technology « nuclear-news

Global experience shows that reprocessing and breeder reactors are not viable

France has not solved its nuclear waste problems and now needs a repository in face of strong public opposition to the development of such a facility.

Nuclear waste reprocessing not viable for United States: study, Solid Waste & Recycling Magazine, 4/19/2010 Reprocessing of nuclear waste is neither an affordable remedy for future waste disposal in the United States nor will it eliminate the need for a deep geologic repository to replace Yucca Mountain, according to a recent study released by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IEER), a nonprofit and nonpartisan research group. Continue reading →

April 20, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, technology | antinuclear, AREVA, enriched, fast breeder, France, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, plutonium, radiation, reactors, recycling, uranium | Leave a comment

Ukraine’s HEU to Russia, then back as Low Enriched Uranium

BSANNA NEWS 20 April 2010, Russia will convert Ukraine’s highly enriched uranium into low enriched, and return – MFA head KYIV, /UKRINFORM/. Ukraine’s highly enriched uranium will be sent to the Russian Federation, where it will be converted into low enriched, and then returned in Ukraine, says Foreign Minister Kostiantyn Hryschenko.In his words, the United States will also provide Ukraine with low enriched uranium.As reported, on April 12, during the talks with US President Barack Obama, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych expressed the intention to liquidate the national reserves of highly enriched uranium by the year of 2012.BSANNA News – BSANNA NEWS

April 20, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | technology, Ukraine | enriched, fast breeder, recycling, reprocessing, uranium | Leave a comment

Nuclear Fuel Summit recycling decisions in the interests of AREVA

Former Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans and former U.S. ambassador-at-large Robert Gallucci said that recycling creates stockpiles of dangerous materials at risk for theft

Nuclear-Fuel Recycling Debated , Nuclear Street, by Steve Heiser, 15 April 2010, Bloomberg: As Obama SummitNations voice differing opinions on the recycling of spent fuel at DC summit – Edited by April Murelio –According to a report by Bloomberg, debate over the recycling of nuclear fuel by reactor suppliers such as France’s Areva SA surfaced in Washington as U.S. officials sought to skirt the issue during President Barack Obama’s summit. Continue reading →

April 19, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, politics international, technology | antinuclear, AREVA, EDF, enriched, France, nuclear renaissance, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, plutonium, radioactive, reactors, recycling, reprocessing, uranium | Leave a comment

The Integral Fast Reactor – no more than a a Nuclear Pipe Dream

Nuclear power: no solution to climate change, Green Left , quoting Mark Diesendorf, 17 April 2010“……….The integral fast reactor [which promises to use existing stockpiles of nuclear waste to make carbon-free energy,] doesn’t exist — it is the archetypal ink-moderated paper reactor. It’s true that a tiny physical version of this concept, called Experimental Breeder Reactor-2, once operated in the US. But experimental energy technologies are just that — experiments, designed to test a concept. Continue reading →

April 19, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, technology | antinuclear, fast breeder, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, plutonium, reactors, recycling, reprocessing, uranium | Leave a comment

Closure of Russia’s last plutonium nuclear reactor

Russia shuts down last plutonium reactor ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) 16 April 2010, Russia has shut down its last weapons-grade plutonium reactor, in line with a pledge made at a nuclear security summit in Washington this week, officials said. Continue reading →

April 16, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Russia, technology | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, plutonium | Leave a comment

Nuclear Security Summit lifts commercial prospects for ‘Megatons to Megawatts’

USEC Inc., a global energy company, is a leading supplier of enriched uranium fuel for commercial nuclear power plants.

USEC CEO: Nuclear Security Supported by Innovative Industry Program – MarketWatch 13 April 2010, ProgramMegatons to Megawatts on Schedule to Eliminate Equivalent of 20,000 Nuclear Warheads USEC Inc. President and CEO John Welch issued the following statement today in support of President Barack Obama’s Nuclear Security Summit:

“This week’s historic summit in Washington is a timely reminder of the threat facing our world from potential nuclear action by terrorists. USEC and others in the commercial nuclear industry have worked for many years in close coordination with our governments to support the security and elimination of nuclear weapons material around the world in order to reduce this threat….. Continue reading →

April 14, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, technology, USA | antinuclear, disarmament, enriched, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, nuclear weapons, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

Weapons plutonium for USA and Russia’s fast neutron reactors

US, Russia, Sign Protocol to Dispose of 17 Thousand Weapons’ Worth of Plutonium, Political Punch April 13, 2010 As the first Nuclear Security Summit began coming to a close, Secretary o f State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov agreed that their countries would each dispose up at least 34 metric tons of excess weapon-grade plutonium – 68 metric tons total — enough material for approximately 17,000 nuclear weapons. Continue reading →

April 14, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Russia, technology, USA | antinuclear, enriched, fast breeder, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear renaissance, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, nuclear weapons, radioactive, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

Mexico sending its highly enriched uranium to USA

Mexico agrees to give up highly enriched uranium Los Angeles Times April 13, 2010 The nations of North America said they will work to eliminate highly enriched uranium from Mexico’s research reactors, an effort to protect against the proliferation of nuclear materials, the White House announced on Tuesday.The agreement was announced on the second
“The conversion of the reactor’s use of highly enriched uranium to low enriched uranium fuel will enable the elimination of all the remaining highly enriched uranium from Mexico. Mexico agrees to give up highly enriched uranium | D.C. Now | Los Angeles Times

April 14, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | SOUTH AMERICA, technology | antinuclear, enriched, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear technology, reactor, uranium | Leave a comment

Old nuclear weapons fuel to be used in commercial nuclear reactors

the US and Russia will today sign a long-delayed agreement to dispose of 34 tonnes of plutonium from decommissioned weapons, by using it in power stations.

US summit expected to back Barack Obama’s plan to prevent nuclear theft | World news | The Guardian 12 April Leaders from more than 40 countries will tomorrow back Barack Obama’s plans to prevent the theft of nuclear material from vulnerable stockpiles around the world. Continue reading →

April 12, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, technology | antinuclear, enriched, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, plutonium, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

Laser technology increases nuclear power danger

Laser Nuclear Technology Might Pose Security Risk by Richard Harris NPR 12 April 2010, “…..a new technology that’s been developed to enrich uranium. It’s intended to make fuel for nuclear power plants — but it could be used for weapons, too. Continue reading →

April 12, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, technology | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear technology, nuclear weapons, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

‘Third Generation’ Nuclear Reactors have same old problems – wastes, weapons proliferation

Why James Hansen is wrong on nuclear power | Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal, By Renfrey Clarke April 8, 2010 “….. Third-generation reactors are in essence evolved versions of the pressurised-water installations that provide almost all of today’s nuclear energy. Now being built for the first time, “third-generation” plants are arguably still at the pre-commercial stage…. Continue reading →

April 9, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, technology | antinuclear, climate change, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear renaissance, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

‘Fourth Generation’ nuclear reactors sound good, BUT…

fast reactors cannot use water as a coolant, since this would slow the neutrons down. The coolant of choice is molten sodium metal. Sodium is highly reactive, burning readily in air and exploding on contact with water.

Why James Hansen is wrong on nuclear power | Links April 8, 2010“……Compared to earlier installations, the projected fourth-generation plants – specifically, the “integral fast reactor” (IFR) designs that have drawn most attention – promise important advantages. Continue reading →

April 9, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, technology | antinuclear, depleted, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, radioactive, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment