US Radiation Release Rule for I-131 Patients Allowing High Public Exposure Comes Back On Hospital ER Causing Panic
US Hospitals are ok with sending home patients, who are irradiating family members and sometimes the general public through their breath, urine, etc. But, they don’t want them to come back to the hospital who made them radioactive! Of course, it is not the fault of the health-care workers. But, neither is it the fault of the hapless person who may be unknowingly exposed to high levels of ionizing radiation, nor the hotel worker who may have to clean-up after them, unknowingly exposed to high levels of ionizing radiation.
Today, a Pennsylvania Emergency Room reported an “Unplanned Contamination” “event” to the US NRC. How much were other people in the ER exposed to, before it was discovered that the person had been treated with radioactive I 131? The healthcare workers probably only stayed near the patient for a few minutes. How long were other patients exposed? The person…
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Dr Paul Graig Roberts: All The Representatives At The Table Have Been Bought And The TPPA Is A Corporate Coup.
Dr Paul Craig Roberts (born April 3, 1939) is an American economist, author and blogger.[1] He served for one year as an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy in the Reagan administration. He is a former editor and columnist for the Wall Street Journal,Business Week, and Scripps Howard News Service. Wikipedia
I put it to you that he is a man who has been firmly embedded in the Ruling elite of the US. I tend to take his words serious. In the interview below he states unequivocally that every representative of every country involved in the TPP negotiations has been bought.
I dare say that Tim Groser’s new post and an 11 million pad to live in while in the US goes a bit towards a bribe but I reckon he has been awarded way more handsomely than what we will…
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February 18 Energy News
Opinion:
¶ Why the U.S. is cutting carbon emissions no matter what happens with the Supreme Court • The power sector in the US is transforming to a much less carbon-intensive future, the precise thing that the Clean Power Plan aims for. This is neither a legal development, nor political. It is largely a business decision. [Washington Post]
Scaled Wind Farm Technology in Lubbock, Texas. Photo by Mark Rumsey, Energy.gov photo. Wikimedia Commons.
World:
¶ Venezuela is raising petrol prices for the first time in 20 years, although the president claims it will still be the world’s cheapest. President Nicolas Maduro said pump prices of premium fuel would rise from the equivalent of $0.01 a litre to about $0.60. The cost of lower grade petrol would rise to about $0.10 a litre. [BBC]
¶ Telstra Corporation, an Australian telecommunications concern, plans to speed up the…
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Pope Francis: “The Earth Herself, Burdened & Laid waste, Is Among the Most Abandoned & Maltreated Of Our Poor”; The Earth Healed by the Sun; Indigenous Populations Have Much to Teach About Harmony with Nature
Pope Francis continues his message of being good stewards, i.e. caretakers, of the earth and all that is in it. He suggests that there is much to learn from indigenous traditions in this regard. He quotes “‘The dawn rises on all of the tribes together. The face of the earth was immediately healed by the sun’.” (Pope Francis, 16 Feb, 2016, VIS)
Due to Pope Francis’ concern about the destruction of the environment, one can guess that this may have a double meaning – firstly Jesus as the “Great Sun” who heals the land, but also the ability of the sun itself to heal the land by providing safe, renewable energy, (including passive solar). Interestingly, not only the Maya used “Great Sun” as a Kingship term, but the Natchez Indians of the lower Mississippi Valley, many of whom were sold into slavery in the Caribbean by the French.
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February 17 Energy News
Opinion:
¶ Clean Power Doesn’t Need a Federal Plan • Last week, the Supreme Court put a stopper on the US Clean Power Plan. From the get-go, the CPP was criticized for being unconstitutional and unnecessary. Well, barring the legal applications of the plan, at least one of those accusations may turn out to be true… [Energy and Capital]
Colorado solar plant
World:
¶ In Germany and Portugal, a new drop-in biofuels process has emerged which is cost competitive with $30 oil, according to the inventors. The process breaks even with crude oil, on an 10-year amortized basis for capex, at roughly $20.30 per barrel of crude oil (assuming refining costs of $8.66 per barrel). [biofuelsdigest.com]
¶ Irish renewable energy firm, Solar 21 has acquired the project rights to build a 22-MW biomass power plant in England. The plant will be built on a 64-acre site…
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Greenpeace gives 8 reasons why UK should now give up on Hinkley nuclear station
8 reasons George Osborne needs to let Hinkley nuclear plant go http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/blog/climate/8-reasons-george-osborne-let-hinkley-nuclear-go-20160216 by Richard Casson — 16 February 2016 George Osborne wants to build a new nuclear plant in Somerset — Hinkley Point C. If it goes ahead it’ll be the first nuclear power station to come online in the UK in 30 years.
