Small Modular Reactors not commercially viable, but nuclear companies want the government handouts
Are Thousands of New Nuclear Generators in Canada’s Future? https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2018/11/07/Nuclear-Generators-Canada-Future/Ottawa is pushing a new smaller, modular nuclear plant that could only pay off if mass produced. By M.V. RamanaM. V. Ramana is the Simons Chair in Disarmament, Global and Human Security at the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs at UBC, and the author of The Power of Promise: Examining Nuclear Energy in India, Penguin Books, New Delhi (2012)
Canada’s government is about to embrace a new generation of small nuclear reactors that do not make economic sense.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman launches nuclear project in Saudi Arabia
Bin Salman launches Saudi Arabia’s first nuclear plant project, Aljazeera, 6 Nov 18
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman launches project to build the first nuclear research reactor in the kingdom. Saudi Arabia‘s crown prince has launched a project to build the first nuclear research reactor in the kingdom, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS, launched seven strategic projects in renewable energy, atomic energy, water desalination, genetic medicine and the aircraft industry during his visit to King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology on Monday.
The two most significant projects include a nuclear research reactor and a centre for the development of aircraft structures.
In March, MBS announced his country’s readiness to develop nuclear weapons in the event that Iran heads in that direction………
Nuclear power
Last year, the International Atomic Energy Agency said the Saudi government had invited proposals for the construction of two nuclear power reactors to boost the country’s energy mix.
The kingdom is considering building 17.6 gigawatts (GW) of nuclear capacity by 2032, the equivalent of about 17 reactors, making it one of the biggest projects globally…….https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/11/bin-salman-launches-saudi-arabia-nuclear-plant-project-181105192827938.html
Frazer Nash nuclear helps nuclear lobby to infiltrate academia
C2I 2018: South-West Nuclear Hub delivers access to nuclear skills
Category: Academic Innovator Supported by a £2.5m Catalyst Fund grant from HEFCE and £5m from the University of Bristol, the hub takes advantage of its proximity to a number of nuclear operations. These include the Magnox power station at Oldbury in Gloucestershire, decommissioning reactors at Berkeley, also Gloucestershire, Hinkley Point A in Somerset and Winfrith in Dorset, and the growing construction site for the new EPR reactor at Hinkley Point. Further afield but still within reach are another decommissioning power station at Trawsfynydd in Snowdonia and Wylfa on Anglesey. It also counts the nuclear fusion research centre at Culham in Oxfordshire, the Harwell research Centre and the nuclear submarine dismantling programme at Devonport as within its catchment area. Bristol and Oxford universities are already linked by a joint nuclear research centre (NRC) and the hub leverages this collaboration. …….Each research theme has a senior academic lead coordinating activity and identifying potential connections with other universities, including Oxford and the nearby University of the West of England……. The Nucleate centre is to be another collaboration, with partnerships between the University of Bristol, National laboratory and EDF Energy ……. Public engagement is also a key focus of the hub. It coordinates both national and regional outreach activities, which include a nuclear seminar series of public lectures. The hub acts as an independent gateway for promoting public understanding of nuclear energy, framing it within the context of climate change mitigation…….. The Headline sponsor for C2I2018 is Frazer-Nash Consultancy https://www.theengineer.co.uk/academic-innovator-south-west-nuclear-hub/
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Local opposition to restart of Tokai nuclear station, but it is cleared to start by Japan’s nuclear watchdog
Aging Tokai nuclear plant outside Tokyo cleared to restart, THE ASAHI SHIMBUN, November 7, 2018 The nation’s nuclear watchdog on Nov. 7 formally approved a 20-year extension of the only nuclear reactor in the Tokyo metropolitan area, although local communities will have the final say on the restart.Operator Japan Atomic Power Co. will need the consent of the Ibaraki prefectural government, as well as six local municipalities, including the village of Tokai, where its aging Tokai No. 2 nuclear plant is located.
