nuclear-news

This week’s nuclear news in brief

The most headline-grabbing nuclear story of the week was the collapse of  a tunnel at America’s Hanford nuclear site. While authorities stressed that no-one was injured, and no radiation was released, this accident highlighted the unsafe storage of America’s nuclear weapons waste.

In international politics, the elections of Emmanuel Macron, in France, and of Moon Jae-in, in South Korea, are unwanted blows to the global nuclear industry. Moon Jae-in also signals a trend away from alliance with USA, and a willingness to work with China.

Record-Thin Sea Ice Faces Big Predicted Arctic Warm-up This Week.

NORTH KOREA. North Korea could conduct nuclear test in May – Chinese expert.

USA. NUCLEAR

• Workers at Hanford nuclear site have sealed off a large sinkhole. A sign of the collapse of the entire nuclear industry – the Hanford waste tunnel collapse?
• Korea Mission Centre set up by CIA to address “the nuclear and ballistic missile threat”. Bill in USA Congress to ready USA for a nuclear attack emergency.
•  America’s nuclear subsidies distort markets and damage business. South Carolina nuclear project in doubt, as Toshiba bankruptcy looms. Georgia Power officials  consider fate of Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant construction – cancellation is an option.  Recently opened Watts Bar 2 nuclear power plant already shut down for repairs.
• Protect our water! Indigenous opposition to uranium mining in South Dakota.
•  Texas Nuclear Waste Bill is amended in a big win for environmentalists. Nevada lawmakers approve budgets to fight plan to dump radioactive trash at Yucca Mountain.
•  All too similar to Fukushima prefecture- Savannah River schools get education funding and resources from nuclear company.

CLIMATE.  Montana’s glaciers disappearing – shrinking, like many glaciers world-wide. Arctic Council meeting: USA might be confronted by Arctic Nations concerned about climate change. Environmental Protection Agency dismisses at least five members of a major scientific review board.

SOUTH KOREA. Catholics lead in South Korean movement against nuclear power. THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) missile defense (MD) system a major environmental catastrophe waiting to happen.

JAPAN. The urgent danger of wildfires in the radioactive Fukushima area. Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui calls on U.N. chief to attend nuclear disarmament conference in August.

RUSSIA. Russia selling debt and dependence to its overseas customers.

INDIA. Water and steam leakage causes shutdown of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Reactor.

CANADA. Cities of Marysville and St. Clair oppose Lake Huron nuclear waste dump. Uranium company Cameco in trouble: the industry is just not viable.

GERMANY. German energy groups turn to lucrative business of decommissioning nuclear power stations,

AUSTRALIA. Today, the Parliamentary Inquiry into Australia  on Australia joining the Framework Agreement for International Generation IV Nuclear Reactor Development published the submissions that it received. As this Inquiry has been kept quite secret from the media and the public, it is not surprising that nearly all of the submissions have come from companies and individuals with either a very clear, or a vested, interest in the nuclear industry.

BULGARIA. Bulgaria trying to get private investors for its nuclear project.

May 12, 2017 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Christina's notes