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France does not need new nuclear reactors – Environment Minister

 https://fr.reuters.com/article/africaTech/idAFL8N1QC7B5  Rédaction Reuters   PARIS, Feb 22 (Reuters) – France has no need to build new nuclear reactors in addition to the one currently being assembled in Flamanville, in western France, Environment Minister Nicolas Hulot said on Thursday.

President Emmanuel Macron said last week he would not rule out France building new nuclear reactors to replace state-controlled utility EDF’s ageing reactors.

“For the moment, frankly, there is no need to consider building other nuclear reactors in addition to Flamanville,” Hulot told lawmakers.

Hulot said in November last year that reducing the share of nuclear energy in France’s power mix to 50 percent from 75 percent would probably take until 2030-35, dropping an initial 2025 target date.

Reporting by Simon Carraud; Writing by Matthias Blamont. Editing by Jane Merriman

February 24, 2018 Posted by | France, politics | Leave a comment

“cataclysmic consequence” of UK leaving the EU without having nuclear safeguarding arrangements

Energy Voice 22nd Feb 2018, A Labour former Cabinet minister has warned of the “cataclysmic
consequence” of leaving the EU without having nuclear safeguarding
arrangements in place. Lord Hutton of Furness said it would be a
“terrible event” and argued it was for ministers to ensure the UK did
not “walk off the edge of this cliff”. The peer, who is chairman of the
Nuclear Industry Association, stressed the need for an agreement to be
reached with Europe’s nuclear regulator to cover the two-year post-Brexit
transition period.
https://www.energyvoice.com/other-news/164349/failure-reach-post-brexit-nuclear-deal-risks-cataclysmic-consequence/

February 24, 2018 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

UK to develop State System of Accountancy for and Control of Nuclear Material, due to Brexit

New Power 22nd Feb 2018, The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) has begun procuring a system to
track nuclear materials in the UK and ensure they are not diverted from
civilian uses, which will be required if, as planned, the UK exits the
Euratom treaty as it leaves the EU.

ONR said it has to develop and deliver a UK State System of Accountancy for and Control of Nuclear Material by 29
March 2019. It will include a Safeguards Information Management and
Reporting System that meets international reporting obligations. Without
the system, ONR said it will not be able to effectively deliver the
necessary nuclear materials accountancy.

It must be ready for parallel running by the end of December 2018 and go live by 29 March 2019. ONR has
published a procurement notice on the government’s digital marketplace
website. It says questions can be asked until 28 February and applications
must be made by midday on 7 March. The contract award is expected on 1 May
and by then the bidder must have security clearance for all personnel
involved.  https://www.newpower.info/2018/02/onr-begins-procurement-to-replace-euratom-nuclear-safeguards-system/

February 24, 2018 Posted by | politics, UK | Leave a comment

Hanford workers – 10 now Contaminated With Radioactive Waste

Now 10 Workers Contaminated With Radioactive Waste At Hanford, OPB, by Anna King Follow Northwest News Network Feb. 22, 2018 

As many as 11 workers may have ingested or inhaled radioactive contamination at the Plutonium Finishing Plant demolition site at Hanford in southeast Washington state. Ten workers are confirmed to have tested positive and one needs more testing to confirm the results.

That’s up from the previous count of six.

The amounts of that contamination are small when compared with an average person’s yearly background exposure. The majority have between 1 and 10 millirems. The average person gets 350 millirems per year from natural and man-made substances.

But Washington state Department of Health experts take any contamination very seriously. Nearly 300 workers have requested lab tests. And more than 50 people’s initial tests are still outstanding……https://www.opb.org/news/article/hanford-radioactive-waste-contamination-people-10/

February 24, 2018 Posted by | radiation, USA | Leave a comment

America plans doomsday satellites for upcoming nuclear wars

US Air Force aims to develop doomsday satellites for upcoming nuclear wars http://www.ibtimes.sg/us-air-force-aims-develop-doomsday-satellites-upcoming-nuclear-wars-24710  By Nirmal Narayanan  February 23, 2018 

The US Air Force is reportedly planning to develop an advanced satellite that will continue to provide communications for the top brass US Government officials in times of nuclear or space wars. To ensure effective communication, the US Air Force relies on what they call Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellites that sit in geostationary orbit.

US Air Force preparing for the worst day in human history

  • The Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellite is specially designed to keep the military and US administration in a proper working order during times of emergencies. It should be also noted that these satellites cannot be hacked or jammed.

“We need systems that work on the worst day in the history of the world,” said Todd Harrison, director of the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Popular Mechanics reports.

There are four AEHF satellites already in the geostationary orbit. The US Government is now planning to launch two more, one in 2019 and another in 2020. The proposed US Air Force 2019 budget has allocated $29.8 million for this upcoming project. Air Force staffers have reportedly said that more money has been set aside in 2019 for the development of software used for running the satellites.

The US Air Force considers these AHEF satellites as a part of its new focus on advancing the country’s nuclear abilities.

“We must concurrently modernize the entire nuclear triad and the command and control systems that enable its effectiveness,” said Heather Wilson, the Air Force secretary.

The US Government is also planning to pour in a whopping sum for the development of jam-resistant GPS satellites.

How AEHF satellites work?

If a nuclear war breaks out, the atmosphere will be completely filled with charged particles that emit energy across the electromagnetic spectrum. In these times, ordinary signals will find it difficult to cut through this clutter, and as a result, all the communication means will be cut off.

During these moments, the only way of communication will be using AEHF satellites. Unlike traditional communication satellites, AEHF satellites send multiple beams to the ground, and it will increase the chances of getting through the clutters. Just like a car moving between lanes to avoid stagnant traffic, signals from AEHF satellites will reach the ground.

February 24, 2018 Posted by | USA, weapons and war | Leave a comment

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