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Nuclear Fusion breakthrough hits hurdles as five experiments fail

Japan Times, BY DAVID R. BAKER, BLOOMBERG 17 May 23,

The U.S. government lab that made a long-awaited breakthrough in fusion energy late last year has run five similar experiments since then without being able to replicate the results.

The milestone came in December as the the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory near San Francisco reported achieving the first fusion reaction that produced more energy than it took to create — a threshold known as ignition. The achievement opened the possibility of power plants one day running on nuclear fusion, the same energy source as the sun.

Since then, the lab has run five similar experiments, shooting the world’s most powerful laser at small diamond capsules filled with hydrogen, said Lawrence Livermore Director Kim Budil. But so far, ignition hasn’t been achieved again…………….

Speaking at an event at the lab Monday celebrating December’s breakthrough, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said the federal government would spend $45 million over the next four years to create a series of research hubs pursuing the kind of fusion achieved at Lawrence Livermore, known as inertial confinement. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/05/09/business/nuclear-fusion-experiments-fail/

May 19, 2023 Posted by | technology, USA | Leave a comment

Pentagon seeks authority to transfer nuclear submarines (and costs) to Australia

Finally, the Pentagon is also asking Congress for permission to accept Australian payments to bolster the U.S. submarine industrial base. Australia has offered to make an undisclosed sum of investments in the U.S. submarine industrial base as part of AUKUS.

Defense News, By Bryant Harris and Megan Eckstein 17 May 23

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Defense asked Congress to authorize the transfer of nuclear-powered submarines to Australia as part of the trilateral AUKUS agreement with the U.K.

Three legislative proposals, submitted on May 2 and first posted online Tuesday, would greenlight the sale of two Virginia-class submarines to Australia, permit the training of Australian nationals for submarine work and allow Canberra to invest in the U.S. submarine industrial base………………

“Importantly, the proposals spell out a clear path forward to facilitate the transfer of Virginia-class submarines to Australia while ensuring we have the necessary authorities to accept the Australian Government’s investments to enhance our submarine industrial base capacity and provide training for Australian personnel.” – Rep. Joe Courtney of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee’s sea power panel

AUKUS stipulates that Australia will buy at least three and as many as five Virginia-class submarines in the 2030s as part of phase two of the agreement, giving Congress more than a decade to authorize the sale. This year’s proposal, which the Pentagon hopes will become part of the fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, asks that Congress approve just two of those submarines “without a deadline to consummate the transfers and without specifying the specific vessels to be transferred.”

The proposal argues that this “small amount of flexibility is necessary” since the transfers depend on Australian readiness to operate the submarines, which will involve developing Australia’s submarine industrial base through training and appropriate shipyard infrastructure.

To that end, a second legislative proposal would authorize U.S. defense service exports directly to Australia’s private sector in order to train its own submarine workers……..

Finally, the Pentagon is also asking Congress for permission to accept Australian payments to bolster the U.S. submarine industrial base. Australia has offered to make an undisclosed sum of investments in the U.S. submarine industrial base as part of AUKUS.

The Pentagon states in the legislative proposal that those funds would be used to “add a significant number of trade workers” that will help address “the significant overhaul backlog” for the Virginia-class submarine. Australian monies would also be used for “advance purchasing of components and materials that are known to be replacement items for submarine overhauls” and “outsourcing less complex sustainment work to local contractors.”

Congress is also making its own investments to expand the U.S. submarine industrial base as the Navy ultimately aims to build two Virginia-class and one Columbia-class submarines per year. Courtney helped secure $541 million in submarine supplier development and $207 million in workforce development initiatives as part of the FY 23 government funding bill.

Austal USA, the American subsidiary of Australia-based Austal, plans to open a new facility at its shipyard in Mobile, Alabama to begin construction on nuclear submarine modules for General Dynamics’ Electric Boat shipyard in Connecticut, which produces both Virginia and Columbia-class submarines. Austal expects it will need 1,000 new hires in Mobile to staff that facility.

