporting plutonium.
CANADA. A major economic drain – the renovation of Darlington nuclear station.
CHINA . China supports UN move to denounce North Korea over nuclear test. Safety concerns cause China to halt construction of two nuclear reactors.
SOUTH AFRICA. South Africa’s nuclear corporation in a mess.
RENEWABLE ENERGY Solar power an economic winner for Chile. Japan starts work on ‘world’s largest’ floating solar farm. Solar panel costs to fall 10% every year.
Criminal investigations into Department of Energy, Lockheed Martin, the Department of Labor and more
Please share this ongoing investigation which will re-open the case against the many criminal acts committed by multiple government agencies. Numerous others will be coming forth with similar incidents handled improperly by these same agencies. The cover-up will no longer be tolerated.
Excerpt:
Jeff Walburn, Chick Lawson, Dr. David Manuta and Paul Brogdon share over 3 hours of criminal investigations into the Department of Energy, Lockheed Martin, the Department of Labor, NIOSH, USEC, OSHA, CDC, NRC, EEIOC and numerous other government agencies contributing to an ongoing cover-up at Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon, OH (Nuclear Enrichment).
Records were destroyed and falsified, perjury, racketeering and many other criminal acts have been recorded with the documents to back them up.
Those who have not already lost their lives are either suffering without compensation or have just given up on the system that has infected their bodies and 4 generations to follow. The nuclear radiation the workers were exposed to and took home to their families was not only hidden from their knowledge, but covered up for billions of dollars by greedy corporations and government officials.
Direct link to article http://www.acalltoactions.com/#!Nuclear-Whistleblowers-Spill-Documented-Proof-of-Criminal-Acts-by-Multiple-Government-Agencies/c7j3/566f73980cf275ddd6e548a1
Direct link to interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CevglCV6qY4
A major economic drain – the renovation of Darlington nuclear station
Former OPG scientist calls nuclear reactors “major” economic drain, says renovation will ‘continue the bleeding’ TORONTO — The proposed $12.8-billion refurbishment of four nuclear reactors at the Darlington generating station is an ill-advised make-work project that will end up soaking taxpayers, a retired nuclear scientist says.
In a letter to Ontario’s energy minister, obtained by The Canadian Press, Frank Greening warns of the formidable technical hazards he says will undermine rosy projections for the project.
“I am quite mystified that you would consider the refurbishment of Darlington to be some sort of solution to Ontario’s economic woes, when in fact the premature failures of (nuclear reactors) are a major cause of Ontario’s economic problems,” writes Greening, a frequent critic of the industry.
“Spending billions of dollars trying to patch up Darlington’s four dilapidated reactors will simply continue the bleeding.”
Earlier this month, the province’s publicly owned generating giant, Ontario Power Generation, announced plans to start refurbishing Darlington — situated east of Toronto on Lake Ontario — this fall. The project aims to extend the life of the CANDU reactors, scheduled for permanent shutdown in 2020, by 30 years……
Greening argues the units are in need of rebuilding prematurely because their pressure tubes and feeder pipes will soon fail fitness tests. He also warns the reactors’ massive steam generators, which are not part of the proposed project, have had a less than stellar track record and will more than likely need replacement.
“Replacing these steam generators is fraught with very serious problems, both technical and economic, that could prevent the continued operation of Darlington beyond 2030,” said Greening, a senior scientist with OPG until he retired in 2000.
The decision to proceed with the refurbishment of Darlington could prove to be a disastrous mistake if it is discovered that steam generator replacement is in fact needed in the next 10 to 15 years.”
Environmental groups also argue such projects always run massively over budget and have cost taxpayers untold billions in the past and refurbishment is simply not worth the potential radiation risk to public safety.
The Ontario cabinet has so far given the green light to refurbish one of Darlington’s reactors. OPG would need separate approvals for each of the other three units. …….
Greening, however, argues the project is an attempt to put a “dying industry on life support” at the taxpayer’s expense.
“The inconvenient truth is that, after less than 25 years of operation, Darlington NGS is a mess,” he said.
