nuclear-news

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

The irrational optimism of the nuclear power lobby.

12 Apr 25,  https://theaimn.net/the-irrational-optimism-of-the-nuclear-power-lobby/

Australia’s Opposition Party is the prime example of this unfounded optimism. Liberal Coalition leader Peter Dutton is full of enthusiasm in his nuclear plan :

Our plan will deliver a net-zero electricity grid by 2050 and a strong and resilient economy. It will set our country up for decades to come. At the front of this next wave of growth will be those communities which host zero-emissions nuclear plants. Not only will local communities benefit from high paying, multi-generational jobs but communities will be empowered to maximise the benefits from hosting an asset of national importance .……….

A Federal Coalition Government will initially develop two establishment projects using either small modular reactors or modern larger plants such as the AP1000 or APR1400. They will start producing electricity by 2035 (with small modular reactors) or 2037 (if modern larger plants are found to be the best option).

Dutton and his chief nuclear spruiker, Ted O’Brien, gloss easily over concerns about costs, safety, water shortage, environmental effects, timing, and of comparisons with wind and solar power.

Ted O’Brien is indeed a master at this stuff. He looks just the right guy to be a reassuring expert to farmers, and rural communities. His background in marketing shows, with his perfect marketing style. Pleasant, affable, -even warm, calm and confident, O’Brien doesn’t need the detailed facts to interfere with his comfortable assertions about Australia’s wonderful nuclear energy future.

“because hand on heart that’s in our national interest It is the right thing to do I It is why othercountries all around the world are now introducing nuclear energy It’s in Australia’s interest …….We’ll always have to focus on what is right for Australia.

Australia is already behind the eight ball when it comes to zero-emission nuclear energy. The sooner we get going the betterIt has proven around the world to be the fastest way to decarbonise electricity grids.”

Australia, geographically remote from the countries that do have nuclear power, is vulnerable to this kind of “style over substance” persuasion.

If we look at the substance of what is going on in those countries, we find a very mixed bag indeed. The national governments of France, USA, UK, Canada, Japan, Russia, are all for new nuclear power – encouraging and subsidising big and (so far non-existent) small nuclear reactors. Not so much China, which is going allout for renewable energy.

The politicians might be backing nuclear power – but the economic realities tell a different story:

BRITAIN: Let’s start with the COSTS – Hinkley Point C nuclear will cost at least £75 billion – highly unlikely that Sizewell C will be any cheaper. Then there’s the WASTES problem – Nuclear bosses quizzed by MPs over Sellafield’s £130 billion century-long clean up. And there’s the OPPOSITION to the industry and to its wastes – Resistance to nuke dump grows in South Copeland.

FRANCE. is in all sorts of trouble with its nuclear programme – France delays EPR2 reactors to 2038. The Flamanville EPR nuclear reactor will not be able to deliver its full power without major works. Squabble with Britain over who pays for France’s nuclear projects in the UK. And there’s The poisonous problem of France’s nuclear waste

USA – COSTS – USA nuclear power companies feeling the financial pain- future very dubious. Failure of small nuclear reactor project. Attempts to restart old reactors – Groups Demand DOE Environmental Impact Statement Before Agency Bails Out Palisades Zombie Reactor Restart.

JAPAN. has a huge nuclear WASTE problem. And it’s not just the Fukushima continuing waste disaster. There is little enthusiasm in government or community for reviving the nuclear industry –   TEPCO’s rehabilitation plan delays expose limits to nuke power reliance.

CANADA. The government is gung-ho for nuclear power, but here is strong and well-informed opposition to it. And those pesky indigenous opponents are having legal wins on waste plans, – the wastes problem does put a damper on new nuclear.

These are all nations that are stuck with existing nuclear reactors, many of them aging, and stuck with the very significant waste problem – which, by the way, doesn’t get a mention from the comforting Mr Ted O’Brien.

