Nuclear power in the USA struggles to expand – EIA`s 2014 energy report
AEO2014 Early Release Overview
Release Date: December 16, 2013 | Full Report Release Date: Early Spring 2014
Extract
….Electricity generation from nuclear power plants grows by 5% in the AEO2014 Reference case, from 769 billion kWh in 2012 to 811 billion kWh in 2040, accounting for about 16% of total generation in 2040 (compared with 19% in 2012). Nuclear generating capacity decreases from 102 GW in 2012 to 98 GW in 2020 as new construction (5.5 GW) and uprates at existing plants (0.7 GW) are more than offset by retirements in several regions where existing nuclear units are facing challenging economic conditions. After 2025, a small amount of new nuclear capacity comes on line as natural gas prices rise. In 2040, overall nuclear capacity is back up to 102 GW. AEO2014 incorporates updated information from EIA data collections regarding planned nuclear plant construction and capacity uprates at existing units…..
Fast against Kudankulam n-plant ends
http://twocircles.net/2014feb05/fast_against_kudankulam_nplant_ends.html
By IANS,
5 February 2014
Chennai: An indefinite fast by the core committee members of the People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) and some villagers against the Kudankulam nuclear power project came to an end on its fifth day Tuesday.
A PMANE statement said that as the health of the 11 people who went on a hunger strike turned worse and the central and state governments did not bother about it, the fast was ended at the request of community leaders.
It said the next course of protest will be decided Sunday.
For the past 904 days, the PMANE has been spearheading the anti-Kudankulam nuclear power project (KNPP) movement in Tirunelveli district, around 650 km from here.
The Nuclear Power Corp of India Ltd (NPCIL) is setting up two 1,000 MW Russian reactors at Kudankulam. The total outlay for the KNPP is over Rs.17,000 crore.
The first unit has started power generation and has been connected to the southern grid. Work on commissioning the second unit is in progress.
The NPCIL is also planning to set up two more units at Kudankulam, which is also being opposed by the PMANE.
According to the PMANE, the performance of the first two reactors should be tested by independent scientists.
People should also be told whether the 15 conditions laid down by the Supreme Court last year has been complied with.
The other demands of the PMANE are making public the site evaluation report, safety analysis report, VVER Reactors Performance Report and the emergency preparedness report.
The PMANE is also demanding withdrawal of 360 cases filed against around 270,000 people in the area.
The anti-nuclear power movement also urged Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa to reject the setting up of the third and fourth units at Kudankulam.
Azerbaijan invited to nuclear summit in Netherlands
…There is a need to do everything possible to get nuclear energy used for peaceful purposes, he added….
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has been invited to a nuclear security summit in the Netherlands.
It was announced by Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans at a joint press conference with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, 1news.az reports.
“Experience of Azerbaijan in nuclear field is interesting for Azerbaijan,” Timmermans said.
There is a need to do everything possible to get nuclear energy used for peaceful purposes, he added.
News.Az
After the Apocalypse – hidden truths
The story of the people of Semipalatinsk in Kazakhstan, who were used as guinea pigs in the Soviet Union’s testing of nuclear weapons
Dr. Boris Gusev, Semipalatinsk Institute of Radiation Medicine:
“We knew precisely where the radiation was.”
“We knew precisely how much of the different types of radiation that people were being exposed to.”
“What dose the population was receiving.”
“We knew everything.”
Silent bombs for the Motherland
Residents of a remote part of Kazakhstan still suffer the fallout from Soviet nuclear tests.
