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Most Contaminated U.S. Nuclear Site Is Set to Be the Largest Solar Farm.

Plans to transform Hanford, which was integral to the nation’s nuclear arsenal after World War II, had just begun inching forward when President Trump started his second term.

New York Times, By Keith Schneider, Reporting from Richland, Wash, March 5, 2025, 

In the weeks since President Trump has taken office, he has pushed to unleash oil and gas production and has signed executive orders halting the country’s transition to renewable energy.

But in Washington State, a government-led effort has just started to build what is expected to be the country’s largest solar generating station. The project is finally inching forward, after decades of cleaning up radioactive and chemical waste in fits and starts, at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, a sweep of desert that was pivotal to the nation’s weapons arsenal from 1943 until it was shut down in 1989. A developer, Hecate, was brought on last year to turn big stretches of the site into solar farms.

Hecate will have access to 10,300 acres that the government has determined sufficiently safe to redevelop. The company has already started site evaluation on 8,000 acres, an area nearly 10 times the size of Central Park in New York and enough space for 3.45 million photovoltaic panels. (Hanford’s site is nearly 400,000 acres.)

If all goes according to plan, the Hecate project, which is expected to be completed in 2030, will be by far the largest site the government has cleaned up and converted from land that had been used for nuclear research, weapons and waste storage. It is expected to generate up to 2,000 megawatts of electricity — enough roughly to supply all the homes in Seattle, San Francisco, and Denver — and store 2,000 more in a large battery installation at a total cost of $4 billion. The photovoltaic panels and batteries will provide twice as much energy as a conventional nuclear power plant. The nation’s current biggest solar plant, the Copper Mountain Solar Facility in Nevada, can generate up to 802 megawatts of energy.

The big unknown still hanging over the plan is whether the Trump administration will thwart efforts that the Biden administration put in place to develop more clean electricity generation………………………………………….

While a clean energy project may clash with Mr. Trump’s policies, there’s a reason the administration may allow Hecate’s solar development to move forward: the revenue the government will get for the land lease. Hecate and the Energy Department declined to discuss the land’s market value, but private solar developers in the region said such easements typically paid landowners $300 an acre annually.

Two officials at the Energy Department, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, said that neither the president nor the leaders of the administration’s effort to reshape federal agencies had yet to intervene in the solar project, but that the future of the initiative was uncertain. One of the officials said the new energy secretary, Chris Wright, a former oil executive, had not yet reviewed the project as of late February.

Alex Pugh, Hecate’s director of development, said the company was moving ahead despite shifting political winds. “The fundamentals of the project are strong regardless of policy direction,” he said. “The region needs the project. There is a huge demand for electricity here.”

…………………….Hecate identified the large expanse of open ground alongside high-voltage transmission lines at Hanford as a potential site for its plant several years ago, Mr. Pugh said — long before the Energy Department solicited proposals. The potential benefits, he said, were plainly apparent.

………………….What they also have, however, is risk. The site where Hecate plans to build its photovoltaic panels is near an area where groundwater and soil were decontaminated and alongside an experimental 400-megawatt nuclear reactor complex that was decommissioned in 2001. It’s also about 20 miles south of B Reactor, the world’s first full-scale nuclear reactor, which produced the plutonium for the atomic

March 7, 2025 Posted by | ENERGY, USA, wastes | Leave a comment

Zelensky reverses hardline position on peace talks

5 Mar 25,  https://www.rt.com/news/613687-trump-zelensky-peace-talks/

The about-face comes one day after reports of Donald Trump freezing military aid to Kiev.

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has said that Kiev is ready to engage in peace negotiations with Russia, to be brokered by US President Donald Trump. The statement comes after the White House reportedly stopped all military aid to Kiev following a disastrous meeting in the Oval Office between the two leaders, for which US officials have demanded Zelensky apologize.

Zelensky made a concession-filled post on X on Tuesday, saying his public feud with Trump in the Oval Office was “regrettable.” 

“We are ready to work fast to end the war,” Zelensky wrote. He has frequently said in the past that Ukraine would fight as long as necessary and that peace talks could only happen on Ukraine’s terms. 

He proposed the release of prisoners and establishing “truces” on both the air and sea fronts, echoing suggestions by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron in a meeting with him in London on Sunday. The French-UK plan envisages a temporary, month-long “truce in the air, on the seas, and on energy infrastructure.” Moscow has repeatedly ruled out a temporary ceasefire with Kiev, insisting on a permanent, legally binding peace deal that addresses the root causes of the conflict.

