IAEA Fukushima Report highlights the unsafety and diseconomics of nuclear power
To sum up, when you build a reactor you are committing to controlling the nuclear fury at its heart for half a century or more, and controlling the waste produced for many thousands of years (using methods no-one has yet developed)……
But the real lesson is that it is impossible to cover all eventualities. That means nuclear power is not safe or, given the colossal clean-up costs, cheap. Regretfully, I believe it is an illusory answer to the problem of rising greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.
Fukushima report shows nuclear power can never be safe and cheap, by Damian Carrington 20 June 2011 guardian.co.uk The first “independent” review of the safety failures during Japan’s nuclear disaster reveals some chillingly obvious “lessons” to be learned
..The first “independent” review of the Fukushima nuclear disaster was published today and it does not make reassuring reading.
Japan is perhaps the most technologically advanced nation on Earth and yet, time after time, the report finds missing measures that I would have expected to already be in place. It highlights the fundamental inability for anyone to anticipate all future events and so deeply undermines the claims of the nuclear industry and its supporters that this time, with the new generation of reactors, things will be different.
I used quote marks on the word “independent” because the report comes from the International Atomic Energy Association (pdf) (IAEA) which, while independent of Japan, is far from independent from the nuclear industry it was founded to promote. But this conflict of interest only makes the findings of the IEAE’s experts more startling. Continue reading
USA nuclear regulators undermining public safety?
Are federal regulators undermining safety at nuclear reactors? America Blog, by Chris in Paris on 6/20/2011 Federal regulators have been working closely with the nuclear power industry to keep the nation’s aging reactors operating within safety standards by repeatedly weakening those standards, or simply failing to enforce them, an investigation by The Associated Press has found.
The result? Rising fears that these accommodations by the NRC are significantly undermining safety — and inching the reactors closer to an accident that could harm the public and jeopardize the future of nuclear power in the United States…
Radiation – the big safety hazard for nuclear reactors themselves
Radiation bombards reactors, make them brittle, Google News By JEFF DONN, AP National Writer –20 June 11 No aging problem has been more vexing or dangerous in nuclear power plants than the tendency of reactors to grow brittle. This stubborn problem threatens the main radiation barrier at the plants: the garage-size steel vessels that cradle tons of radioactive fuel.In certain emergencies, these vessels would flood with cooling water. If the vessel walls are too brittle, they could shatter and spew their radioactive contents into the environment. Continue reading
Nuclear emergency on Missouri
Federal Water Tap, June 20: Flood Effects, Nuclear Power, Dam Removal. CIRCLE OF BLUE, 20 JUNE 2011 Nuclear Emergency on the Missouri Because of snowmelt and record releases from dams managed by the Army Corps of Engineers, the Missouri River has surrounded two nuclear power plants in Nebraska, creating atomic islands on the floodplain. In addition to traditional safety measures, water-filled polyethylene berms are being used as a line of defense to keep the river from inundating the facilities.On Sunday morning, the Cooper plant, 70 miles south of Omaha, filed a “notification of unusual event” with the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission. It is the lowest of four emergency classifications used by the NRC. The other plant, at Fort Calhoun, submitted such a notice two weeks ago. It has been shut down since April for refueling and won’t be restarted until the flood waters subside. The Omaha World-Herald has more details.
Nuclear Decommissioning
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has proposed new regulations to guide the decommissioning process. The NRC is clarifying the language used in its statutes to make explicit that residual radioactivity in soil and groundwater should be accounted for in company records. These radioactivity surveys will be used to evaluate decommissioning costs. http://www.circleofblue.org/waternews/2011/federal-water-tap/federal-water-tap-june-20-flood-effects-nuclear-power-dam-removal/
South Korea urged to close Gori nuclear reactor,and to ‘leapfrog’ to safe renewable energy
Greenpeace and the Korean Federation of Environmental Movement called in a statement for the immediate closure of the Gori 1 reactor 325 kilometres (200 miles) southeast of Seoul…..South Korea had enough technological knowledge to leapfrog to clean renewable energy and provide a very safe future for the country…….