Australia’s Liberal-National Coalition has as its main policy, the setting up of a tax-payer funded nuclear industry. This is a breathtakingly bold step for a Liberal party, traditionally the champion of private enterprise, and sworn enemy of socialism.

The Coalition doesn’t seem to have much else in the way of policies. Their leader, Peter Dutton. is currently inclined to shut up a bit about nuclear. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12RE1WGl-VQ

It’s up to Ted O’Brien to work his marketing magic. He will probably be helped with his “style above substance” message, by well-funded groups like Advance and The Atlas Network.

Well, it worked in America. Voters, tired of all the bad stuff, turned away from facts and policy details, and voted for an entertaining charlatan. It could work in Australia, and would certainly be a triumph for the nice Mr O’Brien.

April 12, 2025 Posted by | Christina's notes | 4 Comments

Walt Zlotow: Trump, Hegseth off by nearly 1 trillion on national security budget

Walt Zlotow, West Suburban Peace Coalition, Glen Ellyn IL 11 Apr 25 https://theaimn.net/trump-hegseth-off-by-nearly-1-trillion-on-national-security-budget/

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is applauding Trump’s boast to push through America’s first trillion dollar defense budget.

“Thank you Mr. President! COMING SOON: the first TRILLION dollar [Defense Department] budget.” Hegseth was echoing boss Trump who chortled “Nobody’s seen anything like it. We have to build out military, and we’re very cost-conscious, but the military is something we have to build, and we have to be strong,”

Trump’s defense policy and these quotes epitomize America’s decline as a peaceful, caring nation. Spending that trillion on militarism and warfare worldwide while Trump’s oligarchs are slashing a trillion from the social safety net is putting America into a death spiral from which it may never recover.

But they should really be high-fiving a national security budget that will be approaching $2 trillion based on Trump’s defense agenda.

That’s because the current defense budget under the National Defense Authorization Act of $900 billion just funds the Pentagon. When factoring in the Department of Veterans Affairs, special operations, Homeland Security and the national security share of US debt interest, the total for Fiscal ‘25 national security approaches $1.8 trillion. Regarding special ops, Trump’s failed month long Yemen bombing to stop their resistance to US enabled Israeli genocide in Gaza has already passed a billion bucks.

Current wars US supports in Ukraine, Gaza, Yemen, Somalia, Syria, Iraq and possible upcoming wars in Iran and China, don’t come cheap. Add in cost of over 750 bases in 80 countries hosting over 150,000 military personnel puts the approaching $2 trillion dollar cost in perspective.

Spending all that treasure on national offense (nope, not defense), becomes problematical when Trump is pushing thru trillion dollar tax cuts for his oligarch buddies.

What to do? Of Course, send in oligarch clown Musk to cut a trillion or more from everything that makes life livable for Joe Sixpack.

It is no surprise Trump plans to ravage the social safety net to spend $2 trillion on worldwide military adventurism while giving $4.5 trillion in tax cuts over 10 years mainly to those who don’t need them.

But do Trump and Hegseth have to brag about it?

April 12, 2025 Posted by | business and costs, politics, USA, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Iran may expel UN nuclear inspectors over US threats

Washington says move would be a ‘miscalculation’ by Tehran and ‘inconsistent with claims of peaceful nuclear programme’

Akhtar Makoii, Telegraph 10th April 2025

A senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader warned on Thursday that Iran could expel UN nuclear inspectors, in an apparent swipe at the United States.

Ali Shamkhani, a rear admiral, said Iran might take “deterrent measures, including expulsion of inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)” if foreign threats continue.

He said: “The continuation of external threats and Iran being in a state of military attack may lead to deterrent measures, including expulsion of inspectors from IAEA and cessation of cooperation.”

Tensions between Washington and Tehran have intensified since Donald Trump returned to office, with Washington demanding Iran agrees to a nuclear deal or be bombed………………..

The US and Iran will hold high-level talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme for the first time in 10 years on Saturday.

