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The News That Matters about the Nuclear Industry Fukushima Chernobyl Mayak Three Mile Island Atomic Testing Radiation Isotope

This week’s nuclear news, but climate is a bigger story

Some bits of good news:  Positive tipping points could save the climate – this man is showing us how.   Deforestation rates plummeted in Brazil.

Last week it was a “watershed week”.   And it seems that this one is also, – though for a largely different reason.  The Ukraine-NATO thing is a mess.  The Western media continues to religiously recite the story of Ukraine’s successful “counter-offensive”. But there’s whisper of dissension in NATO, and even some whispered criticism of  Volodymyr Zelensky .

 But really –  the big watershed thing is global heating. At last, the media seems to be abandoning the pretense that global heating effects happen to hit one country, then another –  sort of separately. It is becoming obvious that global heating is a global event  –  at least now enveloping the Northern part of the globe. (We in the cooler South are still comfortably preoccupied with sport, as the major event)

Climate. Temperatures above average almost every day this year. UK to see biggest increase in ‘uncomfortably hot’ days in the world as climate change bites. More than 113 million Americans under extreme heat alerts as relentless temperatures continue. The US says it will not “under any circumstances” pay reparations to developing countries hit by climate change-fuelled disasters. Greenpeace: Asset managers are ‘ignoring’ climate impact of bitcoin.

Christina notes. “As long as it takes” – WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?   Zelensky mania! – But are cracks appearing in NATO?Nuclear power is SO IRRELEVANT – to climate! It’s almost funny, -but it’s NOT funny.

TOP STORIES

Julian Assange Is “Dangerously Close” to Extradition for Revealing US War Crimes.

Climate Change Threatens U.S. Nuclear Strike Capability.

A Scott Ritter Investigation: Agent Zelensky – Part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLeBb6hPUC8      Will the Ukraine war be the undoing for the European Union?

IN KOSOVO, NATO ALLIES BLAME DEPLETED URANIUM FOR CANCER CASES.

Cuba condemns US deployment of nuclear submarine in its waters.

Failed Fukushima Fixes Falling Like Dominoes.

‘Atomic Fallout’: Records reveal government downplayed, ignored health risks of St. Louis radioactive waste for decades.

CLIMATE. Extreme weather increasingly disrupted generation of nuclear power in last 30 years: State of the Climate in Europe 2022. Heatwaves: Why this summer has been so hot. High river temperatures to limit French nuclear power production. France Cuts Nuclear Output as Heat Triggers Water Restrictions. How much water do French nuclear plants use? Hungary’s nuclear power plant reduces output due to the hot weather.

ECONOMICS. UK govt discusses sale of Wylfa nuclear site. Michigan ratepayers will foot the bill for Resuscitation of Palisades Nuclear Reactor.  Small nuclear reactor industry in big trouble? France to decide on nuclear financing by end of 2024.

EMPLOYMENT. Nuclear safety staffing in the United States: a crisis with no easy fix.

ENERGY. The Path to a Sustainable Civilisation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hTjLH4T6X8 Welsh campaigners call for Wylfa to be at heart of Ynys Mon ‘green energy’ island.

ENVIRONMENT. Oceans ‘Grave concerns’ as Japan’s plan to release Fukushima wastewater to the Pacific. Safe or septic – Japan’s nuclear wastewater dumping. Dumping Doubts: Releasing Fukushima’s Waste Water. 12 years on, Fukushima’s citizen-scientists continue to test local fish for radioactive substances.. Nuclear bomb plutonium fallout marks dawn of new epoch in which humanity dominates planet.

ETHICS and RELIGION. Archbishop to denounce nuclear arms on Trinity test’s 78th anniversary.

HEALTH. Nuked blood: PM Rishi Sunak is urged to uncover the truth on veterans’ missing health records. Radiation. New Evidence on Tritium Hazards How the world’s most radioactive man cried blood while his skin melted as he was kept alive in 83-day nightmare after horror accident at Japanese nuclear power plant.

INDIGENOUS ISSUES. Nuclear waste issue must be resolved before new facility can be explored, says Saugeen Ojibway Nation. Australian Labor must hear Indigenous voice against Kimba nuclear site. 

LEGAL. Sizewell C faces fresh legal action in fall out over water supply. 

MEDIA.  Terrible truths about nuclear energy exposed. The War on journalism: the Case of Julian Assange. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90OIGGpfHDo&t=366s Oppenheimer: what you need to know before watching. A Pro-Nuke Snoozer.

NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY. Small size, big problems: NuScale’s troublesome small modular nuclear reactor plan. An Unholy Alliance: billionaire technocrats delight in planning Artificial Intelligence to run nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons!

