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Charming optimism, as a Japanese non-profit group plans for bunkers for the community to be OK in a nuclear war.

2 NPO pushes nuclear bunkers in Japan amid growing security threats

TSUKUBA

Amid growing security concerns over Russia’s nuclear threat and North Korea’s missile ambitions, a nonprofit organization in Japan has built a model nuclear shelter near Tokyo to raise awareness and encourage people to consider digging a doomsday bunker of their own.

While not yet open to the public, the underground concrete structure opened on May 10 in a parking lot opposite the Japan Nuclear Shelter Association’s office in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture. It has already hosted about 40 tours by construction professionals, national and local politicians, government agencies and the media.

The association says it aims to see shelters built in Japan to established standards. Interest in its activities has exploded last year, it said, with its membership rising from just two companies to around 30 in over a year.

“We were thinking about building this even before the (Russian) invasion of Ukraine, but decided we really had to from spring last year,” said director Takahiro Kawashima.

The facility is built to specifications from Switzerland, where 1960s legislation at the height of the Cold War required shelters be made available to all citizens.

The structure can withstand a blast like the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, provided it is just under a kilometer or more from the explosion’s center, according to the association.

It says the underground shelter can house a family of four adults, three children and one pet for a maximum of two weeks. While the entire space is about 48 square meters, its living area is around 25.6 square meters……………………………….

 it remains unclear how much a system like the one the association is showcasing would cost if it became a national standard.

Construction of the model shelter came in at a total of around 40 million yen ($277,000) to build and outfit but the organization maintains that a more standard price would be around 20 to 30 million yen per unit, not inclusive of the land on which it is constructed……  https://japantoday.com/category/national/npo-pushes-nuke-bunkers-in-japan-amid-growing-security-threats

July 3, 2023 Posted by | Japan, weapons and war | 3 Comments

Japan’s nuclear regulator finishes inspection of Fukushima radioactive wastewater release system

CGTN,  https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-07-02/Japan-s-nuclear-regulator-ends-Fukushima-water-release-system-checks-1l6DsIDixeU/index.html

Japan’s nuclear regulator has finished inspecting a newly completed system to release radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea, local media reported.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) checked for leaks and other abnormalities on Friday by passing water through the system and inspected the emergency shut-off valves to make sure they function properly, public broadcaster NHK reported.

NRA officials have reported no particular problem with the facility’s overall performance. The nuclear regulatory body is due to draw up a report on the results in about a week, it said.

If the NRA issues a certificate to the plant’s operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the system will be ready to operate, it added.

The NRA wrapped up three days of final on-site inspections on Friday. TEPCO completed the construction of the wastewater discharge system on Monday. 

Despite continuous opposition from its neighbors and the Pacific Island Countries, Japan has been rushing to carry out its plan of dumping treated radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific.

July 3, 2023 Posted by | Fukushima continuing | Leave a comment

What to know about Japan’s plan to release treated radioactive water from Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea

  • The plan to dump treated radioactive waste water from a nuclear plant into the sea has stirred debates in South Korea, and led to boycotts of Japanese goods in China
  • Japanese fishermen, whose livelihoods could be severely impacted, have also vehemently opposed the waste water disposal plan

more https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3225789/what-know-about-japans-plan-release-treated-radioactive-water-fukushima-nuclear-plant-sea

July 3, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Babbling about Prigozhin (and “the end of Putin”

There was much breathless, excited pontification about the end of Putin, despite the obvious fact that this insurrection had failed in its tracks.

June 27, 2023, by: Dr Binoy Kampmark  https://theaimn.com/babbling-about-prigozhin/

A lot of nonsense is being spouted by a bevy of spontaneous “Russian experts” in light of the Prigozhin spray, a mutiny (no one quite knows what to call it), stillborn in the Russian Federation. It all fell to the theatrical sponsor, promoter and rabble rouser Yevgeny Prigozhin, a convict who rose through the ranks of the deceased Soviet state to find fortune and security via catering, arms and Vladimir Putin’s support.

In the service of the Kremlin, Prigozhin proved his mettle. He did his level best to neutralise protest movements. He created the Internet Research Agency, an outfit employing hundreds dedicated to trolling for the regime. Such efforts have been apoplectically lionised (and vilified) as being vital to winning Donald Trump the US presidency in 2016.

His Wagner mercenary outfit, created in the summer of 2014 in response to the Ukraine conflict, has certainly been busy, having impressed bloody footprints in the Levant, a number of African states, and Ukraine itself. Along the way, benefits flowed for the provision of such services, including natural resource concessions.

