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Israel Boosting Defense of Nuclear Reactors Fearing Iranian Missile Attack

Israel Boosting Defense of Nuclear Reactors Fearing Iranian Missile Attack Despite precautionary measures against a targeted attack, the Israel Atomic Energy Commission believes a missile strike could be a propaganda achievement for enemy, but wouldn’t endanger Israelis, Haaretz, 28 June 18, Chaim Levinson

June 29, 2018 Posted by | Israel, weapons and war | Leave a comment

India’s space dream – to develop nuclear fuel from helium on the moon

India’s quest to find a trillion-dollar zero-waste nuclear fuel on the moon,  Financial Review by Anurag Kotoky, 28 June 18

India‘s space program wants to go where no nation has gone before – to the south side of the moon. And once it gets there, it will study the potential for mining a source of waste-free nuclear energy that could be worth trillions of dollars.

The nation’s equivalent of NASA will launch a rover in October to explore virgin territory on the lunar surface and analyse crust samples for signs of water and helium-3. That isotope is limited on Earth yet so abundant on the moon that it theoretically could meet global energy demands for 250 years if harnessed……..

The mission would solidify India’s place among the fleet of explorers racing to the moon, Mars and beyond for scientific, commercial or military gains. The governments of the US, China, India, Japan and Russia are competing with start-ups and billionaires Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson to launch satellites, robotic landers, astronauts and tourists into the cosmos. ……..

In the US, President Donald Trump signed a directive calling for astronauts to return to the moon, and NASA’s proposed $US19 billion ($26 billion) budget this fiscal year calls for launching a lunar orbiter by the early 2020s. …….

A primary objective, though, is to search for deposits of helium-3. Solar winds have bombarded the moon with immense quantities of helium-3 because it’s not protected by a magnetic field like Earth is. ……. “It is thought that this isotope could provide safer nuclear energy in a fusion reactor, since it is not radioactive and would not produce dangerous waste products,” the European Space Agency said.

……..  there are numerous obstacles to overcome before the material can be used – including the logistics of collection and delivery back to Earth and building fusion power plants to convert the material into energy. Those costs would be stratospheric…….https://www.afr.com/news/world/asia/indias-quest-to-find-a-trilliondollar-zerowaste-nuclear-fuel-on-the-moon-20180627-h11ykr

 

June 29, 2018 Posted by | India, technology | Leave a comment

New report connects cancer increase in north St. Louis County with radioactive pollution from Coldwater Creek

Radioactive St. Louis–Government Nuclear Waste Scandal Exposed with Dawn Chapman

Radioactive waste from Coldwater Creek could have contaminated neighborhoods http://www.kmov.com/story/38525682/radioactive-waste-from-coldwater-creek-could-have-contaminated-neighborhoods  By Russell Kinsaul, Reporter, NORTH ST. LOUIS COUNTY (KMOV.com) –

A new report draws a close connection between cancer and Coldwater Creek in north St. Louis County.

A two-year health assessment by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry concluded that radioactive waste in the creek could have increased the risk of developing bone, lung, skin or breast cancer as well as leukemia for those who lived nearby or who played in the creek as children.

“Our street was right next to the creek. My parents moved there when I was two and I moved away as an adult,” said Kathryn Fults Ward.

Ward was diagnosed with leukemia in August.

“I had been healthy all my life but then boom, all of a sudden leukemia,” she said.

Ward was one of many who attended Wednesday’s public meeting at St. James United Methodist Church held by the federal agency, known as ATSDR, to explain the results of the study and answer questions.

Radioactive waste from the Manhattan Project was stored north of Lambert-St. Louis International Airport starting in 1946. Some of it was in piles that were uncovered. It’s widely believed that wind and rain carried some of the radioactive waste into nearby Coldwater Creek. Some of that waste was later moved to another location near the creek on Latty Avenue.

Those contaminated sites have been cleaned up and currently, the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers is testing for contamination along the creek and removing soil with elevated levels of radioactivity. The contamination removed during the current efforts has been below the surface and not posing a risk to the public.