But right now it’s increasingly looking like a big if. Because Hinkley is on the verge of becoming a national omnishambles. It’s suffered huge delays, safety concerns, and it’s clear the money could be far better spent. Here are eight reasons the Chancellor needs to #LetHinkleyGo.
1. The ‘unconstructable’ nuclear reactor
When Hinkley was first proposed in 2007, part of the Labour government’s sales pitch at the time was that it’d use a newfangled European Pressurized Reactor (EPR for short). Sounds appealing, right? Not so much. There are three sites where EPRs are under construction — and all three are experiencing serious difficulties. One academic even described the type of reactor as ‘unconstructable’. Not exactly encouraging is it, George?
2. The cost is astronomical
Back in 2008 the cost of the two Hinkley reactors was put at a princely £5.6 billion. The price kept going up and by 2015 that was revised to £18 billion. And now there are rumours it could clock in at a whopping £24.5 billion. That’d make Hinkley (wait for it)… the single most expensive object on earth.
3. About that reactor again…
Even if Hinkley’s “unconstructable” reactor is actually constructed, there are further concerns over how safe it’ll be. In Flamanville, France — where a power station with the same reactor design is being built — construction has suffered huge setbacks because of ‘anomalies’ in the reactor steel vessel. You don’t have to be a nuclear expert to know that the word ‘anomalies’ is NOT a good word to hear when talking about the centrepiece of a fission reactor.
4. Does anybody even want it anymore?
Like a fading teenage romance, everyone seems to be falling out of love with Hinkley. The Daily Mail called it the biggest white elephant in Britain. Financial creditors and investors have warned against building Hinkley. And now there are rumours that within EDF (the French company that will build Hinkley’s reactor), some of the board members who oversee the running of the company have spoken out against the project. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg (see here for a long list of newspaper articles opposing the Hinkley deal).
5. Onshore wind is already cheaper (and soon solar will be too)
The world of energy is changing. The cost of wind power and solar energy are falling fastand will only drop more in the future. Meanwhile, analysts have calculated that providing electricity from onshore wind would work out cheaper than Hinkley — even with the costs of providing for backup when the wind doesn’t blow. Meanwhile the construction costs for Hinkley only seem to go one direction — upwards.
6. It’s already 8 YEARS overdue
When Hinkley was first announced, we were told that electricity generated by the power station would be ‘cooking Christmas turkeys by 2017’. But then the operational date was pushed back to 2018. A few months later it became 2019. Last autumn EDF admitted it’ll be more like 2023… until they changed their mind and announced it’ll be even later. Contrast this with the London Array – the world’s largest offshore wind farm – which took less than three years to build, and it makes Hinkley look like the Christmas turkey.
7. We could be forced to pick up the cost
With all the delays and setbacks, some are starting to wonder if Hinkley could get canned completely. If it doesn’t go to plan, who will pick up the cost? The answer — taxpayers will. The funding mechanism the government put in place means that if Hinkley is abandoned, or doesn’t work when completed, UK citizens could be required to shell out a stonking £17 billion to French and Chinese backers to cover their costs.
8. The (not so) little matter of nuclear waste
We are nowhere near finding a storage solution for our existing nuclear waste, never mind future nuclear waste produced by Hinkley. It will take approximately 35 years to build a nuclear ‘storage solution’ (read: bury it underground). And even if it goes ahead soon the waste fuel from Hinkley would not be dealt with until near the end of the 22nd century. So far nobody knows where that will be or how it will happen. Oh and it will cost an estimated £12 billion.
EDF in its financial woes, extends the life of four nuclear reactors
EDF extends life of four nuclear reactors Final decision on investment in Hinkley Point still pending, with analysts and activists casting doubt on the project, Guardian, Sean Farrell 16 Feb 16, EDF plans to extend the life of four nuclear power plants in the UK and has said it is close to announcing a decision on its investment in two new reactors at Hinkley Point.
The French energy company said the lives of the Heysham 1 and Hartlepool plants would be extended by five years until 2024, and the closure dates of Heysham 2 and Torness will be delayed by seven years to 2030………
EDF, which is 85% owned by the French government, announced the extensions as it reported a 68% plunge in profits last year and cut its annual dividend. The company, which has been hit by falling power prices, said net debt increased by €3.2bn (£2.5bn) to €37.4bn.
The fall in EDF’s annual net profit to €1.19bn was caused by a tripling of provisions, asset writedowns and other one-off items to €3.64bn. EDF surprised markets by cutting its dividend to €1.10 a share after paying €1.25 for the previous three years.