“Its feeder pipes are falling apart and its pressure tubes are ready to crack. Darlington is another failed CANDU station desperately in need of a fix.”
The performance of four other refurbished CANDUs in Ontario, he argues, has fallen well short of what a new reactor typically delivers.
“This reveals the uncomfortable truth: A refurbished CANDU reactor is no substitute for a new one.”http://www.24news.ca/the-news/canada-news/196744-former-opg-scientist-calls-nuclear-reactors-major-economic-drain-says-renovation-will-continue-the-bleeding
Experts concerned in debate on Wisconsin lifting moratorium on new nuclear stations
Energy Experts Are Split On Whether Wisconsin Should Lift Ban On New Nuclear Power Plants Earlier This Month, Assembly Passed A Bill That Would Make It Easier To Bring Nuclear Facilities To State WPR, By Scottie Lee Meyers Wednesday, January 27, 2016 Energy experts are taking different sides on whether Wisconsin should pass new legislation that would allow for the construction of new nuclear power plants.
Earlier this month, the state Assembly passed a measure that would effectively lift Wisconsin’s ban on new nuclear power plants by eliminating two essential clauses. The clauses stipulate that nuclear power would be proven to be a cheaper source of energy to residents and requires a federal repository site for spent nuclear waste. ……..
energy experts like Al Gedicks, of the Wisconsin Resources Protection Council, said they would rather see the state invest in renewable energy systems. While Gedicks said he agrees that nuclear energy is better than coal, natural gas and oil in terms of overall greenhouse gas emissions, he worries that nuclear plants take years to construct and get operating — years we can’t afford to spend when faced with such devastating consequences of climate change. Moreover, he said he fears extreme weather incidents could disrupt radioactive waste stored at nuclear power plants.
Gedicks also believes the bill would open the door to Wisconsin itself becoming a federal repository site.
“If you lift the restriction on no nuclear power plants without a waste disposal site, you are setting up the state of Wisconsin to become if not the first, then certainly the second nuclear waste repository,” he said.
Wisconsin already was targeted by the U.S. Department of Energy as a potential repository site to compliment Yucca Mountain back in the 1980s, according to Gedick. But massive opposition, including from four tribal nations, eventually led for the federal agency to look elsewhere. Soon after, Wisconsin implemented the moratorium.
Gedick said Wisconsin could remain an attractive location for a waste dump site because of granite rock formations in the northern part of the state.
“Wisconsin was high on the list in the 1980s and it is still high on the list now,” Gedlick said. “We are essentially going into this blindfolded because we haven’t had a discussion on whether this is what the citizens of Wisconsin want if they lift that nuclear power moratorium.”…… http://www.wpr.org/energy-experts-are-split-whether-wisconsin-should-lift-ban-new-nuclear-power-plants
Solar power an economic winner for Chile
Green Energy Boom Helps Chile Contain Surging Power Prices [excellent graphs] ,Bloomberg Business, Philip Sanders Vanessa Dezem January 28, 2016
Chile leads Latin America in installation of solar power
Success achieved without the help of government incentives
At an auction of electricity supply contracts in October, three solar parks offered distributors energy at $65 to $68 per megawatt-hour, while coal power was offered at $85 megawatt-hour, according to a report by Deutsche Bank. Two wind farms bid at $79 megawatt-hour. Unsurprisingly, the contracts went to renewable energy suppliers.
Just seven years earlier it was a very different story. ……..
In the Shade
Chile’s solar industry is putting the rest of the continent in the shade.
The reason for that turnaround lies in the sun baked northern desert of the Atacama, where some towns have had almost no rain in living memory. It is a natural advantage that Chile will continue to exploit. As of November last year, the Energy Minister had registered solar projects with an additional capacity of 1.3 gigawatts.
