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New delay for Hinkley Point C nuclear power – could start operating in 2036.

Hinkley C ‘on schedule’ despite new delay claim after new agreement.
SUGGESTIONS that completion of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station
could be delayed by 11 years have been dismissed by the company which is
building it. A number of delays have already hit Europe’s largest
construction site and currently Hinkley is not set to start generating
electricity until June, 2027, two years behind its original schedule. Now,
French company EDF has struck a new deal with the Government which would
allow it to start operating as late as 2036.

 West Somerset Free Press 8th Jan 2023

https://www.wsfp.co.uk/news/hinkley-c-on-schedule-despite-new-delay-claim-after-new-agreement-586884

January 15, 2023 Posted by | politics, UK | Leave a comment

Fukushima nuclear disaster: Japan to release radioactive water into sea this year

By Grace Tsoi BBC News 13 Jan 23,

Japan says it will release more than a million tonnes of water into the sea from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant this year.

After treatment the levels of most radioactive particles meet the national standard, the operator said.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says the proposal is safe, but neighbouring countries have voiced concern.

The 2011 Fukushima disaster was the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl.

Decommissioning has already started but could take four decades.

“We expect the timing of the release would be sometime during this spring or summer,” said chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno on Friday, adding that the government will wait for a “comprehensive report” from IAEA before the release.

Every day, the plant produces 100 cubic metres of contaminated water, which is a mixture of groundwater, seawater and water used to keep the reactors cool. It is then filtered and stored in tanks.

With more than 1.3 million cubic metres on site, space is running out.

The water is filtered for most radioactive isotopes, but the level of tritium is above the national standard, operator Tepco said. Experts say tritium is very difficult to remove from water and is only harmful to humans in large doses.

However, neighbouring countries and local fishermen oppose the proposal, which was approved by the Japanese government in 2021.

The Pacific Islands Forum has criticised Japan for the lack of transparency.

“Pacific peoples are coastal peoples, and the ocean continues to be an integral part of their subsistence living,” Forum Secretary General Henry Puna told news website Stuff.

“Japan is breaking the commitment that their leaders have arrived at when we held our high level summit in 2021.

“It was agreed that we would have access to all independent scientific and verifiable scientific evidence before this discharge takes place. Unfortunately, Japan has not been co-operating.”……. more https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64259043

January 15, 2023 Posted by | Fukushima continuing | Leave a comment

January 15 Energy News — geoharvey

Opinion: ¶ “Electrifying Everything Is A Critical Pathway To Decarbonize The World And Our Lives” • A number of organizations, such as the World Bank, have developed “pathways” or “pillars” for reaching net zero emissions globally by 2050. The core strategies are remarkably consistent, and one critically important pathway is electrifying everything. [CleanTechnica] Transmission lines […]

January 15 Energy News — geoharvey

January 15, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Team Korea to bolster exports of nuclear energy systems

Korea Times, By Lee Kyung-min, 13 Jan 23,

State-run energy companies and private firms in the nuclear energy industry will join hands to advance exports of the stable and affordable power generation systems, the energy ministry said following a meeting attended by officials from the sector, Friday.


The Korea-developed APR1400, a nuclear reactor with a capacity of 1,400 megawatts, is increasingly recognized by its industry peers for its cost, quality and technological advantages.

Communication channels will be strengthened with the Czech Republic, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, and Turkey, to win orders to build nuclear reactors there. Also fortified will be government assistance to foster industries related to nuclear power generation equipment manufacturing, as well as facility safety and maintenance.

Second Vice Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Park Il-jun presided over the meeting attended by members of Team Korea, a task force established to facilitate the export of the country’s nuclear reactors, at InterContinental Seoul COEX, southern Seoul.


In attendance were Korea Power Corp. (KEPCO) and its power subsidiary Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) as well as KEPCO affiliates…………….. https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/tech/2023/01/419_343553.html

January 15, 2023 Posted by | marketing, South Korea | Leave a comment

Asia’s arms race risks spinning out of control

CNN, January 15, 2023

Seoul, South KoreaCNN — 

It’s an arms race bigger than anything Asia has ever seen – three major nuclear powers and one fast-developing one, the world’s three biggest economies and decades-old alliances all vying for an edge in some of the world’s most contested land and sea areas.

In one corner are the United States and its allies Japan and South Korea. In another corner, China and its partner Russia. And in a third, North Korea.

With each wanting to be one step ahead of the others, all are caught in a vicious circle that is spinning out of control. After all, one man’s deterrence is another man’s escalation…………….

The visit of Japanese leaders to Washington over the past week only served to highlight the point. On Friday, fresh from a meeting with US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expressed his concern over China’s military activities in the East China Sea and the launch of ballistic missiles over Taiwan that landed in waters near Japan in August………………….

according to North Korea and China, it is Japan who is the aggressor. They have seen Tokyo pledge recently to double its defense spending while acquiring weapons capable of hitting targets inside Chinese and North Korean territory. And their alleged concerns will only have grown with the announcement just days ago of plans for new US Marine deployments on Japan’s southern islands, including new mobile anti-ship missiles meant to thwart any first strike from Beijing.