But something happened last week. Suddenly, the strong man of the mercenary outfit that had been performing military duties alongside the Russian Army in Ukraine seemed to lose his cool. There were allegations that his men had been fired upon by Russian forces, a point drawn out by his capture of the 72nd Motorised Rifle Brigade commander, Lieutenant Colonel Roman Venevitin. Probably more to the point, he had found out some days earlier that the Russian Defence Ministry was keen to rein in his troops, placing them under contractual obligations. His autonomous wings were going to be clipped.

The fuse duly went. Prigozhin fumed on Telegram, expressing his desire to get a number of officials, most notably the Defence Minister, Sergei Shoigu, and Chief of the General staff Valery Gerasimov, sent packing. A “march for justice” was organised, one that threatened to go all the way to Moscow.

President Vladimir Putin fumed in agitation in his televised address on June 24, claiming that “excessive ambition and personal interests [had] led to treason, to the betrayal of the motherland and the people and the cause.” Within hours, Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko, whose diplomatic skills are threadbare, had intervened as mediator, after which it was decided that the Wagner forces would withdraw to avoid “shedding Russian blood.”

This all provided some delicious speculative manna for the press corps and commentariat outside Russia. Nature, and media, abhor the vacuum; the filling that follows is often not palatable. There was much breathless, excited pontification about the end of Putin, despite the obvious fact that this insurrection had failed in its tracks. John Lyons of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation was aflame with wonder. Where, he wondered, was the Russian President? Why did the Wagner soldiers “get from Ukraine to Rostov, take control of Ukraine’s war HQ then move to Voronezh without a hint of resistance”?

John Lough of Chatham House in London claimed that Putin had “been shown to have lost his previous ability to be the arbiter between powerful rival groups.” His “public image in Russia as the all-powerful Tsar” had been called into question. Ditto the views of Peter Rutland of Wesleyan University, who was adamant in emphasising Putin’s impotence in being “unable to do anything to stop Prigozhin’s rogue military unit as it seized Rostov-on-Don,” only to then write, without explaining why, about uncharacteristic behaviour from both men in stepping “back from the brink of civil war.”

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Then came the hyperventilating chatter about nuclear weapons (too much of the Crimson Tide jitters there), the pathetic wail that accompanies those desperate to fill both column space. The same degree of concern regarding such unsteady nuclear powers as Pakistan is nowhere to be seen, despite ongoing crises and the prospect of political implosion.

Commentors swooned with excitement: the Kremlin had lost the plot; the attempted coup, if it could even be called that, had done wonders to rattle the strongman. Those same commentators could not quite explain that Prigozhin had seemingly been rusticated and banished to Belarus within the shortest of timeframes, where he is likely to keep company with a man of comparatively diminished intellect: Premier Lukashenko himself. Prigozhin, for all his aspirations, has a gangster’s nose for a bargain, poor or otherwise.

As Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov put it, the original criminal case opened against Prigozhin for military mutiny by the Kremlin would be dropped, while any Wagner fighters who had taken part in the “march for justice” would not face any punitive consequences. Those who had not participated would be duly assimilated into the Russian defence architecture in signing contracts with the Defence Ministry.

The image now appearing – much of this subject to redrawing, resketching, and requalifying – is that things were not quite as they seemed. Assuming himself to be a big-brained Wallerstein of regime stirring clout, Prigozhin had seemingly put forth a plan of action that had all the seeds of failure. Britain’s The Telegraph reported that “the mercenary force had only 8,000 fighters rather than the 25,000 claimed and faced likely defeat in any attempt to take the Russian capital.”

Another reading is also possible here, though it will have to be verified in due course. Putin had anticipated that this contingently loyal band of mercenaries was always liable to turn, given the chance. Russia is overrun with such volatile privateers and soldiers of fortune. Where that fortune turns, demands will be made.

Ultimately, in Putin’s Russia, the political is never divorceable from the personal. Chechnya’s resilient thug, Ramzan Kadyrov, very much the prototypical Putin vassal only nominally subservient, suggests that this whole matter could be put down to family business disputes. “A chain of failed business deals created a lingering resentment in the businessman, which reached its peak when St. Petersburg’s authorities did not grand [Prigozhin’s] daughter a coveted land plot.” The big picture, viewed from afar, can be very small indeed.

July 3, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Italy’s Nuclear Energy Debate: Past, Present, and Future

Note that Italy has actually held 2 referendums about nuclear power, and both resulting in a definite “NO”

It seems that the public, the ordinary people, might have more sense than their leaders?

Italy’s nuclear energy debate has been a long-standing and complex issue, with a history of fluctuating public opinion, political decisions, and technological advancements. The country’s relationship with nuclear power began in the 1960s, when Italy was one of the first European countries to invest in nuclear energy. However, the nuclear debate has evolved significantly over the past few decades, with Italy’s nuclear energy program experiencing a series of stops and starts, ultimately leading to its current state of uncertainty.

