technology « nuclear-news

local citizens want uranium mining company to be accountable for its water pollution

“in-situ” technology, whereby treated water is pumped underground to dissolve uranium deposits. The water is then pumped to the surface, the uranium extracted and the water returned underground.
Opponents of the mine operation say the system threatens groundwater quality over vast areas around the mine

Powertech sues over water rules; residents want mining company to be accountable By Tom HackerLoveland Reporter-Herald, 11/12/2010 Opponents of a proposed uranium mine near the Larimer and Weld county line east of Wellington are assailing a lawsuit filed by the mining company against state regulators. Continue reading →

November 15, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Legal, technology, Uranium, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, radiation, uranium | Leave a comment

Uranium enrichment plant for Ukraine

Ukraine plans to build uranium enrichment plant: Voice of Russia, 22 Oct 10, Ukraine plans to build it own uranium enrichment plant, President Viktor Yanukovich said during his working visit to the Kirovograd region of Ukraine.The agreement on the construction of the plant is expected to be signed on October 27, he said.The Kirovograd region of Ukraine is known for its Novokonstantinovskoye uranium field, which is the largest in Europe.Ukraine has four nuclear plants but so far it has been the Russian concern TVAL to supply fuel for them. Ukraine plans to build uranium enrichment plant: Voice of Russia

October 22, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | technology, Ukraine, Uranium | enriched, nuclear technology, uranium | Leave a comment

Utah State must rule on vexed question of “blended” radioactive wastes

The Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah has challenged the idea of blending wastes to get around limits at the Utah site and urged state authorities to prohibit it.

Utah: NRC ruling leaves nuke waste rules to state, The Washington Post, By PAUL FOY, The Associated Press, October 15, 2010; SALT LAKE CITY — Federal regulators have put off a decision on whether blended radioactive waste can be buried in Utah.The Nuclear Regulatory Commission decided this week to develop a new set of rules assessing the dangers of blended waste based on the risks at individual disposal sites….. Continue reading →

October 16, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | technology, USA, wastes | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive | 1 Comment

New laser uranium enrichment technology fraught with problems

Regulatory agencies are worried that laser enrichment of uranium could lead to the proliferation of nuclear weapons….GE and Hitachi “are betting that there will be an upsurge of nuclear power plant construction—that’s a huge and extremely risky bet.”….laser enrichment has been held back by substantial technical hurdles.

Laser Uranium Enrichment Makes a Comeback The controversial technology poses proliferation risks, but nuclear firms press on, IEEE Spectrum: By Sandra Upson 1 October 2010 Two technology giants, GE and Hitachi, are betting big on a nuclear renaissance. Continue reading →

October 1, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | technology, Uranium, USA | antinuclear, enriched, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, nuclear weapons, uranium | Leave a comment

Small modular nuclear reactors, costly, dangerous, and proliferation risk

SMRs are not only unlikely live up to the hype, but may well aggravate cost, safety, and environmental problems,….”Amidst the evaporating hopes for a nuclear renaissance, nuclear power proponents are pinning their hopes on small modular reactors without thinking carefully about the new problems they will create

IEER/PSR: ‘Small Modular Reactors’ No Panacea for What Ails Nuclear Power – Fact Sheet Explores Cost, Safety and Waste Issues Glossed Over by IndustryWASHINGTON, Sept. 29 /PRNewswire – The same industry that promised that nuclear power would be “too cheap to meter” is now touting another supposed cure-all for America’s power needs: the small modular reactor (SMR). Continue reading →

September 30, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, technology | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear renaissance, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, radioactive, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

How the Stuxnet computer worm works

The attack is still ongoing and new versions of this virus are spreading,

Report: Stuxnet Worm Attacks Iran, Who is Behind It? PCMag.com 28 Sept 10, By: Chloe Albanesius, Larry SeltzerThe Stuxnet worm has already infected 30,000 IP addresses in Iran and is still mutating, according to Monday press reports. Continue reading →

September 28, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, technology | Leave a comment

“New Generation” nuclear reactors – a selection of duds

The death of the Pebble Bed has considerable significance. Harvey Wasserman, 23 Sept 10, For nearly two decades reactor backers have counted it in the imaginary fleet of new generation reactors coming to save us. Its alleged bright future would make it just one of the many new nuclear technologies that would render solar and wind energy unnecessary. Continue reading →

September 24, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, technology | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, reactors | Leave a comment

Death of the Pebble Bed Nuclear Reactor

economic realities make any tangible future Pebble Bed as a major source of new energy largely imaginary.

