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Oppenheimer’s tragedy — and ours

Father of atomic bomb” paid price for renouncing his “child”

By Lawrence S. Wittner, Beyond Nuclear International 16 Jul 23

The July 21, 2023 theatrical release of the film Oppenheimer, focused on the life of a prominent American nuclear physicist, should help to remind us of how badly the development of modern weapons has played out for individuals and for all of humanity.

Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, American Prometheus, written by Kai Bird and the late Martin Sherwin, the film tells the story of the rise and fall of young J. Robert Oppenheimer, recruited by the U.S. government during World War II to direct the construction and testing of the world’s first atomic bomb at Los Alamos, New Mexico.  His success in these ventures was followed shortly thereafter by President Truman’s ordering the use of nuclear weapons to destroy Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 

During the immediate postwar years, Oppenheimer, widely lauded as “the father of the atomic bomb,” attained extraordinary power for a scientist within U.S. government ranks, including as chair of the General Advisory Committee of the new Atomic Energy Commission (AEC).

But his influence ebbed as his ambivalence about nuclear weapons grew.  In the fall of 1945, during a meeting at the White House with Truman, Oppenheimer said: “Mr. President, I feel I have blood on my hands.”  Incensed, Truman later told Assistant Secretary of State Dean Acheson that Oppenheimer had become “a crybaby” and that he didn’t want “to see that son of a bitch in this office ever again.”

Oppenheimer was also disturbed by the emerging nuclear arms race and, like many atomic scientists, championed the international control of atomic energy.  Indeed, in late 1949, the entire General Advisory Committee of the AEC came out in opposition to the U.S. development of the H-bomb―although the president, ignoring this recommendation, approved developing the new weapon and adding it to the rapidly growing U.S. nuclear arsenal.

In these circumstances, figures with considerably less ambivalence about nuclear weapons took action to purge Oppenheimer from power. 

In December 1953, shortly after becoming chair of the AEC, Lewis Strauss, a fervent champion of a U.S. nuclear buildup, ordered Oppenheimer’s security clearance suspended.  Anxious to counter implications of disloyalty, Oppenheimer appealed the decision and, in subsequent hearings before the AEC’s Personnel Security Board, faced grueling questioning not only about his criticism of nuclear weapons, but about his relationships decades before with individuals who had been Communist Party members.

Ultimately, the AEC ruled that Oppenheimer was a security risk, an official determination that added to his public humiliation, completed his removal from government service, and delivered a shattering blow to his meteoric career.

Of course, the development of nuclear weapons had far broader consequences than the downfall of J. Robert Oppenheimer.  In addition to killing more than 200,000 people and injuring many more in Japan, the advent of nuclear weaponry led nations around the world to enter a fierce nuclear arms race. By the 1980s, spurred on by conflicts among the major powers, 70,000 nuclear weapons had come into existence, with the potential to destroy virtually all life on earth.

……………………………………………………….All nine nuclear powers (Russia, the United States, China, Britain, France, Israel, India, Pakistan, and North Korea) are currently engaged in upgrading their nuclear arsenals with new production facilities and new, improved nuclear weapons. 

During 2022, these governments poured nearly $83 billion into this nuclear buildup.  Public threats to initiate nuclear war, including those by Donald Trump, Kim Jong Un, and Vladimir Putin, have become more common.  The hands of the Doomsday Clock of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, established in 1946, now stand at 90 seconds to midnight―the most dangerous setting in its history.

……………………………………………………To head off a looming nuclear catastrophe, non-nuclear nations have been championing the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).  Adopted by an overwhelming vote of nations at a UN conference in July 2017, the TPNW bans developing, testing, producing, acquiring, possessing, stockpiling, and threatening to use nuclear weapons. 

The treaty went into force in January 2021 and―though opposed by all the nuclear powers―it has thus far been signed by 92 nations and ratified by 68 of them.  Brazil and Indonesia are likely to ratify it in the near future.  Polls have found that the TPNW has substantial support in numerous countries, including the United States and other NATO nations.

There does remain some hope, then, that the nuclear tragedy that engulfed Robert Oppenheimer and has long threatened the survival of world civilization can still be averted.  https://beyondnuclearinternational.org/2023/07/16/oppenheimers-tragedy-and-ours/

July 18, 2023 Posted by | PERSONAL STORIES, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Japan to Release 1.3 Million Tonnes of Water Used During Fukushima Nuclear Accident

The water used to cool damaged reactor cores from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in March 2011.

David Krofcheck, The Wire 16 Jul 23

“…………………………………………This year the Japanese government plans to release 1.3 million tonnes of water – used to cool the damaged reactor cores from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in March 2011 – into the Pacific Ocean

Between 2011-2013, approximately 300,000 tonnes of untreated wastewater had already flowed into the ocean off Fukushima. These first two years were the most dangerous time because long-lived heavy nuclei, like cesium-137, strontium-90 and shorter-lived iodine-131, from nuclear fission in the reactors ended up in the ocean.

Since 2013, the stored water has also accumulated flushed seawater goundwater which leaked into the three damaged reactor cores.