S.Korea’s oldest reactor must close: Greenpeace – Yahoo! News Jun 17, ETSEOUL (AFP) – Greenpeace urged South Korea Friday to shut down its oldest nuclear reactor, expressing concern about its safety and drawing a parallel with a disaster-stricken reactor in Japan.The anti-nuclear environmental group is currently sailing around South Korea on its campaign ship, the Rainbow Warrior, visiting and showing solidarity for communities sited around nuclear plants. Continue reading
Continued investigation of radiation exposure at Perry Nuclear Plant
Perry plant radiation-exposure remains under investigation Beaver County Times By Patrick O’Shea,18 June 11 After nearly two months, a Nuclear Regulatory Commission special investigation into a radiation-exposure incident at the Perry Nuclear Power Plant near Cleveland remains ongoing, and it is unclear when the review will conclude.The Painesville, Ohio, plant, which is operated by FirstEnergy Corp., the same operator as the Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Station, reported an incident on April 22 that involved contractors that a company official confirmed also work at the Shippingport facility.
According to a NRC release issued four days after the incident, five workers were exposed to higher levels of radiation than normal when a contractor incorrectly installed cables used to pull monitoring equipment from the reactor during a refueling, and the workers were not shielded as well as they should have been…….Perry plant radiation-exposure remains under investigation – Timesonline.com: :
Fort Calhoun Nuclear Plant threatened by Missouri River flooding
Missouri River Flooding Threatens Nuclear Power Plant, Concern is growing about the safety of a nuclear power plant that sits in a Missouri River flood plain. The Fort Calhoun Nuclear plant was cited for inadequate flood protection just last year and is currently a sandbagged island as the Missouri sits at 1.5 feet over flood stage and is expected to rise another five feet., Care 2, 18 June 11 by: Ann Bibby
Nothing to Worry About
Federal regulators and officials with the Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) insist there is no danger but list the status of the plant at “notification of unusual event,” which is the lowest emergency level emergency. Spokespeople for the OPPD say there has been no leaking of radioactive materials and none expected.
Conspiracy Theories
In the wake of the recent disaster at Fukushima, rumors have been flying fast across the Internet about Fort Calhoun, fueled by the FAA closing the airspace over the plant and an electrical fire, which temporarily shut down cooling pumps. But the FAA’s closing on June 6th was in response to the flooding, and company officials have stated that the plant’s spent fuel was never in any danger during the brief power outage.
Flooding Continues
The Missouri continues to rise, but officials are confident that the plant is secure. Fort Calhoun has been in cold shutdown since April 9th and will remain so until after the flood waters recede, which is not expected to happen soon. In fact, flooding is likely to remain a concern on and off for the rest of the summer for many parts of the Upper Midwest…..http://www.care2.com/causes/environment/blog/missouri-river-flooding-threatens-nuclear-power-plant/
Exposure of 4 workers to high radiation
4 Workers Exposed to Strong Gamma Radiation in Southern Bulgaria Novinite.com, June 17, 2011,Four workers of the Gitava company, based near the Southern Bulgarian town of Stambolyiski, have been exposed to strong gamma radiation.
The accident happened on June 14 and a committee was subsequently assigned to investigate the matter, the Bulgarian Nuclear Regulation Agency announced.Gitava specializes in supplying and recharging gamma-ray therapeutic equipment for the treatment of cancer patients….. http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=129388
USA Senate hearing finds nuclear safety unsatisfactory
Fukushima-Daiichi showed us that we have to consider the possibility of multiple units at a single site, perhaps multiple spent fuel pools being affected at the same time.”
Commissioners also had no answers about how to fix backup power systems that continue to cool nuclear material in the event of a major power outage…….Amidst these less-than-inspiring answers, the NRC commissioners tried to downplay the possibility of similar events happening here anyhow…..
