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ICAN Statement on Nuclear Sharing to the 2024 Non-Proliferation Treaty Preparatory Committee.

 https://www.icanw.org/ican_statement_to_npt_prepcom_2024 23 July 24

The Second Session of the Preparatory Committee for the Eleventh Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference is taking place in Geneva from July 22 to August 2nd. On the second day of the meeting,  Naomi Zoka from Pax Christi Flanders (Belgium) delivered ICAN’s statement to the states parties. Please find the full statement below. 

Distinguished Delegates, 

Nuclear risks are on the rise. The chance of nuclear weapons use are higher than at any other time in my- and many others in this room’s- lifetime. Nuclear-armed States are launching threats faster than they are test-launching delivery systems, resulting in a less stable, less secure and more dangerous world. 

That is not the world in which we want to live.  We cannot abide by policies in which one -or nine – countries are allowed to hold the rest of the world hostage through weapons of mass destruction, because the use of those weapons knows no borders. A conflict involving nuclear weapons thousands of miles from this conference room will still cause chaos and catastrophe to all of us, our families, and our future.  

We do not need to see nuclear weapons used in war again to know their impact. As W.J. Hennigan wrote in the New York Times, recently: 

The United States and the Soviet Union might have narrowly avoided mutual destruction, but there was a nuclear war: The blitz of testing left a wake of illness, displacement and destruction, often in remote locations where marginalized communities had no say over what happened on their own land. 

The over 2000 nuclear tests –  conducted primarily by the nuclear weapons states in this room-  forever altered the lives of these thousands of women, men and children, and of little girls in particular, as girls exposed to nuclear weapons use and testing got cancer at twice the rate as the boys. Even before their creation, nuclear weapons have facilitated suffering amongst the oppressed. From the Shinkolobwe mines in Eastern DRC where locals were forced into Uranium mines by their colonial rulers, to the multiple generations still battling life threatening diseases. Nuclear weapons have and always will be a tool for oppression regardless of which state possesses them.  

Today, many survivors are demanding justice and accountability, and that nuclear weapons be eliminated once and for all, so that what happens to them, may never happen again.  

Yet the nuclear-armed countries are recklessly embarking on a new nuclear arms race. 

Every year, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear weapons, ICAN, exposes the unacceptable nuclear weapons. Despite their commitments under NPT’s Article VI, the nuclear-armed states in the NPT spent $86 billion dollars on their arsenals in 2023. 

US spending accounts for 54% of the global total, at $51.5 billion, while China and Russia also spent exorbitant amounts at $11.8 billion and $8.3 billion respectively. The UK increased spending by 17% from the previous year. Across the board, every nuclear-armed state increased the amount spent on their arsenals.  Meanwhile the profit-seeking private industry hires powerful lobbyists to secure billion dollar contracts to develop these weapons of mass destruction. 

Runaway nuclear spending is increasing the risks of nuclear weapons use-  as are the applications of emerging technologies to nuclear weapons command, control, communications and delivery systems. We are entering an era of AI assisted information gathering to facilitate decision making. 

But reducing the time needed to reach the only conclusion in the interest of humanity puts catastrophe seconds, instead of minutes away,  as Annie Jacobsen’s “Nuclear War: A Scenario” recently reminded us. The decision whether or not to use nuclear weapons doesn’t need artificial intelligence –  common sense says that it must always be no. 

Another growing concern is the proliferation of nuclear weapons deployed on foreign territories. With Russia’s stationing of weapons in Belarus, and the continued US deployment of weapons in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Türkiye, the NPT is failing to meet its first principles. 

Nuclear weapons deployed in Europe are designed to be used in Europe. But the consequences will not stay on this continent- and this continued deployment is decreasing security for others.

The weapons in Europe illustrate another problem with nuclear weapons, one that is often raised in these rooms- and that is the lack of transparency. As citizens in the countries hosting nuclear weapons, we have repeatedly called for the bombs to be removed, but our governments claim they cannot discuss the issue- that it is not something they can confirm or deny. 

It seems that governments who support the use of nuclear weapons on their behalf believe in just enough transparency to make nuclear threats credible, but not enough transparency to enable effective democracy.  

The practice of nuclear sharing has been allowed to continue for far too long, and now it is spreading. How will the governments currently defending the practice feel when weapons start to appear in countries outside of Europe? There are proposals out there that would spread nuclear weapons around the world- the very antithesis of the treaty we’re here to discuss. Nuclear sharing is unacceptable. 

That is why the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is so clear on the matter. Under the TPNW, a state cannot put the population of another state in jeopardy by deploying nuclear bombs in their country. It is clear, and clarity provides safety, security and reassurance.

The TPNW is also where progress is happening on disarmament. The robust intersessional process, the dynamic and highly engaging Meetings of States Parties, and the commitment to the same tenets that underpin the NPT and form its preamble, are sincere. 

It is in the TPNW that the girls harmed by nuclear weapons use and testing are finding a pathway to justice. It is in the TPNW that the security concerns of all states, not just a few, are taken seriously and given due consideration. 

The path to a world without nuclear weapons lies through the TPNW, and we invite all states to join us as we move closer to it without delay. 

Thank you. 

July 26, 2024 Posted by | opposition to nuclear, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Nuclear Free Local Authorities back joint statement condemning AUKUS nuclear proliferation

The UK/Ireland Nuclear Free Local Authorities have joined environmental and peace groups around the world in endorsing a statement that will be delivered to a conference at the United Nations.

The 2024 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Preparatory Committee will meet today to begin work to make preparations for the next conference of signing to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (or NPT).

The statement will be delivered to committee delegates by Jemila Rushton, Acting Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons Australia. The NFLAs are a member of ICAN.

Particular reference is made to the adverse impact of AUKUS, the military alliance forged between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States in opposition to China, on geopolitics in the Pacific.

Amongst its more controversial elements is the provision of nuclear-powered submarines by the other partners to Australia. We share the concern of other signatories that AUKUS violates in spirit both the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Rarotonga – South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty. The submarines will be powered by weapons-grade nuclear fuel, supplied by the other partners and will operate from Australian bases within a nuclear free zone.

Although present plans provide for these submarines to be conventionally armed, it is not inconceivable that over time they could be rearmed with nuclear weapons. The Leader of the Opposition in the Australian Parliament, Peter Dutton, is currently actively lobbying for Australia to establish a civil nuclear programme and such a programme is critical to support the development of nuclear weapons capacity.