On Monday, Trump reportedly ordered a temporary halt to all US military aid to Ukraine, aiming to pressure Zelensky into negotiations to end the conflict with Russia. An unnamed senior administration official told Fox News that military assistance would stay suspended until the Ukrainian leadership demonstrates a genuine commitment to peace talks.

“Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer,” Zelensky continued on X, offering his appreciation for Washington’s support. “My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts,” he added. 

“’Ready’ is good, it is positive,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reacted to the statement. 

During the Friday meeting, Trump accused Zelensky of ingratitude and “gambling with World War III” by refusing to work towards a halt to hostilities. 

On Sunday, Zelensky told reporters that “an agreement to end the war is still very, very far away, and no one has started all these steps yet.” Trump condemned his statement on social media, promising that “America will not put up with it for much longer.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has indicated Moscow’s readiness to resolve the Ukraine conflict through peaceful means. He emphasized Russia’s aim of establishing an international system that ensures a balanced and mutual consideration of interests, creating a long-term, indivisible European and global security framework.

March 7, 2025 Posted by | politics international | Leave a comment

First Trump threatened to nuke hurricanes. Now he’s waging war on weather forecasters

 Some politicians go whichever way the wind blows. Not, however, the US’s
esteemed leader, Donald Trump. He is such a force of nature that he can
dictate the direction of the wind. During his first term, he suggested
“nuking hurricanes” to stop them from hitting the country. A few weeks
after that, Trump seemed to think he could alter the course of Hurricane
Dorian with a black marker, scribbling over an official map to change its
anticipated trajectory in an incident now known as Sharpiegate. Weirdly,
Dorian did not end up following Trump’s orders. Hurricanes can be
uncooperative like that. Six weeks into Trump’s second term, the
president hasn’t bombed any hurricanes, but he has nuked the US’s
weather-forecasting capabilities. Last week, hundreds of workers at the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), the US’s
pre-eminent climate research agency, were abruptly fired.

 Guardian 4th March 2025, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/mar/04/trump-waging-war-weather-forecasters-nuke-hurricanes

March 7, 2025 Posted by | climate change | Leave a comment

UK Government slaps down Ian Murray over UN nuclear weapons summit.


By Xander Elliards

IAN Murray has seen his efforts to lobby the Labour leadership over nuclear weaponry slapped down – with the UK dismissing any engagement with a global summit on the weapons out of hand.

The Scottish Secretary is one of a handful of Labour MPs to have signed a pledge to work towards worldwide nuclear disarmament, which was drawn up by the International
Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) and also backed by almost all
SNP parliamentarians.

 The National 4th March 2025, https://www.thenational.scot/news/24981383.uk-government-slaps-ian-murray-un-nuclear-weapons-summit/

March 7, 2025 Posted by | politics, UK | Leave a comment

Nuclear energy has no role in Scotland’s green future


 Scottish Greens 4th March 2025, https://greens.scot/news/nuclear-energy-has-no-role-in-scotland-s-green-future

Nuclear energy is costly and toxic and will do nothing to cut bills.

New nuclear power would cost Scottish households while diverting funding and resources from real climate action, says Scottish Green Co-leader Patrick Harvie.

Speaking ahead of a Scottish Government debate on Scotland’s renewable future, Mr Harvie warned that Labour’s focus on nuclear power would risk increasing household bills and would be a gift to a toxic industry that is not offering the solutions we need.

The UK Labour government has proposed building new nuclear power plants across the UK touting so-called ‘small modular reactors’, despite one never having been built and the long-running record of the nuclear power industry running over schedule and budget.

The first nuclear power plant to be built in the UK for over 30 years, at Hinkley Point, is nearing £28 billion over budget and despite the construction phase beginning in 2016, it will likely not generate any electricity until at least 2029 but possibly 2031.

Mr Harvie said:

“This cold war era obsession with nuclear power shows just how out of touch Labour are with the real crisis we face. It is costly, takes years to go online and will leave a long and toxic legacy for future generations.

“New nuclear power would cost billions of pounds at a time when Labour are telling the public that there is no money to tackle poverty or keep pensioners warm. These new reactors would do nothing to reduce the bills that Labour promised to cut during the election.

“Hinkley Point is the perfect example of everything wrong with nuclear power. Its construction has been a disaster for the environment, requiring masses more concrete and steel than initially thought and it is now running significantly over budget and behind schedule. Does Keir Starmer really think the people want more of this?