‘If it requires military, we’ll have military’

Whether officials from either side will actually meet in person in Oman is unclear. Mr Trump has promised “direct” discussions, while the Iranians insist on a mediated process………….

Last month, Mr Trump sent a letter to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calling for direct negotiations while warning of military action if diplomacy fails.

“If it requires military, we’re going to have military,” Mr Trump said on Wednesday.

“Israel will obviously be very much involved in that. They’ll be the leader of that. But nobody leads us… we do what we want to do.”………………………… https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/04/10/iran-expel-un-nuclear-inspectors-tehran-warns/

April 12, 2025 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Arctic sea ice hit a record low as global powers eye shipping routes

Arctic sea ice hit a record low for the end of the region’s winter last
month, in a stark sign of how climate change is opening up the North Pole
to a geopolitical race for military and energy exploration. March was the
fourth consecutive month in which sea ice reached a record low for that
calendar period, based on a 47-year satellite record, EU earth observation
agency Copernicus reported on Tuesday.

FT 10th April 2025 https://www.ft.com/content/f8083632-e6bc-45f5-8032-0ee60e263cf6

April 12, 2025 Posted by | ARCTIC, climate change | Leave a comment

Starmer appoints ex-Office of Fair Trading chief to lead nuclear regulatory taskforce

The prime minister has appointed ex-Office of Fair Trading boss John Fingleton to head up the country’s nuclear taskforce

Energy Voice, By Jessica Mills Davies, 10/04/2025

The UK government’s nuclear taskforce will be led by John Fingleton, formerly the boss of the Office of Fair Trading, following his appointment to spearhead the unit.

The Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce, which was set up to accelerate the development of new nuclear power stations across the country, is poised to embark on an overhaul of UK planning regulation.

In February, Keir Starmer moved to slash “red tape” in the industry to enable more nuclear power plants to be approved across England and Wales.

Those reforms are designed to enable small modular reactors to be built for the first time. That is the intended result of the government abolishing a set list of approved sites for nuclear development so that nuclear power stations can be built anywhere in the country.

The energy department said that contract negotiations to progress a competition for these small reactors, held by Great British Nuclear, are “currently underway”, and that a panel of nuclear experts will be appointed to the taskforce in due course.

In a controversial move, the government is also getting rid of expiry dates on nuclear planning rules, in an effort to avoid projects timing out.

These changes to nuclear planning rules were proposed after the pre-development stage Sizewell C nuclear plant in Suffolk was taken to court by local activists.

The Department for Net Zero and Energy Security said that the government committed a further £2.7 billion in public funding to Sizewell C last month………………………..

The independent taskforce will seek to identify how nuclear power regulation can incentivise investment in new projects more quickly and cost efficiently, it said………….

Fingleton said he will “work closely with business, regulators and other interested individuals and groups to identify how regulation can better enable and incentivise investment in this area”…………………. https://www.energyvoice.com/renewables-energy-transition/570966/starmer-selects-fingleton-to-head-up-nuclear-taskforce/

April 12, 2025 Posted by | safety, UK | Leave a comment

Impacts of Dounreay radioactive discharges to be focus of new research

By Iain Grant 09 April 2025

A Scottish research team is gearing up to carry out the latest study on what
impact authorised radioactive discharges from Dounreay have on local habits
and consumption patterns. It is to include a mail shot of residents living
near the plant and interviews with people out and about on local beaches.

The study will include visits to Sandside beach. The work carried out for
the Scottish Environment Protection Agency supplements the routine
radiological monitoring in the area undertaken by Dounreay contractors. The
Stirling University team are to focus on land extending from the site to
Crosskirk in the east and Red Point on the west and the coastline from
Armadale Bay to Dunnet Head.

Four or five of the environmental scientists
will be out and about to do the interviews on local beaches with local
people and visitors on June 6-12 and July 3-9.