The statement has also been endorsed by our colleagues Labrats, CND Cymru and Together against Sizewell C.

For more information please contact the NFLA Secretary Richard Outram by email to richard.outram@manchester.gov.uk

July 26, 2024 Posted by | opposition to nuclear, UK | Leave a comment

U.S. media downplays and ignores ICJ ruling declaring Israeli occupation illegal

The New York Times and the rest of the U.S. mainstream media downplayed, covered up, and even ignored the historic ICJ opinion declaring the Israeli occupation illegal.

BY JAMES NORTH   , https://mondoweiss.net/2024/07/u-s-media-downplays-and-ignores-icj-ruling-declaring-israeli-occupation-illegal/

The International Court of Justice’s landmark opinion that Israel’s “settlements” in the occupied Palestine West Bank violate international law should have been on the front page of the New York Times. Prominently.

But no. Instead, the Times, along with the rest of the U.S. mainstream media, downplayed, covered up, and even ignored the historic July 19 decision. 

Let’s start with the Times. The print edition the day after ran the story at the bottom of page 5. Two days later, the report has already disappeared from the paper’s online home page.

This site has long and regularly explained how the New York Times tried to finesse its reporting about Israel’s illegal settlements. Here’s what we said last year: the paper’s tactic has been to “insinuate that there are ‘two sides’ about whether Israel was legally allowed to move hundreds of thousands of Jewish-only ‘settlers’ into the occupied territory.” The paper’s favorite word was “disputed;” some say yes, some say no, you decide. 

No longer. The Times can certainly report that Israel disagrees with the Court’s decision and will not respect it. But “disputed” is over.

Here’s another suggestion. In a triumph of Orwellian language, Israel and its supporters have successfully labeled those 700,000 people as “settlers.” We have long argued that the word “colonists” is more accurate. But the court decision suggests a third possibility: “illegal settlers.” The phrase is not an insult, or an example of bias. After July 19, 2024, it’s just a fact.

Other news outlets

By contrast, the Washington Post was the only outlet that did an acceptable job on the news. Here was its headline: ‘Israel should evacuate settlements, pay reparations, ICJ [International Court of Justice] says.’

National Public Radio is notoriously biased in favor of Israel, and its coverage did not disappoint. Here’s the headline to NPR’s 3-minute on-air report: “Drone attack hits Tel Aviv; ICJ rules West Bank Israeli settlements are unlawful.” That drone attack, apparently carried out by Ansar Allah from Yemen, was certainly news — but in what universe is it more important than the World Court’s finding that Israel has been violating international law for nearly five decades, and that the 700,000 Jewish-only “settlers” are living in Palestine illegally, and should evacuate the territory? (NPR did produce a slightly longer report, but it only appeared on its online website.)

What about CNN? Not much there either — so far, a single online report that apparently did not appear on the air. MSNBC? Its site has a 1:37 report, with no indication of how often it was broadcast. 

CBS News was the worst. The network, which once employed genuine journalists like Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather, has so far not aired a single report on the court’s decision.

July 26, 2024 Posted by | Israel, media, USA | Leave a comment

EU sets date of transfer of Russian money to Ukraine for arms purchases

 https://www.rt.com/news/601527-borrell-ukraine-tranche-russia-assets/— 23 July 24

Kiev will receive €1.4 billion, the interest accrued on frozen funds, early next month, the bloc’s top diplomat has said

The EU has revealed when it will begin sending Russian money to Ukraine. The bloc’s top diplomat Josep Borrell has claimed that the first tranche of interest accruing on some €300 billion in frozen Russian assets, totaling some €1.4 billion, will be sent to Kiev in the first week of August to fund arms purchases.

The EU’s top diplomat specified that the funds will be used to meet the key needs of Kiev’s military, including air defense, artillery, “and also, and this is new, procurement for the Ukrainian defense industry.”

“So, we are not going only to provide military support to Ukraine but from Ukraine itself. Which is certainly the most logical and efficient thing we can do,” Borrell concluded.

The EU and G7 group of nations blocked some $280 billion (€260 billion) of sovereign funds belonging to the Central Bank of Russia days after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. The bulk of the frozen funds are held in the EU, primarily in the Belgium-based depositary and clearing house Euroclear.   

Earlier this year, EU authorities approved a scheme enabling the appropriation of interest accrued on the frozen funds to back Ukraine’s recovery and military defense. Under the agreement, 90% of the money is expected to go into an EU-run fund for Ukrainian military aid, with the other 10% is to be allocated for supporting Kiev in other ways.

Moscow has repeatedly said that any steps taken to transfer its assets without its consent would amount to “theft,” insisting that tapping the funds or engaging in similar moves would violate international law and lead to retaliation.

Earlier this year, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that the expropriation of Russian sovereign assets could create a dangerous precedent and become a “solid nail in the coffin” of the Western economic system. He stressed that Moscow would inevitably retaliate against such a move by launching legal proceedings against entities that tap its assets.

July 26, 2024 Posted by | Ukraine, weapons and war | Leave a comment

NATO’s deceptive veneer – young, feminist, peaceful – “civilian”

NATO’s Civilian Bases  BY JOAN ROELOFS.  https://www.counterpunch.org/2024/07/24/natos-civilian-bases/

Why has NATO been so generally accepted in Europe by almost all the major political parties and especially puzzling, the social democratic ones? Its economic costs, illegal aggressive wars, environmental damage, and the risks of nuclear annihilation would seem to make it a prime platform item. Well-informed political activists are unlikely to believe that an invasion of Switzerland or Denmark is imminent. There are significant anti-NATO movements, such as No to War No to NATO, but so far they haven’t been able to turn the tide.

Some reasons are fairly obvious. The US military connections to European defense and foreign ministries began during World War II. These strong ties have continued, now with an emphasis on NATO’s newly acquired feminist face, the Women, Peace, and Security agenda.

Promotion long and wide has been carried out by overtly pro-NATO lobbies such as the Atlantic Council and national think tanks, for example, the  Council on Foreign Relations (US), the British Royal Institute of International Affairs, and their counterparts in many nations. There is also a Youth Atlantic Treaty Association, a network of national organizations of young professionals, university students and researchers.

The secretive Bilderberg group harnesses the political, economic, academic and journalism elites of NATO nations. Operation Gladio, Operation Paperclip and others have sustained firm links with military and intelligence agencies. There has also been covert and overt interventions in political parties and nongovernmental organizations, such as the CIA funding of Christian Democratic party in 1948 to defeat the Communist Party and meddling in the British Labour Party to minimize the influence of the Committee on Nuclear Disarmament. These  have also cleared the path for NATO.  Eastern Europe was even more easily penetrated by NATO, after the devastation of its economic, cultural, and scientific institutions.

There have been constant protests against NATO bases, yet their less vocal sympathizers appreciate the economic benefit. At first, in war-torn Europe both the liberated and the occupied nations saw little economic activity. Now the European economy is increasingly militarized, having outsourced much of its civilian industry and facing declines in its tourist industry due to pandemics, protests by local residents, and environmental costs. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Fact Sheet of 2024, weapons production has greatly accelerated in many European countries, even though NATO and national militaries also equip themselves royally with US products.  Sales to the Middle East and other violence inflicted areas are good business.

    Now workers, many unionized and some even socialists and communists, have secure jobs in war industries and in the burgeoning military-civilian industries. As the Erikssons have documented:

The defence industry is undergoing rapid change, particularly regarding the development of dual-use technology and transfer of technology between military and civilian domains. . . The blurring of the military-civilian divide is particularly noticeable with the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI), digitalization, satellite technology, integrated quantum, photonics, high-capacity wireless communications, and “big data” networking through 5 G – developments which have been referred to as “the fourth industrial revolution. . .”

Just as its military bases need everything, NATO institutes, operations, conferences, war games, and its supersized headquarters in Brussels equip and maintain from every kind of business. Much information is available on the NATO website; it also has a presence on YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and X (Twitter). The NATO Support and Procurement Agency contracts database for 2023 lists only orders valued above €80,000. It includes “consumables” from a firm in Luxembourg, transport of tents and conference center equipment from Belgium, winter clothing from France, “civil and mechanical” from Albania, medical equipment from Sweden, waterproof bags from Great Britain, and spare parts from vendors in many countries.

Undoubtedly, even smaller businesses supply a wide range, and, as in the US, provide economic survival for owners, workers, and communities (see The Trillion Dollar Silencer). A listing of bids above €800,000 includes medical treatment structures from a firm in Italy, training services (Netherlands and Spain), and military cots and mosquito nets (Italy and Turkey). Although the largest in both lists are expenditures for weapons, firms that are often the economic lifeblood—rather the deathblood—of their communities, the smaller (but not piddling) purchases can influence many citizens and their elected representatives.

NATO training and research operations involve civilian universities, which increasingly have military departments, as well as national military academies. There are even public high school training programs, e.g., in Sweden, Germany, and France (Defence Cadets). In addition, the US Department of Defense has direct contracts with universities and scientific institutes worldwide, especially for weapons development, nanotechnology, and biotechnology.

NATO also has several layers of its own training entities. One is the Partnership Training and Education Centres, in 34 member and partner (i.e., not full member) countries. Some examples are Switzerland, Geneva Centre for Security Policy; Israel, IDF Military Medical Academy; Serbia, Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Training Centre; Mongolia, Peace Support Operations Centre; Colombia, International Demining Centre; Italy, The International Institute of Humanitarian Law; and United Kingdom, United Kingdom Defence Academy.

Another NATO network is the 28 Centres of Excellence which are “international military organizations that train and educate leaders and specialists from NATO member and partner countries.” They are funded nationally and accredited by NATO. Some of these are Civil-Military Cooperation, one of two in the Netherlands; Crisis Management and Disaster Response, Bulgaria; Modelling and Simulation, one of several in Italy; Strategic Communications, Latvia; Climate Change and Security, Canada; and Maritime Security, Turkey. The latter is described as:

[P]roviding expertise both as a centre for academic research and as a (multinational) hub for practical training in the field of maritime security, along with relevant domains (maritime trade, energy security, maritime environment, maritime resources, public health, maritime transport-logistic). The Centre strives to achieve the necessary collaboration among stakeholders from government, industry, academia and the private sector.

[P]roviding expertise both as a centre for academic research and as a (multinational) hub for practical training in the field of maritime security, along with relevant domains (maritime trade, energy security, maritime environment, maritime resources, public health, maritime transport-logistic). The Centre strives to achieve the necessary collaboration among stakeholders from government, industry, academia and the private sector.

NATO’s enormous Civil Diplomacy department works through all print and electronic media. Its Press Tours enable reporters to “sail aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush on the Adriatic Sea” and “mingle with counter-terrorism experts in a metro station in Rome, Italy.” The department also welcomes grant applications from think tanks, universities, NGOs, and other civil society organizations “ranging from out-of-the box, non-traditional ideas to more institutional formats. Particular focus should be placed on outreach to youth audiences, female audiences and key opinion formers, including those who have not connected with NATO before.”

As Merje Kuus notes:

In addition to NATO’s own public diplomacy division, the alliance’s message is produced and projected through a host of NGOs that collaborate with NATO but are not affiliated with it. Funded through national foreign and defense ministries, NATO’s Public Diplomacy Division, and private companies, they organize a wide range of activities designed to popularize NATO within and beyond its member states.

NATO’s less obvious influence may derive from its accelerated penetration of civilian institutions: education, entertainment, teenage “influencers,” festivals, nongovernmental organizations, even progressive and human rights movements. NATO portrays itself as simply the prime association of democratic nations, which was apparently very persuasive in Eastern European regimes trying to divest themselves of the “totalitarian” label.

A notable example is its Women, Peace and Security Agenda. Journalist Lily Lynch reports:

In January 2018, Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg held an unprecedented press conference with Angelina Jolie. While InStyle reported that Jolie “was dressed in a black off-the-shoulder sheath dress, a matching capelet and classic pumps (also black)”, there was a deeper purpose to this meeting: sexual violence in war. The pair had just co-authored a piece for the Guardian entitled “Why NATO must defend women’s rights”. The timing was significant. At the height of the #MeToo movement, the most powerful military alliance in the world had become a feminist ally. “Ending gender-based violence is a vital issue of peace and security as well as of social justice,” they wrote. “NATO can be a leader in this effort.”

A study by Katharine AM Wright, exploring the legitimacy given to NATO by the surprising participation of women’s rights groups in its activities, found some activists who argued that it enabled feminists to “advise” NATO, “to get it to hear things that they don’t usually hear,” and to “speak truth to power.”