“We feel very proud to be a country that is leading the energetic transition in Latin America and to have reached this renewable boom without fiscal subsidies,” Pacheco told Bloomberg on Dec. 15. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-28/green-energy-boom-helps-chile-contain-surging-power-prices
Japan starts work on ‘world’s largest’ floating solar farm
Japan begins work on ‘world’s largest’ floating solar farm, Guardian, Adam Vaughan, 28 Jan 16
Electronics firm builds floating solar farm on a reservoir due to a scarcity of land for utility-scale solar in Japan. The Japanese electronics multinational Kyocera has begun work on what it says will be the world’s biggest floating solar farm.
The power plant is being built on a reservoir in Japan’s Chiba prefecture and is anticipated to supply enough electricity for nearly 5,000 households when it is completed in early 2018.
Space-starved Japan has already seen several floating solar farms built as part of the country’s drive to exploit more renewable energy in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster……..
In the UK, water company United Utilities started work last year on a floating solar farm on a Greater Manchester reservoir, which will be Europe’s largest once complete. Kyocera said it was turning to water because of a scarcity of land for utility-scale solar in Japan……
Kyocera has already built three floating solar farms, which are much smaller than the new one, which was first announced in October 2014.http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jan/27/japan-begins-work-on-worlds-largest-floating-solar-farm
Encinitas Council votes for moving San Onofre spent nuclear fuel
Encinitas supports bill to move spent nuclear fuel http://www.encinitasadvocate.com/news/2016/jan/28/encinitas-council-nuclear-fuel/ .By Jared Whitlock11 .JAN. 28, 2016.
Federal legislation to relocate spent nuclear fuel from the shuttered San Onofre power plant has the support of the Encinitas City Council.
The Encinitas council on Jan. 27 voted unanimously to approve a resolution backing H.R. 3643, which would let the federal Department of Energy transfer spent nuclear waste at San Onofre and other areas to an interim storage facility.
“It seems critical that we move that waste from the coastline,” Councilman Tony Kranz said, adding the need is clear given the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that damaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The legislation came about because federal law only allows the Department of Energy to move spent fuel to a permanent depository, yet such a facility isn’t on the horizon. In 2010, the Obama Administration shelved plans for a long-planned permanent storage site at Yucca Mountain in Nevada.
Oceanside Councilman Jerry Kern, who is on the San Onofre Decommissioning Community Engagement Panel, has urged North County cities to support the federal bill. So far, Oceanside and Encinitas have joined the cause
Kern told the Encinitas council on Jan. 27 that if the federal government doesn’t take action soon, the spent nuclear fuel would remain in cask storage and cooling pools at San Onofre for decades.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for us to act,” Kern said.
Kern during the Encinitas council’s Jan. 13 meeting said the waste poses a threat, given the plant’s proximity to the ocean and so many people.
San Onofre waste has been on the council’s radar for a while. Prior to the federal legislation, Kranz and Councilwoman Lisa Shaffer last spring asked that the council weigh in on whether nuclear fuel should be stored at the plant.
Neither a temporary nor permanent site for spent nuclear fuel has been settled on. However, a company plans to build an interim facility in Texas and there’s another proposal in New Mexico. In Texas, environmental groups have raised concerns over the impact to aquifers. In New Mexico, opponents have said transporting the waste could be dangerous.
The bill has been assigned to a congressional subcommittee, according to Kern. Rep. Congressman Darrell Issa, R-Vista, co-sponsored the legislation.
Faulty steam generators led to the plant’s closure in 2013, heightening worries over the nuclear waste.
In September, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors asked the federal government to remove and relocate the waste. Later that month, H.R. 3643 was introduced.
With no plan in place for moving the spent fuel, the California Coastal Commission in October approved a measure to bury it in concrete bunkers at the San Onofre plant.
Death of Dr. Herbert L. Abrams, long term activist for peace
Dr. Herbert L. Abrams, Who Worked Against Nuclear War, Dies at 95, NYT, By WILLIAM GRIMES JAN. 28, 2016 Dr. Herbert L. Abrams, a radiologist at Stanford and Harvard Universities and a founder of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985 for its work in publicizing the health consequences of atomic warfare, died on Jan. 20 at his home in Palo Alto, Calif. He was 95.
The death was confirmed by his son, John.