OPPOSITION to NUCLEAR. Kenya has restated its commitment to ensuring nuclear energy and nuclear weapons are not used in the continent. Postpone plans for Kilifi nuclear power, Kenya. Protests stopped nuclear waste dumping at Bradwell in the 80s, and now will likely do so again. Nuclear power is still an option at Comanche 3. These Pueblo activists want to change that. France detonated nearly 200 nuclear ‘tests’ in French Polynesia — now this activist is calling for accountability. 

PERSONAL STORIES. Listening to Oppenheimer, Seven Decades Later. Oppenheimer’s tragedy — and ours.

POLITICS. 

POLITICS INTERNATIONAL and DIPLOMACY. 

SAFETY. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is a ‘dirty bomb’ waiting to happen – a nuclear expert explains. Security concerns for Britain as China might be controlling its nuclear power stations. Incidents. Novouralsk Nuclear Plant Blast—What We Know, as Russians Rushed to Hospital. Russia says West is sponsoring ‘nuclear terrorism’ after Ukrainian drone strike.

SECRETS and LIES. White House opposes independent oversight of Ukraine aid.    FBI colluded with Ukraine in social media crackdown – lawmakers.   China says Japanese govt’s fund subsidizing local fishing industry ‘hush money’.

SPACE: EXPLORATION, WEAPONS. SpaceX’s Starlink satellites are leaking electromagnetic radiation that’s ‘photobombing’ our attempts to study the cosmos.

SPINBUSTER. Exposing the lying claims of pro nuclear shill Zion Lights.

URANIUM. CANATOMIC: Canada’s Neglected Uranium History.

WASTES. Global Impact: Japan, nuclear watchdog under intense scrutiny over discharge of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water. Dumping Doubts: Releasing Fukushima’s Waste Water. Japan to Release 1.3 Million Tonnes of Water Used During Fukushima Nuclear Accident.  US could stop Ukraine conflict instantly – Hungary. 

Takeaways from AP’s examination of nuclear waste problems in the St. Louis region. Canada’s Civil Society Groups Call for Public Debate on Radioactive Waste Management Strategy.

WAR and CONFLICT. NATO fails to reduce nuclear risks at Vilnius Summit. The NATO ultimatum to Ukraine – invitation to win by winter or die . Ukraine admits responsibility for terror attack on Crimean bridge. Drone crashes in Russian ‘atomic city’ – governor. Russia prevents Ukraine attack on Crimea’s Sevastopol. Need more cannon-fodder: Ukraine stepping up mercenary recruitment effort . Ukraine’s chances of victory in 2023 are ‘vanishingly small’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rH2mmqhTpi8

Crimea invasion to cost Kiev 200,000 soldiers: Ex-Zelensky aide. WHY ARE AMERICAN SOLDIERS IN UKRAINE? Indonesia Warns Nuclear Weapons Put Southeast Asia a ‘Miscalculation Away’ From Disaster.White House: Ordering the Selected Reserve and Certain Members of the Individual Ready Reserve of the Armed Forces to Active Duty.

WEAPONS and WEAPONS SALES. 

July 17, 2023 Posted by | Christina's notes | Leave a comment

An Unholy Alliance: billionaire technocrats delight in planning Artificial Intelligence to run nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons!

AI to run nuclear reactors?

AI to run weapons?

What could possibly go wrong?

Imagine! if artificial intelligence had run the Soviet Union’s missile system on September 26 1983, all-out nuclear war would have erupted. It took the imaginative thinking of  Lt. Col. Stanislav Petrov to prevent that.

With AI in charge, we will not have a Stanislav Petrov to save us.

New Startup Looks To Blend AI And Nuclear Energy, Oil Price, By Haley Zaremba – Jul 15, 2023

  • AI’s increasing role in the energy sector is challenged by its own high energy demands.
  • Sam Altman proposes a symbiotic relationship between AI and nuclear energy to address this issue.

……The future of the global energy sector is in the hands of Artificial Intelligence. ……..

…………..But the relationship between AI and energy goes two ways. AI doesn’t just present opportunities to the energy sector; it also presents significant challenges – one of which is the huge amount of energy that AI itself needs for operational purposes. In some cases, the energy footprints of singular AI training models have equaled that of 125 New York-Beijing round-trip flights, or the lifetime carbon footprint of five cars.