As climate change is among NATO’s catalog of serious threats to security, environmentalists speak at NATO conferences and vice versa, serve on advisory boards, and formally interact in many ways. For example, the 2020 meeting of the Brussels Dialogue on Climate Diplomacy and the Environment & Development Resource Centre was hosted by the Policy Planning Unit in the Office of the NATO Secretary-General.

In addition to the more traditional Youth Atlantic Treaty Association, NATO has more recently created youth activities that are more cuddly. Its 2022 “Protect the Future campaign” recruited:

12 young online creators [teenage “influencers”] from Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. To discover more about the Alliance’s work, the creators met with the Secretary General in May; travelled to the Madrid Summit in June; visited the US aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush in October; and went on an AWACS training mission in November.

The outcome, NATO reported, was 300,000 social media engagements that reached more than 9 million young people.

In another wing of this campaign, “young artists from across the Alliance took part in an open competition to help create NATO’s first-ever graphic novel, ‘Protect the Future.’ Six young artists were selected to work with professionals to produce the book.” For the multitude, a Youth Summit was held that included 35,000 people from 99 countries.

At the [2023] NATO Gaming Tournament in Warsaw, Poland, thousands of gamers from across the Alliance and around the world gathered to play online games and chat with experts from NATO Headquarters. The vibe in the room is casual and relaxed. Young gamers from Warsaw mingle with artists, soldiers and NATO experts. In one corner, troops from NATO’s multinational battlegroup in Poland play vintage console games, including Street Fighter and Super Mario. In another area, gamers mash buttons on old arcade games like Pac-Man.

The arts are not neglected. NATO sponsors exhibits, murals, and competitions:

Are you an artist under 35? Do you have a creative mind and want your artwork to be displayed at a permanent location in Washington D.C. where NATO will mark the 75th anniversary of the Alliance? Submit your work to the NATO mural competition – an opportunity to showcase your talent and artistic vision of the future. The winner will get to work with a local street artist to feature their mural permanently on a wall in the city.

The NATO mural competition will give young talents a chance to produce a signature image for NATO’s anniversary as part of its “Protect the Future” campaign.

In our era of network governance it is not surprising that NATO has close connections with the European Union (including its Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and European Defense Agency), the United Nations, the Council of Europe, and many other intergovernmental organizations. These in turn are interwoven with international (e.g., World Economic Forum, Amnesty International) and thousands of national nongovernmental organizations (e.g., Council on Foreign Relations), foundations, and business corporations. Zbigniew Brzezinski noted in The Grand Chessboard:

As the imitation of American ways gradually pervades the world, it creates a more congenial setting for the exercise of the indirect and seemingly consensual American hegemony. And as in the case of the domestic American system, that hegemony involves a complex structure of interlocking institutions and procedures, designed to generate consensus and obscure asymmetries in power and influence. (p.27)

The staffs of intergovernmental organizations are required to be politically neutral. However, there is also pressure on progressive or left wing nongovernmental organizations to avoid confrontation or strong dissent with conference participants or any member of the “partnership.”

The very size of this monumental hive of associations, including representatives, staffs, task forces of university and other experts, NGOs, and contractors may in itself affect the complexion of European political parties. Although I have found no evidence so far, perhaps there has been a “brain drain” of progressive activists into the more promising, interesting, and often paid work of these institutions, compared with the scant rewards of local political parties. It could be yet another factor in the passive or active support for NATO in Europe.  Might there be scholars, journalists, or activists exploring this possibility?

Unless otherwise indicated, all quotations are from the NATO website. 

Joan Roelofs is Professor Emerita of Political Science, Keene State College, New Hampshire. She has been an anti-war activist since she protested the Korean War. She is the author of The Trillion Dollar Silencer: Why There Is So Little Anti-War Protest in the United States (Clarity Press, 2022), Foundations and Public Policy: The Mask of Pluralism (SUNY Press, 2003), and Greening Cities (Rowman and Littlefield, 1996). She is the translator of Victor Considerant’s Principles of Socialism (Maisonneuve Press, 2006), and with Shawn P. Wilbur, of Charles Fourier’s anti-war fantasy, The World War of Small Pastries (Autonomedia, 2015). Web site: www.joanroelofs.wordpress.com   

July 25, 2024 Posted by | politics, spinbuster | Leave a comment

Labour’s big manifesto (nuclear) deception about Great British Energy

It seems the Labour manifesto was blatantly misleading about the real purpose of GB Energy

DAVID TOKE, JUL 23, 2024,  https://davidtoke.substack.com/p/labours-big-manifesto-nuclear-deception—

Reading through Labour’s manifesto section about GB Energy, the proposed new publically owned Energy generation company, you would be forgiven for thinking this was all about supporting renewable energy. Because that was what the section on GB Energy appeared to say. There was no mention of it supporting nuclear energy.

But now it seems that support for nuclear energy will be GB Energy’s prime initial (and maybe always main financial) purpose. Its main purpose is likely to be to support a technology called ‘small modular reactors’ (SMRs) that independent say analysts does not exist, has failed so far to come into commercial existence and, (if it does) will end up being even more expensive than conventional large scale nuclear power projects.

That is the only thing one can assume from reading the report HERE

In this report from the inewspaper, it is stated: ‘GB Energy will be headquartered in Scotland and have £8.3bn in capital to invest – and i understands that among its first commitments will be a pledge to order a cluster of nuclear plants called small modular reactors (SMRs)’

If you do not believe my description of Labour manifesto dishonesty about the real purpose of GB Energy, please see the text of the manifesto section on GB Energy HERE . Compare it to the inewspaper report.

There is no mention of nuclear reactors in the manifesto section of GB Energy. Indeed the statement about technologies clearly states: ‘Great British Energy will partner with energy companies, local authorities, and co-operatives to install thousands of clean power projects, through a combination of onshore wind, solar, and hydropower projects.’

So, one would expect Labour to be soon announcing its first tranche of support for renewable energy projects, but hardly small modular reactors.

When people look back on this Labour Government, they will usually applaud the strong (compare to the previous Government) push forward to solar farms, its ending of the ban on onshore wind and a decisive move forward for offshore wind. However, there is a very big danger this will be overshadowed by a decision to pour billions of pounds into a technology, SMRs, that has no rational basis in fact.

SMRs are so far mainly known for the spectacular failure of the NuScale project in the USA. Essentially, SMRs (almost certainly exaggerated) promise of reducing construction overruns is likely to be more than offset by the failure to capture economies of scale.