John O’Groat Journal 9th April 2025 https://www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/news/impacts-of-dounreay-radioactive-discharges-to-be-focus-of-ne-379098/

April 12, 2025 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

NFLAs ‘shout up’ for National Parks to be spared from nuclear development

Despite our objections and those of many in the antinuclear community, Energy Ministers and departmental civil servants remain intent upon introducing a new National Planning Statement, called the EN-7, which gives considerable latitude to prospective developers to site new nuclear plants more widely, subject to meeting certain criterion (called the ‘criteria-based approach’) and lifts any time limits (called ‘the removal of a deployment deadline’).

10th April 2025, https://www.nuclearpolicy.info/news/nflas-shout-up-for-national-parks-to-be-spared-from-nuclear-development/

NFLAs ‘shout up’ for National Parks to be spared from nuclear development

The Nuclear Free Local Authorities have made an emphatic plea to the government for National Parks to be definitively spared from development and for further ‘specific consideration’ to be given to the challenges attendant to siting so-called Small and Advanced Modular Reactors (SMRs and AMRs).

Despite our objections and those of many in the antinuclear community, Energy Ministers and departmental civil servants remain intent upon introducing a new National Planning Statement, called the EN-7, which gives considerable latitude to prospective developers to site new nuclear plants more widely, subject to meeting certain criterion (called the ‘criteria-based approach’) and lifts any time limits (called ‘the removal of a deployment deadline’).

Interestingly neither of these notions was popular amongst respondents in the initial consultation on the policy with only 47% supporting the first and 50% the second; which begs the NFLAs to ask the question: why change the existing policy which is based on a government led strategic assessment of sites to in effect a ‘free-for-all’?

As we did in response to the first stage consultation, so in the second the NFLAs ‘shout up…against new nuclear in any of our National Parks and on sites adjoining or threatening Sites of Outstanding Natural Beauty or Immense Heritage Value’. The Welsh NFLA affiliates are particularly passionate in seeking to defend Trawsfynydd, which lies at the heart of Eryri, the premier National Park of Wales, from new development. As we point out:

‘The principle that National Parks can be excluded from future nuclear development has already been established by Government diktat. Any part of the Lake District National Park in England has been specifically (and in our view rightly) excluded from any consideration as a prospective site of a future Geological Disposal Facility. Surely then Trawsfynydd being at the heart of the Eryri National Park should enjoy the same protection in law?

In our view, to do otherwise exposes UK Government policy as hypocritical and inconsistent, implying that the premier National Park of Wales is not worthy of the same protection as the premier National Park of England and unfortunately conveys the impression that Wales remains a rank colonial possession, rather than a nation in its own right, whose natural assets are open to exploitation by any major nuclear development of the most egregious kind’.

Only 59% of respondents in phase one backed the inclusion of ‘SMRS and AMRs alongside large-scale GW technologies’ within the policy, with the NGO community calling for a separate policy. Despite this, Ministers intend this policy to be one-size-fits-all. In this second phase consultation, the NFLAs have referenced the lack of ‘specific consideration’ of the ‘additional, and not entirely defined, challenges’ that accompany the inclusion of SMRs and AMRs.

There have been many recent reports of concerns amongst the nuclear industry and the academic community about the radioactive waste produced by smaller reactors and the security implications of a wider rollout of smaller reactors. The NFLAs have therefore requested that final version of EN-7 should require ‘SMR, AMR, Micro reactor developers to submit robust statements about their proposals to address radioactive waste management, safety, security and proliferation concerns’.

1

April 12, 2025 Posted by | environment, opposition to nuclear, UK | Leave a comment

UK Government convenes AI Energy Council, but could be ignoring hidden climate impacts in supply chains


 Edie 10th April 2025, Sidhi Mittal

The UK Government has officially launched its AI Energy Council, with its first meeting outlining five key priorities for aligning the country’s clean energy ambitions with the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI).

However, while the Council focuses on integrating AI intro the UK’s energy system, Ministers are being warned that they are overlooking the strain which AI supply chains are putting on energy systems overseas.