Gerald Sperling Last Modified: 25 Jul 2010
http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/witness/2009/07/20097311050441793.html
Witness – Silent Bombs: All for the Motherland – Part 1
“Between 1949 and 1989, the Soviet Union exploded 460 nuclear bombs in eastern Kazakhstan. The damage residents suffered as a result of being exposed to high levels of radiation has been passed on and seems to have intensified in the following generations.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aUVQiKVKJQ&feature=relmfu
Witness – Silent Bombs: All for the Motherland – Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwCbuNJa2XI&feature=relmfu
Witness – Silent Bombs: All for the Motherland – Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzF7dzQuhpQ&feature=relmfu
Witness – Silent Bombs: All for the Motherland – Part 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3hyqM-8xfM&feature=relmfu
Orphanage for disabled children in Kazakhstan
AfterApocalypseMovie
“This section never made it into the film. It shows the situation at Ayagus orphanage. The girl in the film, Rufina, got her operation in the end, but died as a result of complications. Note all filming was done with the permission of the acting director of the orphanage and the Ayagus akimat.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AQK1AcRTKw
Kazakhstan’s radioactive legacy
“Sixty years ago, the Soviet Union detonated its first nuclear weapon, nicknamed “First Lightning”, at a test facility on the steppe of northeast Kazakhstan (formerly the Kazakh SSR). The test site, named the Semipalatinsk Polygon, would go on to host 456 atomic explosions over its 40-year existence. Residents in the surrounding area became unwitting guinea pigs, exposed to the aftereffects of the bombs both intentionally and unintentionally. The radiation has silently devastated three generations of people in Kazakhstan – the total number affected is thought to be more than one million – creating health problems ranging from thyroid diseases, cancer, birth defects, deformities, premature aging, and cardiovascular diseases. Life expectancy in the area is seven years less than the national average of Kazakhstan….”
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/11/kazakhstans_radioactive_legacy.html
Thermonuclear bomb RDS-27; RDS-37. (USSR)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPIuWhUCwXw&feature=related
Tsar Bomba – King of the Bombs – 57,000,000 Tonnes of TNT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxD44HO8dNQ&feature=related
Kazakhstan’s nuclear ambitions
By Togzhan Kassenova | 28 April 2008
“In April 2007, 150 Japanese government and private sector representatives visited Astana, the Kazakh capital, and signed 24 bilateral trade deals, including the purchase of a stake in a Kazatomprom uranium mine by Marubeni Corporation. In addition, Toshiba pledged to help Kazakhstan build nuclear power plants, and the Japanese delegation agreed to provide Kazakhstan with technological assistance for processing uranium fuel and building reactors.4”
“Kazatomprom’s goal is to collaborate with Russia to export nuclear reactors to third-party countries. It has already established Atomnye Stantsii, a joint venture with Russia that will design, build, and sell small- and medium-sized reactors. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Mohamed ElBaradei has noted that most major vendors have failed to offer such reactors, which are believed to be more appropriate for countries new to nuclear energy. ElBaradei has mentioned Jordan, Thailand, and Ghana as interested in reactors at 100-400 megawatt capacities.8 Kazakhstan also believes that other Central Asian countries will also be interested in buying such new reactor technologies.9”
“First and foremost, Kazakhstan responsibly defends nonproliferation and export controls. It is a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Nuclear Suppliers Group. And in addition to its general IAEA membership, Kazakhstan has signed the IAEA Safeguards Protocol and signed and ratified the IAEA’s Additional Protocol. Adherence to the Additional Protocol subjects all of Kazakhstan’s nuclear facilities to stringent IAEA oversight, including comprehensive declarations, reporting, and site-access obligations.”
http://www.thebulletin.org/web-edition/features/kazakhstans-nuclear-ambitions
Kazakhstan President and Dutch Foreign Minister discuss nuclear summit
“Nuclear tests were held at the territory of Semipalatinsk nuclear testing site in Kazakhstan and the country has been fighting the consequences for decades. Kazakhstan knows how costly it is. That is why we need to create common international system that would enable use to ensure the safety. Kazakhstan’s course to maintain nuclear safety is supported by all the countries,”
Wednesday, 05.02.2014
President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev and Foreign Minister of the Netherlands Frans Timmermans have met to discuss cooperation between their countries, Tengrinews reports citing the official presidential website.
They talked about ways to strengthen the bilateral cooperation in different areas, “in particular, in trade and investments,” the press-office told.
“The Netherlands is Kazakhstan’s largest investor and the leading trade partner among the European Union countries. We are interested in developing the bilateral relations. And this visit is very important for our countries,” the President of Kazakhstan said.
