Low dose radiation increases risk of leukaemia, new research shows
LEUKEMIA RISK INCREASED BY LOW DOSE RADIATION: CHERNOBYL STUDY
http://www.omglobe.com/2012/11/08/leukemia-risk-increased-
by-low-dose-radiation-chernobyl-study/ Lydia Zablotska, MD, PhD 11/8/2012 A 20-year study following 110,645 workers who helped clean up after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident in the former Soviet territory of Ukraine shows that the workers share a significant increased risk of developing leukemia.
The results may help scientists better define cancer risk associated with low doses of radiation from medical diagnostic radiation procedures such as computed tomography scans and other sources.
In the journal Environmental Health Perspectives this week, an international team led by scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and the Chernobyl Research Unit at the Radiation Epidemiology Branch of the National Cancer Institute describes the increased risks of leukemia among these workers between 1986 and 2006.
The risk included a greater-than-expected number of cases of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, which many experts did not consider to be associated with radiation exposure in the past.
The new work is the largest and longest study to date involving Chernobyl cleanup workers who worked at or near the nuclear complex in the aftermath of the accident. Continue reading
Collapses uranium market forces Australian company Paladin to cut back
Paladin freezes expansion Financial Review 08 NOV 2012 Uranium miner Paladin Energy will slash costs by up to $US80 million ($76.97 million) after putting a freeze on development due to the weak uranium price.
Paladin will cuts costs by between $US60 million and $US80 million in fiscal 2013 and 2014, after undertaking an extensive review of costs and production. Continue reading
Shortage of workers at Fukushima – TEPCO fudges the numbers
NHK – TEPCO over-reports number of Fukushima workers http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Voqq-DYQ48k
NHK: Concerns rising at Fukushima plant — 16,000 workers have quit, ‘severe working conditions’ blamed (VIDEO) http://enenews.com/nhk-concerns-rising-at-fukushima-plant-16000-workers-have-quit-severe-working-conditions-blamed-video
November 5th, 2012
Title: TEPCO over-reports number of Fukushima workers
Source: NHK
Date: Nov. 5, 2012
“Concerns are rising over whether Tepco has secured enough workers to decommission the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant”
[…] NHK found through an interview with TEPCO officials that only 8,000 workers are registered for the job, as of last month.
Earlier, the utility said there would be no manpower shortage as it had secured about 24,000 workers.
But this figure represents the total number of people who have worked at the crippled plant since the accident on March 11 last year.
16,000 workers have already quit the job. Many of them left due to severe working conditions. […]
Uranium mining – a sick industry and getting sicker
Spot uranium price falls below $41/lb U308 on weak demand, good supply Washington (Platts)–6 Nov2012 The spot market price of uranium is now below $41/lb U3O8, according to price publishers TradeTech and Ux Consulting.
And given continued bearish sentiment in the market, some analysts are not ruling out the possibility that the spot price could fall $40/lb before the end of the year. UxC said that the price has not been $40/lb since March 2006.
TradeTech on Friday lowered its weekly spot price to $40.75/lb, down $2.25/lb from its October 26 price. Most of the decline occurred around October 31, TradeTech said, “driven by an increase in the supply” and weaker demand. “Sellers hoping to place material were faced with accepting lower prices well into the first and second quarters of 2013 to conclude transactions,” it said.
TradeTech’s daily price Monday also was $40.75/lb.
UxC on Monday cut its weekly spot price to $40.75/lb, down $1.75 from October 29. UxC said the questions now facing the market are whether the $40/lb support level will be broken and if it holds, what type of rebound in price might the market expect to see.
UxC’s broker average price on Monday was $40.69/lb, down 30 cents from Friday. The BAP bid-offer spread Monday was $40-$41.38/lb. The BAP is based on the price information from Evolution Markets and Armajaro Securities.
The Platts NuclearFuel price range for week was $39.50-$43/lb U3O8….. http://www.platts.com/RSSFeedDetailedNews/RSSFeed/ElectricPower/8889209
Uranium One’s CEO puts a brave spin on gloomy market results
Uranium One’s CEO Discusses Q3 2012 Results – Earnings Call Transcript Seeking Alpha November 6, 2012 “…..This upcoming discussion does contain certain forward-looking information with respect to Uranium One’s operations and financial results. Actual future results may differ from expected results for a variety of reasons which are described in the cautionary statements regarding forward-looking information in our press release..