Sam Altman, the founder of OpenAI – the now (in)famous firm behind ChatGPT – thinks that nuclear energy will play a key role in keeping AI’s carbon footprint in check. “The AI systems of the future will need tremendous amounts of energy and this fission and fusion can help deliver them,” Altman was recently quoted in the Wall Street Journal. Altman also expressed that he thinks that AI will have some positive implications for nuclear-system designs as well, creating a kind of symbiotic AI-nuclear relationship. This is not a new idea – for years now, researchers have been looking into the various ways that AI and machine learning can be integrated into nuclear power production for a more efficient, less expensive, and safer nuclear energy sector.

Altman is clearly serious about his hope for nuclear energy’s role in the future of the energy and technology sectors. Just this week, it was announced that Oklo, an AI-integrated startup specializing in “nuclear microreactors” will go public in 2024.

Oklo is valued at around $850 million, according to the Wall Street Journal. The company expects that its innovative microreactors will be ideal for military applications where connection to an existing power grid isn’t possible,…………  Oklo has already secured $50 million in funding, $420,000 in grants from the Department of Energy (DOE), and a permit to build its first microreactor at the Idaho National Laboratory, the nation’s leading center for nuclear research. The pilot project is slated to come online by 2026 or 2027.

…………………………………Altman is the just latest in a long line of tech billionaires investing in nuclear energy. High-profile proponents of nuclear power include Elon Musk and Bill Gates……..more https://oilprice.com/Alternative-Energy/Nuclear-Power/New-Startup-Looks-To-Blend-AI-And-Nuclear-Energy.html

July 17, 2023 Posted by | technology, USA | 2 Comments

Cuba condemns US deployment of nuclear submarine in its waters

 https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/cuba-condemns-us-deployment-nuclear-submarine-its-waters

BEN CHACKO, SUNDAY, JULY 16, 2023

CUBA protested at the weekend over the US deployment of a nuclear-armed submarine to its waters.

The Cuban Foreign Ministry said a nuclear submarine equipped with Trident II ballistic missiles had entered waters around Guantanamo Bay, the illegal US military base imposed on occupied Cuban territory from 1903, at the start of July.

“The presence of a nuclear submarine forces one to question the military reason for its presence in this peaceful region of the world, against what objective it is directed, and what strategic purpose it is pursuing.”

The submarine’s presence in its waters for at least a week “constitutes a provocative escalation by the United States, whose political or strategic motives are unknown,” it added.

But US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller retorted that “the United States will continue to fly and sail as well as move its military forces where it deems appropriate.”

All 33 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean had signed the declaration of the region as a zone of peace in Havana in 2014, Cuba pointed out: but despite this “the United States has established more than 70 military bases in the region.”

The US has nine military bases in Panama, 12 in Puerto Rico, nine in Colombia and eight in Peru.

The country’s Congress — which overthrew elected socialist president Pedro Castillo in December and has waged a crackdown that has killed scores of democracy protesters since — authorised “the entry of naval units and foreign military personnel with weapons of war” in January. Earlier this month, US congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced an amendment to the country’s military budget seeking to suspend funds for operations in Peru given their potential role in helping suppress the democracy movement.

The US claims to lease Guantanamo Bay from Cuba for a token rent of $4,085 (£3,120) a year, but Cuba has rejected the agreement since the revolution of 1959 and does not cash the cheques, which are still made out to the pre-revolutionary, now nonexistent post of “treasurer-general of the republic.” Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro once showed journalists a desk in his office stuffed with the uncashed cheques.

July 17, 2023 Posted by | 2 WORLD, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

The War on Journalism: the Case of Julian Assange

Real Change Is Impossible While Our World Is Shrouded In Secrecy, Caitlin Johnstone, 15 Jul 23

I saw a video clip of Julian Assange speaking in London in 2010 where he made an important observation while explaining the philosophy behind his work with WikiLeaks. He said that all our political theories are to some extent “bankrupt” in our current situation, because our institutions are so shrouded in secrecy that we can’t even know what’s really going on in the world.

“We can all write about our political issues, we can all push for particular things we believe in, we can all have particular brands of politics, but I say actually it’s all bankrupt,” Assange said. “And the reason it’s all bankrupt, and all current political theories are bankrupt and particular lines of political thought, is because actually we don’t know what the hell is going on. And until we know the basic structures of our institutions — how they operate in practice, these titanic organizations, how they behave inside, not just through stories but through vast amounts of internal documentations — until we know that, how can we possibly make a diagnosis? How can we set the direction to go until we know where we are? We don’t even have a map of where we are. So our first task is to build up a sort of intellectual heritage that describes where we are. And once we know where we are, then we have a hope of setting course for a different direction. Until then, I think all political theories — to greater and lesser extents of course — are bankrupt.”