The Netherlands Minister thanked Nursultan Nazarbayev for meeting him and passed an invitation from the King of the Kingdom of the Netherlands for the Kazakhstan President to visit his country for the 3rd Nuclear Security Summit to be held in Hague on March 24-25, 2014.
“Being a country that has access to the sea and a well-developed port infrastructure we could join our efforts with Kazakhstan that is a country of great potential to achieve significant results,” Timmermans said. He assured that the Netherlands would assist Kazakhstan in implementation of its plan to join the Top 30 most developed countries of the world.
Speaking about the upcoming Nuclear Security Summit in Hague, Timmermans pointed out that Kazakhstan knew better than most countries what tragic consequences nuclear weapons bring.
“Nuclear tests were held at the territory of Semipalatinsk nuclear testing site in Kazakhstan and the country has been fighting the consequences for decades. Kazakhstan knows how costly it is. That is why we need to create common international system that would enable use to ensure the safety. Kazakhstan’s course to maintain nuclear safety is supported by all the countries,” Frans Timmermans said.
For more information see: http://en.tengrinews.kz/politics_sub/Kazakhstan-President-and-Dutch-Foreign-Minister-discuss-nuclear-summit-25788/
Use of the Tengrinews English materials must be accompanied by a hyperlink to en.Tengrinews.kz
2011
“….A senior adviser to the Kazakh President said that Blair had opened an office in the capital. “A large working group is here and,to my knowledge,it has already opened Tony Blair’s permanent office in Astanam,” Presidential adviser Yermukhamet Yertysbayev was quoted as saying.
In leaked US diplomatic cables,Kazakhstan was accused of being undemocratic;
using torture and other abuse;
arbitrary arrest and detention;
restriction on free speech;
corruption in law enforcement and the judicial system;
discrimination and violence against women and
people trafficking…..” http://indianexpress.com/article/news-archive/web/blair-met-mittal-over-kazakhstan-deal/
Kazakhstan as significant player in the Global Uranium Market should develop Nuclear Energy – former Executive Director of International Energy Agency Nobuo Tanaka
http://www.inform.kz/eng/article/2627881
05 February 2014
TOKYO. KAZINFORM – Kazakh President’s address to the nation “Kazakhstan’s way-2050: common goal, common interests, common future” focuses on the prospects for the development of nuclear power. Nobuo Tanaka, former executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), shared his assessments of the global nuclear power, after the accident at Fukushima nuclear power plant, and the potential for Kazakhstan’s nuclear power development.
– What, in your opinion, is the status of the Japanese energy sector?
– The situation in the energy sector today remains uncertain because of the “Arab Spring” and the shale revolution. As you know, all the nuclear reactors in Japan are still closed due to the accident at “Fukushima” nuclear power plant. Despite the establishment of Nuclear Regulation Authority and the introduction of strict requirements for the operation of nuclear reactors the examination to verify the safety of NPP take longer time than it was initially planned. It is expected that in the best scenario to restart nuclear power plants in Japan is possible by the summer of the current year. Moreover, this issue is currently extremely politized in Japan.
After stopping all nuclear reactors, Japan additionally spent USD 40 billion on energy imports. That was heavy load for the Japanese economy. By the end of 2013, Japan’s trade deficit reached a historic high – USD 113 billion. If this trend continues, Japan will lose its competitiveness in the global market. In this situation, Japan has no choice. The government should as soon as possible restart nuclear reactors in order to avoid the economic crisis in the country which can affect the world economy.
There are risks arising from the supply of fuel from the Middle East. Failures in the supply of oil and gas from the region will have negative impact on our automotive and chemical industries. Japan needs to diversify energy sources. Talking about renewable energy I can say that it is still very expensive. Japan will develop it but it’s a matter of the future.
– What can you say about the role of Central Asia in the energy security in the region? What is your assessment of the Chinese initiative to create “Economic Belt Silk Road”?