In the late 1970s, Dr. Abrams became interested in the health implications of nuclear policy. “It began to dawn on me that these weapons of annihilation were being considered for use in the settlement of disputes between nations when I had honestly not thought that that was ever in the cards,” he told The Los Angeles Times in 1989.
With a group of American and Soviet doctors, he helped create International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, with the goal of publicizing the health risks of a nuclear exchange and countering theories that physicians might be able to save enough people to continue civilized life. He later called nuclear weapons and nuclear war “the central health issue of the 20th century.”
Dr. Abrams served as founding vice president of the group, which was awarded the Unesco Prize for Peace Education in 1984 and the Nobel Peace Prize a year later. In announcing the award, the Nobel Committee said the group had performed an important service “by spreading authoritative information and by creating an awareness of the catastrophic consequences of atomic warfare.”………http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/29/science/herbert-abrams-worked-against-nuclear-war.html?_r=0
Entergy to US Coast Guard Notice Form has Waterford Nuclear Safety Zone at Wrong Location
Entergy to US Coast Guard Notice Form has Waterford Nuclear Safety Zone at Wrong River Mile Marker:
“U.S. Coast Guard: Refer to Emergency Management Resources Book Offsite Response Agencies Section
We request the establishment of a safety zone in the immediate area of Waterford 3 to control marine traffic, in accordance with your letter of agreement. Waterford 3 is located at mile marker 128.” (Entergy)
Entergy cooling water intake is at 129.4 and 129.8. Entergy Reactor and Discharge is at 129.8. 128.1 is Union Carbide.
For the lower Mississippi zero is near the mouth and the miles are larger going upriver to Cairo, IL.
Maybe it’s been corrected by now. Maybe not. We found no updates. And nothing ever changes much in that region.
This notification is probably to help protect Mississippi River traffic in the event of a nuclear accident.
Proper location matters for water intake in…
View original post 288 more words
Fukushima fishermen to expand operations off crippled nuclear plant
FUKUSHIMA – Fishermen in Fukushima Prefecture said Wednesday they plan to scale down their self-imposed fishing ban in waters off the damaged nuclear power plant due mainly to a substantial decline in radioactive cesium levels.
The Fukushima Prefectural Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations is considering narrowing the area subject to the ban to a 10-kilometer radius from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant from the current 20-kilometer radius.
The move comes as plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. last autumn completed the construction of a shielding wall to prevent leaks of contaminated groundwater into the sea. Since the completion, radiation levels in sea waters at the plant’s port have been declining.
In addition, prefectural research shows the radioactive cesium levels of marine products caught in coastal areas have dropped substantially.
The proportion of marine products with cesium levels exceeding the state standards of 100 becquerels per kilogram fell to less than 0.1 percent last year from some 40 percent between April and December 2011, soon after the nuclear accident at the plant in March that year. No products have surpassed the level in checks since last April.
The federation is scheduled to make a final decision late next month. “The environment of the seas of Fukushima has improved, and conditions for reviving fisheries are being laid out,” federation leader Tetsu Nozaki told reporters.
After the tsunami-triggered triple meltdown at the nuclear plant, the federation voluntarily halted all of its coastal fishing. In June 2012, it started trial operations in a limited area, which has since expanded in steps.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/01/27/national/fukushima-fishermen-to-expand-operations-off-crippled-nuclear-plant/#.VqmtzVLzN_m
Japan considering building network of tunnels beneath seabed to store thousands of tonnes of nuclear waste
Government agencies are discussing the plan as a ‘long-term solution’ while environmentalists have dismissed it as an expensive ‘pipe dream’.
A team of experts from Japan’s Nuclear Waste Management Organisation is examining the possibility of storing thousands of tonnes of highly radioactive nuclear waste in tunnels deep beneath the Pacific Ocean.
Japan already has a stockpile of some 40,000 units of vitrified nuclear waste, with each of the stainless steel containers containing around 500kg of radioactive material, with more waste being produced.