……………………………………. Italy held a national referendum in 1987, in which a majority of voters chose to phase out the country’s existing nuclear power plants. By 1990, all four of Italy’s nuclear power plants had been shut down.

………………………………….. In the early 2000s, Italy’s nuclear energy debate re-emerged as a prominent issue, as the country faced growing energy demands and concerns about climate change. In 2008, the Italian government announced plans to resume investment in nuclear power, with the goal of generating 25% of the country’s electricity from nuclear energy by 2030.

……………………………………However, the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan once again shifted public opinion on nuclear energy, reigniting concerns about the safety of nuclear power plants. In response to the disaster, Italy held another national referendum in June 2011, in which a majority of voters chose to maintain the country’s moratorium on nuclear power. As a result, the Italian government abandoned its plans to invest in new nuclear power plants.

Since the 2011 referendum, Italy’s nuclear energy debate has remained a contentious issue,…………………………………………….Opponents argue that the risks associated with nuclear power, particularly in terms of safety and waste disposal, outweigh its potential benefits.

In recent years, Italy has made significant investments in renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, in an effort to diversify its energy mix and reduce its reliance on imported energy. However, the question of whether nuclear power should play a role in Italy’s energy future remains unresolved………………….. https://www.energyportal.eu/news/italys-nuclear-energy-debate-past-present-and-future/45044/

July 3, 2023 Posted by | Italy | Leave a comment

Hanford nuclear waste site has a clean-up bill of 560 billion USD in Washington DC

2 as reported by the New York Times (June 1, 2023).

The Hanford site will never be fully decontaminated and will remain indefinitely.

Selected quotes:

“But construction of a five-story, 137,000 square-foot chemical treatment plant for the task was halted in 2012 — after an expenditure of $4 billion — when it was found to be riddled with safety defects. The naked superstructure of the plant has stood in mothballs for 11 years, a potent symbol of the nation’s failure, nearly 80 years after the Second World War, to deal decisively with the atomic era’s deadliest legacy.”

“Leaders of the Yakama Nation, an 11,000-member tribe whose ancestral lands once included the Hanford site, say their 1855 treaty promised that tribe members would have the right to hunt and fish on healthy lands.”

“Before the Manhattan Project, there was a handshake agreement that this area would be returned to the way it was,” said Trina Sherwood, a cultural specialist in the tribe’s natural resources department. “How can we agree to leave the poison in the land?”

“Yet returning the land to what it once was is an outcome that almost no one expects.”

“There are parts of the site that will never be turned over,” Mr. Vance, the Hanford site manager, said. “We are going to be here a long time.”

New York Times Article, Published June 1, 2023

By Ralph Vartabedian, Reporting from Richland, Wash. May 31, 2023

Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/31/us/nuclear-waste-cleanup.html#:~:text=A%20%24528%20billion%20plan%20to,are%20looking%20for%20a%20compromise.&text=Reporting%20from%20Richland%2C%20Wash.

July 3, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Sweden goes for small nuclear reactors, dumps renewable energy plans

Sweden dumps renewables target as it seeks more nuclear power, Sydney Morning Herald, By Rob Harris, June 29, 2023 

London: Sweden’s parliament has dumped its 100 per cent renewable target amid ongoing concerns about short-term energy security as it looks to join several European nations to build new nuclear plants.

The country’s governing centre-right coalition, headed by Moderate Party Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, recently joined 11 fellow European Union members in an informal group of member states called the Nuclear Alliance, with the objective to strengthen cooperation in energy generation…………………………………………………………..

Vattenfall, Sweden’s state-owned utility, plans to build at least two small modular reactors and extend the lifetime of the country’s existing nuclear reactors.  https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/sweden-dumps-renewables-target-as-it-seeks-more-nuclear-power-20230629-p5dkae.html

July 3, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Recent nuclear news

This newsletter short, as I have been ill in hospital for nearly a week. (Fine now.)   It did give me time to think. One thought: people liken the Russian advance on the Donbass, invasion of Ukraine, to the Nazis in WW2. That is so incorrect. So wrong to equate this situation to the evil philosophy of “Aryan superiority” that engulfed Germany from 1933 to 2 Sept 1945.

Climate. Scientists monitoring ‘doomsday’ glacier in Antarctic warn climate change happening faster than ever before. Ecological tipping points could occur much sooner than expected, study finds.

Christina notes. Cool thinking is needed on the Ukraine situation. Would Russia really blow up a nuclear plant that it controls? Two ruthless killer regimes, who hate each other, are now to cosy up for the benefit of the “peaceful” nuclear industry. What could possibly go wrong? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWa7BJAmzYY

TOP STORIES

European Parliamentary Assembly rapporteurs warn against extradition to the United States of Julian Assange. Biden Would Need His Pound of Flesh From Assange.