Worker Found Dead at Cooper Nuclear Station
Tue 11:58 AM, Feb 04, 2014
BROWNVILLE, Neb. — Officials with Nebraska Public Power District and the Nemaha County Sheriff’s Department are investigating the death of a contractor radiation protection worker at Cooper Nuclear Station.
Tuesday morning between 7:30 and 8 a.m., plant personnel found a contractor employee deceased in the reactor building at CNS. The plant’s control room declared a medical emergency with response from plant EMTs. Although no official cause of death has been determined, the death is believed to be a result of natural causes.
CNS has reported the incident to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and OSHA, as required, and called in the Nemaha County Sheriff’s office for further investigation. The contractor company has been contacted, but at this time no name has been released pending notification of next of kin.
Tepco – Regarding “Nuclear Safety Reform Plan Progress Report (FY2013 3rd Quarter)”
Press Release (Feb 03,2014)
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/2014/1234035_5892.html
On March 29, 2013, TEPCO released “Reassessment of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident and Nuclear Safety Reform Plan”, and pledged to make the progress public on a regular basis. We completed the report regarding the progress made on the nuclear safety reform plan during the FY2013 3rd Quarter, and would like to distribute the following materials.
Appendices:
“Overview of the Nuclear Safety Reform Plan Progress Report (FY2013 3rd Quarter)” (PDF 178KB) 
“Nuclear Safety Reform Plan Progress Report (FY2013 3rd Quarter)” (PDF 3.13MB)
*English translation of the full edition report (the latter link) is now being developed. We will post the translation when it is prepared. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Fukushima 100% renewable energy by 2040 – Campaign
Fukushima 100% RE by 2040
Tokyo, 31 January 2014 – Local governments across Japan are seeking to supply their regions with 100% renewable energy, three years after the major earthquake which resulted in a nuclear disaster. At the Community Power Conference in Fukushima, the Founding Partners of the Global 100% Renewable Energy Campaign welcome the decision of Fukushima prefecture to be entirely energy self-sufficient by 2040 using only renewable sources. Among them are the Japan-based Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies (ISEP), World Future Council (WFC), World Wind Energy Association (WWEA) and the coordinating organization of the German 100% Renewable Energy region network deENet.
The Great East Japan earthquake, the subsequent tsunami and the disaster at the Fukushima-daiichi nuclear power plant in March 2011 encouraged the people of Fukushima to reassess their energy system and to revitalize industry in the shattered region. “This led to a vision to transition to renewable energy as a pathway forward,” says Tetsunari IIDA, Executive Director of ISEP. Fukushima prefecture now has an official commitment to cover 100% of primary energy demand in Fukushima with renewable resources by 2040.
In the process of revitalizing Fukushima, the authorities have adopted the slogan “Future From Fukushima”. Stefan Gsänger, Secretary General of the World Wind Energy Association, says “In line with the new slogan, it is an important message that Japanese regions are sending from Fukushima when joining the global movement of cities, communities, regions and countries celebrating their recent transition to 100% renewable energy. As we see in an increasing number of places around the world, 100% renewable energy is technically and economically viable.”
“While the national government of Japan prepares for the restart of the nuclear reactors, it is very encouraging to see communities and mayors leading the way in exploring successful planning and implementation strategies towards 100% renewable energy,” says Stefan Schurig, Director Climate Energy of the World Future Council.
The implementation of feed-in tariffs in 2012 triggered the acceleration of renewable energy development in many areas in Japan. In the course of such development, the bottom up approach among local stakeholders has been one of the major driving forces. Members of the Global 100% RE Campaign now highlight the importance of mechanisms and policies that enable local stakeholders to reap the benefits of local renewable resources. “Fortunately, Japan does not have to reinvent the wheel. Case studies from around the world provide valuable experiences and tools to bring socio- economic development by transitioning towards 100% renewable energy (RE). In Germany, a network of 100% renewable energy regions includes 74 regions and municipalities that have already reached 100% renewable energy status,” says Peter Moser, Division Manager for Regional Sustainable Development of deENet.