……………………………………………………………………….The fact that all the most important aspects of our civilization’s operation are hidden, manipulated and obfuscated by the powerful makes a joke of the very idea of democracy, because how can people know what government policies to vote for if they can’t even clearly see those policies? How can people know what to vote for when everything about their understanding of the world is being actively distorted for the benefit of the powerful?

We can’t form solid political theories while everything’s hidden from us, and even if we could we’re unable to organize any means to put those theories into action for the same reason. The fact that the nature of our world is being so aggressively obfuscated from our view keeps us from knowing exactly what needs to change, and keeps us from effecting change.

For this reason I often argue that our most urgent priority as a civilization is rolling back all the secrecy and obfuscation, because until that happens we’ll never get change, and we’ll never know what should be changed. I have my ideological preferences of course, but I’m just one person taking their best guess at what needs to happen in a world where so many of the lights are switched off. Not until our society can actually see the world as it really is will we have the ability to begin, as Assange says, “setting course for a different direction.”

And those who benefit from our current course are lucidly aware of this. That’s why we’re not allowed to see what they’re up to behind the veils of secrecy, that’s why our entire civilization is saturated in nonstop propaganda, that’s why the internet is being increasingly censored and manipulated, and that’s why Julian Assange is in prison.

We can only begin fighting this from where we’re at. None of us individually have the power to rip the veil of secrecy away from the empire, but we do each individually have the ability to call out its lies where they can be seen and help wake people up to the fact that we’re being deceived and manipulated. Every pair of eyelids you help open is one more pair of eyes looking around helping to get an accurate picture of what’s going on, and one more pair of eyes helping to open the eyes of others.

Once we have enough open eyes, we will have the potential for a real course of action. https://caityjohnstone.medium.com/real-change-is-impossible-while-our-world-is-shrouded-in-secrecy-89ea0126821

July 17, 2023 Posted by | secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

Extreme weather increasingly disrupted generation of nuclear power in last 30 years: State of the Climate in Europe 2022.

Nearly 60% of plants located by rivers or lakes in the continent experienced nuclear power production losses since 2017  

Down to Earth, By Seema Prasad, Wednesday 21 June 2023

Weather-related production losses accounted for approximately just about 0.35 per cent of global nuclear energy generation in 2022, up from 0.29 per cent five years earlier, according to the latest State of the Climate in Europe 2022.

The report by the World Meteorological Organization and the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service noted specifically that globally, nuclear power interruptions as a result of adverse weather conditions, only consist of a small share of total nuclear outages.

Nevertheless, the researchers said disruptions to nuclear power plants owing to extreme changes in weather conditions are on the rise, and interruptions increased over the past three decades.

The steepest inclines were seen between 2003-2006, and 2010-2018, respectively.

Nearly 60 per cent of reported weather-related nuclear production losses since 2017 were associated with plants located by rivers or lakes, the report stated, indicating they could be prone to flooding.

In a 2017 study by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), of the 61 nuclear sites evaluated, 55 experienced flooding hazards exceeding the design capacity of the plants.

Jan HaverKamp, Greenpeace International’s senior expert on nuclear energy and energy policy told Down to Earth (DTE): “This is a phenomenon we are already aware of for indeed around two decades. Last year in summer, around 10 nuclear power plants in France had to close down temporarily because of temperature limitations to their cooling water.”

…………………In essence, nuclear power plants require huge amounts of water to prevent fission products in the core and spent nuclear fuel from overheating, says the National Resource Defense Council.

“In the past, we have seen cases where the Paks nuclear power station in Hungary had to reduce capacity because of a lack of volume in the Danube River due to drought. Something similar also has been seen in France along the Loire and the Rhone in the past,” HaverKamp told DTE.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, of the currently operating 442 reactors, 96 per cent are water-cooled, making nuclear energy the most water-intensive energy source.

The recent State of the Climate 2022 report said of the 100 Gigawatts of nuclear capacity currently under construction or planned by IAEA Member States, more than 60 per cent are located on the seacoast, so they are less affected by cooling water issues.

HaverKamp told DTE that the report does not acknowledge other risks: “We are also aware of the extra risk to coastal NPPs that were built without taking sea level rise into account. This means that the chance of flooding will increase and coastal NPPs have to increase their flood defenses when they want to prolong their operational lifetime.”

Under worsening climate scenarios in the long term, localised climate projections by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, particularly at the nuclear site locations, show that southern Europe could witness extreme temperatures above 40°C and an increase in consecutive drought-like conditions, the report said.

Apart from low river flows, increasing temperatures and heat extremes are the major factors, a press release reiterated.