… during the quarter, we did determine that it would not be economical to mine, the South Zarechnoye satellite deposit due to lower uranium prices following the Fukushima incident together with a decrease in the resource base
resulting from recent exploration work.
As a result, we incurred non-cash expenses $79 million by writing down the carrying value of South Zarechnoye. This resulted in a net loss for the quarter of $61.6 million or $0.06 per share…… Uranium One now owns 100% of the Honeymoon mine
France’s troubled fleet of EDF nuclear reactors
Six weeks left to bring back reactors says EDF, Oct 17, 2012
* One third of EDF’s nuclear power fleet still offline
* Europe faces more fragile supply context this year
* RTE could be forced to clip some demand during peak use
Reuters, By Marion Douet MONTESQUIEU-DES-ALBERES, France, Oct 17 – French state-owned utility only has six weeks left to ensure its troubled fleet of nuclear power reactors is capable of producing enough electricity to cope with winter demand, the French power grid’s head said on Wednesday.
Around a third of EDF’s 58 nuclear reactors — which are on average 26 years old — have been offline since April due to a maintenance, problems restarting some of the ageing reactors and unexpected outages.
This has led to questions over the energy company’s ability to adequately supply its customers in time this winter with supply already been hit by hitches at French and Belgium reactors……
Uranium One posts 3Q loss despite production increase 11/5/2012 Stockhouse Editorial Uranium One Inc. (TSX: T.UUU, Stock Forum) announced its third quarter financial results on Monday and said total production rose 23% to 3.1 million pounds from 2.5 million pounds in the year earlier period.
Uranium One is a Toronto-based company with assets in Kazakhstan, the United States and Australia…..
The company posted a net loss of $61.6 million or 6 cents a share in the quarter. That compared to a net profit of $45.8 million or 5 cents a share a year earlier. Revenue in the quarter was $142.6 million, down from $157.7 million in the year ago period.
Down 1% Monday to $2, Uranium One has a market cap of $1.9 billion, based on 957.2 million shares outstanding. The 52-week range is $3.45 and $1.98. http://www.stockhouse.com/natural-resources-news/2012/nov/5/uranium-one-posts-3q-loss-despite-production-incre.aspx#uEqGXOEW55vDjfL4.99
How the UK’s new nuclear deal with Hitachi just can’t really work
Another shotgun wedding for the UK nuclear lob
by daryanenergyblog November 3, 2012 “…….There is a proposal in Japan for a referendum on Nuclear energy with three options on the table . Option one is 30% of Japanese electricity from nuclear (essentially business as usual but with a cap on future nuclear growth). Option two is 15% (many older reactors near fault lines closed, some new reactors later but only as a replacement for plants taken out of service and not on a like for like basis) and option three is 0% (a phase out of nuclear energy completely, which as I’ve previously shown is feasible). The Japanese government seems to favour the middle option but opinion polls suggest that it might be the zero nuclear option. Either of these last two would mean a massive cut in nuclear reactor orders in Japan, if not a complete halt.
So naturally Hitachi are having to hedge their bets and look overseas for buyers of their wares. This would explain the choice of reactors. While previously the Horizon deal had focused on French or American designed PWR‘s (Pressurised Water Reactor), Hitachi seem to be keen on BWR‘s (Boiling Water Reactor), notably their own brand ABWR reactoror the as of yet untested ESBWR. However, these reactors have never been certified for use in the UK. It will take a few years to get that paper work cleared and redesign the reactors as required. There have also been some technical problems with the ABWR‘swhich has led to them providing a much lower level than expected level of reliability and on-grid availability (as this table from the IAEA illustrates).
Also, the UK engineering firms will need time to plan for this change in reactor. While thebulk of reactor cores world wide might well come from the Japanese Steel Works (JSW) on Hokkaido Island, the majority of any UK based ABWR (the steam turbines, heat exchangers and auxiliary equipment) will be build by other contractors many here in the UK, notably companies such as Forgemasters and Rolls Royce. They need to be given time to retool and book spots on the production line before any plant can be built. Also there is a waiting list in JSW and by switching reactor types the UK may have just lost its place in the queue.
