Danger as oil companies plan drilling in nuclear waste ocean dump
The Kara Sea is so remote that the Soviet Union used it as a dumping ground for radioactive material for more than 25 years. The two oil companies have avoided calls for the nuclear waste, estimated to consist of over 17,000 barrels of radioactive waste, worn-out reactors, and even an old nuclear submarine, to be cleared up before any exploration takes place.
The most dangerous item down on the sea floor in that area is the K-27 nuclear submarine, which was dumped their by the Soviet navy in 1981. The NRPA said that any significant corrosion could damage the ships reactor and cause an environmental disaster.
Exxon, Rosneft eye oil in nuclear wasteland http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2012/0927/Exxon-Rosneft-eye-oil-in-nuclear-wasteland
Exxon Mobil and Rosneft are planning to drill for oil in the Kara Sea, which the Soviet Union used as a dumping ground for radioactive material for more than 25 years, according to OilPrice.com. By James Burgess, September 27, 2012 It has been well documented that oil majors from around the world are looking at oil exploration in the Arctic, where they believe that some of the largest untapped fields in the world still lie.
Environmentalists have been fighting efforts to start exploring for oil, fearing that any serious oil spill could mean the destruction of one of the last pristine wildernesses on the planet. Continue reading
Government secrecy on the litany of nuclear accidents
Windscale nuclear reactor, U.K. (1957); Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, U.S. (1961); Three Mile Island power plant, U.S. (1979); Chernobyl power plant, Russia (1986); Seversk, Russia (1993); the Tokai-Mura nuclear fuel processing facility, Japan (1989); Mihama power plant, Japan (2004); Fukushima Daiichi power plant, Japan (2011) and the Marcoule nuclear site, France (2011).
All these incidents and many more unreported ones including from India have obviously raised questions about the desirability of nuclear energy and any real possibility of it being “safe.”
Desirability of nuclear power is the real question, THE HINDU, 28 Sept 12 MADHUMITA DUTTA “….. The claim [is that]modern technology, maintenance and safety standards will make it “safe.” Notwithstanding of course the ideal scientifically “controlled” conditions vs ground realities.
If one looks at the dubious track record of nuclear power plants across the world and its horrendous reputation of regularly exposing its workers and residents to dangerous levels of ionising radiations, the disconnect is pretty obvious.
In 1957, a fault in the cooling system in Kyshtym nuclear complex in Russia led to a chemical explosion and the release of 70-80 tonnes of radioactive material into the air, exposing thousands of people and leading to the evacuation of thousands more. Major accidents, which have killed, maimed and exposed large populations of worker and local
residents, have been reported from various other nuclear facilities — Continue reading
Third steel beam found beside the fuel rack. Tepco “Fuel assemblies may be damaged” Fukushima Diary, by Mochizuki on September 25th, 2012 ·
As to the latest accident in reactor3, Fukushima Diary reported Tepco
found 2 steel beams in SFP3.
(cf. [Reactor3] Underwater video, “Two steel beams were found in the pool”)
After this article, Tepco found another steel beam in the pool, now
they are considering the possibility that the fuel assemblies are
damaged.
So far, Tepco finished investigating the 1/8 of the pool and found 3
steel beams in total. One of the 3 steel beams was found beside a rack
of fuel assemblies.
Tepco still hasn’t verified the dropped steel beam.
They have been stating there is no change in the radiation level in
the pool water and no change of the water level, which suggests the
state of the pool and fuel assemblies were sound, but they are
starting to suggest the possibility that fuel assemblies were
damaged…….. http://fukushima-diary.com/2012/09/third-steel-beam-found-beside-the-fuel-rack-tepco-fuel-assemblies-may-be-damaged/
Japan’s new nuclear safety agency dumps the previous hastily made “stress tests”
New nuclear watchdog to dump reactor stress tests http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120925c1.html Kyodo Japan’s new nuclear watchdog plans to disregard the stress tests used by its predecessor for the reactor reactivation process because it
plans to create fresh criteria for the task, Nuclear Regulation Authority chief Shunichi Tanaka said Monday.
