nuclear-news

The News That Matters about the Nuclear Industry Fukushima Chernobyl Mayak Three Mile Island Atomic Testing Radiation Isotope

City of Zion stuck with costly, dirty, dangerous nuclear wastes

Zion skyline in for a change with planned razing of nuclear towers, Mary McIntyre, News-Sun, 15 Sept 17,  The green-capped concrete towers of Zion’s barren lakefront will be gone soon, but the nuclear waste that has crippled the city economically will remain. Zion Solutions, which is part of Utah-based EnergySolutions, will finish deconstructing and demolishing the former Zion nuclear power plant and its 20-story containment silos in 2018, according to EnergySolutions Vice-President Mark Walker, but 61 casks full of spent nuclear rods will remain on-site indefinitely.

The silos — which were the tallest structures in Lake County when they opened in the early 1970s and are second in overall structural height to the 330-foot Sky Trek Tower at Six Flags Great America — are scheduled to come down during the first quarter of next year.

“The project will be physically completed with (deactivation and decommissioning) in 2018,” Walker said. However, although the federal government designated decades ago that the waste would go to Yucca Mountain in Nevada for permanent storage, the facility has not yet opened, and Zion is stuck with the waste until a solution can be found.

“We’re very concerned with the fact that these casks are visible, and they’re vulnerable,” Kraft said.

Kraft said storing the casks near Lake Michigan is not appropriate in a post-9/11 world.

“They’re lined up like bowling pins,” he said. City officials are also unhappy with the storage of the casks, attributing Zion’s economic troubles to the closed facility.

When ComEd was running the plant, Zion received about $19.5 million annually in taxes from it, according to Zion Finance Director David Knabel. However, with the plant shut down, the 267 lakefront acres owned by the Exelon, which now owns ComEd, generate only $500,000 annually in taxes……

Under a law passed in 1982, energy companies have sued the Department of Energy for billions of dollars because of its failure to provide long-term nuclear storage. However, Knabel said, since Zion’s agreement was not with the federal government, it cannot sue under that law.

Last year, then-U.S. Rep. Bob Dold introduced legislation that would have granted Zion $15 million per year for seven years to compensate for the economic damage caused by storing the nuclear waste. Dold lost re-election last year to Brad Schneider, who is exploring similar legislation with U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth that would include a grant to the city and tax incentives for businesses to come there, according to a Schneider spokesman.

Schneider plans to hold a general meeting for constituents Saturday at the Zion City Hall on Sheridan Road at 11 a.m.

City officials are also unhappy with the storage of the casks, attributing Zion’s economic troubles to the closed facility……..

When ComEd was running the plant, Zion received about $19.5 million annually in taxes from it, according to Zion Finance Director David Knabel. However, with the plant shut down, the 267 lakefront acres owned by the Exelon, which now owns ComEd, generate only $500,000 annually in taxes……. http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/lake-county-news-sun/news/ct-lns-zion-nuclear-plant-demolition-st-0916-20170915-story.html

September 16, 2017 Posted by | USA, wastes | Leave a comment

The case for closing Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant

US nuclear plants deteriorating as regulators talk doubling life expectancy

Russia Today 30th March 2016, Old but useful: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is again trying to make the
case for closing the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant just north of New
York City. This comes following an inspection that revealed hundreds of
faulty or missing bolts meant to hold reactor plates together. For more on
aging nuclear infrastructure, RT America’s Simone Del Rosario is joined
by investigative journalist Karl Grossman, who has covered nuclear energy
for decades.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcNh7R4Ymk4

September 16, 2017 Posted by | safety, USA | Leave a comment

UK: spectacular drop in the cost of offshore wind brings Hinkley nuclear plan into question

Nuclear plans ‘should be rethought after fall in offshore windfarm costs’
Lib Dems and green groups say reduced price of state support should sound death knell for plants such as Hinkley Point C, Guardian, Adam Vaughan, 12 Sept 17 The government is under pressure to reconsider its commitment to a new generation of nuclear power stations after the cost of offshore wind power reached a record low.

Experts said green energy had reached a tipping point in the UK after two windfarms secured a state-backed price for their output that was nearly half the level awarded last year to Britain’s first new nuclear power site in a generation, Hinkley Point C.