The Council is led by Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband. Representatives from companies including Microsoft, Google, Amazon, ARM, EDF and ScottishPower sit on the Council, alongside energy regulator Ofgem and the National Energy System Operator (NESO).

The Council this week met for the first time, and agreed on focus points for the year ahead. These include preparing the UK’s energy grid for the electricity demands of AI and computer infrastructure, accelerating renewable energy adoption, and ensuring AI’s role in the energy sector contributes to the transition to net-zero.

Emphasis was also placed on using AI to improve grid flexibility and ensuring its safe, secure deployment in the energy system.

This move comes amid growing pressure for the UK’s AI ecosystem to deliver more public benefit. A recent report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) found that only 15% of AI firms in the UK are developing solutions aimed at social challenges such as public health or environmental sustainability, despite 20% having received public funding.

IPPR’s head of AI Carsten Jung said: “Too many companies are focussed on generic process improvements rather than coming up with new, better products. And too few innovations are aimed at solving big societal problems, such as public health and climate change.

“This quantity over quality, profit over purpose, speed over substance, approach is a hugely missed opportunity.”

But as the UK attempts to shape a greener AI-powered future through initiatives like the AI Energy Council, the global supply chain it relies on presents an emissions challenge far beyond its borders.

AI chip boom in East Asia drives fossil fuel surge

New research from Greenpeace East Asia has found that electricity demand for manufacturing AI chips has risen more than 350% between 2023 and 2024. East Asia—home to the bulk of global AI chip production—is seeing this growth largely powered by fossil fuels………………………..

Greenpeace East Asia’s supply chain project lead Katrin Wu said: “While fabless hardware companies like Nvidia and AMD are reaping billions from the AI boom, they are neglecting the climate impact of their supply chains in East Asia.

“Across East Asia, there are many opportunities for companies to invest directly in wind and solar energy, yet chipmakers have failed to do so on a meaningful scale.

“Hardware companies can overcome renewable energy bottlenecks by investing directly in wind and solar capacity, signing power purchase agreements, and leveraging their influence to advocate for a higher ratio of renewable energy in the grid.”……………………………………………………………. https://www.edie.net/uk-government-convenes-ai-energy-council-but-could-be-ignoring-hidden-climate-impacts-in-supply-chains/

April 12, 2025 Posted by | technology, UK | Leave a comment

EDF urged to tackle ‘nuclear rats’ infestation at Somerset power plant site

Unite and GMB trade unions have warned French energy giant EDF that urgent action is needed to tackle the massive rodent outbreak at the construction site of Hinkley Point C nuclear reactor in Somerset.

Katie Timms, Joshua Whorms,  Somerset Live 9th April 2025

“Nuclear rats” have reportedly overrun the construction site of a new nuclear reactor in Somerset, raising alarm among workers about their health and safety as they contend with the pervasive rodent problem.

Trade unions Unite and GMB have urgently called on French energy giant EDF to take immediate action to address the significant rodent infestation at the Hinkley Point C nuclear reactor site.

Concerns are mounting for the wellbeing of the workforce tasked with constructing Britain’s first new nuclear power station in decades due to the burgeoning rat population, reports the Daily Star.

An insider at the site disclosed to the Observer: “They’re all over. You see them just sat there, looking at you. It is worse near the canteens, where I guess it started. But they are everywhere now.

“The more men working on the site, the more rubbish on the site and the canteens are not clean either. It has just become worse over time,” the source elaborated.

Other employees have described the situation as “quite grim”. Amidst the project exceeding its budget by a billion pounds, workers have voiced concerns that financial constraints imposed by EDF are compromising their working conditions and impacting their wages.

These persistent issues led to industrial action last November, with hundreds of electricians, pipe fitters, and welders ceasing work due to security worries…………………….

The Star previously reported on the alarming sight of “cat-sized rats” which ignited concerns about a potential outbreak of a rare bacterial disease in the UK’s second largest city.