“I lost my son, he was born with a brain tumor. It’s a brain tumor that occurs in 60-year-old men,” said Kim Visintine.

Visintine was one of the original members of a group of former north St. Louis County residents concerned about the frequency and types of cancers diagnosed in loved ones and former classmates they grew up with. They worried cancer could have a connection to contamination in the creek.

“So what this health assessment is for us is a validation of everything we’ve been working for since 2011,” said Visintine.

The ATSDR health assessment recommended further testing for dangerous levels of radioactive contamination in homes that flooded, along tributaries of Coldwater Creek and areas where likely contaminated soil was taken from near the creek was used at construction sites.

The agency is also recommending those who lived or played near the creek to talk to their doctor about their potential exposure.

Another public meeting will be held Thursday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at St. James United Methodist Church at 315 Graham Road in Florissant.

You can read the entire report here.

June 29, 2018 Posted by | health, USA | Leave a comment

USA Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo supports to help veterans affected by nuclear radiation 

Bordallo supports bill aimed at veterans affected by nuclear radiation https://www.guampdn.com/story/news/2018/06/28/nuclear-compensation-bill-receives-support-congresswoman/740639002/, Kevin Tano, Pacific Daily News June 28, 2018 

Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo urges the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to pass a bill that compensates those affected by nuclear radiation exposure due to nuclear testing in the western Pacific Ocean in the mid-1900s and later.

The Radiation Exposure Compensation Trust fundcompensates individuals who contracted cancer or other diseases as a result of radiation during nuclear testing  undertaken by the United States during the Cold War.

On Wednesday, Del. Bordallo joined Robert Celestial, testifying before the committee on the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Amendments 2017.

Celestial, founder and president of the nonprofit corporation Pacific Association for Radiation Survivors, which advocates for downwinders exposed to radiation from nuclear weapons testing, spoke about his experience.

“The people of Guam were exposed to nuclear fallout from the Pacific Nuclear Testing in the Marshall Islands from 1946 to 1962 when 66 Nuclear and Hydrogen bombs were detonated,” Celestial said in a testimony in front of the committee.

He added that throughout those years, they were exposed to ionizing radiation, without their knowledge and consent.

Should the senate bill 197 pass, it would allow those who resided in Guam between those times to apply for compensation that would include free medical care up to $150,000 from the remaining funds of the trust fund, according to a press release from the nonprofit corporation.

“I was proud to support my constituent and friend, Robert Celestial, during his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee today,” Bordallo said. “Robert has been a tireless advocate, ensuring downwinders on Guam, from across the Pacific, and our veterans exposed to radiation get the compensation and care they are owed.”

Bordallo, along with Celestial and Vice Speaker Therese Terlaje, urged the committee to pass bills that would amend federal law to:

  • Increase the compensation individuals exposed to radiation from nuclear weapons testing or site cleanup may receive.
  • Expand the eligible affected areas of known radiation exposure to include downwind sites like Guam and nuclear weapons testing cleanup sites in the western Pacific like Enewetak Atoll.
  • Provide specific relief for those affected living on Guam during nuclear weapons testing radiation exposure and veterans ordered to clean up contaminated sites.

“I continuing working with my House and Senate colleagues to see these bills passed into law. Congress must not ignore the victims of nuclear testing in the western Pacific any longer,” Bordallo said. “I will not give up on our Guam downwinders and atomic veterans, until they get the recognition they deserve.”

Veteran’s affected in Enewetak Atoll

Later in the day, Bordallo led meetings with leadership of House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Chairman Phil Roe, R-TN, and vice-ranking member Mark Takano, D-CA, on the Atomic Veterans Healthcare Parity Act, which would fund healthcare expenses for veterans who participated in the cleanup of Enewetak Atoll after nuclear testing during the 1960’s.