By excluding Russia from markets in Europe, USA ‘s nuclear industry plans to sell its small and large nuclear reactors to Poland,Romania, Slovakia, Estonia, the Czech Republic and Ukraine .

Daniel Ellsberg’s message to us, and to future generations.

The Silent Slaughter of the Flower of Ukraine’s Youth. 2 important Russo Ukraine war stories: 1 covered 24/7; 1 covered up.

World’s Largest Fusion Project Is in Big Trouble, New Documents Reveal.0

CLIMATE. A heating world can’t afford a cold war. Nuclear-based fantasies are holding back real climate action. Diversion from urgent climate action. How the European nuclear lobby undermines the EU’s energy future.

CIVIL LIBERTIES. Zelensky bans Russian books.

ECONOMICS. Building nuclear plant would increase costs in the need for guards, police and rescue workers. Marketing. China joins the rush to market nuclear power to Turkey. United Arab Emirates keen to become an exporter of nuclear reactors and nuclear technology. Chinese Boycott Over Fukushima Nuclear Plant Water Release Sinks Japanese Cosmetics.

Education. . Nuclear indoctrination for Australian school-children – normalising nuclear submarines.

EMPLOYMENT. Royal Navy struggles to attract recruits for nuclear-armed subs. Big enlistment bonuses offered to UK sailors entering the nuclear field.

ENERGY. NFLA message to energy minister – ‘Community energy is great; back it’.

ENVIRONMENT. What is the new ‘returning zone’ to be created in disaster-hit Fukushima?.

HEALTH. Radiation. Chinese astronauts install radiation-exposure experiment outside Tiangong space station .

INDIGENOUS ISSUES. We need to wake up’: Algonquin leaders sound alarm over planned nuclear waste facility near Ottawa River. A nuclear site is on tribes’ ancestral lands. Their voices are being left out on key cleanup talks.

LEGAL. Judge Who Ruled Against Assange Built Career as Barrister Defending UK Government. Legal challenge against Sizewell C nuclear power plant rejected,

NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY. Nuclear Fusion: A Clean Energy Revolution Or A Radioactive Nightmare?

OPPOSITION to NUCLEAR. Suffolk campaigners vow to continue fighting Sizewell C. Nuclear Waste Transportation Draws Opposition in West.

PERSONAL STORIES. The Loving Truth-Teller That Was Daniel Ellsberg.

POLITICS. Humza Yousaf vows to rid independent Scotland of nuclear weapons. Starmer must drop support for flagship £20bn nuclear power station, says former Gordon Brown adviser. Sweden reverses its long-standing nuclear-free policy. Riverkeeper celebrates bipartisan Assembly passage of bill to stop radioactive wastewater discharges into the Hudson River; Governor Hochul must sign.

POLITICS INTERNATIONAL and DIPLOMACY. Will upcoming NATO summit launch forever war in Europe? Saudi Arabia demands own nuclear program in exchange for ties with Israel. Central Europe’s nuclear plans – fraught with problems.

SAFETY. Russia asks IAEA to ensure Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant security. IAEA Director General Grossi discusses nuclear safety with Russia’s Director of Rosatom, at Zaporizhzhia, in new consultations. Watchdog group has concerns over nuclear micro-reactor plans.

WASTES. ‘Truly shocking’: UK has enough plutonium to make almost 20,000 nukes. £485m clean-up operation for UK’s 10 nuclear reactors. The Biden administration is pouring billions into the nuclear industry-the payoff isn’t certain, US navy accused of cover-up over radioactive shipyard waste. New Mexico leaders fear nuclear waste could endanger oil and gas in the Permian Basin. Is Fukushima wastewater release safe? What the science says.

WAR and CONFLICT. Key moments of aborted Wagner revolt in Russia. “Brink of catastrophe” should Wagner Group “bandits” get their hands on nuclear weapons. Ukraine sustains massive single-day losses – Russian MOD. Russian MP believes Ukrainian counteroffensive will end in July . Kiev planning strike on Russia with Western-made missiles – Moscow. Ukraine counter offensive – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76KAD8djBBg Eyewitness Donbas: Why the Majority Reject Ukraine’s Counter-Offensive. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sS4DwwsSIG4Here’s how NATO trainers knowingly sent Ukrainian troops to their deaths in this month’s counteroffensive against Russia. SCOTT RITTER: On Horseradish & Nuclear War. The Reverse Cuban Missile Crisis. Khren Im – To the USA and Biden ….if this continues, it is lights out for humanity. Keep nuclear threats off the table.