To the US and Japan, such moves are about deterrence; to Beijing, they are escalation.

January 15, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

IAEA plans “continuous presence” at all Ukraine nuclear power plants “to help prevent a nuclear accident” amid Russia’s war

BY PAMELA FALK, JANUARY 13, 2023

United Nations – The head of the United Nations atomic energy agency, the IAEA, is scheduled to visit Ukraine next week as a follow-up to his commitment last month to enlarge the watchdog agency’s oversight of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants, which have been shelled during Russia’s nearly 11-month war on the country.

The planned trip, confirmed by the IAEA on Friday, follows discussions by Director General Rafael Grossi, who with Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal “agreed that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will establish a continuous presence of nuclear safety and security experts at all of the country’s nuclear power plants as part of stepped-up efforts to help prevent a nuclear accident during the current armed conflict.”……………………………….

Last week, the IAEA said it “continues to prepare to deploy soon IAEA teams on a continual basis to the four other Ukrainian nuclear facilities, the Khmelnitsky, Rivne and South Ukraine NPPs [nuclear power plants], as well as the Chornobyl site, as agreed in Paris in December by Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and IAEA Director General Grossi.”

…………………………….. Grossi was “continuing consultations with Ukraine and Russia aimed at agreeing and implementing a nuclear safety and security protection zone around the ZNPP as soon as possible.”

Embedding a team permanently at the Zaporizhzhia plant may be the most difficult part of the IAEA’s plan to implement. Russian forces have occupied the sprawling facility since March, and Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the plant within Russian territory in October…………………… more https://www.cbsnews.com/news/iaea-ukraine-power-plants-continuous-presence-help-prevent-nuclear-accident-russia-war/

January 15, 2023 Posted by | safety, Ukraine | Leave a comment

How close are we to developing commercial nuclear fusion reactors?

Forbes, 15 Jan 23,

“……………………………………………Here is an analogy I have used to put it in context. There were many milestones on the way to commercial airline travel. The Wright Brothers flew the first successful powered flight in history in December 1903. It would be another 16 years before the first transatlantic flight. But, the first widely successful commercial airliner, the Boeing 707 wouldn’t be introduced until 1958.

The long-running joke has always been that commercial nuclear fusion is 30 years away. In reality, that simply means we still can’t quite see the complete pathway to get there. The recent breakthrough is certainly a milestone on the path to commercial nuclear fusion. But we may still be 30 years away from seeing commercial realization of nuclear fusion. https://www.forbes.com/sites/rrapier/2023/01/15/the-nuclear-fusion-breakthrough-in-context/?sh=c9b59133a072

January 15, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

California PUC launches rulemaking to consider extension of Diablo Canyon nuclear plant


Kavya Balaraman, Jan. 13, 2023

Dive Brief:

  • California regulators on Thursday voted to open a rulemaking to consider extending the operations of the 2.2-GW Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, the last operational nuclear facility in the state.
  • The rulemaking stems from legislation approved last September, which among other things required the California Public Utilities Commission to issue a decision by the end of this year establishing new retirement dates for the two units of the nuclear plant.
  • The Diablo Canyon nuclear plant, which is owned and operated by Pacific Gas & Electric, is currently licensed to operate until 2024 and 2025 for each of its two units respectively. In 2018, state regulators approved a plan to retire the facility once these licenses expire.

Dive Insight:………………………..

Under SB 846, Diablo Canyon Unit 1 could be kept running through Oct. 31, 2029, and Unit 2 until Oct. 31, 2030.

In November, PG&E applied to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to keep the plant running until 2030. 

Under the umbrella of its new rulemaking, the CPUC could either authorize extending operations at the plant through 2029 and 2030, or establish earlier retirement dates.

…………………………. California stakeholders remain split on the state’s reversal on the future of the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant.

“The rush to keep Diablo Canyon running beyond 2025 is not only dangerous, but will set back California’s drive to make solar and wind the prevailing sources of electricity in the state,” Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group, said in an emailed statement. ………………….  https://www.utilitydive.com/news/california-puc-diablo-canyon-nuclear-extension/640351/

January 15, 2023 Posted by | politics, USA | 1 Comment

Exposed — Beyond Nuclear International

New book investigates the toxic legacy of Hanford

Exposed — Beyond Nuclear International

January 15, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Republican Rep Joe Wilson of South Carolina wants the US capitol to have a bust of Ukrainian president Vladimir Zelensky on permanent display.

Chris Menahan
InformationLiberation
Jan. 12, 2023

Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina filed a resolution earlier this week directing the Fine Arts Board of the U.S. House of Representatives to obtain a bust of Mr. Zelenskyy for display.

The board has authority over all works of art and historical objects displayed on the House wing of the U.S. Capitol and the associated office buildings.

 A staunch conservative, who came under fire for shouting “you lie” at former President Obama during a 2009 address to Congress, Mr. Wilson has emerged as a strong supporter of Ukraine.