But the company restated the appeal of the £18bn Hinkley Point project in Somerset. EDF has delayed deciding on the plan due to funding problems, according to reports in France…….
Paul Dorfman of the UCL Energy Institute said EDF’s financial position cast doubt on the prospects for Hinkley Point. “Unfortunately, with the best will in the world, it may just not happen,” he told the BBC’s Today programme. “EDF shares have crashed to half their value a year ago; the budget for Hinkley alone is bigger than EDF’s entire market value.”
Greenpeace said EDF and the French government were in disarray over the cost and risk of the Hinkley project.
Doug Parr, Greenpeace UK’s policy director, said: “EDF’s accounts show growing debts and falling earnings. Hinkley is a bad investment and most people with an ounce of financial acumen have now come to realise this. George Osborne stands alone in defending Hinkley’s honour.” http://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/feb/16/edf-extends-life-of-four-nuclear-reactors-hinkley-point-decision
EDF dodges making a decision on UK Hinkley nuclear station
The UK’s energy future was left up in the air after EDF dodged a decision on Hinkley Point C, the planned nuclear plant which will provide 7% of Britain’s electricity and employ 25,000 people by 2025.
The French giant said the first phase of construction would launch “very soon”, but failed to commit to a timescale or confirm whether it had funding in place, casting doubt on the future of the project. ……
Prime Minister David Cameron has been trying to smooth through the £18 billion construction costs of the plant in Somerset by wooing Chinese investors to back the project.
EDF has already sold a 33.5% stake to China General Nuclear Power Corporation, but today’s dividend cut could ignite fears the energy giant lacks the firepower to execute the plan.
The group confounded investor expectations by slashing the dividend to €1.10 for 2015 from €1.25 in 2014. It has also offered shareholders the choice of taking shares instead of cash……
Lower prices in the energy market have hurt EDF, particularly for wholesale electricity, which are stretching the company’s finances.
Earlier this month EDF Energy, the firm’s UK energy company, also cut standard gas prices by 5%.
The tumbling price of power has forced EDF to cuts costs and investments. It reduced operating expenses by €300 million last year and will seek to take out €700 million more within the next two years… http://www.standard.co.uk/business/fears-over-uks-energy-as-edf-dodges-hinkley-nuclear-plant-decision-a3181446.html.
UK Nuclear “Beauty Pageant” Scheme: More Than Sheer Madness; Rudd Conflict of Interest
The UK is having an architectural contest to “beautify” the proposed Moorside Nuclear reactor Site, which we choose to call a “beauty pageant”. The image of the Toshiba owned Westinghouse AP 1000 looks like a milk churn or can, as seen here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:AP1000Reactor.jpg
Milk Churn-Can and Pail https://www.gov.uk/government/news/rpa-releases-april-milk-production-figures
Cows at Moorside site on the Irish Sea, facing Sellafield Nuclear Site
Maybe they will stick a plastic cow in front of the Moorside visitors’ centre to replace the real cows, which they like to make graze near Sellafield and other nuclear sites?
While a Gothic Devil would be more appropriate,
it will not match the simplicity of the, almost 1000 year old, Old St. Bridget’s Church, seen in the distance with the Windscale chimney at Sellafield to the right.
nor the runic standing stone-crosses, which are estimated at around 900 to 1400 years old. This has been a Christian site since…
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February 16 Energy News
World:
¶ British demand response specialist Flexitricity Ltd said National Grid has adopted its Footroom service, which can make use of excess wind power. The service will have industrial, commercial and public-sector sites paid to adjust generation or consumption on request, so wind farms need not be shut down. [SeeNews Renewables]
Whitelee wind farm in Scotland. Author: ms.akr.
License: Creative Commons, Attribution 2.0 Generic
¶ Lekela Power, a pan-African renewable power company, signed a deal with the Egyptian government to build a 250-MW wind power station in the Gulf of Suez area at an investment of $350 million. Lekela Power has over 1,100 MW of wind and solar projects under development in South Africa, Egypt and Ghana. [Trade Arabia]
¶ Construction work has begun on Europe’s largest floating solar farm at the Queen Elizabeth II reservoir near London. More than 23,000 panels will be floated on…
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Surprise surprise! Kevin Scarce’s expensive #NuclearCommissionSAust gets the result it always intended
On February 15 the South Australian Nuclear Fuel Chain Royal Commission announced its “tentative 
findings”
And guess what – Surprise Surprise!