The company faced having to prepare to decommission the plant’s 40-year-old reactor if it failed to meet a Nov. 27 deadline on revised and more stringent safety standards implemented by the Nuclear Regulation Authority in the aftermath of the 2011 nuclear disaster in Fukushima Prefecture. After the triple meltdown at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, the operational life of nuclear reactors was set at up to 40 years in principle. But power companies can continue to operate their facilities for an additional 20 years if their reactors pass the NRA screening. So far, all requests to the NRA to extend the operating life of old reactors have been approved. The reactor at the Tokai No. 2 plant is the fourth to clear the NRA for extended operations since the Fukushima disaster. It is located about 120 kilometers from the heart of Tokyo. The 1.1-gigawatt boiling water reactor is the only unit at the Tokai No. 2 plant and is of the same design as the crippled reactors at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant. The Tokai No. 2 plant was also affected by the tsunami generated by the magnitude-9.0 Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011. It is the first time for a reactor affected by the tsunami to be approved for an operational extension. It is also the first boiling water reactor to gain such approval. The NRA examined the reactor’s pressure vessel and other equipment, and concluded that the unit could operate safely until November 2038. But it remains unclear if Japan Atomic Power can restart the plant under its earliest time frame of 2021, due to local opposition. In October, Mayor Toru Umino of Naka, one of the six municipalities around the plant, announced his opposition to the extension. The city assembly of Mito, another municipality, adopted a resolution against the extension in June. About 960,000 people live within a 30-km radius of the plant, making it the most densely populated site among the nation’s nuclear facilities. After the Fukushima disaster, municipalities in close proximity to a nuclear plant were required to craft an evacuation plan to respond to a nuclear emergency. But only three of the 14 municipalities around the Tokai No. 2 nuclear plant within that range have done so due to the difficulty of arranging transportation for such a large number of people. Bringing the reactor back online is expected to cost Japan Atomic Power at least 174 billion yen ($1.54 billion), a sum that includes construction of a seawall and other safeguard measures. The company hopes to have those measures in place by the end of March 2021. It may well also have to spend tens of billions of yen in the future to meet a new requirement that nuclear facilities are able to contain damage from a terrorist attack. TIMELINE OF KEY EVENTS …….http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201811070061.html |
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U.S. sailors in nuclear reactor part of USS Ronald Reagan allegedly used drug LSD
US Navy investigates sailors working in nuclear department of USS Ronald Reagan for taking LSD, Telegraph 7 NOVEMBER 2018 The US Navy has confirmed it is investigating 15 sailors working mainly in the nuclear reactor department of the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan for allegations of LSD abuse.Lt. Joe Keiley, spokesman for the Seventh Fleet, based in Japan, said that two sailors are already heading to court-martial accused of using, possessing and distributing the hallucinogenic drug, while three are waiting to see whether they will be charged as well.
Another 10 sailors were administratively disciplined. Of the 15, 14 worked in the nuclear department. News of the LSD ring was first reported by The Wall Street Journal in February, but Lt Keiley confirmed that the initial investigation had resulted in charges. When the allegations were first reported, the Seventh Fleet – beset by a series of problems – issued a statement saying that “the Navy has zero tolerance for drug abuse and takes all allegations involving misconduct of our sailors, Navy civilians and family members very seriously.”…….. The Seventh Fleet has been plagued by problems over the past year. In 2017, two ships – the USS John S. McCain and the USS Fitzgerald – were involved in separate collisions with commercial vessels, killing 17 sailors. In August 2017 Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin, commander of all US naval forces in the eastern Pacific, was fired as the result of a “loss of confidence in his ability to command,” the Navy said.https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/11/07/us-navy-investigates-sailors-working-nuclear-department-uss/ |
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Plan for UK’s Moorside nuclear station could be scrapped any day now

It is reported that Toshiba’s board is set to meet in Tokyo on Thursday to determine if they will continue attempts to sell the NuGen Moorside project or wrap it up.
Japanese developer Toshiba is desperately trying to sell the project, after their nuclear division Westinghouse, who formed part of the NuGen joint venture tasked with the project, collapsed in March 2017.
A preferred buyer was found in South Korea’s state-owned Korean Electric Power Corporation (Kepco), but Toshiba has yet to make a breakthrough.
Talks with Kepco stalled at an advanced stage after the UK government announced it was considering how funding for new nuclear power plants should be structured.
“Two people with direct knowledge” have told Reuters that “Toshiba is eager to shut off potential risks associated with NuGen soon.”
Toshiba has also reportedly opened up talks with Canada’s Brookfield Asset Management to broker a deal for its Cumbrian nuclear plant NuGen.
A Toshiba spokesperson said that all options were being considered, but could not confirm if Toshiba is considering scrapping NuGen if a buyer is not found.
“Toshiba continues to consider additional options including sale of its shares in NuGen to Kepco, and we are carefully monitoring the situation, in consultation with stakeholders including the UK government. We cannot comment on details,” the spokesperson said.
Following the bankruptcy of Westinghouse, in September over two thirds of the workforce were let go in September.
A spokesman for NuGen said at the time: “NuGen staff were informed that owing to the protracted period of time it has taken to secure a way forward for the Moorside project, there would be a phased reduction in the headcount within the NuGen organisation.
“This consultation served to identify the posts that will be required to finalise and complete a transaction for the sale of NuGen and as a result, the team of over 100 will reduce to fewer than 40.
“NuGen’s retained core team will be focused on securing a sale of the NuGen business and supporting Toshiba’s activities.”
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