Two of Japan’s 55 nuclear reactors resumed operations last year, after their operations were subjected to detailed scrutiny as a result of the disaster at the Fukushima nuclear plant, caused by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
A number of additional reactors have applied to restart operations, while dozens of the older plants will now have to be decommissioned as they have reached the end of their operational lives. Japan has never before decommissioned a reactor and does not have a dedicated storage facility for high-level nuclear waste.
“We are presently looking for a site and one of the options being considered is for tunnels beneath the seabed,” Kenichi Kaku, a spokesman for the agency, told the South China Morning Post.
“We are looking for a long-term solution to the issue that also meets the terms of the law on the storage of high-level waste,” Kaku explained.
A preliminary report suggests that tunnels could be excavated from the land to a distance of several kilometres offshore. The final disposal chamber would need to be in bed rock at a depth of at least 300 metres below the seabed.
The tunnels would need to be within 20km of a port, which would be required to transport vitrified waste over long distances, and the containers would be taken to the sub-seabed storage chamber by remote-controlled vehicle.
As well as being more secure from human interference, storage chambers beneath the seabed are less affected by the movement of groundwater and fluctuation in sea levels.
The experts, appointed to complete a full study by the ministry of industry, will now carry out a study of the technical issues that will need to be overcome. They will start by examining geographical features to identify possible seismic fault zones.
Kaku admitted that one result of the 2011 disaster at Fukushima is that “the Japanese public has lost confidence in science and we need to rebuild our credibility”.
Key considerations will be ensuring security in the transportation phase of highly radioactive waste, he said, while a great deal of work needs to be done to ensure that the storage chamber cannot be breached after the tunnel has been closed off.
“We need to identify active faults and volcanic regions so the waste is not affected in any way and we are looking to the experience of other countries for our plans,” Kaku said.
Environmental organisations have been quick to condemn the plan, however, with Aileen Mioko-Smith, an activist with Kyoto-based Green Action Japan, telling the Post that the proposal is “a pipe dream”.
“They talked about an ‘ice wall’ that was meant to stop ground water at the Fukushima plant becoming contaminated with radiation, but that was a pipe dream,” she said. “This is another one. It may look good on paper but how could it ever be achieved at a reasonable cost?
“And that’s before we even consider the safety of putting high-level nuclear waste beneath the seismically active seabed off Japan. It just doesn’t make sense.”
http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/1906306/japan-considering-building-network-tunnels-beneath-seabed-store
1 This Month
of the week – Shut Down Drone Warfare!
Tell the Ukrainian Government to Drop Prosecution of Peace Activist Yurii Sheliazhenko
Petition to revoke the licensing of the Near Surface Nuclear Disposal Facility (NSDF) at Chalk River. https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-7247
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity – go to https://nuclearinformation.wordpress.com
-
Archives
- April 2026 (114)
- March 2026 (251)
- February 2026 (268)
- January 2026 (308)
- December 2025 (358)
- November 2025 (359)
- October 2025 (376)
- September 2025 (257)
- August 2025 (319)
- July 2025 (230)
- June 2025 (348)
- May 2025 (261)
-
Categories
- 1
- 1 NUCLEAR ISSUES
- business and costs
- climate change
- culture and arts
- ENERGY
- environment
- health
- history
- indigenous issues
- Legal
- marketing of nuclear
- media
- opposition to nuclear
- PERSONAL STORIES
- politics
- politics international
- Religion and ethics
- safety
- secrets,lies and civil liberties
- spinbuster
- technology
- Uranium
- wastes
- weapons and war
- Women
- 2 WORLD
- ACTION
- AFRICA
- Atrocities
- AUSTRALIA
- Christina's notes
- Christina's themes
- culture and arts
- Events
- Fuk 2022
- Fuk 2023
- Fukushima 2017
- Fukushima 2018
- fukushima 2019
- Fukushima 2020
- Fukushima 2021
- general
- global warming
- Humour (God we need it)
- Nuclear
- RARE EARTHS
- Reference
- resources – print
- Resources -audiovicual
- Weekly Newsletter
- World
- World Nuclear
- YouTube
-
RSS
Entries RSS
Comments RSS
nuclear-news 