Residents have reported sightings of enormous “rats the size of cats” prowling their streets, as industrial action by waste collectors has resulted in rubbish accumulating in the streets of Birmingham. There is growing concern among experts about these oversized rodents potentially leading to locals contracting Leptospirosis…………………………………
https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/edf-urged-tackle-nuclear-rats-10094730

April 12, 2025 Posted by | environment, UK | Leave a comment

The Flamanville EPR nuclear reactor will not be able to deliver its full power without major works.

According to our information, EDF has still not been able to identify the cause of the malfunction of the turbine in the Normandy reactor.

 La Tribune Juliette Raynal, 04/07/25

After a doomed construction site, the Normandy reactor of the Flamanville EPR started up on December 21, twelve years behind schedule. Its entry into service does not signal the end of the problems, far from it. According to our information, the difficulties encountered with the turbo-alternator unit, the centerpiece of a nuclear power plant, will prevent the first French EPR from delivering its full electrical power without major intervention requiring the assembly of scaffolding inside a room that is difficult to access.

Contacted by La Tribune , EDF did not wish to comment on this information and indicated that it was maintaining its provisional schedule with the transition to 100% of its nominal power in the summer of 2025. “While technically the reactor could well reach its full thermal power in the coming months, the electrical power will be reduced by 10 to 20% due to the partial vacuum,”  qualifies a well-informed source.

As we reported on March 13, EDF teams had to deal  with abnormal heating in the turbo-generator unit. Located in the heart of the engine room, the 70-meter-long Arabelle turbine, manufactured by General Electric,  but now owned by Arabelle Solutions, a subsidiary of EDF, 
transforms the thermal energy contained in the steam into mechanical energy to drive the alternator that produces electricity.
 The Arabelle turbine, the centerpiece of the power plant

In a technical document published  following a general meeting, organized on February 25th within the framework of the Local Information Commission (CLI), the electrician revealed a malfunction:  “The temperature increases beyond the authorized limit on stages 7 and 8 of the turbo alternator group when trying to reach the expected condenser vacuum . “

…………………………………….. the 57th reactor in the French fleet is still shut down due to a maintenance operation on equipment located in the nuclear part of the plant.

After several postponements, its start-up is expected on April 11. “While these adjustments allow the reactor to be restarted without exceeding the authorized heating levels, they will not allow it to operate at full power,” a well-informed source cautions. “The reactor will only be able to continue its tests at a partial vacuum,” the same source specifies.

……………………………..With  the vacuum reduced, the turbine’s efficiency will be mechanically reduced and could therefore be between 10 and 20% below its nominal operating temperature.

The cause of the malfunction has not yet been identified.

“The work that has been carried out on the bearings is corrective work. It helps to reduce the fault that is causing excessive heating, but the teams involved do not expect this to completely resolve the problem. In short, it helps to treat the symptoms, but not the cause, which remains unidentified ,” reports  this source.

According to our information, to attempt a diagnosis, EDF teams will have to install scaffolding inside the condenser itself. A room that is difficult to access since it is located just below the turbine.  “It is an intrusive operation that requires a complete shutdown of the reactor for at least several weeks ,” according to this well-informed source.

“A nightmare to cope with”

Unlike a conventional shutdown for refueling, which lasts on average 30 to 40 days, this first break should last  “at least 250 days ,” said Régis Clément, deputy director of EDF’s nuclear fleet division, during a press briefing on December 20. In other words, more than eight months.  EDF also intends to take advantage of this interruption to replace the defective tank cover, required by the nuclear regulator.

While waiting for this operation, the various components of the turbine, due to its abnormal operation, could well be damaged. And for good reason, even if by lowering the vacuum level the defect becomes acceptable, it does not disappear. As a result, the bearings wear unevenly and mistreat the turbine. “This machine risks being a nightmare to operate ,” fears a person close to the case.

April 12, 2025 Posted by | France, technology | 1 Comment