“We will not use ‘stress tests’ as our judgment criteria,” Tanaka said in an interview,
referring to the two-stage safety examination that the government slapped together to push through reactor restarts in the wake of the Fukushima disaster in March last year, fearing summer power outages.
Utilities seeking to restart reactors have already submitted the results of their first-phase stress tests to the NRA’s predecessor, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency. NISA was to check the results.
Of the nation’s 50 viable commercial reactors, results on 30 have been submitted. In July, Kansai Electric Power Co.’s two reactors at the Oi power plant in Fukui Prefecture became the first to be reactivated since the crisis.
But Tanaka’s remarks mean the utilities will have to go back to square one to restart their reactors.
Tanaka emphasized that he has “no intention” to decide on whether the stress test results so far submitted are proper.
The NRA, launched earlier this month as part of efforts to improve regulation in light of the Fukushima crisis, plans to formulate new safety standards within 10 months.
Radiation medicine scandal in France
French trial opens on cancer radiation scandal, France 24, 25 SEPTEMBER 2012 Radiophysicist Joshua Anah along with two doctors, is accused of involuntary homicide, not helping people in danger and destroying evidence arising from radiation overdoses given to nearly 450 cancer patients in a French hospital.
AFP – Two doctors and a radio physicist were due to go on trial Monday on manslaughter charges arising from radiation overdoses given to nearly 450 cancer patients in a French hospital. At least seven people died as a result of overdoses administered to patients at the Jean Monnet hospital in Epinal in northeastern France between 2001 and 2006.
At least 24 people treated between May 2004 and August 2005 received 20 percent more radiation than they should have due to a calibration error.
Another dysfunction led to 424 people being overdosed by between eight and 10 percent in the period spanning 2001 and 2006. Many of the victims were being treated for prostrate cancer.
Scores of victims are due to testify from Monday until October 31, some of them by video-link because they are too ill to attend court. The two doctors, Jean-Francois Sztermer, 64, Michel Aubertel, 62, and radio physicist Joshua Anah, 54, are accused of involuntary homicide, not helping people in danger and destroying evidence.
Three health executives are also in the dock on charges of not helping people in danger…..http://www.france24.com/en/20120925-french-trial-opens-cancer-radiation-scandal
Uranium smuggling n former Soviet Union
Loose Nuke Smugglers Caught With Uranium
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/09/loose-nuke-smugglers-caught-in-former-soviet-region/ MOSCOW — Seven individuals were reportedly arrested for allegedly trafficking uranium and weapons in a breakaway region of Moldova.
The unnamed group had been detained last week in the separatist enclave of Transnistria, according to Moldova’s interior ministry, Reuters reported.
The group had allegedly been involved in shipments of hand grenades, Kalashnikov assault rifles, rocket propelled grenade launchers, and even containers of uranium-235, which could be used to produce a nuclear bomb. The ministry provided no further details about the uranium shipment or its origin, according to Reuters.
The United States has been very concerned about loose nuclear material being trafficked through parts of the former Soviet Union.
This is not the first reported case of uranium-235 smuggling in Transnistria. In June, 2011 Moldovan police reportedly arrested six members of a criminal group for trying to peddle one kilogram of uranium-235 for about $38 million. That nuclear material had allegedly
been sourced in Russia. Three of those individuals were convicted last May.
Tsunami danger to 23 nuclear power plants
23 Nuclear Plants in Tsunami Risk Zones, Study Finds http://www.livescience.com/23392-nuclear-plants-tsunami.html LiveScience Staff : 21 September 2012 “… A recent study led by European researchers found Fukushima is not alone, as 22 other plants around the world may be similarly susceptible to destructive tsunami waves, with most of them in east and southeast regions of Asia.
The 23 facilities on the list (including Fukushima) house a total of 74 nuclear reactors. Thirteen of the plants are active, while the others are either nearing completion or being expanded to house more reactors. The researchers say East and Southeast Asia are at the greatest risk of a nuclear crisis triggered by a tsunami because of the rise of atomic power stations in the region, especially in China, which houses 27 of the world’s 64 nuclear reactors currently under construction.