The big challenge is how to manage 1.3 million tonnes of unsafe radioactively-tainted water………………………………………………………………………….

“As Low As Reasonably Achievable” or ALARA – filtering out the nuclear fission nuclei from the stored wastewater may be the best that can be done. The ALARA approach to reduce nuclear fission nuclei released resulted in a 2013 effort to develop and employ an advanced liquid processing system, or ALPS. A series of filters was designed to remove 62 fission nuclei leaving both tritium and carbon-14 in the water.  It only partially worked.

 Potentially, this water could be run through more cycles of the ALPS before extra dilution and later release into the ocean.

The other 30% of treated water could also be diluted with seawater by factors of several hundred to one thousand and then released into the ocean. Any remaining tritium from the Fukushima reactor may find its way into the food chain as organically bound tritium via build-up in underwater plants and organisms.

The second option for managing the Fukushima water was to hold it on site in an ever-increasing number of tanks.

If the water is properly filtered to leave only tritium and carbon-14, then the natural decay of tritium can be used to reduce overall radioactivity.  Since the radioactive half-life of tritium is 12.4 years, holding the water in tanks for seven half-lives, about 85 years, would reduce the tritium content to less than 1% of its current value. This option leaves the carbon-14 which would still roughly have the same radioactivity due to its 5,730-year half-life.

However, storing a tremendous volume of water for an entire human lifespan has never been tried. Even more water and storage tanks would need to be added as decommissioning the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor cores proceeds. This is problematic.

A third option was to evaporate the water on land near Fukushima.

A 1979 nuclear accident at Three Mile Island Nuclear Station in the United States resulted in a similar radioactive water storage problem. About 9,300 tonnes of tritiated water, about 140 times less than that currently held in the Fukushima storage tanks, was electrically evaporated over two years. The tritium was released into the atmosphere, resulting in a radiation dose to people in the surrounding area of about one-hundredth of the natural background radiation. 

Japan and TEPCO would need to deal with even larger amounts of water and tritium emitted into the atmosphere if the 30-year timeline for the reactor core clean-up is followed……………….. https://thewire.in/environment/japan-to-release-1-3-million-tonnes-of-water-used-during-fukushima-nuclear-accident

July 18, 2023 Posted by | Fukushima continuing, oceans, Reference | 1 Comment

Russia says West is sponsoring ‘nuclear terrorism’ after Ukrainian drone strike

By Andrew Osborn, July 14, 2023 https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-says-west-is-sponsoring-nuclear-terrorism-after-ukrainian-drone-strike-2023-07-14/

MOSCOW, July 14 (Reuters) – Russia accused the West on Friday of sponsoring “nuclear terrorism” after authorities said a Ukrainian drone had struck the western Russian town of Kurchatov, where a nuclear power station similar to the ill-fated Chernobyl plant is located.

Roman Starovoit, the governor of Russia’s Kursk region which borders Ukraine, said the Ukrainian drone had struck a residential apartment building in Kurchatov, a Soviet-era town built on the banks of a cooling pond for the Kursk nuclear power station which is still in service.

A drone crashed in the town of Kurchatov overnight,” Starovoit said on the Telegram messaging app. “Fortunately, none of the residents were injured. Critical facilities were not damaged as a result of the drone crash and its subsequent detonation.”

The only damage was to the facade and glazing of one apartment building, he added, saying the authorities would help residents restore their homes.

There was no immediate reaction from Ukraine, which is regularly subjected to massed Russian drone attacks and seldom comments on its own suspected drone and sabotage attacks inside Russia.

RUSSIAN FURY

The incident, which comes after Russia said it had destroyed two Ukrainian drones near the Kremlin in May, drew a furious reaction from the Russian Foreign Ministry given the drone’s proximity to a nuclear power station.

“Are the countries that supply them (the drones) to the Kyiv regime planning to retire to Mars if there is a nuclear disaster? They won’t have time,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said sarcastically.

“People in NATO countries should realise that their governments are sponsoring nuclear terrorism by the Kyiv regime.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia’s air defence systems were working effectively amid unconfirmed social media reports that such systems had been used to repel the drone attack, but said it was obvious that Ukraine was continuing to try to strike targets inside Russia.

Russia’s FSB security service said in August last year that security around nuclear facilities had been beefed up after people it said were Ukrainian saboteurs destroyed electricity lines supplying the Kursk nuclear power plant, temporarily disrupting its functioning.

Alexei Likhachev, the head of Russia’s Rosatom state nuclear corporation, told state TV on Thursday that security at nuclear power plants was “under control” and that all necessary measures had been taken, including air defence capabilities.

Russia and Ukraine have long accused each other of risking a nuclear catastrophe at another facility – the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Russian-controlled territory in southern Ukraine – through shelling.