A Looming Energy Gap
This will explain why Hitachi are talking about a delivery date of the first new plant in the mid to early 2020′s. However, by this date the UK nuclear fleet will be down to between 1 and 3 reactors (Torness and Heysham retire in 2023, further Torness is in Scotland which may not be part of the UK by that date!) and a capacity of between 1,200 – 3,700 MW, from a present capacity of 10,500 MW and a former peak of 14,000 MW. While Hitachi seem to be proposing 6 reactors, it will take at least a decade or two (or three!) to bring this capacity online and even 6 ABWR’s would still fall well short of the historical maximum installed capacity (about 40% short in fact)…… http://daryanenergyblog.wordpress.com/2012/11/03/shotgun-wedding-hitachi-uk-nuclear/
Cancellation of Finland’s nuclear project likely, as Europe retreats from nuclear power
“It is entirely possible that Finland’s Fennovoima project will fail as a result of EON’s exit,”
“A cancellation of the project seems very likely.”
Utilities are pulling out of nuclear projects across Europe as financial constraints and uncertainty over energy prices increases risk.
EON Exit From Finnish Nuclear Reactor May Trigger Failure Bloomberg, By Torsten Fagerholm – Nov 1, EON AG (EOAN)’s plan to pull out of a joint venture that’s building a nuclear reactor in Finland increases the risk that the project may fail, thwarting the government’s plans to cut reliance on energy imports. Continue reading
San Onofre nuclear plant – back in function – NEVER? or years away
Edison Chairman Ted Craver left open the possibility that the generators might eventually be scrapped.
Craver said it’s not clear if the plant will ever return to full power. He added, “It appears complete replacement of the steam generators would take some years.”
Bills for replacement power, repairs at troubled San Onofre, Calif., nuke plant reach $317M WP, By Associated Press,November 1 LOS ANGELES — Costs tied to the long-running shutdown at the San Onofre nuclear power plant in California have hit $317 million, and
it’s not clear if the ailing plant will return to full power, according to documents released Thursday. Continue reading
Forecast for uranium market – still sinkng
Nuclear bearishness sinks claws into uranium price, demand forecasts Dundee Capital Markets drops its near term uranium price forecasts : Kip Keen , 01 Nov 2012 (MINEWEB) – With post-Fukushima anti-nuclear sentiment continuing to weigh, Dundee Capital Markets cut its near-term uranium price forecast.
“A cloud still hangs over the uranium sector as we approach the second anniversary of the Fukushima Daiichi disaster,” Dundee’s David Talbot wrote in a recent note to clients. “The impact has been felt on the spot market, with prices now dipping below post-Fukushima lows of US$49.00/lb U3O8, to a range of around $42 to $43 per pound ).” In cutting forecasts Talbot focused heavily on dour near term demand for uranium and issues of public perception for nuclear power, particularly in developed nations following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan last year. Dundee dropped its spot uranium forecast in the near term to $49 per pound from $60 a pound and its term (contract) price to $61 from $65 a pound…..
Dundee’s change in outlook came a day after Cameco, a leading uranium producer, put a damper on its long term production outlook, cutting back growth plans from 40 million pounds uranium to 36 million pounds uranium in production a year by 2018(covered in these pages by Dorothy Kosich here)..
Germany’s nuclear phaseout – financial benefits to farmers, investors, and small business
the nuclear shutdown and an accompanying move toward renewable energy are already
yielding measurable economic and environmental benefits, with one top expert calling the German phase-out a probable game-changer for the nuclear industry worldwide.
the nuclear phase-out and accompanying shift to renewable energy have brought financial benefits to farmers, investors, and small business;
Bulletin: German nuclear exit delivers economic, environmental
benefits http://www.ecnmag.com/news/2012/11/bulletin-german-nuclear-exit-delivers-economic-environmental-benefits, 11/01/2012 Following the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in 2011, the German government took the nation’s eight oldest reactors offline immediately and passed legislation that will close the last nuclear power plant by 2022.