Vince Cable, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, said the breakthrough should prompt a rethink of the government’s energy plans, which have pencilled in atomic plants at Wylffa in Wales, Sizewell in Suffolk and Bradwell in Essex.

“The spectacular drop in the cost of offshore wind is extremely encouraging and shows the need for a radical reappraisal by government of the UK’s energy provision,” he said.

The government spending watchdog this year described Hinkley as a “risky and expensive” project that generations of British consumers will have to pay for through electricity bills. Experts hailed Monday’s auction results, for a group of windfarms that will open early in the next decade, as evidence that large scale renewable projects had come of age in Britain.

“The epoch of renewables as the most cost competitive technology has arrived,” said energy analysts Cornwall Insight, while the Economist Intelligence Unit said they showed “the trajectory of cheaper renewable technologies is irreversible”.

Ministers said the multimillion-pound pot of subsidies would generate clean power for 3.6m homes. Two windfarms – the Hornsea 2 project off the Yorkshire coast and the Moray offshore windfarm in Scotland – secured a guaranteed price for their power of £57.50 per megawatt hour (MWh) from the government. This is far below the £92.50 awarded to Hinkley last year.

Richard Harrington, the energy minister, said: “The offshore wind sector alone will invest £17.5bn in the UK up to 2021 and thousands of new jobs in British businesses will be created by the projects announced today.”………https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/11/huge-boost-renewable-power-offshore-windfarm-costs-fall-record-low?CMP=share_btn_tw

September 16, 2017 Posted by | renewable, UK | Leave a comment

About The World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2017

World Nuclear Industry Status Report 12th Sept 2017, The World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2017 (WNISR2017) provides a comprehensive overview of nuclear power plant data, including information
on operation, production and construction. The WNISR assesses the status of
new-build programs in current nuclear countries as well as in potential
newcomer countries.

The WNISR2017 edition includes a new assessment from an
equity analyst view of the financial crisis of the nuclear sector and some
of its biggest industrial players. The Fukushima Status Report provides not
only an update on onsite and offsite issues six years after the beginning
of the catastrophe, but also the latest official and new independent cost
evaluations of the disaster.

Focus chapters provide in-depth analysis of
France, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States. The
Nuclear Power vs Renewable Energy chapter provides global comparative data
on investment, capacity, and generation from nuclear, wind and solar
energy. Finally, Annex 1 presents a country-by-country overview of all
other countries operating nuclear power plants.
https://www.worldnuclearreport.org/-2017-.html

September 16, 2017 Posted by | 2 WORLD, business and costs | Leave a comment

Global nuclear marketers salivating at prospect of selling nukes to South Africa

SA could start nuclear procurement process again as soon as next month
The chairperson of the Necsa, speaking at the World Nuclear Association conference in London, says the politicians just have ‘to press the re-start button’ Business Live 15 SEPTEMBER 2017  ALEXANDER WINNING LONDON —SA could re-start a procurement process for its nuclear expansion project as soon as next month, but the government still has to determine the exact timing, the chairperson of the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) said on Friday.

SA is planning to build several new nuclear reactors with a combined capacity of 9,600MW, which could be one of the world’s biggest nuclear deals in decades. The plans aim to help resolve the country’s chronic power shortages.

The plans were disrupted this year when SA’s High Court ruled that a nuclear co-operation pact with Russia was unlawful, after which the government started to draw up new pacts with countries with nuclear expertise. South African officials have made progress on the nuclear project since the court ruling, selecting potential sites for the new power stations, Necsa chairperson, Kelvin Kemm told Reuters.

Speaking on the sidelines of the World Nuclear Association conference in London, he said Eskom and Necsa were ready to proceed. “All that needs to happen is for the politicians to press the re-start button.”…….

Nuclear reactor makers, including Russia’s Rosatom, South Korea’s Kepco, France’s EDF and Areva, Toshiba-owned Westinghouse and China’s CGN are eyeing the South African project, which could be worth tens of billions of dollars.

A senior executive from Russian state firm Rosatom told Reuters on Thursday his firm was keen to win the contract and was ready to use a business model suitable to SA…….

Zuma’s opponents have said the project could be used as a conduit for corruption, a charge the president and officials deny. Some investors say the project is too big and expensive for a developing economy, such as SA.

Kemm said all top nuclear reactor makers were still in the running for the project and that he hoped a firm contract with a foreign partner would be signed next year. SA aimed to achieve 50% local input to the project to lift the economy, he said, adding that ordering several plants at once should help bring down costs. https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/national/2017-09-15-sa-could-start-nuclear-procurement-process-again-as-soon-as-next-month/

September 16, 2017 Posted by | marketing, South Africa | Leave a comment

Owners of South Carolina nuclear plant tried to hide negative report on the project

Attorney: Utilities meant to hide report on nuclear project, abc news,  BY SEANNA ADCOX, ASSOCIATED PRESS, COLUMBIA, S.C. — Sep 15, 2017

For at least two years before a South Carolina nuclear power construction project was abandoned, its owners had a report that they intended to keep secret showing the reactors couldn’t be completed as planned, an attorney for a legislative panel investigating the debacle said Friday.

“The report is very, very troubling,” said Scott Elliott, hired by the House for the hearings. “It was designed to never see the light of day.”

State-owned Santee Cooper and South Carolina Electric & Gas hired Bechtel Corp. in 2015 to assess construction on two new reactors at V.C. Summer Nuclear Station north of Columbia. The utilities were briefed on the findings later that year, though the official report is dated February 2016.

Essentially, the report says “this wasn’t going to work. … If things don’t change dramatically, you’ll never finish these projects,” Elliott said. Its findings included a lack of proper oversight by SCE&G, the majority owner.

SCE&G should have disclosed the report’s existence as it successfully sought approval in 2015 and 2016 to spend more on the project. Instead, executives told state regulators they were confident in the presented completion dates, said Elliott, also an attorney for South Carolina Energy Users Committee, a coalition of large industries that need a lot of energy.

Legislators accused SCE&G executives of intentionally hiding the report from regulators and lawmakers, withholding information that could have resulted in “no” votes.

…..The utilities abandoned the project July 31 after jointly spending nearly $10 billion, leaving nearly 6,000 people jobless. A 2007 state law allows SCE&G to recoup its debt from customers if state regulators determine money was spent prudently.

Legislators who are seeking ways to fix the law want to stop that. Customers have already paid more than $2 billion on interest costs through a series of rate hikes since 2009. The project accounts for 18 percent of SCE&G customers’ electric bills.

Elliott said the Bechtel report puts into question every decision made by the utilities over at least the last two years.

……The Bechtel report’s existence became public as executives testified at a legislative hearing last month. Lawmakers threatened to subpoena it if the utilities refused to provide it. Gov. Henry McMaster released it to reporters earlier this month, over SCANA’s written objections, after receiving a copy from Santee Cooper…….http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/legislators-review-secret-report-nuclear-project-49869620

September 16, 2017 Posted by | secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA | Leave a comment

Remembering America’s nuclear scientists of The Mahattan Project, those who died young because of nuclear radiation

Paul Waldon, fight to stop nuclear waste dump in flinders ranges sa, 15 Sept 17, Today the 15th of September is another red letter day in the nuclear arena, with the 72nd anniversary of the death of Haroutune Krikor “Harry” Daglian, physicist with the Manhattan Project. Harry was NOT the only person working on the project to die from “Acute Radiation Syndrome” but he was the youngest at only 24 years of age. Three members of the big four were to follow Harry to a early grave with cancer deemed to be from the radiation they were subjected to during their time on the Manhattan and other projects. The contaminated materials left over from the development of the bombs are still having a impact on life and the environment, and will continue to do so for generations. However the deaths and contamination on American soil from the development of the bombs, outnumber Japans. RIP Harry. https://www.facebook.com/groups/344452605899556/

September 16, 2017 Posted by | health, history, PERSONAL STORIES, radiation, USA, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Sellafield nuclear site seen as “a great strategic target for terrorists”

Express 13th Sept 2017, NUCLEAR plant Sellafield was yesterday branded a potential “coup for
terrorists” as police who protect it warned against budget cuts. Safety
fears were initially raised last year after an investigation into security
at Britain’s main nuclear decommissioning site in Cumbria. Now
Cumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner Peter McCall has warned his
constabulary must not lose a penny in any forthcoming shake-up of national
police funding. “In my opinion the number of officers in the county is at
an irreducible limit. “We’ve all seen the tragic terrorism events
across the country this year. Cumbria is not immune to that. “We’ve got
a big strategic target here in Sellafield and that would be a great coup
for terrorists.”
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/853568/Sellafield-nuclear-plant-ltd-cumbria-terrorists-peter-mccall