Reporting by Andrew Osborn Editing by Gareth Jones and Peter Graff

July 18, 2023 Posted by | Russia, safety, Ukraine | Leave a comment

New Evidence on Tritium Hazards

Due to recent unprecedented levels of public interest in tritium, it is
relevant to point to new publications (and two older ones just discovered)
on tritium’s hazards. One of these concludes “ …contrary to some
popular notions that tritium is a relatively benign radiation source, the
vast majority of published studies indicate that exposures, especially
those related to internal exposures, can have significant biological
consequences including damage to DNA, impaired physiology and development,
reduced fertility and longevity, and can lead to elevated risks of diseases
including cancer. Our principal message is that tritium is a highly
underrated environmental toxin that deserves much greater scrutiny.”

 Ian Fairlie 14th July 2023

New Evidence on Tritium Hazards

July 18, 2023 Posted by | radiation | Leave a comment

Kennedy accuses Biden of preparing for ‘war with Russia’

Rt.com 15 July 23

The US leader should acknowledge his “failure” in Ukraine and focus on domestic issues, the presidential candidate has said

By ordering the deployment of 3,000 more reservists to Europe, US President Joe Biden is preparing to fight Russian forces on the ground in Ukraine, Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said.

“Biden has lost his way,” Kennedy tweeted on Friday, arguing that the president should focus on America’s domestic problems instead of trying to achieve “global military dominance.”

“I want people to understand what this troop mobilization is about. It’s about preparing for a ground war with Russia,” he said.

The idea of defeating Moscow in its conflict with Kiev is a “futile geopolitical fantasy” of the Biden administration, the Democratic presidential candidate added.

Thousands of Ukrainians have already lost their lives because “America’s foreign policy establishment manipulated their country into war… Now, rather than acknowledge failure, Biden admin prepares to sacrifice American lives too,” Kennedy said.

On Thursday, Biden signed an executive order mobilizing 3,000 members of the US military’s Selected Reserve to boost the ranks of Operation Atlantic Resolve, which Washington launched in Europe in 2014 after Crimea rejoined Russia following the Western-backed coup in Kiev……………………………………………..

Another Republican presidential candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy, said it is “downright disturbing” that the US media is largely ignoring the president’s order in its reporting. “What is the justification now [for sending reservists to Europe]? What are the operations? Where will they go? What will they do? We need answers, not sweeping this under the rug as Biden would prefer,” Ramaswamy said in a statement.  https://www.rt.com/news/579746-kennedy-biden-trump-ukraine/

July 18, 2023 Posted by | politics, USA | Leave a comment

Welsh campaigners call for Wylfa to be at heart of Ynys Mon ‘green energy’ island

 Campaigners from several organisations opposed to new nuclear power
developments in Wales have written to Climate Change Minister Julie James
calling for the Welsh Government to acquire the Wylfa site as a national
asset to develop a range of cutting-edge renewable energy technologies.

Last week, the Welsh Affairs Committee in Westminster called on the British
Government to acquire the former nuclear power plant site at Wylfa to
redevelop for nuclear power, but, in their response, ministers indicated
that it was a ‘commercial decision’ for Hitachi, the owners of the
site, to determine who they sell the site to.

Anti-nuclear activists
believe this represents an opportunity for the Welsh Government to approach
Hitachi to see if they can purchase the site to become the hub of an Ynys
Mon (Anglesey) that is truly a ‘green energy island’. This would be in
line with Cardiff’s aspiration to ensure that all electricity consumed in
Wales is from renewable sources by 2035, and that such generation should be
ramped up in line with demand in the future.

 NFLA 15th July 2023

Welsh campaigners call for Wylfa to be at heart of Ynys Mon ‘green energy’ island

July 18, 2023 Posted by | renewable | Leave a comment

SpaceX’s Starlink satellites are leaking electromagnetic radiation that’s ‘photobombing’ our attempts to study the cosmos

Live Science , By Harry Baker 2 Jul 23

New research finds that SpaceX’s Starlink satellites are leaking radiation that could interfere with radio astronomy.

But in the new study, published July 3 in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, researchers have shown that Starlink satellites also emit unintended and previously unrecognized radio signals that are separate from the signals they send to and receive from our planet. Some of these signals overlap with those detected by the dishes of radio telescopes — which represents a new problem in this scientific field………………………………………………

SpaceX likely isn’t the only culprit; the researchers expect to detect similar emissions from many other satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO). The problem also could worsen as the number of private satellites in LEO continues to increase dramatically. For example, there were only 2,000 Starlink satellites in LEO when the data was collected, but there are now more than 4,000.

“Our simulations show that the larger the constellation, the more important this effect becomes as the radiation from all satellites adds up,” study co-author Gyula Józsa, an astronomer at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Germany, said in the statement. “This makes us not only worried about the existing constellations, but even more about the planned ones.”…………………

Emitting radio signals is not the only way that satellites can interfere with astronomy. The shiny spacecraft can also reflect light back toward the planet’s surface, which can leave white streaks across time-lapse images. In December 2022, the International Astronomical Union warned that the world’s largest communication satellite, known as BlueWalker 3, is creating interference that could “severely hamper progress in our understanding of the cosmos.”  https://www.livescience.com/space/space-exploration/spacexs-starlink-satellites-are-leaking-radiation-thats-photobombing-our-attempts-to-study-the-cosmos

July 18, 2023 Posted by | environment, World | Leave a comment

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

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