Now, a lot of people will just brush aside the opinions of people like me as the usual nuclear scepticism. But please have a read of what a former Chairman of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission said about SMRs HERE. For some UK analysis of SMRs, see this presentation by Stephen Thomas HERE.

I do have some sorrow over this. Poor Ed Miliband is being forced to walk the plank by trade union and big energy corporation interests on nuclear power, but only to be damned by history for incepting a giant cock-up!

Maybe Ed Miliband has some cunning plan to avoid this scenario, although it does not look like it from the inewspaper report. Might he just award a few million pounds for a few projects that we all know will go nowhere? That would be a machiavellian double-time-piece of political footwork of damage limitation?

Regrettably it seems more likely to me that he will be pushed down a path of underwriting nuclear projects worth billions of pounds and taking responsibility for an expensive SMR disaster for which he will be personally blamed by future Governments. That is rather than blame the real culprits – the nuclear technology itself and people’s wishful thinking about it.

And it would be such a big shame that we had to be misled, in the Labour manifesto, by the true nature of the GB Energy idea.

July 25, 2024 Posted by | politics | Leave a comment

Progress is Slow in ASEAN’s Anti-Nuclear Pact: Indonesia

Jayanty Nada Shofa, July 25, 2024,  https://jakartaglobe.id/news/progress-is-slow-in-aseans-antinuclear-pact-indonesia

Jakarta. The progress is slow in bringing nuclear-possessing countries to promise that they would keep the Southeast Asian region nuke-free, Indonesia told fellow ASEAN members.

Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi is currently in Laos to discuss the bloc’s matters with her ASEAN counterparts. The group’s Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) pact became one of the major themes in the discussions.

The treaty aims to create a peaceful Southeast Asia region that is free from nuclear weapons. The pact has legally binding protocols for the five nuclear-weapon states — China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US — to sign and ratify. By signing, these five countries would promise to not use or threaten to use nukes in the region. Although the SEANWFZ dates back to 1995, no nuclear weapon state has signed the protocol so far.

“There has not been any significant progress from the nuclear-weapon states in regards to the SEANWFZ protocol,” Retno said in a press statement on Wednesday evening.

Amidst the sluggish progress, Indonesia thinks it is about time that ASEAN should involve experts in their efforts. 

“Indonesia suggests that we should appoint experts, including legal experts from every ASEAN country, to give their inputs in the next SEANWFZ Commission meeting with a clear and measurable timeline,” Retno said. 

Of all five nuclear-weapon states, China appears to be the one who is the closest to signing the pact. Last year, Malaysia’s then-Foreign Affairs Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir said that China had given its word to sign the protocol “unconditionally”.

Kadir made the remarks on the sidelines of an ASEAN foreign ministerial meeting in Jakarta last July. Not long after Kadir’s statement, Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn also dropped a similar hint that Beijing had shown a “strong desire” to sign the SEANWFZ protocol. But again, China has yet to keep its promise.

July 25, 2024 Posted by | Indonesia, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

Capitol Hill: Netanyahu’s Second Home

The appearance again in Congress of the Israeli prime minister makes it seem as if he is the American president and Israel and the U.S. are one country, writes Corinna Barnard,

By Corinna G. Barnard, Consortium News, 25 July 24

A man whose arrest warrant is being sought by an international court prosecutor for war crimes is making his triumphal return to Washington.

When Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint session of Congress on Wednesday for the fourth time,  some representatives and senators will boycott the event in protest against the genocidal devastation in Gaza that the Israeli prime minister has, for months, been directing.

But the chamber where he delivers his speech is sure to be filled with ardent admiration bestowing on him the legitimacy he is rapidly losing at home.

Given the grisly crimes against humanity that Netanyahu’s armed forces are committing, and the International Court of Justice’s ruling last week about the illegality of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory, the Israeli prime minister’s celebrated appearance on Capitol Hill will evoke  images worthy of Federico Fellini’s surrealist Satyricon.

Imagine the rousing applause, the elbow rubbing, the pomp and protocol while the devastation in Gaza grows direr by the day and hour.

Netanyahu arrives on the tailwinds of a historic vote in the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, on July 17, in which lawmakers voted against Palestinian statehood and in the process, put the kibosh on the long-standing talk by U.S. policymakers about a two-state solution, while rebuffing White House plans for a ceasefire.

The Knesset vote represents a defiant rejection of U.S. influence over Israel’s affairs. But in the U.S. House of Representatives, it’s just the opposite; whatever Israel wants, for now and the foreseeable future, it gets.

How the American public, broadly speaking, feels about this, is hard to say. The numbers of Americans who disapprove of Israel and its conduct move around in polling data like a great unknown beneath the surface of the news.

Sometimes a majority of voters back Israel, sometimes a majority disapprove. But whatever the U.S. public thinks, it doesn’t seem to matter, as far as the election season goes.

Neither of the leading candidates offers anything to stop Israel’s barbaric slaughter. Vice President Kamala Harris, now contending for the Democratic nomination, will follow in the footsteps of President Joe Biden, “aka Genocide Joe,” who was the leading recipient of cumulative pro-Israel funding over the years and continues to arm Israel’s genocide.

The Biden-Harris administration has worked to expand the Trump administration’s so-called Abraham Accords, which were helping Israel sideline the Palestinian cause by removing it as a thorn from Israel’s relations with regional neighbors. Biden himself credited Hamas’ fear of normalized Israel-Saudi relations with motivating the Oct. 7 attacks. 

Former U.S. President Donald Trump, for the Republicans, meanwhile, is awash in millions from Zionist mega donor Miriam Adelson, who is hoping to see Trump push for the Israeli annexation of the West Bank.

While in office, Trump, 78, — who has advised Biden to let Israel “finish the job” in Gaza — escalated Palestinian-Israeli tensions. In addition to helping Israel normalize relations with the U.A.E, Bahrain and Sudan, the Trump White House moved the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the flashpoint of Jerusalem, reportedly to please Sheldon Adelson, before his death in 2021.  

Leading independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. opposes a ceasefire in Gaza, where people, Al Jazeera reports, are now drowning in sewage due to Israel’s wholesale destruction of the territory.

With support for the Israel genocide in Gaza ironclad across all three of those rivals, three third party candidates are staunchly anti-genocide, Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein, independent candidate Cornel West and Libertarian candidate Chase Oliver……………………………………………………………………….more https://consortiumnews.com/2024/07/22/capitol-hill-netanyahus-second-home/

July 25, 2024 Posted by | politics, USA | Leave a comment

Congress to world: ‘War criminals welcome here’

“Throughout US history many world leaders of varying political backgrounds and persuasions have been invited to address Congress. But Wednesday will be unique. It will be the first time a war criminal has been given that honor.”