The report, therefore underscores the necessity of establishing adaptation provisions associated with strict safety revisions. 

Increasingly frequent and severe climate hazards, including the risk of simultaneous concurrent weather events, must be included in infrastructure and energy supply planning, according to the Climate Change and Nuclear Power 2022 report.…………https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/energy/extreme-weather-increasingly-disrupted-generation-of-nuclear-power-in-last-30-years-state-of-the-climate-in-europe-2022-90190

July 17, 2023 Posted by | climate change | Leave a comment

Kenya has restated its commitment to ensuring nuclear energy and nuclear weapons are not used in the continent. 

Kenya reiterates stand on nuclear weapons during exhibition

Ogola noted that Kenya recently enacted the Nuclear Regulatory Act 29 of 2019.

Star 16 July 23

In Summary

  • The Treaty of Pelindaba is the international agreement that establishes Africa as a zone free of nuclear weapons.
  • Hence contributing to peace and security in Africa. 

Kenya has restated its commitment to ensuring nuclear energy and nuclear weapons are not used in the continent. 

This was when stakeholders in the Energy sector convened on Saturday to commemorate the 14th Anniversary of the African Nuclear Weapon Free Zone treaty. 

The treaty is called the Treaty of Pelindaba. 

The Treaty of Pelindaba is the international agreement that establishes Africa as a zone free of nuclear weapons, hence contributing to peace and security in Africa. 

The event took place at the Trademark Hotel in Nairobi under the auspices of the Kenyan government. 

Former Prisons Commissioner Wycliffe Ogola, while speaking on behalf of Energy CS Davis Chirchir, reiterated Kenya’s stand against possession of nuclear weapons adding that Kenya recognises the pivotal role the treaty plays in protecting civilians against nuclear weapons. 

Ogola noted that Kenya recently enacted the Nuclear Regulatory Act 29 of 2019. 

“The Act has committed the country to exclusively exclude uses of nuclear technology, recognising the need to meet Kenya’s obligation under various international considerations and criminalised access to nuclear material and radiation sources,” Ogola said.

He called for more forums to allow for the exchange of ideas on how to ensure nuclear weapons and technology are not used in Africa. ………………………. more https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/realtime/2023-07-16-kenya-reiterates-stand-on-nuclear-weapons-during-exhibition/

July 17, 2023 Posted by | Kenya, opposition to nuclear, politics international | Leave a comment

Uranium Plant Explosion in Russia Sparks Nuclear Radiation Fears

 An explosion at a uranium enrichment plant in Russia’s Urals region on
Friday prompted Russia’s state nuclear corporation to publish a statement
to ease fears. At around 9 a.m. local time, a cylinder with depleted
uranium hexafluoride “depressurized” in a workshop at the Ural
Electrochemical Combine in Novouralsk, the statement from Rosatom, which
owns the plant—the largest uranium enrichment plant in the world—said.
Uranium hexafluoride is a chemical used during the uranium enrichment
process.

 Newsweek 14th July 2023

https://www.newsweek.com/uranium-plant-explosion-russia-nuclear-radiation-fears-1812966

July 17, 2023 Posted by | incidents, Russia | Leave a comment

How much water do French nuclear plants use?

Figures showing that the cooling of reactors could capture 30% of water resources have been removed from the site of the Ministry of Environment.

Le Monde ,By Perrine Mouterde, March 26, 2023,

How much do nuclear power plants contribute to total water consumption in France? This simple question no longer seems to have a clear answer. At the root of the confusion lies the Ministry of Environmental Transition’s removal of a background paper on the resourcing and use of water in France on around March 10. According to this fact sheet from the statistical service, power plant cooling represented the second most water-consuming activity in the country (31%), behind agriculture (45%) and ahead of drinking water (21%) and industrial use (4%). The annual volume of water consumed in mainland France, over the period 2008-2018, was estimated at 5.3 billion cubic meters.

In the midst of the review of the parliamentary bill to accelerate the construction of new reactors, the figure of 31% was being used by opponents of atomic energy to demonstrate that this energy source was not adapted to climate change. “Once and for all, let’s say it, simply and firmly: at this rate, there will soon not be enough water in our rivers to cool the nuclear power plants!,” stated Marine Tondelier – the national secretary of Europe Ecologie-Les Verts (EELV, Greens) – on March 7, based on this data.

Three days later, the Ministry of Environmental Transition………….(subscribers only)

 https://www.lemonde.fr/en/environment/article/2023/03/26/how-much-water-do-french-nuclear-plants-use_6020697_114.html

July 17, 2023 Posted by | France, water | Leave a comment

The Man Who Created the Deadliest Weapon in History (J. Robert Oppenheimer and the Atomic Bomb)

July 17, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

U.S. Cluster Bombs Have Arrived in Ukraine

SCHEERPOSTA, by EDITOR, July 15, 2023, By Dave DeCamp / Antiwar.com

AUkrainian general told CNN on Thursday that Ukraine has received a shipment of US cluster bombs, controversial munitions that have a devastating impact on civilians.

“We just got them, we haven’t used them yet, but they can radically change the situation on the battlefield,” Gen. Oleksandr Tarnavskyi said.

The Biden administration announced last week that it was sending Ukraine cluster munitions in the form of 155mm artillery shells as part of an $800 million weapons package.

It’s not clear how many have arrived in Ukraine so far, but Pentagon officials have said they will provide “hundreds of thousands” of rounds.

The cluster munitions are being provided using the Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows President Biden to ship Ukraine weapons directly from US military stockpiles……………………………….

The administration’s rhetoric on cluster munitions has radically changed since the beginning of the war. On February 28, 2022, the White House said the use of cluster bombs in the Ukraine war would be a “potential war crime.” https://scheerpost.com/2023/07/15/u-s-cluster-bombs-have-arrived-in-ukraine/

July 17, 2023 Posted by | Ukraine, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Nothing to see here: Great British Nuclear farce once again postponed

 https://www.nuclearpolicy.info/news/nothing-to-see-here-great-british-nuclear-farce-once-again-postponed/ 15 July 23

To the UK/Ireland Nuclear Free Local Authorities, Great British Nuclear appears to be an initiative which follows the pattern established for new nuclear projects the world over – being large on hype and delivered late.

Originally ‘launched’ as part of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s much vaunted Energy Security Strategy in April 2022, Great British Nuclear is a government-funded arm’s-length body that was supposedly created to drive delivery of new nuclear projects.

In his Spring Budget earlier this year, Chancellor Phillip Hammond alluded to its ‘relaunch’ without attaching any new public money to the venture, but subsequently an interim Chief Executive, Chair and senior staff have been appointed to keep up the appearance of progress.

Today (13 July) it was anticipated that Energy Secretary Grant Shapps would – third time lucky – finally ‘do the business’, and in so doing begin the delayed competition to assess and take forward into full evaluation prospective designs for new Small Modular Reactors.

However once more the rug was pulled from under the poor minister’s feet, as the gig at the Science Museum was cancelled at the eleventh hour, with Rishi Sunak’s increasingly beleaguered government being more focused on the fallout over public sector pay and with rumours that there is insufficient public finance to push forward his nemesis’ 24 GW nuclear generation dream.

Councillor Lawrence O’Neill, Chair of the NFLA Steering Committee said: “Great British Nuclear appears to be a farce like the Ealing comedies of old, but this time the script is written by 10 Downing Street.

“Whilst the world witnesses increasingly dramatic changes in weather that are in large measure the legacy of mankind’s obsession with burning fossil fuels, more precious months slip by in which the government could be investing in the insulation that are needed in many British homes to reduce fuel usage and consumer bills and in the proven renewable technologies that can deliver the green and affordable electricity that we need right now.

“Instead, government ministers, from the Prime Minister down, continue to waste time and public money chasing the vapid and impossible dream of having in place 24 GW of nuclear electricity generating capacity by 2050.

“Once more today, when it comes to GBN, the verdict must be ‘nothing to see, move along here’.”

July 17, 2023 Posted by | politics, UK | Leave a comment

Canada’s Civil Society Groups Call for Public Debate on Radioactive Waste Management Strategy



Ottawa – Civil society organizations are calling on Natural Resources Minister Jonathon Wilkinson to honour commitments made by his predecessor Seamus O’Regan to engage with Canadians on appropriate strategies for the management of radioactive waste rather than simply rubber stamping the nuclear industry’s recommended approach.

On July 4th the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) announced that it had submitted its “recommendations” for an Integrated Strategy for Radioactive Waste to Minister Wilkinson. There have been no communications from the federal government on next steps, including public engagement. The NWMO is a consortium of nuclear power operators, led by Ontario Power Generation.

In 2020 the NWMO was tasked by the federal government with the development of recommendations for an integrated radioactive waste strategy by (then) Minister of Natural Resources Seamus O’Regan. In his assigning the task to the NWMO, O’Reagan was clear that the product of the NWMO’s exercise was to be provided for review and consideration by the Government. 