The Global 100% RE Campaign aims to inspire change by highlighting and visualizing a 100% renewable energy future – a future that is already reality in many regions. By engaging a broad range of stakeholders in the debate, for example through the new campaign website www.go100re.net, Global 100% RE helps to steer the debate on renewable energy towards 100% RE as the new normal.
About the campaign
Global 100% RE is the first global initiative that advocates 100% renewable energy. It connects the fragmented dots of renewable energy advocates to build a global alliance, proving that being powered by 100% sustainable renewable energy is urgent and achievable. This unique campaign builds on projects that are already taking place on national, regional and local levels and steers the global discourse on renewable energy towards 100% RE as the new normal. The goal is to initiate dialogue about 100% RE, build capacity and educate policymakers about the opportunities, case studies and stories that are happening all over the world. For this purpose the campaign aims to establish a global network of 100% RE regions.
Founding partners of the campaign are the World Future Council Foundation (WFC), World Wind Energy Association (WWEA), Fraunhofer-Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies (ISEP), World Bioenergy Association (WBO), International Solar Energy Society (ISES), International Geothermal Association (IGA), DeENet, World Council for Renewable Energy (WCRE) and Renewables 100 Policy Institute.
To learn more and to join the campaign, please visit www.go100re.net or get in touch via info@go100re.net
- Files:
Global_100percentRE_launch_in_Japan_Jan_2014.pdf (204 K)
Will a new lawsuit finally give some justice to the victims of Fukushima?
I am unable to copy the text on the link??? huh?? worth a view imo – arclight2011
EPA Abandons Major Radiation Cleanup in Florida, Despite Cancer Concerns
Jan. 28, 2014
By Douglas P. Guarino
Global Security Newswire
http://www.nti.org/gsn/article/epa-abandons-major-radiation-cleanup-florida-despite-cancer-concerns/
The Environmental Protection Agency is walking away after a decades-long battle with Florida politicians and industry officials over cleaning up phosphate-mining waste in an area that could expose more than 100,000 residents to cancer-causing radiation levels.
Under a decision quietly finalized two weeks ago, the federal agency will leave it to state officials to decide the fate of the sites in and around Lakeland, an approximately 10-square-mile residential area midway between Orlando and Tampa.
However, Florida officials have long argued that the affected area need not be cleaned up in the absence of radiation levels well above what EPA policy would normally permit. The decision not to enforce the usual federal rules could have far-reaching implications for how the United States deals with future radioactive contamination anywhere across the country — regardless of whether it is caused by conventional industrial activities or illicit radiological weapons, critics say.
In a joint statement to Global Security Newswire, the Florida health and environment departments say they have no plans to examine the sites further, despite prior recommendations by federal officials that an aerial radiation survey of the area is needed. The state officials say they already have enough historical data pertaining to the sites, and that additional monitoring is not necessary.
The statement, provided to GSN by Florida environmental protection spokeswoman Mara Burger, suggests the EPA decision not to clean up the sites under its Superfund program indicated that the federal agency did not consider the Lakeland area “problematic” from a public health standpoint.
Under Superfund law, the federal agency is authorized to remediate contaminated sites that pose a threat to public health and the environment.
Internal documents released under the Freedom of Information Act in recent years show, however, that the federal agency’s lack of action was the result of state and industry opposition, and that EPA officials did in fact believe the sites could pose a serious public health threat.
“It’s probably the worst site EPA could clean up from a public health standpoint, when you consider the number of potential cancers and the size of the affected population,” one source familiar with the Florida case told GSN. The source was not authorized to discuss the issue and asked not to be named in this article.
In response to questions about the matter, EPA spokeswoman Dawn Harris Young did not address whether the sites posed a health risk. She said only that the state had separate “regulatory and educational programs in place.”
“EPA believes that addressing all of the former phosphate mines under one regulatory scheme would provide regulatory consistency for the landowners, businesses and residents of Florida,” the federal agency spokeswoman said.
The EPA decision not to enforce its Superfund standards at the Florida sites is consistent with a controversial new guide for dealing with the aftermath of dirty bomb attacks, nuclear power-plant meltdowns and other radiological incidents that the agency published last year, Daniel Hirsch, a nuclear policy lecturer at the University of California-Santa Cruz, told GSN.