WEAPONS and WEAPONS SALES. NATO arsenals ‘empty’ – Stoltenberg (need to ramp up production). Ukraine’s “spring counteroffensive not making progress: will NATO resort to deploying tactical nuclear weapons for Ukraine? Prodding the Pentagon. Is Russia planning to use nuclear weapons? Ukraine Can Develop Nuclear Weapons ‘Within a Short Time’: Ex-Zelensky Aide. 

A $31 Billion Missile Program! US Looks To Reintroduce Nuclear Sea-Launched Cruise Missile Costing Equal To 10 Virginia-Class Subs. Amid China Tensions, US Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier, USS Ronald Reagan, To Make A Rare Vietnam Port Call.

July 2, 2023 Posted by | Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Senate passes $886 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA): No audits necessary

Walt Zlotow, West Suburban Peace Coalition, Glen Ellyn IL  1 Aug 23

President Joe wants no audit of the billions in weapons of mass Ukrainian death provided in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

His compliant Senate majority gave him every buck of the 886 billion bucks he requested to wage US exceptionalism round the world. Besides ravaging the life of millions in dozens of countries worldwide from bombs and sanctions, US foreign policy risks nuclear war with Russia and China over Ukraine and Taiwan respectively.

Republican Sen. Rand Paul’s amendment requiring audits and investigations of Ukraine aid was swamped 78 -20, with all Democrats voting to keep auditors away from the weapons giveaways. They are terrified an honest investigation would reveal how billions in weapons wind up with bad actors, get destroyed as soon as they’re introduced into the killing fields, and simply raise the Ukrainian death toll that can only be eliminated by negotiations. 

America’s grotesque military budget should be reported in full on every front page, instead of disappearing from public consumption like invisible ink. On cable/network news, it’s the shame of America that dare not speak its name.

Every day countless Ukrainians die for US exceptionalism, and every day nuclear confrontation creeps closer.

July 2, 2023 Posted by | business and costs, politics, USA, weapons and war | Leave a comment

The changing narrative of the war in Ukraine

Meanwhile Secretary of State Antony Blinken is telling reporters that the dangers of human extinction from nuclear war are no greater than the dangers humanity faces from climate change. Goebels would be proud of him.

On the Russian home front do you feel that the country is at war? Armageddon Newsletter, GILBERT DOCTOROW, JUL 31, 2023

“……………………………………………………………………………………………..for those who can bear watching war news on television, the narrative has been changing, especially in the past week.  Until then, news of the material damage and bodily harm caused by daily Ukrainian bombardment of Donetsk city and other towns in the Donbas took up much of the news bulletins. Now the accent is on the destruction Russian forces are dealing out to the Ukrainians as Kiev directs larger scale attacks and brings into play its strategic reserves, especially in the Zaporozhie region. The new Ukrainian offensive appears to be no more successful than previous probing maneuvers in breaking though the dense Russian defense lines.

Russian military experts on the leading talk shows who showed great reserve about predicting the future course of the conflict lest Russians be overconfident a week ago now appear radiant and ready to confide that the Ukrainians never got the equipment they needed to make their counter-offensive a success.

As I noted in a recent essay, the Russian military command has been biding its time until it is certain that Ukraine was already committing its reserves to battle and would soon run dry.  Now that time is approaching. We see that the Russians are opening an offensive in the northeast, in the Kharkov region………………………

Against this background of the changes in the correlation of forces in Russia’s favor, I am stunned that U.S. and other observers and commentators are not taking note.

These authors like so many talking heads in the West do not have the necessary linguistic skills to access Russian news sources on their own. They depend wholly on propagandists in the State Department for the raw facts from which they can spin their reasonable compromises.  I humbly submit that this war will either end on Russia’s terms or it will escalate thanks to American miscalculations and obstinacy to the point of a nuclear exchange that puts the survival of humankind in peril.

Meanwhile Secretary of State Antony Blinken is telling reporters that the dangers of human extinction from nuclear war are no greater than the dangers humanity faces from climate change. Goebels would be proud of him.

 https://gilbertdoctorow.substack.com/p/on-the-russian-home-front-do-you?publication_id=1203055&post_id=135581086&isFreemail=true&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email—

July 2, 2023 Posted by | Ukraine, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Key moments of aborted Wagner revolt in Russia

 https://www.rt.com/russia/578650-recap-failed-coup-wagner/ 25 June 23

RT breaks down how the private military company’s attempted rebellion unfolded

The Wagner private military company led by Evgeny Prigozhin launched an insurrection in Russia that began on Friday evening and lasted through Saturday.

The armed contractors managed to seize an army headquarters in the southern part of the country.