At Electric Boat, the prime contractor for the Virginia- and Columbia-class submarine programs, the hiring need will be even greater. The company currently employs more than 19,000 people, after hiring 3,700 new workers in 2022, according to local newspaper The Day. But the company needs to hire 5,750 new workers this year, to manage attrition and to help grow the workforce to about 22,000 to handle the increased workload.

The legislative proposal notes that Australian funds “would be applied to recruitment, training, incentivizing, and retention of key skilled trades, engineering and planning personnel in both nuclear and non-nuclear disciplines that are required by the additional AUKUS workload.” https://www.defensenews.com/congress/2023/05/17/pentagon-seeks-authority-to-transfer-nuclear-submarines-to-australia/

May 19, 2023 Posted by | politics international, USA | Leave a comment

Sceptical opinions about Vladimir Zelensky.

Admittedly these comments come from a pro Russian site.

The pity is that there is no scepticism about Zelensky in the Western media – who don’t understand that we are not formally at war against Russia.

My own opinion is that Zelensky is a prisoner of his own (ill-informed) charisma. He does not now dare to negotiate with Russia – if he tried, he would be probably be killed very quickly by Ukraine’s right-wing zealouts.

Adonis Cirillo Forgotten Fact :
The Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts Self-Governance Referendums were part of the original Minsk Agreements…

That everybody agreed to…

Including the United Nations!

D_Banner “other EU countries that want to see an end to the fighting “. It’s not that hard to fix. The war will stop the day after they stop paying for it.

TBTB The US has its own special units surrounding Zelensky. He can’t make any move or statement the US does not allow or he will ‘suffer an accident’ to be blamed on Russia, of course. The scripts are ready. But Seymour story has some veracity as the burden of supporting Ukrainian refugees and subsidizing the neo-Nazi regime while facing inflation and economic crisis is too much for many Europeans. Sooner or later, Europe will split into camps, those who will stick with the US hawks and those who dissent. Time is not on the West side. The biggest threat for the cabal is the rapid expansion of the BRICS and dedollarization.

Gamab Sol you can bribe him all you want – he won’t stop this war until all of Ukraine belongs to private American equity firms, and full scale war with Russia is provoked. It would be better to take Ukranian refugees in, than to negotiate with piano comedian

Scorched Earth Zelensky decides totally nothing.
The US decides whether the war stops or not.

Lectrodectus Ukraine Is Now A Country In Ruin, Millions Displaced, Thousands Of Ukrainian Soldiers Killed, All This Could Have Been Avoided If Zelensky Had Of Implemented The 2014 Minsk Treaty… The Aftermath Of This (Avoidable) Conflict Will Condemn Future Generations Of Ukrainians To Decades Of Extreme Financial Hardship As It Will Be They Who Will Be Made To Repay The Billions Upon Billions Zelensky And His Neo-Nazi Regime Have Borrowed To Wage Their Personal War Against Russia. A Bleak Future Awaits All Ukrainians. Merkel And Macron..Were Instrumental In Preventing The 2014 Minsk Agreement From Being Implemented, Both Should Stand Trial In The Hague (ICC) For Aiding And Abetting Zelensky With His War Against Russia.

RNC91 These neighboring countries need to understand that the Clown Zelensky can’t and won’t stop this conflict without the corrupt Big Brother, aka, US telling him to do so. The US wants a war with Russia and if they keep pushing the stick in the bears face, it will happen.

Scorched Earth Zelensky decides totally nothing.
The US decides whether the war stops or not.

Kingdomcome23 I believe Hersh. So this European tour is really just a fake PR stunt? So they can all save face? There are people speculating that half of Washington DC is wanting to wrap this up too. Maybe we are watching a script leading up to a peace negotiation. All the players are probably just making plans to launder as much as they can before it ends. They’d better wrap it up before Putin decides to take the entire country like colonel Macgreggor keeps mentioning. They’ll end up losing their opportunity to launder more money in the rebuild phase.

Darkness This is another good proposal to get Zelensky to start peace talks with Russia. Let him keep what he wants but he also needs to show the world signs that he is ready for peace. If Zelensky is ready for peace we will support him.