“It is a distraction from doing the real work that is so important in terms of investing in clean, green renewable energy that will make a big difference for people and planet.

“Keir Starmer seems to have been sold up the river by his friends in the nuclear power industry who promise modular reactors, which have never been built to any kind of scale and don’t remove the major problem of highly toxic nuclear waste that will still scar our landscape for centuries to come.

“Scotland can have a positive and prosperous green future, but nuclear energy has no part in it. We have the resources for a renewables revolution but we need all governments to commit to it rather than taking a big backwards step with nuclear.”

March 7, 2025 Posted by | politics, UK | Leave a comment

Nuclear Policy in Scotland

 The following motion was passed in the Scottish Parliament on 4th March:
That the Parliament rejects the creation of new nuclear power plants in
Scotland and the risk that they bring;

believes that Scotland’s future is as a renewables powerhouse;

further believes that the expansion ofrenewables should have a positive impact on household energy bills;

notes the challenges and dangers of producing and managing hazardous radioactive
nuclear waste products, and the potentially catastrophic consequences of
the failure of a nuclear power plant;

recognises that the development and operation of renewable power generation is faster, cheaper and safer than that of nuclear power, and welcomes that renewables would deliver higher employment than nuclear power for the development and production of
equivalent levels of generated power.

A Labour motion, proposed by Energy Spokesperson, Sarah Boyack was defeated….

 Scottish Parliament 4th March 2025,
https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/votes-and-motions/S6M-16657

March 7, 2025 Posted by | politics, UK | Leave a comment

Half of world’s CO2 emissions come from 36 fossil fuel firms, study shows

 Half of the world’s climate-heating carbon emissions come from the
fossil fuels produced by just 36 companies, analysis has revealed.

The researchers said the 2023 data strengthened the case for holding fossil
fuel companies to account for their contribution to global heating.
Previous versions of the annual report have been used in legal cases
against companies and investors.

The report found that the 36 major fossil
fuel companies, including Saudi Aramco, Coal India, ExxonMobil, Shell and
numerous Chinese companies, produced coal, oil and gas responsible for more
than 20bn tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2023. If Saudi Aramco was a country,
it would be the fourth biggest polluter in the world after China, the US
and India, while ExxonMobil is responsible for about the same emissions as
Germany, the world’s ninth biggest polluter, according to the data.

 Guardian 5th March 2025,
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/05/half-of-worlds-co2-emissions-come-from-36-fossil-fuel-firms-study-shows

March 7, 2025 Posted by | climate change | Leave a comment

Fearing toxic waste, Greenland ended uranium mining. Now, they could be forced to restart – or pay $11bn

 Fearing toxic waste, Greenland ended uranium mining. Now, they could be
forced to restart – or pay $11bn. The island is being sued by a mining
company over its decision, and faces paying nine times its annual budget in
damages if it loses.

From the iceberg-filled bay, the mountains above the
town of Narsaq, in south-west Greenland, appear unremarkable. In the
September warmth, clumps of grass cling to the smooth, grey peaks shaped
over centuries by an enormous ice cap that lurks behind the fjords on the
horizon. Brightly coloured homes are scattered around the shoreline below,
home to a community of just over 1,300 people.

Were it not for a mining
outhouse on the edge of town, there would be little indication of the
potential riches in the rock. The range is home to one of the largest
undeveloped deposits of rare-earth minerals and uranium in the world: the
Kvanefjeld site, or Kuannersuit in Greenlandic. It contains high
concentrations of metals such as terbium and neodymium, which are used to
manufacture permanent magnets in wind turbines and electric cars. Every
major power in the world is scrambling to get access to these minerals for
carbon-free energy and transport.

A proposed open-pit mine would be worth
about $7.5bn (£6bn) if it went ahead, according to the site operator,
generating income for the island’s economy. But when the mining company
acquired the site in 2007, the impact of potentially radioactive waste
contaminating drinking water and nearby sheep farms alarmed local people.
They feared that the “tailings” – a slurry of ground-up waste from
mining – would be laced with radioactive waste and could contaminate
waterways or spread as dust in the air.

 Guardian 5th March 2025, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/05/greenland-mining-energy-transition-minerals-environmental-laws-uranium-rare-earth-toxic-waste-investor-state-dispute-settlement-isds-aoe

March 7, 2025 Posted by | ARCTIC, Uranium | Leave a comment