However, they failed to rally other units and eventually aborted their advance towards Moscow after a deal was reached with the authorities.

The agreement, which includes an amnesty for Prigozhin, was brokered by Belarusian leader, Aleksandr Lukashenko.

Simmering Wagner-MOD tensions

The private military company Wagner Group was founded by restaurateur and catering tycoon Evgeny Prigozhin. The group’s members fought alongside regular Russian troops and distinguished themselves in the bloody battle for the Donbass city of Artyomovsk, known to Ukrainians as Bakhmut.
Prigozhin is a vocal critic of the country’s top military brass. He has publicly accused Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and General Valery Gerasimov, the Chief of the General Staff, of mishandling the military operation in Ukraine. Prigozhin has also refused to sign an official contract with the Russian Defense Ministry. 

Prigozhin begins ‘march on Moscow’

Late on Friday, Prigozhin accused the Russian military of striking Wagner’s field camps. The MOD quickly rejected his claim as “informational provocation.” Nevertheless, Prigozhin announced that his forces were beginning a “march for justice” with a plan to reach Moscow. 
In the early hours of Saturday, an armored Wagner convoy, which included tanks, rolled into the southern city of Rostov-on-Don. In the city, Wagner members took control of the headquarters of the Southern Military District without a fight. Several gunshots were heard in Rostov later during the day, but no casualties were reported.

Putin condemns revolt 

Shortly after Prigozhin declared his “march,” the Federal Security Service accused the Wagner boss of inciting an armed rebellion and opened a criminal case against him. In a video address on Saturday morning, President Vladimir Putin said Wagner’s actions were tantamount to treason, describing them as the “backstabbing of our country and our people.” He called for unity and stated that all necessary steps were being taken to restore order.

Meanwhile, counter-terrorism measures were enacted in Moscow and the surrounding Moscow Region. All public events were canceled in several cities, and traffic along major highways leading to Moscow was suspended.
Meanwhile, Prigozhin’s endeavor failed to attract support from other military units. On the contrary, several high-profile commanders and officials called on Wagner to lay down their arms.

Mutinous unit turns back after deal reached

On Saturday evening, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, who had spoken to Prigozhin on Putin’s behalf, said the Wagner boss agreed to end his attempted insurrection in exchange for security guarantees. Prigozhin stated hours later that the Wagner convoys were halting their advance towards Moscow and returning to their bases. After some time, the regional authorities confirmed that Wagner fighters had left Rostov-on-Don.
The Kremlin said that, in order to avoid bloodshed, the case against Prigozhin would be dropped, and that he would “leave for Belarus.” Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov added that Wagner members would not be prosecuted due to “their achievements on the frontline” in Ukraine.

June 26, 2023 Posted by | Russia, weapons and war | 1 Comment

By excluding Russia from markets in Europe, USA ‘s nuclear industry plans to sell its small and large nuclear reactors to Poland,Romania, Slovakia, Estonia, the Czech Republic and Ukraine

in April, the U.S. announced financing of up to $4bn to deploy U.S. small modular reactors (SMRs) in Poland.

the Export–Import Bank of the United States and the Development Finance Corporation) should take on more financial risk

Domestic market stagnation requires US nuclear companies to explore the growing export market.

1 Can the U.S. export its Nuclear plants to Europe, starting with Poland?

June 23, 2023 by Matt Bowen and Sagatom Saha

The exclusion of Russia from Europe’s energy future opens a door for the U.S. to export its nuclear plants, explain Matt Bowen and Sagatom Saha at the Center on Global Energy Policy. That’s why, in April, the U.S. announced financing of up to $4bn to deploy U.S. small modular reactors (SMRs) in Poland. A successful deployment there could lead to the same in Romania, Slovakia, Estonia, the Czech Republic and Ukraine,..

, the U.S. needs to create the “one stop shop” that Russia has always offered. Financing is a priority, and the authors point at what’s missing right now. In particular, the overseas investment arms (like the Export–Import Bank of the United States and the Development Finance Corporation) should take on more financial risk than they’ve needed to in the past. Coordination, too, between the knowledge bases and expert staff in the various arms will avoid duplication of effort and accelerate project assessments. And it would help if the U.S. deployed more nuclear at home: only two new reactors have connected to the U.S. power grid this century.

United States civil nuclear diplomacy is back on the move. In April, the Export–Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) and the Development Finance Corporation (DFC) announced financing of up to $3 billion and $1 billion, respectively, to deploy US small modular reactors (SMRs) in Poland.[1] SMRs — smaller, more uniform designs intended to be factory-manufactured to lower nuclear energy costs — have benefited from congressional support and interagency interest in the Biden administration. This follows the Trump administration’s reversal of a legacy prohibition on DFC funding of US nuclear energy exports.