June 29, 2018 Posted by | health, politics, weapons and war | Leave a comment

USA’s General Electric and France’s EDF getting together to market to India huge and costly nuclear station

France’s EDF, GE to co-build reactors for huge Indian nuclear plant, Reuters Staff, NEW DELHI (Reuters) 28 June 18- GE and French utility EDF have agreed to team to build six reactors for a nuclear power project in western India, which is due to be the world’s biggest when finished……… The six European Pressurised Water reactors will be for a 9,900 mw nuclear power project at Jaitapur, south of Mumbai in the state of Maharashtra, GE and EDF said in a joint statement released on Tuesday…….

EDF will be responsible for engineering integration of the entire project, while GE Power will design the critical part of the plant and supply its main components, the companies said.

GE will also provide operational support services and a training programme to meet the needs of the state-run Nuclear Power Corp. of India Ltd, the plant’s owner and operator.

Reporting by Nidhi Verma; Editing by Alexander Smith https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-nuclear-ge/frances-edf-ge-to-co-build-reactors-for-huge-indian-nuclear-plant-idUSKBN1JM1J8

June 29, 2018 Posted by | France, India, marketing, USA | Leave a comment

South Carolina: Electric rates may be cut after failed nuclear plants

Electric rates may be cut after failed nuclear plants, TD, By JEFFREY COLLINS Associated Press, 28 June 18

        COLUMBIA — Customers of South Carolina Electric & Gas could see their rates temporarily cut by nearly 15 percent, under a compromise plan passed Wednesday by lawmakers after the company spent billions on two failed nuclear plants that never produced power.

The bill passed with enough margin to overcome a promised veto from Gov. Henry McMaster. It could end up doing a lot more than lowering rates for the average South Carolina Electric & Gas customer by about $22 a month for several months.

It could also scuttle a proposed merger by SCE&G’s parent company SCANA Corp. with Virginia-based Dominion Energy…….https://thetandd.com/news/local/electric-rates-may-be-cut-after-failed-nuclear-plants/article_c1fc38e6-6661-5d53-ba1b-2d650f957716.html

June 29, 2018 Posted by | politics, USA | Leave a comment

Chemical spill at the Sellafield nuclear plant

Whitehaven News 26th June 2018 , Firefighters were called to deal with a chemical spill at the Sellafield
nuclear plant. Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service was called to the spillage,
which involved about 25 litres of nitric acid, at 3.13pm yesterday. The
service sent three crews, who joined two Sellafield fire service engines
already at the scene. Two CFRS and two Sellafield firefighters wearing
gas-tight suits and breathing apparatus applied sodium bicarbonate to
neutralise the acid. They were at the scene for about two hours. A
Sellafield spokesman said the spill did not involve any radioactive
chemicals, the material stayed within a bund designed to contain spillages
and the incident posed no risk or harm to anybody.
http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk/news/firefighters-called-to-Sellafield-4731973a-e10d-480c-8b3f-222c18dfc449-ds

June 29, 2018 Posted by | incidents, UK | Leave a comment

Europe’s first dedicated recycling plant for old solar panels has opened in France.

Climate Action 26th June 2018 Europe’s first dedicated recycling plant for old solar panels has opened
in France. Veolia, an environmental services company, has opened the plant
in the town of Rousset, near Marseille, after securing a contract with
recycling organisation PV Cycle France.

The new deal means that Veolia will
recycle 1,300 tonnes of solar panels in 2018, which will increase to 4,000
tonnes by 2022, according to news agency Reuters. “This is the first
dedicated solar panel recycling plant in Europe, possibly in the world,”
said Gilles Carsuzaa, head of electronics recycling at Veolia.

According to
Veolia, solar capacity has grown by up to 40 percent a year in France,
equivalent to 84,000 tonnes of material in 2017 alone. The plant will now
ensure a single panel’s complex array of silver, silicon, glass, copper,
and plastics, and copper are dissembled and in working order to make new
solar panels. Solar panels have an estimated lifespan of 25 to 30 years,
meaning that many of the first generation built in the 1990s are now being
decommissioned. Veolia’s initial contract will recycle almost all of the
out-of-date solar panels in France this year.
http://www.climateactionprogramme.org/news/solar-panel-recycling-plant-opens-in-france

June 29, 2018 Posted by | France, renewable | Leave a comment

The STOP URENCO Declaration

Radiation Free Lakeland 26th June 2018 , The STOP URENCO Declaration was read out by dedicated folk who would
hesitate to call themselves Protectors. That is what they are though in a
BIG way. They made the journey to Capenhurst in Cheshire to remind us all
that enough is enough of this nuclear crapola spewing out of the North
West.