Documents GSN obtained in 2013 prompted concern among critics that EPA officials are looking to use the new guide — which is backed by the nuclear power industry — as a means for relaxing its radiation standards.
The agency’s approach to the Florida case lends further credence to the concern that it is backing away from its long-held radiological cleanup rules generally, Hirsch said.
“The agency is lowering the EPA flag outside the building and raising the white flag of surrender,” he quipped.
Three Decades of Concern
Although government officials have said little about the Florida situation publicly, federal involvement at the sites surrounding Lakeland began in 1979. That’s when EPA scientists first warned their superiors that the area could pose a health threat.
The scientists noted that past phosphate mining had created elevated concentrations of radium-226 in the area’s soil. Radium produces gamma rays that can penetrate the body and increase the risk for a variety of cancers. Inhaling or ingesting the uranium byproduct can increase the risk of leukemia, lymphoma and bone cancer, specifically.
In addition, the decay of radium creates radon, an odorless, radioactive gas that can increase the risk of lung cancer by seeping into homes and polluting indoor air.
Given these risks, the EPA scientists advised that no new homes should be built on the sites until further studies were completed, but the agency took no action and residential development continued.
The Environmental Protection Agency paid little attention to the Lakeland area sites until the new millennium, agency documents show. By that time, agency officials estimated that as many as 120,000 people living on 40,000 residential parcels could be exposed to unsafe radiation levels.
EPA Mulls New Radiation Standards For Nuclear Plants
By Sean McLernon
3 February 2014
http://www.law360.com/articles/506351/epa-mulls-new-radiation-standards-for-nuclear-plants
Law360, New York (February 03, 2014, 4:01 PM ET) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering new radiation regulation for nuclear plants, issuing a call for public comment and information Monday on a potential update to the 1977 standards covering uranium fuel used for electric power.
The 35-year-old environmental radiation protection standards rule was one of the earliest pieces of radiation regulation developed by the EPA. The agency has listed six issues for public comment, including risk limits, dose methodology, radionuclide release limits, water resource protection, radioactive waste storage and new nuclear technologies.
The standards…
Subscription only..
And this extract..
In some cases, EPA officials have not only suggested that a drastic event akin to the Fukushima nuclear power plant meltdown in Japan would necessitate more flexible guidelines, but also have made statements that critics say challenge the very science behind the agency’s everyday radiation rules.
“I think [EPA Administrator] Gina McCarthy has an out-of-control agency,” Daniel Hirsch, a nuclear-policy lecturer at the University of California-Santa Cruz, told GSN after reviewing the documents. “She has some people who are acting as nuclear cowboys, on behalf of EPA, undermining EPA’s policies and I think the public could get very badly hurt by it.”
One of the documents obtained by GSN is a presentation that Mike Boyd, an official in the agency’s radiation office, gave about the new protective-action guide during a May meeting of the Paris, France-based Nuclear Energy Agency, a division of the intergovernmental Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
The presentation suggests the approach to cleanup described in the new EPA guide “recall[s] the concept of optimization,” a controversial term the Obama administration had stripped from prior, Bush-era drafts of the document, even though “the word may be going out of style.”
http://www.nti.org/gsn/article/epa-documents-raise-doubts-over-intent-new-nuclear-response-guide/
And this extract..
For years, the EPA saw no need to update the regulations, because there were few changes in the industry, the agency explained.
But the EPA said it should update the rules now, “because growing concern about greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels has led to renewed interest in nuclear power,” it said.
The EPA said the new standards would develop rules for disposing of radioactive waste materials and decommissioning old nuclear plants, neither of which were included in the original rules.
The current rules also exclude any references to the transportation of any radioactive materials, the EPA noted.
The new rules may also include provisions that would protect against ground water contamination; the current standard focuses on air pollution.
“Ground water contamination has been identified at a number of nuclear power plants and nuclear fuel cycle facilities,” the EPA noted.