SaxonGreene One wonders how much the publicity campaign corporation(s) has been getting paid, more recently. Their attempts at the emotional, manipulative advertising of “trust, unity, assurance and togetherness” fall flat, are not convincing, but obtrusive and off-putting. Their casting of Zelensky as the Supreme Arbiter and Ruler of the West is clearly one that appeals to Zelensky and his plutocratic masters’ egomania.

RichardD And so, the comedian might get his highest ever pay off/ show of his career in a final act as the Hero that stops everyone’s bleeding for this war, all he needs to do is having Biden committed so the US support is stopped and all is over

Kingdomcome23 “Zelensky has been promoting his ten-point peace plan, which calls for Russian forces to withdraw to borders claimed by Ukraine, to pay reparations, and to submit to war-crime tribunals.” 🤣 What is Zelensky smoking, anyway? Is he being told to say this or is he just that stupid?

Jae19821982I cannot believe so many of my countrymen still think this conflict is being driven by Russia. Its not. Its being driven by the US and the WEF (who have 60%+ of US politicians in their pocket).

freddienerk What those countries fear is not the current refugees but when Kiev regime collapses or is liquidated, millions will flee Ukraine in panic. There will be huge traffic jams as people are desperate to leave because the Kiev regime will be bankrupt and no law and order. It will be everyone trying to grab what they can, legally or not. Just like when Saigon and Kabul fell, panic and riots. So they want Zelensky to get out of the way and have someone else negotiate a capitulation and preserve security. Good luck with that! more https://www.rt.com/news/576436-zelensky-poland-us-hersh/

May 19, 2023 Posted by | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

At Hiroshima, Leaders Should Choose to End All Nuclear Threats

In January 2023, Biden and Kishida made a joint statement “We state unequivocally that any use of a nuclear weapon by Russia in Ukraine would be an act of hostility against humanity and unjustifiable in any way.”

The caveat that such a judgment applies only to Russia in Ukraine is stunning.

Facing Russia’s nuclear threats, the U.S. and its allies must not whitewash their own

Scientific American By Zia Mian, Daryl G. Kimball on May 17, 2023

At a meeting of the G7 nations this week in Hiroshima, the first city destroyed by the bomb, President Joe Biden and other leaders have a chance to begin addressing the long-standing problem of states threatening to use nuclear weapons. Russia’s nuclear threats of the past year in support of its invasion of Ukraine have flashed for all to see a core purpose of nuclear arsenals: coercion and intimidation. At this historic gathering, Biden and his counterparts need to act on Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s proposal that the G7 “demonstrate a firm commitment to absolutely reject the threat or use of nuclear weapons.”

To do so, the U.S. and its allies must acknowledge that any and all threats to use nuclear weapons, not just Russia’s, are unacceptable.

It is well known Hiroshima was destroyed without warning on August 6, 1945 by the U.S. Less familiar is that this devastation was followed that day by the first threat to use nuclear weapons. President Harry Truman threatened Japan “If they do not now accept our terms they may expect a rain of ruin from the air, the likes of which has never been seen on this earth.” Another threat came on August 9 when a second atomic bomb had destroyed Nagasaki; Truman announced “We shall continue to use it until we completely destroy Japan’s power to make war. Only a Japanese surrender will stop us.”

All G7 states (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S.) have condemned President Putin’s February, April and September 2022 threats of Russian nuclear weapons use. But like Russia those states themselves have chosen military strategies that depend on threats of nuclear weapon use.

A statement from the G7 nuclear nonproliferation directors group, issued April 17, predictably asserts that, unlike Russia, their nations’ security policies “are based on the understanding that nuclear weapons, for as long as they exist, should serve defensive purposes, deter aggression, and prevent war and coercion.” Just as predictably, Russian officials claim Putin’s comments are simply a deterrent against direct U.S. or NATO military intervention in Ukraine.