Cold Comfort at Senate Nuclear Safety Hearing, The Nation 17 june 11 George Zornick In the two months since the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant suffered a catastrophic breakdown during an earthquake and tsunami in Japan, what has the United States learned about nuclear safety? How are regulators working to prevent a similar disaster at one of America’s 104 nuclear power plants, about a quarter of which share the same design as Fukushima Daiichi? Continue reading
Nuclear expert ‘s recommendations on risk management
“Why not consider Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima as warnings of greater catastrophes to come and avoid the inevitable by shutting them down, much like changing your diet and/or lifestyle after finding out that your cholesterol or blood pressure is elevated, rather than continuing down the same path until a heart attack or stroke strikes?”Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s poor record on fire safety
According to NRC records, there have been at least 154 fires at nuclear plants since 1995, an average of 10 a year. On June 7, a fire at the Fort Calhoun nuclear plant in Nebraska temporarily knocked out cooling to a pool holding spent fuel at the site, prompting an emergency declaration.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chief Blasts Agency’s Approach to Fire Safety by John Sullivan, ProPublica June 15 In a forceful critique of his agency’s approach toward fire safety, the chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission declared that the policy of not enforcing most fire code violations at dozens of nuclear plants is “unacceptable” and has tied the hands of NRC inspectors. Continue reading
The problem of Pakistan’s risk of nuclear terrorism
Pakistan nuclear terror: an interview with Stanford’s Scott SaganA leading expert on South Asian nuclear security discusses the risks of terrorists seizing materials from Pakistan’s arsenal.Global Post,David CaseJune 13, 2011“…… To get a better sense of the risks that the arsenal could fall into terrorist hands, GlobalPost spoke with Scott D. Sagan, one of the world’s leading authorities on Pakistan’s nuclear program….. “I think that the security of both Pakistani nuclear weapons and Pakistani fissionable will remain a serious concern for the United States and all international actors….. Continue reading
Sri Lanka’s fears of nuclear radiation from India’s nuclear plant
the chance of a radiation affecting Sri Lanka is higher than places in India, because the former comes within 30-40 kilometres of India’s plant in Tamil Nadu.
India’s N-plan worries Lanka, seeks help for radiation safety, Business Standard, Shine Jacob / Kolkata June 13, 2011, A shock in Fukushima, Japan, was causing fear waves across the world and now even in Sri Lanka, which has no nuclear reactors at all. Concerned over the nuclear programmes in South India, Sri Lanka has sought India’s assistance in developing a radiation monitoring and safety centre in the north-western part of that country. Continue reading
OECD warned about nuclear plants in earthquake areas
Kosciusko-Morizet also called on the UN nuclear watchdog to review its safety standards – particularly on the construction and operation of nuclear plants in seismic zones – and “ensure their proper application.” “We cannot continue to think the way we did before Fukushima,” she said.
OECD urges global nuclear stress tests, natural gas gains ground – New Europe, 12 June 11, Ministers from 33 countries reached broad agreement in Paris on 7 June on the need for global nuclear stress tests. French Ecology Minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet is chairing a two-day meeting on nuclear safety at the Nuclear Energy Agency of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris. Continue reading
Danger of unstable nations having nuclear power
A trove of U.S. diplomatic cables obtained by WikiLeaks and provided to Reuters by a third party provide colorful and sometimes scary commentary on the conditions in developing nations with nuclear power aspirations……Turmoil of the kind sweeping north Africa and the Middle East could affect the security of power plants and nuclear fuel – which some fear could be turned into weapons in case of a coup or if they fell into the hands of terrorists.
After Japan, Where’s the Next Nuclear Weak Link?, Reuters By Nick Carey, Jun 10, 2011 It may sound alarming but that is what could happen in many developing countries which are either building nuclear power plants or considering doing so – a prospect that raises serious questions after Japan’s experience handling a nuclear crisis.
Imagine a country where corruption is rampant, infrastructure is very poor, or the quality of security is in question. Now what if that country built a nuclear power plant? Continue reading
1 This Month
19 November – Webinar – The Reality of Reprocessing
Time: 11:00 AM Pacific Time (US & Canada) / 2:00 PM Eastern / 7:00 PM UK / 8:00 PM CET
Register for the Zoom Event Here
Shut down the radiation-damaged Heysham nuclear reactors now
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Say No to NASA’s Reckless Nuclear Reactor on the Moon
Say No to NASA’s Reckless Nuclear Reactor on the Moon
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