September 16, 2017 Posted by | safety, UK | Leave a comment

U.S. Department of Energy extends contract for management of Nuclear Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

Contract Extended for Management of US Nuclear Dump https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/new-mexico/articles/2017-09-15/contract-extended-for-management-of-us-nuclear-dump

The U.S. Department of Energy has extended a contract for the management of the government’s only underground nuclear waste repository.Sept. 15, 2017CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Energy has extended a contract for the management of the government’s only underground nuclear waste repository that will allow the Nuclear Waste Partnership to continue operating the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in Carlsbad through September 2020.

WIPP resumed operations earlier this year following a shutdown that followed a 2014 radiation release caused by inappropriate packaging of waste by workers at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

The extension of the contract with Nuclear Waste Partnership will include a new safety focus and cost incentives. It’s good through Sept. 30, 2020, and can be extended beyond that.

September 16, 2017 Posted by | safety, USA, wastes | Leave a comment

EDF warns on Britain’s nuclear safety problems, in the exit from the European Union

Reuters 13th Sept 2017, EDF, the French utility that runs Britain’s nuclear reactors, said on
Wednesday power plants could suffer extended outages if a new safeguard
regime and other measures were not in place when Britain exits the European
Union in 2019.

The regulation chief for EDF’s British unit, EDF Energy,
also said construction of Hinkley Point C – the first nuclear plant to be
built in Britain for more than 20 years – would be delayed unless Britain
had a new regulatory regime to replace the EU‘s.

Angela Hepworth was speaking at a parliamentary hearing on the impact of Brexit on Britain’s
energy security. Her comments illustrate the challenges faced by London as
it attempts to disentangle itself from decades of EU regulations, treaties
and institutions. In the nuclear industry, the race is on for the
government to replicate strict oversight of the industry and strike deals
with other countries or concoct a transition agreement, in time for
Britain’s withdrawal from the union in March 2019.
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-eu-nuclear/uk-nuclear-operator-warns-of-plant-outages-if-brexit-mismanaged-idUKKCN1BO212

September 16, 2017 Posted by | politics international, safety, UK | Leave a comment

Nuclear power simply IS NOT ‘zero-carbon technology’

 Letter to Guardian, Ian Hill, Guardian 14th Sept 2017, Your excellent editorial on the reducing cost of offshore
wind power (13 September) is timely in identifying the increasingly futile
case for new nuclear build. It does, however, repeat the fallacy that
nuclear power “is a zero-carbon technology”.

The carbon emissions involved in building such immense structures, in mining and transporting uranium,
and in the transport, reprocessing and storage of waste, contribute to a
considerable carbon burden. Estimates vary considerably, but studies
suggest that the emissions from nuclear generation could be one-10th of
those of fossil fuels, but twice those of wind power.

Furthermore, the need for a continuous supply is of only limited use when consumption patterns
become distorted by, for example, the increased need to charge electric
vehicles overnight, as your leader identifies. What is needed now,
alongside continued investment in the latest generation of renewable
production, is increased investment into a wide range of storage
technologies, and further research and investment into the production of
renewable heat.

Tackling the energy challenge is plainly within our grasp
as new technologies come to the market. The challenge now is not a
technological one, it is a political one. Sadly, that is a political
challenge which our current government seem unable to address.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/14/the-role-of-renewables-in-the-uk-energy-mix

September 16, 2017 Posted by | 2 WORLD, climate change | Leave a comment

EDF has increasing safety problems on its nuclear power stations in France

Europe 1 14th Sept 2017 [Machine Translation] The Belleville-sur-Loire power plant in the Cher
region was placed under surveillance on Wednesday. The Nuclear Safety
Authority wants to control EDF more. Month after month, EDF accumulates
problems on its nuclear power plants.

Last episode: the decision of the
Nuclear Safety Authority to place the site of Belleveille-sur-Loire in Cher
on Wednesday under strong surveillance. According to the ASN, the use of
degraded materials that do not guarantee their proper functioning and a
lack of monitoring of the plant.  http://www.europe1.fr/economie/pourquoi-edf-est-dans-le-collimateur-de-lautorite-de-surete-nucleaire-3435869

September 16, 2017 Posted by | France, safety | Leave a comment

Russia holds the world’s largest stockpile of highly enriched uranium

Phys.org 13th Sept 2017, Russia currently holds the world’s largest stockpile of highly enriched
uranium, a nuclear weapon-usable material, posing significant nuclear
security risks, according to a recent report issued by the International
Panel on Fissile Materials (IPFM), a group based at Princeton University
and made up of nuclear experts from 16 countries.