Regardless of intent, the underlying nuclear logic is the same, however. It was described by defense intellectual Daniel Ellsberg in a famous 1959 lecture “The Theory and Practice of Blackmail.” Ellsberg observed:

“Nuclear weapons have one preeminent use in politics: to support threats. These threats recommend themselves, almost inescapably, as tools of policy not only to expansionist powers but to status quo nations.”  He expounded: “Call it blackmail, call it deterrence, call both … coercion: the art of influencing the behavior of others by threats. The key here of course is that with nuclear weapons we are dealing with threats of force.”

…………………………………………….. In 2017, backed by NGOs, a group of 122 nations at the U.N. agreed to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Among its binding obligations is “never under any circumstances to … use or threaten to use nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.” There are almost 100 signatories to the treaty so far. No nuclear-armed state has signed.

…………………….. In June 2022, at their first meeting, TPNW states declared that “any use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is a violation of international law, including the Charter of the United Nations,” and condemned “unequivocally any and all nuclear threats, whether they be explicit or implicit and irrespective of the circumstances.” 

The scale of destruction implied by threats to use nuclear weapons is beyond any moral measure.  

In January 2023, Biden and Kishida made a joint statement “We state unequivocally that any use of a nuclear weapon by Russia in Ukraine would be an act of hostility against humanity and unjustifiable in any way.”

The caveat that such a judgment applies only to Russia in Ukraine is stunning.

If we are to avert catastrophe, the nuclear use policies of the United States and the other nuclear-armed states need to acknowledge that any and all threats to use nuclear weapons need to be treated alike. G7 leaders should look to a statement organized by the Physicists Coalition for Nuclear Threat Reduction, endorsed by more than 1,000 scientists, which states that “any threat to use nuclear weapons, at any time and under any circumstances, is extremely dangerous and totally unacceptable.” It goes on to “call on all people and governments everywhere to clearly condemn all nuclear threats, explicit or implicit, and any use of such weapons.”

As a first step, President Biden, along with the other G7 leaders, all of whose countries either have nuclear weapons or rely on U.S. nuclear weapons being used on their behalf, should declare that the U.S. and its allies will act as they demand others do, and will accept being judged by the same standards they apply to others. They must accept, without any self-serving caveat, that any use of a nuclear weapon, by any state, under any circumstances, would be “an act of hostility against humanity and unjustifiable in any way.”

If G7 leaders choose, the Hiroshima summit can mark their turning away from seeking to justify their own nuclear threats as acceptable tools of policy. It is time for a human-centered standard for judging nuclear threats, one that holds regardless of those making the threats, their targets or the political goal.  https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/at-hiroshima-leaders-should-choose-to-end-all-nuclear-threats/

May 19, 2023 Posted by | 2 WORLD, politics international, weapons and war | Leave a comment

France to speed up nuclear power deployment

By Davide Basso | EURACTIV.fr 17 May 23

A bill to speed up the construction of new nuclear reactors was approved by the French parliament on Tuesday (16 May), with the government hailing it as an environmental step forward.

Lawmakers on Tuesday validated the bill to accelerate the construction of new nuclear reactors. The compromise text struck between the National Assembly and the Senate was voted by 339 votes to 399.

MPs from the majority (Renaissance, Horizons, Modem), the independents (LIOT), the right (Les Républicains) and the extreme right (Rassemblement national) voted in favour of the text, in addition to a dozen communist MPs.

Among the opponents, the Greens, the radical left (La France insoumise) and a handful of Communists voted “against” while the Socialists abstained.

Once it comes into force, the new law will speed up the construction of new nuclear reactors by simplifying the required administrative procedures and planning documents. The Energy Transition Ministry expects future construction times to be reduced by at least two years.

In addition, a 50% cap on nuclear power’s share of France’s electricity mix was removed. The text also provides for tightening the penalties for those who illegally enter a nuclear power plant, now set at a maximum of two years imprisonment.