The US is exploring the growing export market

Domestic market stagnation (only two new reactors have connected to the US power grid this century) requires US nuclear companies to explore the growing export market.

Russia has dominated the nuclear energy marketplace, but its invasion of Ukraine has damaged its diplomatic standing and widened the opportunity for US companies. However, the window will not remain open indefinitely, and progress will hinge upon US agencies arranging financing packages that turn diplomatic handshakes into cement in the ground in Poland and elsewhere.

The Polish opportunity

With EXIM Bank and DFC having just signed letters of intent to support the deployment of the GE-Hitachi BWRX-300 SMR with Orlen Synthos Green Energy as the most recent example,[3] Poland has been the epicentre of the revival of US commercial nuclear diplomacy.

The 2020 US-Poland Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) on nuclear energy cooperation[4] was a political commitment, and in 2021 the US Trade and Development Agency funded a front-end engineering (FEED) study for potential deployment of a AP1000 nuclear power plant.[5] These developments likely facilitated Poland’s selection of the Westinghouse AP1000 for large reactor builds in 2022.[6]

Separately, Poland-headquartered mining company KGHM announced a plan in 2023 to deploy modular reactors designed by the US company NuScale Power, and in April submitted an application to the Polish Ministry of Climate and Environment to build NuScale SMRs in Poland.[7]

Successfully deploying both large-scale reactors and SMRs in Poland could accelerate progress throughout a region (Romania, Slovakia, Estonia, Czech Republic, and Ukraine)………Poland’s neighbours have, in some cases, handshake agreements to adopt US nuclear technologies. For example, at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, US special presidential envoy for climate John Kerry and Romanian president Klaus Iohannis jointly announced Romania’s intention to build NuScale SMRs. A May 2023 announcement at the G7 Leaders’ Summit included support for the Romanian SMR project of up to $275 million from the United States, Japan, Republic of Korea, and United Arab Emirates, as well as Letters of Interest issued by EXIM and DFC for potential support of up to $3 billion and $1 billion for project deployment – similar to the potential package for Poland.[8] US diplomatic efforts also contributed to the Czech Republic at least excluding Russian and Chinese companies from a tender to build a new reactor that will entail roughly $6.6 billion of investment into the country.[9]

Financing the deal

For all of the announcements, there are no done deals just yet. Part of Russia’s competitive edge in the past has stemmed from the ability of Rosatom, its state-owned enterprise, to offer a “one-stop shop” including favourable financing terms that private sector companies cannot match alone.[10] The United States will ultimately have to grapple with this challenge if it expects to be competitive in international markets.

…needs a “one stop shop” like the Russians have

To date, the US playbook in Poland has consisted of an IGA demonstrating US political commitment and an intent to finance; funding for FEED work from USTDA; and now, letters of intent from EXIM Bank and DFC. The process has been improvised and tactical, but it could be replicated elsewhere as part of a long-term, sustainable approach. The missing piece at the end — US government financing agencies’ ability to quickly finalise deals — could make the difference, especially as the United States competes with Russia and China for reactor supply deals.

The US may be able to improve the efficiency and terms of its reactor export financing offers to other countries through measures such as:

Considering improvements in staffing and interagency coordination at the DFC.………………..

  • Exploring DFC equity scoring. Potential customer countries are eager for DFC equity investment in nuclear deals, but according to federal budget rules, the DFC must score its equity investments entirely as a loss with no expectation of returns — essentially as a grant.[11] This may be discouraging the DFC from exercising its ability to make equity investments, especially in capital-intensive nuclear projects.
  • Evaluating EXIM Bank’s processes. EXIM Bank is subject to a statutory 2 percent default rate cap, which requires the bank to virtually freeze lending if exceeded.[12] Senior EXIM Bank officials have identified the cap as an impediment to pursuing slightly riskier projects — specifically to compete with China…………………
  • Enlisting the DOE Loan Programs Office (LPO). The DOE LPO, with new funding and leadership under the Biden administration, has become an influential player in government energy financing.[14]…………………….  https://energypost.eu/can-the-u-s-export-its-nuclear-plants-to-europe-starting-with-poland/

June 26, 2023 Posted by | marketing | 5 Comments

Watchdog group has concerns over nuclear micro-reactor plans

Monday, June 26th 2023, By Nestor Licanto,  https://www.kuam.com/story/49121972/watchdog-group-has-concerns-over-nuclear-microreactor-plans

U.S. defense department proposal to use a nuclear micro-reactor as a power backup for the planned missile defense system on Guam is now being considered by Congress.

But a local watchdog group is sounding the alarm over the danger of the largely untested technology.