Civil society organizations have previously expressed strong concern and disagreement with NRCan’s decision to ask the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) to lead the development of an “integrated strategy for radioactive waste”, saying they understand and accept the nuclear industry having input into Canada’s radioactive waste management strategy but fully reject any notion that industry determines the strategy. Concern has increased with the July 4th announcement by the NWMO that they had submitted their recommendations being followed by silence from the federal government on how Canadians and Indigenous people will be engaged in the promised review.

Ottawa – Civil society organizations are calling on Natural Resources Minister Jonathon Wilkinson to honour commitments made by his predecessor Seamus O’Regan to engage with Canadians on appropriate strategies for the management of radioactive waste rather than simply rubber stamping the nuclear industry’s recommended approach.
On July 4th the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) announced that it had submitted its “recommendations” for an Integrated Strategy for Radioactive Waste to Minister Wilkinson. There have been no communications from the federal government on next steps, including public engagement. The NWMO is a consortium of nuclear power operators, led by Ontario Power Generation.In 2020 the NWMO was tasked by the federal government with the development of recommendations for an integrated radioactive waste strategy by (then) Minister of Natural Resources Seamus O’Regan. In his assigning the task to the NWMO, O’Reagan was clear that the product of the NWMO’s exercise was to be provided for review and consideration by the Government. Civil society organizations have previously expressed strong concern and disagreement with NRCan’s decision to ask the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) to lead the development of an “integrated strategy for radioactive waste”, saying they understand and accept the nuclear industry having input into Canada’s radioactive waste management strategy but fully reject any notion that industry determines the strategy. Concern has increased with the July 4th announcement by the NWMO that they had submitted their recommendations being followed by silence from the federal government on how Canadians and Indigenous people will be engaged in the promised review.

“For a government that ran on a platform of restoring the trust of Canadians in decision-making it has been extraordinary to watch key decisions being handed over to the nuclear industry” observed Brennain Lloyd from the northern Ontario environmental group Northwatch. In a letter sent today, a large range and number of civil society organizations called on Minister Wilkinson and Prime Minister Trudeau to fully engage in a review of the industry recommendations.The letter also expressed profound disappointment in Canada’s Policy for Radioactive Waste and Decommissioning (the Policy) released on March 31st saying Canada’s new policy leaves the nuclear industry in charge and the public and the environment at risk. 

Key priorities were omitted, including the establishment of a national waste management agency independent of the industry, a ban on the extraction of plutonium from nuclear fuel waste, a long-term strategy for the 230 million tonnes of radioactive wastes from uranium mining, and a commitment to keep all radioactive waste isolated from the biosphere in perpetuity”, commented Gordon Edwards, President of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility.

July 17, 2023 Posted by | Canada, wastes | Leave a comment

Russia prevents Ukraine attack on Crimea’s Sevastopol

Russian forces claim to have shot down nine Ukrainian drones over the Crimean port of Sevastopol on Sunday.

Jerusalem Post, By REUTERS, JULY 16, 23

Russia’s Sevastopol Naval baseRussian forces claim to have shot down nine Ukrainian drones over the Crimean port of Sevastopol on Sunday.

Russia’s defense ministry said its forces had prevented Ukraine from attacking the Black Sea port of Sevastopol on Sunday, destroying seven aerial and two underwater drones.

“This morning, an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack by seven unmanned aerial vehicles and two unmanned underwater vehicles on objects on the territory of the Crimean Peninsula near the city of Sevastopol was thwarted,” the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app.

There were no casualties and no damage, the ministry added.

It said that two aerial drones were shot down over the Black Sea at a great distance from the coastline, while five were intercepted by Russia’s electronic warfare forces.

Two unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV), known as underwater drones were discovered in the northern part of the Black Sea, and destroyed by fire, the ministry said………………………

No comment from Ukraine

…….Ukraine almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks inside Russia or on Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine but has been saying in recent months that destroying Russia’s military infrastructure helps Kyiv’s counteroffensive. https://www.jpost.com/international/article-750213

July 17, 2023 Posted by | Russia, Ukraine, weapons and war | Leave a comment

A Pro-Nuke Snoozer

CounterPunch, BY HARVEY WASSERMAN, 14 July 23,

Do not bother to see Oliver Stone’s new pro-nuke screed “Nuclear Now.”

It’s slow, boring, often cringe-worthy and profoundly false from start to finish. It’s also deeply tragic on at least two fronts.

The film’s stated purpose is to promote atomic energy, a for-profit weapons-related business defined by failure, multiple bankruptcies and major mishaps, now in steep obsolescent decline.

Stone’s apologia is unabashed and inept enough to make us wonder who’s really footing the bill. Masquerading as a documentary, it’s barely an infomercial…and a mighty dull one at that.