“The most important fact is that 19 (two of which are in Taiwan) out of the 27 reactors are being built in areas identified as dangerous,” state the authors of the study. Meanwhile, in Japan, seven plants — one of which is currently under construction — are located in zones at risk of a tsunami, and South Korea is now expanding two plants in risk zones, the researchers said.
The study, which appears in a recent issue of the journal Natural Hazards, urges energy officials in these countries to consider how they would deal with the potentially far-reaching consequences of a catastrophe.
“The location of nuclear installations does not only have implications for their host countries but also for the areas which could be affected by radioactive leaks,” study researcher Joaquín Rodríguez-Vidal, of the University of Huelva, told SINC, a Spanish news agency.
China still has poor record on nuclear safety, uranium environmental damage
Should China be involved in the UK’s nuclear energy infrastructure? Guardian UK, Paul Dorfman, 21 Sept 12“….In Tibet, the Chinese nuclear industry is engaged in a determined effort to secure uranium deposits located in Amdo, where leaching and open pit extraction are reported to have resulted in significant environmental contamination. Regulation of safety oversight mechanisms is relatively weak in the Chinese nuclear industry, and according to a recent Nuclear Materials Security Index report, China ranks 29th among the group of 32 nuclear nations in terms of nuclear security and materials transparency. Although it’s to be hoped that greater corporate social responsibility and sensitivity to vulnerable industrial communities is evolving in both Russia and China, it’s still troubling to reflect on their respective human rights situations, documented by Amnesty International……http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2012/sep/21/nuclearpower-energy?newsfeed=true
Concern over Idaho wildfire at uranium contaminated site
One area of concern is a defunct uranium mine and milling operation 5 miles west of North Fork, where the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency conducted a cleanup several years ago of polluted soil, hazardous wastes and piles of raw uranium and thorium ore.
No decontamination of buildings at that site was ever performed, and at least one of those buildings burned in the fire, according to officials from the state Department of Environmental Quality
Idaho wildfire roars through former uranium mine site Laura Zuckerman
Reuters, September 21, 2012 SALMON, Idaho Continue reading
Daunting tasks for Japan’s new Nuclear Regulation Authority
Nuclear regulatory body faces 
mountain of urgent tasks http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120920003922.htm Koichi Yasuda / Yomiuri Shimbun 21 Sept 12, Five members of the new nuclear regulatory commission, headed by Shunichi Tanaka, showed strong determination to ensure the safety of the nation’s nuclear facilities and restore public confidence, based on lessons learned from the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear
power plant.
However, the Nuclear Regulation Authority faces a growing number of urgent tasks, including establishing new regulations for nuclear power generation.
The commission must first determine how to evaluate stress tests that have served as a tentative yardstick for restarting reactors in the aftermath of last year’s disaster.
It must also decide what requirements need to be met to allow nuclear reactors to operate more than 40 years–which would be an exception to the government’s new energy strategy announced earlier this month.
It remains to be seen how the commission will conduct research on active faults under nuclear power plants nationwide.
Lastly, it also needs to introduce mandatory countermeasures for severe accidents, including reactor meltdowns, as well as expand disaster preparedness zones around nuclear plants. The fact that the commission was launched with members who were not approved by the Diet has added to these concerns.
Former Nuclear Safety Commission Chairman Shojiro Matsuura, 76, said establishing the above rules is “essentially a job that would take years for specialists to accomplish.
“I’m worried whether [the commission] will be able to tackle the problems without support of both the ruling and opposition parties,” he said.
Considering the head of the new commission will be given greater command authority during emergencies, Matsuura’s concern is reasonable.
The new commission, which has been granted a high level of independence, must pursue safety improvements at nuclear power plants from scientific and technological viewpoints, and keep a distance from political and economic concerns. The public will closely watch its
every action.