Uranium (from which all obscenely long lived nuclear nastiness
derives, up to and including plutonium) is poisoning our land, our seas,
our rivers and even our DNA all courtesy of the civil, military nuclear
industrial complex. Many thousands of tonnes of uranium products including
deadly enriched uranium, nuclear fuel and nuclear wastes travel up and down
(and above!) the length and breadth of our country.

These uranium time bombs are ‘unseen’ ‘not on the radar.” They damn well should be on
the radar, our lives and lives of future generations depend on it and
depend on those brave souls who continue to protest this nuclear crapola
decade after cumulatively poisoned decade. Uranium is enriched here at
Capenhurst as it has been for decades. The enriched uranium is then trucked
to Springfields at the end of Preston New Road to make nuclear fuel and
other nuclear materials for sale worldwide. Russia is they say an
“important” market. Capenhurst and Springfields in the North West of
the UK are Fuelling nuclear reactors, nuclear weapons and nuclear accidents
worldwide.
https://mariannewildart.wordpress.com/2018/06/26/enriching-the-future-with-uranium-no-thanks/

June 29, 2018 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

China plans for a nuclear-powered icebreaker – then nuclear powered aircraft carriers?


China Is Planning a Nuclear-Powered Icebreaker, Popular Mechanics, By Kyle Mizokami

The move could be a precursor to a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.  China is preparing to start bidding on a nuclear powered icebreaker, the first nuclear powered surface ship in the country’s history. An icebreaker powered by nuclear energy would give Beijing access to the Arctic and its resources. It would also pave the way toward nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, giving the People’s Liberation Army Navy unprecedented reach……..https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/a21934944/china-is-planning-a-nuclear-powered-icebreaker/

June 29, 2018 Posted by | China, technology | Leave a comment

Trawsfynydd  – a new facility to try to stem the astronomic costs of UK’s “new nuclear”

BBC 27th June 2018 , Trawsfynydd  A £40m facility to support the design of advanced nuclear technologies
will be developed in north Wales by the Welsh and UK governments. It is in
addition to a £200m UK government nuclear sector deal to be launched in
Trawsfynydd, Gwynedd. … The chief
executive of the company behind plans for Wylfa Newydd on Anglesey welcomed
the proposals.

The UK-wide deal funded by public and private money also
includes: Up to £56m for research and development for “advanced modular
reactors” £86m UK government funding for a national fusion technology
platform at Culham, Oxfordshire. £32m for an advanced manufacturing and
construction programme. £30m for a new national supply chain programme.

A commitment from industry to reduce the cost of new nuclear build projects
by 30% by 2030, and the cost of decommissioning old nuclear sites by 20% by
2030. A new review to look at ways to accelerate the clean-up of nuclear
‘legacy’ sites. A commitment to increasing gender diversity in the civil
nuclear workforce with a target of 40% women in nuclear by 2030.

Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark said: “This sector deal marks an important
moment for the government and industry to work collectively to deliver the
modern industrial strategy, drive clean growth and ensure civil nuclear
remains an important part of the UK’s energy future.” Alun Cairns,
secretary of state for Wales, said Trawsfynydd has an “exciting future as
the potential site for the new generation of small reactors”. “Trawsfynydd
is ready to be transformed with little upgrade needed to the grid
infrastructure. “It’s in the right place with the right people and good
links to leading ac ademic research institutions in the nuclear sector,” he
said. Duncan Hawthorne, CEO of Horizon Nuclear Power the company behind the
Wylfa Newydd plans, welcomed the proposals.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-44634580