Which is tragic. Oliver Stone has long been one of our most courageous and incisive social critics. JFK, Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July, Nixon, W are all astute critiques. For many of us over the decades, Mr. Stone has been a hero.

But NN pollutes a great career. It reeks of sad sellout, something the tobacco industry might’ve emitted to glorify the wonders of smoking, or Monsanto to sell us on the safety of glyphosate. It makes Mr. Stone himself—the film’s centerpiece—seem a cringe-worthy shell of a remarkable former self. For that, we can only weep.

But to the tragedy of a single human’s downfall has been added tangible damage to our future as a species.

In Stone’s hands, “nuclear power” becomes a Disneyesque fantasy. Recalling Walt’s original 1950s promo piece “Our Friend the Atom,” NN portrays atomic reactors as magical unicorns that never falter nor explode, whose toxic poop is a minor miracle, whose lethal radiation might be good for us, whose pesky plutonium is all but pixie dust.

Much else is blatantly false and hideously omitted. A half-century of No Nukes activism is scorned as delusional, with the concerns of its many millions dismissed out of hand. (I am among those quoted briefly and out of context).

Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima barely appear as minor annoyances. A century-plus of scientific findings and tragic data on the killing power of high and low radiation doses are dismissed out of hand.

The vulnerability of all individual reactors to acts of war, terror, operator error, blatant corruption, construction shortfalls, faulty maintenance, old age and deadly deterioration never appear on screen. There’s no place in this film for the crises at Zaporizhzhia, now in military peril, or Fukushima, with a million tons of radioactive liquid poised to pour into the Pacific.

Nor do we hear from Mr. Stone that US commercial nukes now average 40 years of age, are dangerously embrittled, badly maintained, largely uninsured, grossly uncompetitive. Or that taken individually, any one of them could blow at any time for a wide range of causes specific to each plant.

In reality, the core issue we face is not nuclear power, it’s the 94 individual reactors themselves…and the suicidal bet on which will blow up next.

It is also the reality that nuclear reactors worsen the global climate crisis. We do not cool the planet with radioactive carbon-emitting potentially explosive reactors burning at 571 degrees Fahrenheit.

Stone can’t avoid bowing to wind and solar. But he ducks the reality that renewables now dominate the global energy investment market..

Simply put: wind, solar, batteries and increased efficiency are cheaper, safer, cleaner, more job-producing, more reliable, faster to deploy and far more popular and profitable than nuclear. Unlike atomic energy, they are genuinely carbon-and heat-free.

And they fill the rest-of-the-20s black hole that Stone and his ilk can’t face………………………………………………………..

Stone diverts us to the fantasy land of Small Modular Reactors, whose best case deployments are envisioned for December 2029. Their pushers posit thousands of these warhead-equivalent heat-makers buried throughout the land.

But even at the get-go they face soaring costs and complex licensing problems. Even at current pie-in-the-sky guesstimates, SMRs can never compete with renewables…………………………

So with no new big reactors in the pipeline, and small ones dubiously projected for the 2030s, and renewables blowing all other sources out of the market, the only tangible impact of Mr. Stone’s immediate atomic advocacy is to slash regulations at the existing, already uninsured nukes.

And that’s the biggest horror story Oliver Stone has ever hidden………………… more https://www.counterpunch.org/2023/07/14/a-pro-nuke-snoozer/

July 17, 2023 Posted by | media, USA | Leave a comment

China says Japanese govt’s fund subsidizing local fishing industry ‘hush money’

 https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-07-14/China-says-Japan-s-fund-for-Fukushima-fishing-industry-hush-money–1lqwrCebEAw/index.html

The Chinese Embassy in Japan said the fund the Japanese government has set aside to subsidize the fishing industry in Fukushima area is “hush money,” which shows the Fukushima discharge plan is really “problematic.”

It’s reported that Japan has set up a special fund of 80 billion yen (around $581 million) to subsidize the fishing industry in Fukushima, which will be damaged by the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water.


It must be pointed out that the Japanese side’s move only compensates the affected domestic industries and ignores the safety and interests of its neighbors and the people of Pacific island countries, said a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Japan, according to an announcement on the embassy’s website on Thursday.

“This will surely arouse stronger doubts and condemnation from the international community,” said the embassy spokesperson.

The Japanese side should immediately halt the Fukushima discharge plan, consult with all stakeholders and the international community, dispose of nuclear-contaminated water in a scientific, transparent and safe manner, and stop transferring the risk of nuclear pollution to all mankind, the embassy spokesperson said.

July 17, 2023 Posted by | Japan, secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

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