….. Environmental NGOs denounced “a law that is disconnected from ecological and climatic imperatives”. Greenpeace, in particular, questioned “the slowness of the construction of nuclear reactors”, as well as “the safety” and “the conflicts of water use” that are to be expected……………….  https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/france-to-speed-up-nuclear-power-deployment/

May 19, 2023 Posted by | France, politics | Leave a comment

How the West, and Zelensky, derailed the Minsk Agreements between Ukraine and Russia

Adonis Cirillo, commenting on Rt.com, 17 May 23

Everyone knows, or should know, that the ‘Western’ sponsored Maiden Revolution (coup d’état) KILLED Ukraine, and more than 14,000 of its own citizens since 18 Feb, 2014.

If you are undecided or uneducated to the events leading up to the West’s coup d’état, you may download & watch “UKRAINE ON FIRE” 2016 Oliver Stone documentary. (ED. note – Youtube has banned viewers from downloading this film, – but not pro-Ukrainian videos )

(you will see US Deputy Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland (the Maidan ‘midwife’), US Democrat & Republican Congressmen (e.g., Lindsey Graham), US Advisors (e.g., John Bolton), and NGO’s inside Ukraine before, during, and after the coup d’état)

If you continue to unwind history, you will discover that Ukraine of today is inextricably linked to the Bush/Gorbachev Agreements of 1989-90 and the subsequent Western Violations thereof (e.g., The continued expansion of US & NATO forces in Europe).

NOTE : Ex-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said the Minsk Agreements “meant nothing” and claimed credit for giving Kiev enough time to militarize. – RT 17 June, 2022 | Ex-German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the Minsk accords were signed in order to “give Ukraine time” to make the country stronger – Zeit Newspaper 7 Dec, 2022 | Ex-French President François Hollande agreed with Merkel, saying that her comment was “right on this point.” … “It is the merit of the Minsk agreements to have given the Ukrainian army this opportunity,” – RT 30 Dec, 2022 | Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky took credit for derailing Minsk Agreements – RT 9 Feb, 2023  https://www.rt.com/news/576436-zelensky-poland-us-hersh/

May 19, 2023 Posted by | politics international, Ukraine | Leave a comment

Ukraine’s neighbors ready to pay off Zelensky to stop conflict – Seymour Hersh

 https://www.rt.com/news/576436-zelensky-poland-us-hersh/ 17 May 23

EU nations have privately urged the president of the war-torn country to end the fighting, a US official told the veteran journalist.

Poland is leading a group of European nations that are secretly urging Vladimir Zelensky to find a way to settle the conflict with Russia, veteran journalist Seymour Hersh has reported, citing a “knowledgeable” American official.

According to US intelligence, other EU countries that want to see an end to the fighting include Hungary, Germany, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, Hersh wrote in an article published on his Substack page on Wednesday.

“Hungary is a big player in this and so are Poland and Germany, and they are working to get Zelensky to come around,” the unnamed official claimed. Those countries have made it clear that “Zelensky can keep what he’s got if he works up a peace deal even if he’s got to be paid off, if it’s the only way to get a deal.”

By “keep what he’s got,” the source was referring to the Ukrainian president’s villa in Italy and interests in an offshore bank, Hersh clarified.

However, Zelensky has so far rejected the proposal, while other major European players – France and the UK – “are too beholden” to the Biden administration, which is continuing to back the Ukrainian leader, the official said.

One of the main reasons why Poland and the others want the conflict to end is because the burden of accommodating Ukrainian refugees has become too much for them, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist wrote.

The problem for those countries “is how to get the US to stop supporting Zelensky,” Hersh’s source suggested.

He claimed that US intelligence is well aware that “Ukraine is running out of money and… that the next four or months are critical. And Eastern Europeans are talking about a deal.”

However, he added that “it’s not clear to the intelligence community what the president and his foreign policy aides in the White House know of the reality.”

The US is “still training Ukrainians how to fly our F-16s that will be shot down by Russia as soon as they get into the war zone. The mainstream press is dedicated to Biden and the war, and Biden is still talking about the Great Satan in Moscow while the Russian economy is doing great,” the official explained.

Russia has repeatedly stated that it’s ready to resolve the conflict at the negotiating table. However, it did not receive any proposals from Ukraine and its Western backers that it could consider reasonable.