Walt Zlotow,  https://heartlandprogressive.blogspot.com/ 25 July 24

July 24, 2024 will go into history as a Day of Infamy for the US Congress.

A bipartisan claque of congresspersons will welcome Israeli war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress and a horrified world.

Netanyahu told his government he expects the International Criminal Court may issue warrants for his arrest for the war crime of starvation even before he sullies the sacred US chambers of government.

Netanyahu’s government stands credibly accursed worldwide of breaching the UN Genocide Convention.

Netanyahu has defied for two months the order of the International Court of Justice to end his military campaign of genocidal ethnic cleansing of Gaza.

Netanyahu should be under threat of arrest for war crimes when he steps onto the tarmac in D.C. Instead he’ll be welcomed with open arms…and open pocket books, by the morally compromised congressional delegation disgracing America with Netanyahu’s presence.

But one Senator is pushing back to war criminal Netanyahu’s congressional appearance. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) told Congress yesterday:

“Throughout US history many world leaders of varying political backgrounds and persuasions have been invited to address Congress. But Wednesday will be unique. It will be the first time a war criminal has been given that honor.”

Senator Sanders will not attend. Neither will Vice President Harris. Hopefully many more congresspersons will follow their lead and stay away. A better expression of congressional revulsion would be if all 535 Senators and Representatives showed up and turned their backs on Netanyahu when he approaches the podium.

Even better? If the ICC warrants against Netanyahu are issued before he speaks…it sure would be cool if they would collectively make a Citizens Arrest for war crimes.

July 25, 2024 Posted by | politics, USA | Leave a comment

Elon Musk attends Netanyahu’s congressional address as his guest

A day after activating Starlink internet in Gaza, Tesla CEO appears at Israeli PM’s controversial joint session

Nick Robins-Early, Thu 25 Jul 2024

Elon Musk attended Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress on Wednesday as a guest of the embattled Israeli prime minister.

A day earlier, the tech billionaire announced that his Starlink internet service was now active in a Gaza hospital, with the support of Israel’s government.

Netanyahu’s congressional visit was met with thousands of protesters gathering near Capitol Hill to demonstrate against Israeli abuses during its war in Gaza. Lawmakers were divided over whether he should have been invited to speak.

Musk has a history of courting rightwing leaders in countries that have overlapping business interests with his various enterprises. He previously hosted Javier Millei, Argentina’s president, at his Tesla factory and has been a cheerleader for his policies, while also cozying up to Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, and Jair Bolsonaro, the former Brazilian president.

Musk previously met with Netanyahu during a visit to Israel last year, as the tech leader sought to quell accusations of antisemitism after personally endorsing a post on his social network X, formerly Twitter, that claimed Jews hate white people. Far-right content on the platform has also increased.

Musk’s visit also appears to have helped pave the way for SpaceX to provide its Starlink satellite internet to Gaza, which he announced on Tuesday was now in service at a hospital. The single location, which was supported by Israel and the United Arab Emirates, also reflects the tight controls that Israel has put on communications technology in the area.

In recent weeks, Musk has also thrown his support behind Donald Trump’s election campaign and played a direct role in advising the former president to select JD Vance, Ohio senator, as his running mate.

Musk’s appearance as a guest of Netanyahu further aligns him with the Republican party line, which has thrown its support behind the Israeli leader as many Democrats condemn his actions. A number of progressive Democratic lawmakers declined to attend Netanyahu’s speech, with New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez denouncing him as a “war criminal.

July 25, 2024 Posted by | business and costs, USA | Leave a comment

Kamala Harris Would Continue Genocide in Gaza

 SCHEERPOST, JULY 22, 2024 By Caitlin Johnstone / CaitlinJohnstone.com.au

“…………………………………………………Harris differs from Biden only in voice and appearance, and has been an enthusiastic supporter of Biden’s genocidal atrocities in Gaza over the last nine and a half months.

Harris, assuming she wins the nomination, will campaign on the promise of continuing Biden’s incineration of Gaza, continuing Biden’s “ironclad” support for Israel, continuing Biden’s proxy war in Ukraine, continuing Biden’s escalations against Russia and China, continuing Biden’s expansion of the US war machine, continuing Biden’s facilitation of ecocidal capitalism, and continuing Biden’s dehumanizing policies of worldwide exploitation and imperialist extraction. If she gets into the White House the face of the operation will change, but the operation itself will not.

And the same will be true if Trump gets in. Every few years the US empire has this weird little festival where it pretends the government is changing hands and will now begin operating in a way that is meaningfully different from the way it was operating before. But then exploitation continues, the injustice continues, the ecocide continues, the wars continue, the militarism continues, the imperialism continues, the propaganda indoctrination continues, the authoritarianism and oppression continues.

The behavior of the empire is no more changed by getting a new president than a corporation is changed by getting a new secretary at the front desk of its main office. …………………………………. more  https://scheerpost.com/2024/07/22/harris-would-continue-genocide-in-gaza/

July 24, 2024 Posted by | politics, USA | Leave a comment

A letter to the children of tomorrow

July 22, 2024, The AIM Network, By Roger Chao,  https://theaimn.com/a-letter-to-the-children-of-tomorrow/

Dear Children of Tomorrow, in sorrowed verse we write,
To pen our deep apology beneath the failing light.
We’ve ravaged Eden’s gardens and scarred her innocent face,
And left a fractured legacy of greed’s unyielding pace.

Forgive us for the forests, where once the giants stood,
Their branches high and mighty, their roots of ancient wood.
We felled their lofty canopies, and silenced whispered dreams,
Their fallen forms now stories, adrift in muddy streams.

Once pure and sparkling rivers, now heavy, choked, and foul,
No longer sing with clarity, but moan a mournful howl.
Their crystal veins, once life itself, are tainted now with blight,
The shimmering scales of fish are gone, lost in endless night.

The oceans, vast and sapphire, with treasures held within,
Are tombs of plastic relics, borne of our careless sin.
Coral citadels, once resplendent, lie pale and cold as bone,
Their colours drained to silence, their teeming life now flown.

The air, once sweet with fragrance, from blossoms fresh and bright,
Now hangs a heavy curtain, a testament to plight.
The wind that sang through valleys green, now carries cries of pain,
A dirge of darkened futures, beneath a sky of stain.