Fukushima’s Refugees: Why Have They Been Abandoned?
31 January 2014
The real victims of the Fukushima Daiichi triple meltdown have become invisible to Japan’s power brokers. Homeless, running out of money, with the fabric of their village society and culture destroyed, they sit in under-heated makeshift dwellings unable to move forward to a new life or return to the old life destroyed by ever present and unhealthy levels of radiation. Join Fairewinds Energy Education in our ongoing effort to help the people of Fukushima, Japan. Listen to Fairewinds’ Board Member Chiho Kaneko and Arnie Gundersen as Ms. Kaneko describes her recent trip to Japan and the stories of those who have been abandoned in the wake of this tragedy.
Fukushima’s Refugees: Why Have They Been Abandoned? from Fairewinds Energy Education on Vimeo.
Forgotten victims of Britain’s nuclear tests on Christmas Island
No compensation for British servicemen exposed to nuclear explosions around Australia and the Pacific in the 1950s and ’60s
When the bomb went off, Private John Hall had been given no protective clothing. Instead, he and his fellow RAF servicemen had been ordered to turn away from the mushroom cloud and put their hands in front of their faces.
He later said that as he did so, his hands “lit up like an X-ray”, and he saw his bones outlined through the flesh.
The year was 1958, and the Cold War was at its height. Mr Hall, a 19-year-old RAF groundcrewsman, was stationed on Christmas Island, off the north-eastern coast of Australia, to assist with British nuclear tests. His job was to decontaminate the bombers after they flew through the mushroom clouds to collect samples for analysis.
Between 1952 and 1962, Britain and the United States caused more than 40 nuclear explosions in the atmosphere around Australia and in the Pacific. Around 21,000 British servicemen were exposed to these explosions, many of whom were dressed in no more than khaki desert fatigues. Approximately 3,000 are thought to be alive today.
Mr Hall’s part was small, but he knew that it was vital work. If open warfare with the USSR was to be avoided, it was imperative that Britain should develop a nuclear deterrent.
But as he helped to end the Cold War in the dust and blistering heat, Mr Hall had no idea that he and many of his fellow servicemen would later suffer ill health and premature death. His own would come at the age of 53, after a long struggle against hairy cell leukaemia, a rare form of cancer that affects just 200 people per year in Britain.
More on link …
Westinghouse backs off small nuclear plants
Mr. Roderick said it would be difficult to justify the economics of small modular reactors at this point, especially without government subsidies.
February 1, 2014 8:39 PM
By Anya Litvak / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
After millions of dollars and more than a decade spent developing a small modular nuclear reactor, Westinghouse Electric Co. is pulling back.
Danny Roderick, president and CEO of the Cranberry-based nuclear firm, said Westinghouse recently “reprioritized” staff devoted to small modular reactor, or SMR, development and funneled their efforts to the AP1000, the company’s full-scale new generation pressurized water reactor currently under construction in China and the U.S.
“The problem I have with SMRs is not the technology, it’s not the deployment — it’s that there’s no customers,” Mr. Roderick said. “The worst thing to do is get ahead of the market.”
The move comes after Westinghouse was twice snubbed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s SMR commercialization program, which awarded cost-sharing arrangements to two other companies.
In November 2012, North Carolina-based Babcock & Wilcox won the first round of funding for its proposed 180-megawatt reactor, mPower. The company had submitted a joint application with the Tennessee Valley Authority, which said it would pilot these plants, and has received $101 million from the energy department so far.
In December 2013, NuScale Power, an Oregon-based company, with the backing of its primary investor Fluor Corp. and Rolls-Royce, won the second round, securing a cost-sharing agreement for up to $226 million over five years. NuScale is developing a 45-megawatt reactor.
1 This Month
Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes – A good documentary on Chernobyl on SBS available On Demand for the next 3 weeks– https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-program/chernobyl-the-lost-tapes/2352741955560
of the week–London Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Tell the Ukrainian Government to Drop Prosecution of Peace Activist Yurii Sheliazhenko
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity – go to https://nuclearinformation.wordpress.com
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