In December, he told the Charleston Post and Courier that Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression reminded him of the American Revolution.

Here’s the full text of his resolution:………..

Truly embarrassing.

If Congress insists that a bust of Zelensky go in the Capitol, it should be placed in a bathroom.  https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=63546

January 15, 2023 Posted by | politics international, USA | Leave a comment

The renewable energy transition is creating a green jobs boom

12.7 million people now work in the global renewable energy sector, according to the
International Renewable Energy Agency. It says the biggest growth has been
in the solar photovoltaic (PV) sector, especially in Asia, which employs
79% of the global total. Wind and hydropower, as well as liquid biofuels
make up most of the rest of the growth in renewable energy jobs. China
dominates employment in most renewable energy sectors, however Brazil has
the most biofuel jobs.

World Economic Forum 13th Jan 2023

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/01/renewable-energy-transition-green-jobs/

January 15, 2023 Posted by | 2 WORLD, renewable | Leave a comment

German tank deliveries for Ukraine hinge on US – Politico

Berlin has been reluctant to supply Kiev with Leopard 2 panzers without allied support

Rt.com 12 Jan 23

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will follow US President Joe Biden’s lead on whether to support Kiev with Leopard 2 main battle tanks to help in its fight against Russia, Politico reported on Wednesday, citing anonymous sources.

The UK announced that it would provide Ukraine with main battle tanks, and Poland said it would transfer a company of Leopard 2 panzers to Kiev “as part of coalition building.” Berlin, however, has yet to greenlight Poland’s re-export of the hardware.

According to two unnamed German officials, Scholz’s position on the matter “depended heavily” on Biden. In a joint statement last week, both leaders announced that Washington would donate Bradley infantry fighting vehicles to Kiev, and Berlin would send a batch of Marder IVFs and a Patriot air defense system.

…………………………. Russia has repeatedly warned Western countries against sending arms to Ukraine, arguing that it will only prolong the hostilities. On Tuesday, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov accused NATO and the US of “definitely taking part in this conflict, although indirectly, by proxy,” as they continue to send weapons. https://www.rt.com/news/569727-germany-tanks-ukraine-biden-say

January 15, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Ozone layer closing

How the world fixed the ozone layer. The hole over the pole will be closed
by 2066.

Times 15th Jan 2023

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/how-the-world-fixed-the-ozone-layer-msnrmvpgx

 Human action to save the ozone layer has worked as hoped, and it may
recover in just decades, the UN says. An international agreement in 1987 to
stop using the harmful chemicals that were damaging the layer has been
successful, the major assessment says.

The ozone layer is a thin part of
the Earth’s atmosphere that absorbs most of the ultraviolet radiation from
the Sun. When it is depleted, this radiation can reach the surface –
causing potential harm to humans and other living things. Ultraviolet rays
can damage DNA and cause sunburn, increasing the long-term risk of problems
such as skin cancer.

The ozone layer began depleting in the 1970s.
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which were commonly found in spray cans,
fridges, foam insulation and air conditioners, were blamed for eating away
at the ozone layer.

 BBC 9th Jan 2023

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-64215660

 Guardian 9th Jan 2023

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/09/ozone-layer-healed-within-decades-un-report

 Independent 9th Jan 2023

https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/ozone-layer-recovery-earth-atmosphere-b2258821.html

January 15, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Fukushima water to be released into ocean in next few months, says Japan

Guardian, Justin McCurry in Tokyo, 13 Jan 23,Authorities to begin release of a million tonnes of water from stricken nuclear plant after treatment to remove most radioactive material

The controversial release of more than a million tonnes of water from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant will begin in the northern spring or summer, Japan’s government has said – a move that has sparked anger among local fishing communities and countries in the region.

The decision comes more than two years after the government approved the release of the water, which will be treated to remove most radioactive materials but will still contain tritium, a naturally occurring radioactive form of hydrogen that is technically difficult to separate from water.

Japanese officials insist the “treated” water will not pose a threat to human health or the marine environment, but the plans face opposition from fishermen who say it risks destroying their livelihoods, almost 12 years after a magnitude-9.0 earthquake triggered a huge tsunami that killed more than 18,000 people along Japan’s north-east coast…………………………………….

South Korea and China have voiced concern about the discharge, while the Pacific Islands Forum said recently it had “grave concerns” about the proposed release.

Writing in the Guardian, the forum’s secretary general, Henry Puna, said Japan “should hold off on any such release until we are certain about the implications of this proposal on the environment and on human health, especially recognising that the majority of our Pacific peoples are coastal peoples, and that the ocean continues to be an integral part of their subsistence living”.

The South Korean government, which has yet to lift its ban on Fukushima seafood, has said that releasing the water would pose a “grave threat” to marine life. Fishing unions in the area oppose the release, warning it would cause alarm among consumers and derail more than a decade of efforts to reassure the public that Fukushima seafood is safe to eat…………… more https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/13/fukushima-water-to-be-released-into-ocean-in-next-few-months-says-japan

January 15, 2023 Posted by | Fukushima continuing | Leave a comment

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