Zelensky has been promoting his ten-point peace plan, which calls for Russian forces to withdraw to borders claimed by Ukraine, to pay reparations, and to submit to war-crime tribunals.

Moscow has rejected the plan as “unacceptable,” saying it ignores the reality on the ground and is actually a sign of Kiev’s unwillingness to solve the crisis through diplomatic means.

May 19, 2023 Posted by | politics international, Ukraine | Leave a comment

Anti-nuclear activists protest Japanese government plans to release radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean

DOZENS of anti-nuclear activists protested today to demand Japan scrap its plan to release radioactive water from a tsunami-damaged nuclear power plant into the sea, which may begin this summer.

”Don’t dump contaminated water into sea,” protesters chanted outside the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holding’s (Tepco) headquarters in Tokyo, holding banners with their demands such as “Don’t nuke the Pacific,” and “Stop contaminated water.”………………………………………………………………..

Several activists from South Korea joined Tuesday’s rally.

“The Pacific Ocean does not belong to Japan. It belongs to all living things in the ocean and everyone who depends on it for their livelihoods,” said Kyoungsook Choi, a Korea Radiation Watch co-ordinator.

“We are here today to send the message that Japan does not have the right to dump the radioactive water…………………. more https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/anti-nuclear-activists-protest-japanese-government-plans-release-radioactive-water

May 19, 2023 Posted by | Japan, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

Drink Fukushima water if it’s clean, South Korea tells Japanese officials

 South Korea’s opposition leader has challenged Japanese officials to
drink treated radioactive water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power
plant amid concerns over Tokyo’s plan to release the water into the sea.
Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, implored
Japanese officials to make good on their claims that the radioactive water
is filtered and safe to be released into the sea. There are fierce protests
from local fishing communities as well as neighbouring countries such as
South Korea, China, and the Pacific Island nations following concerns over
the consequences of releasing the water.

 Independent 16th May 2023

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/asia/japan/fukushima-nuclear-plant-radioactive-water-release-b2339728.html

May 19, 2023 Posted by | politics international, South Korea | Leave a comment

Nuclear Safety Authority identified faults in Olkiluoto nuclear power plant

The Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) informed on its own
website on 14 April under the section Surveillance News that Teollisuuden
Voima, TVO, had detected and subsequently repaired defects and deficiencies in the
seals of the connectors of third unit (OL3) of the Olkiluoto nuclear power
plant.

The seals are required in the event of an accident. Should the seals
be missing, the measurements required for containing the accident could be
affected, compromising the safety functions of the plant.

As the incidentwas accompanied by inadequate guidance and the defect was detected in
several locations, TVO concluded that the incident falls under category one
on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES). According
to the INES, the incident was classified as an Anomaly. The absence of a
single seal as such is not a safety issue, but the recurrence of the error
increased the significance of the incident on the assessment scale. TVO
submitted its own assessment to STUK in connection with the incident report
in April, and STUK made a decision based on its own assessment, in which it
concurs with TVO’s INES assessment.

 STUK 15th May 2023

https://www.stuk.fi/web/en/-/tvo-identified-faults-in-ol3-connectors

May 19, 2023 Posted by | Finland, safety | Leave a comment

Finnish nuclear plant throttles production as electricity price plunges

Electricity production must also be profitable for nuclear power plants, according to the facility’s operator Teollisuuden Voima (TVO).

The output of Finland’s newest nuclear power facility, Olkiluoto 3, has been
significantly cut back because electricity has become too cheap, according
to the plant’s owner, Teollisuuden Voima (TVO).

“Electricity productionmust also be profitable for nuclear power plants, and when the price is
particularly low, there may be situations where output is limited,” TVO
communications manager, Johanna Aho, said. Early on Wednesday the market
price for electricity dropped below zero cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) and
for hours after that the price was only 0.3 cents per kWh at its highest,
according to the country’s grid operator, Fingrid.

 YLE 17th May 2023

https://yle.fi/a/74-20032375?s=09

May 19, 2023 Posted by | business and costs, Finland | Leave a comment