Leland Bettis of the local think tank and research group, pacific center for island security has been tracking the missile defense system plans for Guam and the potential for a nuclear micro-reactor.

“That’s not been disclosed by the MDA yet but we’ve sorta been tracking this. I think what really drew our attention was over the weekend the Senate Armed Services Committee’s executive summary, their NDAA language includes this piece which asks for a briefing for the Senate about the possibility of placing microreactors in Guam. 109

Bettis acknowledges that nuclear power has proven to be safe, and can provide huge cost savings even for private commercial use. [??]

But he believes a red line is crossed if they become targets in a combat situation.

“Just imagine if these reactors are a principal source of power for some of the measures, and counter-measures that the military is operating they’re certainly gonna be a target,” Bettis said. “That means that the environmental impact is not just about how does the nuclear reactor perform in producing power but how might a micro nuclear reactor perform if it’s targeted and hit.”

An article last year in the “Military Times” mentions Guam as a potential site for the mobile nuclear equipment.

It describes a 40-ton reactor that can fit into three to four 20-foot containers and can provide up to 5 megawatts of power.

The army has been considering the use of mobile nuclear power for years in a program called project pele, ironically named after the Hawaiian goddess of fire and volcanoes.

The benefits as a power source in remote, austere locations is clear, but there are drawbacks in battle situations.  

If however that reactor is struck during conflict all the troops that are around that will be affected. So I think the concerns that they had about the use of these particular power devices for military people is magnified ten-fold when you think about the possibility that these might be placed in proximity to a civilian community.

And the military has confirmed that the planned 360-degree missile defense system could have as many as twenty different sites scatttered across the island.

Bettis says we need to know now more than ever, what’s going into each of these sites.

 The people that I’ve talked to talk about a micro nuclear reactor and say if it hits you need a set-aside that’s at least a mile. That’s gonna be a very different sort of thing then if you had command and control module in your neighborhood, so I think as a community we need better transparency  about what is being planned at all these locations.

June 26, 2023 Posted by | OCEANIA, safety, Small Modular Nuclear Reactors | 1 Comment

US navy accused of cover-up over radioactive shipyard waste

The US navy is covering up dangerous levels of radioactive waste on a
40-acre former shipyard parcel in San Francisco’s waterside Hunters Point
neighborhood, public health advocates charge.

The land is slated to be
turned over to the city as early as next year, and could be used for
residential redevelopment. The accusations stem from 2021 navy testing that
found 23 samples from the property showed high levels of strontium-90, a
radioactive isotope that replaces calcium in bones and causes cancer.

The Environmental Protection Agency raised alarm over the levels, but the navy
in 2022 said its testing was inaccurate and produced a new set of data that
showed levels of strontium-90 lower than zero, which was dismissed by
environmental health experts as impossible.

Guardian 25th June 2023

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/25/us-navy-accused-radiocative-shipyard-waste

June 26, 2023 Posted by | environment, USA, wastes | Leave a comment

What is the new ‘returning zone’ to be created in disaster-hit Fukushima?

June 24, 2023 (Mainichi Japan)

The Mainichi Shimbun answers some common questions readers may have about the new residence zones that will be created in parts of Fukushima Prefecture that have become uninhabitable as a result of the 2011 nuclear power plant accident.

Question: I heard that people who were unable to return to their hometowns due to the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster will be able to do so. Is it true?

Answer: Due to the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, parts of seven municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture have been designated as so-called “difficult-to-return zones” where residence is restricted due to high radiation levels. Within these zones, new “specified returning residence zones” will be established to allow those who wish to return to do so.

Q: How will this work?

A: This system is based on the revised Act on Special Measures for the Reconstruction and Revitalization of Fukushima enacted by the Diet on June 2. The new returning residence zones are set to includes homes, roads and meeting places deemed necessary for the daily lives of those who wish to return to the “difficult-to-return” zones. Decontamination will be carried out to reduce radiation levels in these areas, and then the evacuation order over the areas will be lifted………………………………………..

When the Great East Japan Earthquake hit, there were about 16,000 people living in the areas. However, only about 200 people reside there now — an apparent result of many past residents already having shifted their base of livelihood to other locations due to their prolonged displacement.

Q: How far will the scope of the new returning residence zones extend?

A: Reconstruction bases were set up in clusters of private homes and around train stations, but in the case of the new returning residence zones, the setting is likely to be limited to areas around the homes of those who wish to return. Since it remains difficult to live in an area when an evacuation order has only partially been lifted, there is strong demand for unconditional decontamination throughout the entire area.

(Japanese original by Shuji Ozaki, Minamisoma Local Bureau)  https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20230623/p2a/00m/0op/028000c

June 26, 2023 Posted by | Fukushima continuing | Leave a comment

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