This nuclear phase-out had overwhelming political support in Germany. Continue reading
Uranium market uncertainty causes Cameco to cut its expansion plans
Expected nuclear construction cuts, prompts Cameco project paring Recent developments in the nuclear industry, specifically in Japan, have caused more uncertainty over the growth rate of nuclear power globally, prompting Cameco to adjust its production forecasts. Mineweb Dorothy Kosich , 01 Nov 2012 Ongoing market uncertainty in the near term has prompted mega-uranium miner Cameco to seriously tighten its project portfolio and drop four million pounds of future targeted uranium production….. In its analysis, Cameco noted that recent developments in the nuclear industry, primarily in Japan, have caused more uncertainty in the growth rate of nuclear power globally…… Cameco’s uranium production volumes remained flat for the third quarter of the year at 5.3 million pounds. However, the company also recorded a 29% decrease in sales.
Production for the first nine months of this year were also lower at 15.4 million pounds, down from 15.8 million pounds for the same period of 2011. The lower output as attributed to lower production at Smith Ranch-Highland and Inkai.
Uranium revenues also dropped 5% during the first three quarters of this year, due to a 5% decrease in sales volumes. “Our $US realized prices were lower than the first nine months of 2011 mainly due to lower prices under market-related contracts being offset by a more favorable exchange rate,” said the company….. FINANCIALS
For the first nine months of this year, Cameco reported adjusted net earnings of $210 million or 53-cents per share, down from adjusted net earnings of $259 million or 66-cents per share. The change was due to lower earnings from the uranium business based on lower sales volumes, lower realized prices and higher costs; a $30 million contract termination change, as well as higher exploration and administration costs.
Hitachi, desperate for nuclear sales, will own Britain’s nuclear power enterprise!
Masaharu Hanyu, head of Hitachi’s nuclear division, hinted that the Japanese conglomerate had little choice but to win business abroad.
Hitachi enters Britain’s nuclear sector TOKYO, Oct. 31 (UPI) –– Japan’s Hitachi Ltd. will build up to six new nuclear reactors in the United Kingdom as part of its agreement to acquire Horizon Nuclear Power from German energy companies RWE and
E.ON.
The $1.1 billion deal announced this week propels Hitachi into the “new and uncomfortable” role as the owner of an entire atomic-power enterprise instead of just a contract reactor builder, says a report in the Financial Times.
Domestically, in the wake of the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japan aims to phase out nuclear power by 2040. Continue reading
Japan’s nuclear companies desperate to sell nukes overseas
Hitachi shifts focus of nuclear business overseas, Asahi Shimbun October 27, 2012 By TOMOYA FUJITA Hitachi Ltd. is set to acquire Britain’s Horizon Nuclear Power, underscoring the company’s shift of focus to the nuclear plant sector overseas.
The move comes as no surprise as Japan’s other nuclear plant manufacturers are also struggling after last year’s disaster put a potentially permanent halt to domestic construction of new facilities. Continue reading
1 This Month
PLEASE OPPOSE HR 8255 AND S.3639 – bills would accelerate satellite deployment, with no environmental review or safeguards – https://ncstd5li.quorum.us/campaign/169331/
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity – go to https://nuclearinformation.wordpress.com
-
Archives
- October 2026 (19)
- September 2026 (339)
- August 2026 (330)
- July 2026 (355)
- June 2026 (287)
- May 2026 (306)
- April 2026 (356)
- March 2026 (251)
- February 2026 (267)
- January 2026 (308)
- December 2025 (358)
- November 2025 (359)
-
Categories
- 1
- 1 NUCLEAR ISSUES
- business and costs
- climate change
- culture and arts
- ENERGY
- environment
- health
- history
- indigenous issues
- Legal
- marketing of nuclear
- media
- opposition to nuclear
- PERSONAL STORIES
- politics
- politics international
- Religion and ethics
- safety
- secrets,lies and civil liberties
- spinbuster
- technology
- Uranium
- wastes
- weapons and war
- Women
- 2 WORLD
- ACTION
- AFRICA
- Atrocities
- AUSTRALIA
- Christina's notes
- Christina's themes
- culture and arts
- Events
- Fuk 2022
- Fuk 2023
- Fukushima 2017
- Fukushima 2018
- fukushima 2019
- Fukushima 2020
- Fukushima 2021
- general
- global warming
- Humour (God we need it)
- Nuclear
- RARE EARTHS
- Reference
- resources – print
- Resources -audiovicual
- Weekly Newsletter
- World
- World Nuclear
- YouTube
-
RSS
Entries RSS
Comments RSS