The report, “The Use of Highly Enriched Uranium as Fuel in Russia,” provides unprecedented details
of the military and civilian use of highly enriched uranium in Russia—the
only country to produce highly enriched uranium as an export. Russia’s
stockpile of highly enriched uranium is estimated to be about 680 tons, and
as of 2017, Russia is estimated to use about 8.5 tons of highly enriched
uranium annually, a large fraction of which is weapon-grade material.
Likewise, Russia currently operates more highly enriched uranium facilities
than the rest of the world combined, creating substantial nuclear security
risks.
https://phys.org/news/2017-09-russia-stockpiles-highly-enriched-uranium.html

September 16, 2017 Posted by | Russia, Uranium | Leave a comment

Social and environmental problems with lithium and cobalt in modern technologies

FT 14th September 2017, The news that China will follow the UK and France in phasing out
fossil-fuel powered cars by 2030 was met by a spike in lithium prices this
week, as markets digested another sign that the future of auto will be
lithium-ion powered.

Coverage of this shift has been largely positive, not least in the context of the race to make our cities cleaner. But there is a
potential imbalance between the environmental benefits to developed markets
and the social and environmental costs in the developing world where the
raw materials for batteries are mined.

We at RCS Global addressed the challenges associated with cobalt in a recent report and they have been
well publicised over the past 18 months including in this newspaper and by
Amnesty International. But lithium-ion producers and buyers must
acknowledge that cobalt is not the only challenge they face.

As we note in a new report this month, the spike in demand risks amplifying the social
and environmental risks associated with the industry’s five key raw
materials: cobalt, lithium, nickel, manganese and graphite. Approximately
two-thirds of the world’s cobalt comes from the Democratic Republic of
Congo, where there are severe issues ranging from environmental damage to
human rights abuses including child labour. Cobalt remains the most
difficult battery raw material to source ethically.
https://www.ft.com/content/55f0c6ae-9895-11e7-b83c-9588e51488a0

September 16, 2017 Posted by | 2 WORLD, RARE EARTHS | Leave a comment

Over 300 American Organisations Endorse Sweeping Climate Bill

As Nation Reels from Disasters, 300+ Groups Endorse Sweeping Climate Bill
“Disaster after climate-induced disaster is proving that we can’t fail to address our rampant burning of fossil fuels—too much is at stake.” Common Dreams, by Jessica Corbett, staff writer, 15 Sept 17 

In the wake of massive storms that scientists agree were made much worse by global warming, more than 300 national, state, and local groups have endorsed the OFF Act, proposed legislation that’s been called “the strongest climate bill ever.“

The Off Fossil Fuels for a Better Future Act, or OFF Act, was introduced this month by Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), who said the proposal “paves the way for the United States to replace fossil fuels with 100 percent clean energy generation and use by 2035.”

The coalition backing the legislation—which includes Food & Water Watch, Progressive Democrats of America, National Nurses United, Our Revolution, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Friends of the Earth, the Center for Biological Diversity, and hundreds of others—sent a joint letter to lawmakers explaining why the bill is more necessary than ever.

“We are in a climate emergency. The threat of climate chaos from global warming is real, and the evidence continues to mount,” the groups stated. “The OFF Act will stop fossil fuel projects, create tens of thousands of new jobs while transforming our energy economy, begin to address environmental injustices, and put us on the path towards the national mobilization necessary to address the climate crisis.”

Donna Smith, executive director of Progressive Democrats of America, said the number of organizations coming together is reflective of the concerns shared by millions of Americans. “From small communities and large urban areas,” Smith said, “Americans understand that in order to address the climate emergency with an appropriate level of urgency, we must take effective, rapid action to get off fossil fuels.”……https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/09/14/nation-reels-disasters-300-groups-endorse-sweeping-climate-bill

September 16, 2017 Posted by | climate change, politics, USA | Leave a comment

« Previous Entries     Next Entries »