After many months of such IMPORTANT pro nuclear persons getting paid large amounts of money to trip around the world, getting expert advice from the likes of France’s near bankrupt AREVA, and the crooked Canadian nuclear hierarchy – they came out with the conclusion that they had already decided upon at the beginning:
AUSTRALIA SHOULD BECOME THE WORLD’S RADIOACTIVE TRASH TOILET!
The subservient media and corporate controlled governments of the rest of Australia have just shut up about this for nearly a whole year, in the pretense that “It’s only a South Australian matter”. They left it to the likes of the nuclear lobby’s puppet “The Adelaide Advertiser” to give information on this purely State matter.
Is it just a State matter? Or is Australia as a whole…
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South Australia’s renewable energy opportunity – evidence given to Nuclear Royal Commission
MR JACOBI: Ms Skarbek is the chief executive officer and executive director of Climate Works Australia since its inception in 2009 and she’s been leading the organisations working in analysing emissions reductions opportunities and partnering with business and government in unblocking barriers to their implementation. She’s also a director of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, a trustee of the Sustainable Melbourne Fund, a member of the Australian Government’s Energy White Paper Reference Panel, and the Grattan Institute Energy Program Reference Panel. …..
She’s principally to give evidence today in relation to a report published by Climate Works Australia in September 2014 entitled Pathways to Decarbonisation in 2005, How Australia Can Prosper in a Low Carbon World…….
Anna Skarbek : Extract of evidence given at Nuclear Royal Commission Hearing 9 Sept 15 “…Based on today’s estimates, the real question is: what are the technologies that you need in the 2040s, after we’ve…
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EDF Postpones Decision on Nuclear Reactors at Hinkley Point in the UK; “Justification” Still Sought to Use Defective Nuclear Reactor Pressure Vessel at Flamanville in France; Old Cracked UK Nuclear Reactors Given Operating Extensions
Solidarity and Opposition to EDF-AREVA Nuclear Power on Both Sides of the Channel
[Update: Unfortunately, our post remains relevant for both the UK and the defective Flamanville. Like a cheap Penny Stock mining company, fleecing the French taxpayer, probably trying to fool potential Chinese investors, and letting construction companies continue to make money (our words, not the words of the Ecologist), EDF continues to postpone its decision on Hinkley Point Nuclear Reactors in the UK. “EDF’s Hinkley C offices occupied as UK nuclear hopes wither“, by Oliver Tickell, 15th February 2016 “An occupation of EDF’s site office for Hinkley C turned into a celebration today as the EDF Board postponed its ‘final investment decision’ for the tenth time. With strong opposition among French unions and the project afflicted by severe technical and financial problems, it’s not just Hinkley that’s going down, but the UK’s entire nuclear programme.
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February 15 Energy News
Opinion:
¶ Asia can go 100 per cent renewable • For Asia, going 100 per cent renewable isn’t hypothetical. It is doable and it’s the best path to a sustainable future. The move is also being driven by costs. Renewable energy costs continue to decline, and we are beginning to see the true costs of fossil fuels. [eco-business.com]
Wind turbines in Western China. Image: Shutterstock
¶ Why Saudi Arabia and Russia are still flooding the oil market • Crude oil futures jumped 12% in New York on Friday, making their biggest one-day gain since 2009 and rebounding sharply from a 12-year low hit earlier in the week. Still, getting the fractious cartel to agree a deal to reduce oil supply may be a long way off. [CNN]
Science and Technology:
¶ A set photos from the US DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory show how two eagles…
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#Occupy EDF15thFeb
The group South-West Against Nuclear (SWAN) are calling for an international day of action and occupation of EDF offices/facilities on Monday15th Febuary to demand that EDF withdraw from the Hinkley C project & give up their nuclear ambitions in the UK. On the following day, February 16th cash-strapped EDF will meet to decide whether to continue with their new nuclear plant at Hinkley C in Somerset or not. It could go either way.
The EDF occupations we are calling for on the 15th of February are part of the Groundswell year of action for climate justice. Justice that we believe is being denied by government collusion with the nuclear industry. Nuclear Power is not needed, clean reliable safe renewable energy is.
The Current Tory Government plans to heavily subsidize new nuclear while slashing support for renewables and denying them grid capacity, which is being reserved for future nuclear plants. The…
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1 This Month
Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes – A good documentary on Chernobyl on SBS available On Demand for the next 3 weeks– https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-program/chernobyl-the-lost-tapes/2352741955560
of the week–London Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Tell the Ukrainian Government to Drop Prosecution of Peace Activist Yurii Sheliazhenko
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity – go to https://nuclearinformation.wordpress.com
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