In cities sprawling, concrete-clad, where nature’s breath is thin,
We built our towers to the skies, and drowned the wild within.
The whispering leaves of yesteryear, now whispers of the past,
Replaced by metal murmurs, in shadows deep and vast.

Creatures grand and humble, who walked this world beside,
Have vanished from the wilderness, swept away by tide.
The thylacine’s bark, the marl’s squeek, the tasman starling’s song,
Are echoes in the empty night, of what we’ve rendered wrong.

-ADVERTISEMENT-

Mountains mined to hollowness, valleys deep and scarred,
Our insatiable appetite, left nature bereft and marred.
Glaciers pure, as ancient as the dawn of time itself,
Now weep into the oceans, their sorrow on the shelf.

For all these acts, we beg of you, forgive our blinded ways,
And listen to our earnest plea, in these twilight days.
Though the world we’ve handed over bears the marks of our neglect,
In your hands lies a future, that you can yet protect.

See the earth with reverence, its beauty in each form,
In every leaf and petal, where wonder is the norm.
Nurture the silent forests, let rivers run again,
And build a realm of radiance, where love and nature reign.

Embrace the ancient wisdom, that the earth does softly impart,
In the rustling of the branches, in the pulsing of its heart.
Guard the fragile sanctuaries, where wild things find their peace,
And in their freedom, find the song where human hearts release.

Let the oceans breathe again, with depths both bright and vast,
Heal the coral gardens, restore what we’ve surpassed.
Clear the skies of smog and smoke, let sunlight grace the land,
And cherish every creature, with a gentle, guiding hand.

In the sprawling fields of flowers, let bees and butterflies,
Paint the air with vibrant hues, beneath the open skies.
Plant trees that reach the heavens, their roots deep in the soil,
And find the joy in simple things, in honest, earnest toil.

Turn away from fleeting gold, and listen to the call,
For nature’s wealth is boundless, beyond the worth of all.
In every bird’s sweet melody, in every dew-kissed morn,
Lies a promise of a world anew, where harmony is sworn.

Learn from all our errors, let them be your guide,
Tread lightly on this precious earth, with each and every stride.
Hold every creature dearly, from the mighty to the small,
And in their quiet presence, find the greatest gift of all.

Rise with dawn’s first light, and greet the day with care,
For in your hands lies power, to make the world more fair.
With every seed you plant, with every tree you tend,
You leave a legacy of hope, where broken dreams can mend.

In fields where wildflowers bloom, let hope take root and grow,
In songs of rustling grasses, let your hearts forever know,
That though we’ve left you scars and pain, there’s still a way to mend,
To bring about a brighter dawn, where sorrow can now end.

So rise, dear future guardians, and heed this humble plea,
To forge a path of healing, to let the wild be free.
For though we’ve faltered, in our wake, there’s still a chance for grace,
In your hands, lies the power, to heal this sacred place.

With every step you take, may you walk with gentle feet,
And every path you choose, may it make the world complete.
For in your care and keeping, lies the promise of the earth,
A legacy of love and hope, a tale of endless worth.

So rise, dear children of the dawn, and let your spirits soar,
For in your hands lies the power, to heal and to restore.
Take this world we’ve given, with all its scars and pain,
And weave a brighter future, where love and hope remain.

Roger Chao is a writer based in the beautiful Dandenong Ranges, where the forest and local community inspire his writings. Passionate about social justice, Roger strives to use his writing to engage audiences to think critically about the role they can play in making a difference.

July 24, 2024 Posted by | Religion and ethics | Leave a comment

Will US defend Japan with nukes or turn it into the line of fire?

By Global Times, Jul 22, 2024

The US, which bombed Japan with nuclear weapons, is reportedly about to protect Japan with nuclear weapons. Reports show that Japan and the US will draft their first joint document on expanded deterrence policy, which will include a clause affirming nuclear weapons will be included in US methods to defend Japan. However, it might be premature if Japan feels moved by this.

Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun, citing sources, reported that the document will specify measures that the US could take in peacetime and emergencies; as well as conditions under which the US could take retaliatory actions against third countries, and what those measures could be, under the backdrop of so-called threats from China and Russia. The foreign and defense ministers of Japan and the US will discuss the details at a meeting in Tokyo later this month, according to the report. …………………………………………..

Both the US and Japan have their own calculations behind the push for this joint document. Japan wants to boost its deterrent capabilities through military alliance with the US. Washington hopes to make Tokyo a thornier pawn in its “Indo-Pacific Strategy.” Claims of “threats” from China and Russia are merely far-fetched excuse – the US simply wishes Japan to be more proactive toward China and Russia under the nuclear umbrella, so as to alleviate US pressure in countering both countries.

The essence of today’s US nuclear umbrella in the Asia-Pacific region is not about protection. Rather, it serves as a platform for the US to disrupt regional stability among major powers through providing excuses to enhance strategic offensive capabilities of US allies.

Japan, a non-nuclear weapon state, would hardly become a primary target for nuclear strikes, if there will be one. Still, the US is now pulling Japan in its “nuclear protection circle” while mulling to deploy nuclear weapons to Japan. In that scenario, Japan could be viewed as a nuclear-weapon state. The US is pushing Japan to be the next battleground. And by promoting the joint document, Japan demonstrates its readiness to be considered a potential nuclear target due to its alliance with the US…………………………………………………………………… more https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202407/1316500.shtml

July 24, 2024 Posted by | Japan, weapons and war | Leave a comment

A New Brunswick reaction to the exorbitant costs of Point Lepreau nuclear power station.

When the Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station was refurbished over three years and re-opened in 2012, NB Power did not complete a number of associated repairs, despite the lengthy time and high cost of the refurbishment.

As a result, the nuclear plant has experienced many problems since the refurbishment and has been performing poorly. Since 2023, the NB nuclear plant has been managed by Ontario Power Generation, three managers costing $2 Million per year, under a three-year contract. I’m unsure if these people actually live in New Brunswick and pay taxes here or if New Brunswick is sending the money directly to Ontario.

At the start of April, the Lepreau nuclear plant was shut down for a scheduled 100 days to do the associated upgrades/repairs that NB Power hopes will improve the performance. The cost of the repairs was estimated at more than $300 million including the replacement power for this year’s repairs and another scheduled repair session in 2025. The first repairs were scheduled to end last week but instead of starting up again, the engineers noted a major problem with the main generator. Note that most of these engineers and workers doing this scheduled upgrade / repair are from Ontario, so it’s unclear how much of this cash is staying in the province. 