June 29, 2018 Posted by | politics, Small Modular Nuclear Reactors | Leave a comment

USA Energy Secretary Rick Perry unable to provide details, facts, on coal and nuclear bailout progress

Perry stays vague on DOE’s coal and nuclear bailout progress, https://www.utilitydive.com/news/perry-stays-vague-on-does-coal-and-nuclear-bailout-progress/526502/– Iulia Gheorghiu, June 26, 2018

Dive Brief:

  • Energy Secretary Rick Perry on Monday said he wasn’t ready to share a timetable or details for how he would follow President Donald Trump’s directive to head off nuclear and coal plant closures.

    • Speaking ahead of the week-long World Gas Conference, Perry cited his experience with natural gas, saying he had “sung its praises for a long time,” the Washington Examiner reported.
    • According to a draft memo from the Department of Energy (DOE) that surfaced at the start of June, the Trump administration plans to direct the federal government to purchase electricity or generation capacity from coal and nuclear plants for two years. The DOE’s bailout package for at-risk generators remains unclear.

    Dive Insight:

    “We are looking at all the contingencies and different impacts,” Perry told reporters on Monday.

    Perry’s comments echoed previous statements to the press made by Energy Undersecretary Mark Menezes earlier this month at an Energy Information Administration conference. Menezes said the DOE draft memo was being considered as one of several options.

    Perry highlighted the importance of a bailout plan to keep coal and nuclear power plants open in competitive power markets. The DOE draft memo proposed using Perry’s executive authority under the Federal Power Act’s and the Defense Production Act’s emergency provisions to subsidize select plants.

    Responding to criticisms that federal intervention would disrupt the electricity market and raise prices, Perry said, “The economics is secondary from my perspective. There is the potential to see some really chaotic attacks in this country. That is DOE’s responsibility to make sure that does not happen.”

    Natural gas companies have opposed any market interference for coal and nuclear, joining renewable energy companies. Perry said those concerns won’t stop him from acting, to ensure people have access to electricity.

    Regarding natural gas, the Trump administration has said pipeline infrastructure is vulnerable to physical and cyberattacks, thus increasing the need to ensure baseload generation options.

June 29, 2018 Posted by | politics, USA | Leave a comment

Germany’s successful development towards nuclear fusion

Daily Mail 26th June 2018 , A nuclear fusion experiment in Germany, dubbed the ‘star in a jar’, has
achieved a world record for plasma production, according to its creators.
Researchers were able to keep the device, technically known as Wendelstein
7-X, running for longer and at higher energy, than ever before. Its
performance is the best recorded for a stellarator type reactor and brings
the goal of producing limitless energy a step closer to reality,
researchers say. The new success was thanks to modifications made to the
walls of the reactor, which increase the temperature and efficiency of the
reaction.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5886603/Germanys-star-jar-fusion-reactor-comes-step-closer-producing-LIMITLESS-energy.html

June 29, 2018 Posted by | Germany, technology | Leave a comment

4th Installment of the Springfields Archive: Come Clean About Radioactive Canal Silt “radiation poisoning killed our daughters.” —

This is the Fourth Installment of our series: The Springfields Archive. This was published in the Lancashire Evening Post in 2001. What the Post doesn’t mention is that Joe McMaster was a chemist at the Springfields Nuclear Fuel Manufacturing plant. CANAL BOSSES ARE URGED TO COME CLEAN OVER SILT “Furious protesters have asked bosses of […]

via 4th Installment of the Springfields Archive: Come Clean About Radioactive Canal Silt “radiation poisoning killed our daughters.” —

June 29, 2018 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Western Heat Predicted to Move East — robertscribbler

The extreme heat that is helping to fan severe western wildfires from California to Alaska is predicted to move eastward over the coming days. This shift is expected to set off high temperatures in the 90s and 100s from the Gulf Coast all the way to the Great Lakes and into the Northeast. Heat Index […]

via Western Heat Predicted to Move East — robertscribbler

June 29, 2018 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

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