Inadequate safety plans for Kudankulam nuclear reactors
India’s Judiciary creates scam over Kudankulam The Canadian, 17 SEPTEMBER 2012“……In the name of nation and national interests they protect the rich and multinationals and want the common people also support that. Recent disclosures from a special official safety review on all Russian reactor designs reveal their several generic flaws, including inadequate emergency cooling, poor evacuation procedures, and non-factoring of earthquake hazards. The Kudankulam reactors lack an independent freshwater source, critical to cooling them in emergencies. They are probably the world’s only nuclear reactors dependent on unreliable seawater desalination, which can fail and has no backup. The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) approved the fuel-loading despite all this and without the mandatory emergency evacuation drill in a 16-km radius. AERB approval is NPCIL’s clinching justification for fuel-loading. The AERB “has no rule-making powers.” It never fulfilled the mandate to prepare an overall nuclear and radiation safety policy.
It has failed to develop as many as 27 of the 168 Standards, Codes and Guides it itself termed essential. It has no role in radiological surveillance and monitoring workers’ health. It doesn’t directly oversee on-site emergency drills. The AERB doesn’t even possess a full inventory of nuclear materials and radiation sources. It has no framework for decommissioning nuclear plants……. http://www.agoracosmopolitan.com/news/intrnational/2012/09/17/4465.html
Explosion at oldest French nuclear plant http://www.beyondnuclear.org/france-whats-new/2012/9/11/explosion-at-oldest-french-nuclear-plant.html The oldest operating French nuclear power plant, at Fessenheim near the German border, suffered a chemical explosion on September 5 that sent 8 workers to the hospital, two of them with steam burns.
This was just the latest set-back for the French nuclear sector which is struggling to maintain a presence overseas but saw its Evolutionary Power Reactor (EPR) all but canceled at the Calvert Cliffs, MD site on August 30. Fessenheim sits on the banks of a river and on an active fault line and has been the object of consistent and large opposition
to its continued operation . At first alarm, it was believed a fire had broken out as 50 firefighters were dispatched to the site, operated by EDF. Later, it was described as a
chemical explosion that released “non-radioactive” steam.
The newly-elected French president, François Hollande, said he would shut the Fessenheim plant during his five-year term which most observers believe means at the end of it, in 2017. Furthermore, his energy minister, Dauphine Batho, has been quoted recently describing nuclear energy as “necessary” and the “energy of the future” causing a flurry
of critical and often derisory articles and commentaries in the French media.
Another Belgian nuclear reactor with cracks?
Second Belgian reactor has indications of cracks “…..(Reuters) 13 Sept 12, – A second nuclear reactor in Belgium has indications of cracks in its core tank, the nuclear regulator said on Thursday, putting further strain on the country’s energy supply as it heads into
winter. Continue reading
82 year old nun appreciated for showing up nuclear unsafety
A Nun Is Appreciated, but Not for What She Intended http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/12/a-nun-is-appreciated-but-not-for-what-she-intended/ By MATTHEW L. WALD An 82-year-old pacifist nun facing felony charges for breaking into a Tennessee nuclear weapons plant was publicly thanked on Wednesday by conservative members of a House committee for exposing security flaws. Representative Joe Barton, a Texas Republican had invited Sister Megan Gillespie Rice of Las Vegas to stand up and be recognized at the hearing, held by the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s subcommittee on oversight and investigations. Continue reading
Palisades managers admit problems at nuclear plant, tell regulators how they’re improving Michigan Live By Fritz Klug , September 12, 2012, “…..While the NRC was looking into issues at Palisades, Entergy contracted with an independent firm to survey the plant’s workforce in January. From responses by about 600 employees, the survey found three key takeaways:
There had been a significant loss of confidence in the site’s leadership team, and leadership did not challenge each other to make the right decisions.
Leadership did not value or prioritize processes to improve plant performance or develop “a learning organization.”
Accountability was viewed as punitive.
Management said these problems were widespread across different departments at the plant…. n May, Gregory Jaczko, the NRC chairman at the time, toured Palisades and said Entergy needed to improve on basics of nuclear safety.….. On Thursday, anti-nuclear activist Kevin Kamps will give a talk in Kalamazoo about what he contends are worsening conditions at the plant…. http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2012/09/palisades_nuclear_power_plant_6.html
1 This Month
of the week– Nuclear Reactor Information Task Force
14 May – online event From Bombs to Data Centres: the Face of Nuclear Colonialism
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