Today we learned that the repair to the generator will cost an extra $70 million and the plant is down at least till September, which they say is a best case scenario. 

So, when all this is over, what can New Brunswickers expect? At the end of the story below is this kicker: “Even by 2030, NB Power still thinks the plant will be mired in the basement, performance wise.”

What a F*** disaster. It’s absolutely nuts that our small province with a population of only 800,000 people has a nuclear reactor. In addition to the nuclear waste and other problems the reactor creates, we can’t afford it and we do not have the capacity in-province to look after it!

July 24, 2024 Posted by | business and costs, Canada | Leave a comment

Point Lepreau nuclear station down till at least September, costing utility extra $71M.

All of this has been costly for the utility, which now carries more than $5 billion in debt, and to ratepayers, who are being asked to swallow the biggest increases to their bills in their lifetimes.

New target is a ‘best-case scenario,’ said expert of 27 years, who added it ‘wouldn’t be appropriate’ to give a worst-case scenario.

Telegraph Journal, John Chilibeck, Jul 22, 2024 

The prolonged shutdown at the Point Lepreau nuclear plant is raising alarm, including over how it could affect power bills for residents and businesses.

At a rate hearing in Fredericton on Monday, NB Power officials said the longer-than-expected shutdown would likely last until at least September and cost an extra $71 million. That includes $51 million for buying replacement power and about $20 million for added repair and equipment costs.

Craig Church, a chief modeler for the public utility, said it would cost on average an extra $900,000 for each day Lepreau is shuttered given it is one of the cheapest in NB Power’s fleet of generators to run.

It normally provides one-third of the province’s electricity.

“The loss will have to be made up by future ratepayers?” asked public intervenor Allain Chiasson at the hearing.

After a pregnant pause, Church replied yes.

NB Power is already seeking the biggest hike in electrical bills in a lifetime. If the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board, an independent regulator, grants its request, households will have to pay 9.8 per cent more this year and 9.8 per cent more next year.

According to NB Power’s evidence, the average electrically heated residential customer is billed about $3,087 annually. Adding 9.8 per cent to that bill would be another $303, or a total of $3,390.

Big industry is facing a similar percentage hike, whereas small and medium-sized businesses would face slightly smaller increases.

But the evidence before the board does not take into account the prolonged shutdown of Lepreau, meaning those extra costs will only come into play in future years.

NB Power undertook a 100-day outage of Lepreau, west of Saint John along the Fundy coast, from mid-April to mid-July to overhaul parts of the non-nuclear side of the plant at a cost of $124 million.

It was part of a planned shutdown to renew the plant and make sure it was robust enough for the winter, when it supplies baseload power for the province. According to the plan, the upgrades were supposed to be completed last week.

But on Monday, an expert on the NB Power panel, Jason Nouwens, the director of regulatory and external affairs at Lepreau, said on June 29, the team discovered a problem with the main generator on the non-nuclear side of the plant.

Specifically, one of 144 stator bars in a giant rotor had failed, but NB Power isn’t sure why. To get to the failed equipment, workers must painstakingly take apart the generator piece by piece, a job that will take at least two weeks.

Then, Nouwens said, the troubleshooting team that includes outside experts from the Canadian nuclear industry will try to figure out why the stator bar broke and possible remedies to prevent such a failure from happening again.

The expert, who has been working at Lepreau 27 years, said the plant coming back online in September was a best-case scenario. When asked by one of the interveners, Nouwens said it “wouldn’t be appropriate” to give a worst-case scenario.

Besides the extra costs caused by the delayed re-start, questions have been raised about possible spillover.

On Friday at the same hearings at the Fredericton Convention Centre, a lawyer working on behalf of J.D. Irving, Limited asked NB Power officials repeatedly how the longer-than-expected outage at the nuclear generator would affect other important power plants in the electrical system.

The lawyer Glenn Zacher had before him Phil Landry, NB Power’s executive director of project management offices, who answered questions about other power plants in the system.

The other plants are also supposed to undergo regular outages for maintenance and repairs to ensure they are safe and reliable.

But some of the maintenance work has already been delayed because those plants need to be running when Lepreau is down, otherwise people’s lights and air conditioners wouldn’t work.

“When is it too late to do undertake maintenance elsewhere?” asked Zacher. “It seems to be an important question to be answered.”

Landry, however, didn’t have any firm answers and struggled to give any specific timelines, given the uncertainty at Lepreau

Landry explained to the board that NB Power has been running the Belledune Generating Station – which belches out emissions from high-polluting coal – and Coleson Cove, which burns similarly polluting heavy oil, to replace the energy lost at Lepreau.

Belledune was supposed to undergo maintenance and repairs right now, at a cost of $17.1 million, but its 46-day outage has been indefinitely delayed………………………………….

Pushing out the maintenance to later in the year, closer to the winter months, is not an ideal scenario, Landry said, because they need to be running smoothly when people heat their homes and electrical demand is greatest.

NB Power refurbished the nuclear side of the plant in 2012, at a cost of $2.5 billion, a project that was over-budget by $1 billion and took 37 months longer to complete than expected. But NB Power didn’t do similar work to other important parts of the plant, leading to frequent breakdowns.

All of this has been costly for the utility, which now carries more than $5 billion in debt, and to ratepayers, who are being asked to swallow the biggest increases to their bills in their lifetimes.

NB Power CEO Lori Clark has promised Lepreau will no longer be neglected in the hopes of improving its performance. The utility has partnered with Ontario Power Generation, which has more expertise with nuclear plants, to ensure the next phase of the overhaul is done right.

A benchmarking study showed Lepreau is one of the worst performers out of 38 similar nuclear power plants in the world, consistently in the bottom quarter.

On Monday, Nouwens said NB Power was committed to improving the plant’s performance but cautioned it would take years of extra spending and repair work to get to the average performance of most nuclear plants. He pointed out that Lepreau has 115,000 different components, many of which have to be replaced or repaired with age.

Even by 2030, NB Power still thinks the plant will be mired in the basement, performance wise.

“In the past, the work hasn’t been comprehensive and intrusive enough to reach the performance we need,” the executive said. “We’ve under-invested, causing unreliability.”  https://tj.news/new-brunswick/long-shutdown-of-nuclear-plant-would-have-knock-on-effect-warns-lawyer

July 24, 2024 Posted by | business and costs, Canada | Leave a comment

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