(South Africa) Another feeble-headed nuke drops dead Harvey Wasserman September 24, 2010
For years “expert” reactor backers have touted the “Pebble Bed” design as an “inherently safe” alternative to traditional domed light water models. Now its South African developers say they’re done pouring money into it. Continue reading →

September 24, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | South Africa, technology | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear renaissance, nuclear technology, reactors | 1 Comment

The end for South Africa’s failed Pebble Bed Nuclear Reactor

Hopes that a successful bid by a US consortium — which included Westinghouse, one of the PBMR’s partners — for the US’s next-generation nuclear plant programme would give the PBMR a new lease of life were dashed when Westinghouse withdrew in May.

Hogan ends pebble bed reactor project, BusinessDay The government’s decision to stop investing in the project supersedes its previous decision to downsize the PBMR company by 75%. LINDA ENSOR 2010/09/17 Public Enterprises Minister Barbara Hogan drew the final curtain yesterday on SA’s bid to be a leader in nuclear technology when she announced the closure of the pebble bed modular reactor (PBMR), which has cost R7,4bn of taxpayers’ money……… Continue reading →

September 17, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | South Africa, technology | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, nuclear technology | Leave a comment

Danger in blending Class A radioactive wastes with hotter classes

blended waste should be dealt with as part of a comprehensive overhaul of the nation’s low-level radioactive waste, with careful attention paid to public-safety issues…..Under Utah law, Energy- Solutions is banned from taking waste hotter than Class A.

NRC head urges caution on waste blending | The Salt Lake Tribune, By JUDY FAHYS Sep 10, 2010 Las Vegas • Blended radioactive waste won’t be coming to Utah anytime soon if the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission adopts its leader’s position. Continue reading →

September 10, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | technology, USA, wastes | antinuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

Thorium nuclear reactors can enable production of nuclear bombs

Uranium 233 is fissionable, and you can make bombs out of it. And the best part of all is that it can be purified chemically out of the spent fuel of the thorium reactor.

Nuclear Weapons for the Masses . The Greenroom August 31, 2010 by Steven Den Beste“.……Thorium reactors use natural thorium, which is isotope 232. There are a lot of neutrons running around in there; it’s how reactors work. If an atom of thorium 232 absorbs a neutron, it becomes isotope 233. Continue reading →

September 1, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, technology, Uranium | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear technology, radiation, uranium | Leave a comment

More delays, more costs, with AREVA’s new reactor in France

EDF was asked for modifications of the control platform on the reactor, which is delayed and will cost more than expected.

French Nuclear Watchdog Says EDF Has Problems With Flamanville EPR Liner – Bloomberg, By Tara Patel – Aug 30, 2010 Electricite de France SA, Europe’s biggest power producer, experienced renewed problems with welding quality at the EPR nuclear reactor being built in Normandy, according France’s nuclear safety agency. Continue reading →

August 31, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | France, technology | antinuclear, AREVA, EDF, France, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear technology, radiation, radioactive, reactors | Leave a comment

Way behind schedule – UK’s planned nuclear reactors

the companies behind the designs – French consortium Areva, EDF and US firm Westinghouse – had been repeatedly submitting information which was incomplete and late………we could be faced with the farcical situation where the government is letting utilities press ahead with building work for reactors that haven’t been given safety approval.”

UK’s nuclear reactor programme falls behind schedule. Regulator and builders blame each other for construction hold-up as designs await approval Tim Webb , guardian.co.uk, , 25 August 2010 Continue reading →

August 26, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | technology, UK | antinuclear, EDF, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, reactors, Westinghouse | Leave a comment

USA Dept of Energy wants to offload weapons plutonium onto commercial reactors

The Department of Energy is looking for ways to dispose of plutonium from nuclear weapons….Ed Lyman, senior staff scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the mixed-oxide fuel is “too dirty, dangerous and expensive.”

TVA hears public worries over Ala. plant plutonium – BusinessWeek, 4 Aug 2010, TANNER, Ala. A public hearing on the Tennessee Valley Authority possibly using reprocessed weapons plutonium to power some reactors in north Alabama and Tennessee attracted about 70 people, many with questions about safety. Continue reading →

August 5, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | technology, USA | AUSTRALIA, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, plutonium, reactors, reprocessing | Leave a comment

Public anxiety over plan to use plutonium fuel in Browns Ferry reactors

The plutonium in MOX also makes fuel rods less stable, Lyman said. That increases the chance of a reactor meltdown. Not only is such a meltdown more likely, he said, but the use of plutonium would increase the number of fatalities by about 25 percent compared to a meltdown involving conventional fuel rods.

(USA) Crowd expresses concern over plutonium proposal, The Times Daily | Florence, AL, By Eric Fleischauer Decatur Daily, August 4, 2010 . A frustrated crowd of about 60 people confronted TVA and Energy Department officials at a public hearing Tuesday, and few expressed comfort with a proposal to use plutonium in Browns Ferry reactors. Continue reading →

August 5, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | technology, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear wastes, plutonium, radiation, radioactive, reactors | Leave a comment