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Problems of Finland’s Olkiluoto nuclear plant and waste storage plans

the companies are planning to make Onkalo only large enough for waste from their own potential seven reactors 

the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) has identified safety concerns at operating Finnish power plants as part of stress tests conducted after last spring’s Fukushima crisis in Japan. These include the lack of backup cooling systems that are independent of electrical supply at the Olkiluoto1 and 2 reactors.

a honeycomb of storage sites extending over an area of several square kilometres will weaken the bedrock, making it vulnerable to earthquakes,

  includes VIDEO TVO: No room for Fennovoima waste in nuclear cave, YLE FI  4 oct 11, Onkalo on Finland’s west coast will be the world’s first permanent nuclear waste repository. The project director of the Olkiluoto 3 nuclear power plant, TVO Senior Vice President Jouni Silvennoinen, insists there is no space for waste from utilities other than TVO or Fortum in the Onkalo underground disposal site on Finland’s west coast. Continue reading →

October 4, 2011 Posted by | Finland, Reference, technology, wastes | Leave a comment

Japan will no longer measure plutonium

Japan ceases measuring the plutonium, Paul Langley’s Nuclear History Blog, 4 Oct 11,  At the press conference of TEPCO and related ministries of Japanese government, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology stated they will not measure plutonium anymore.

The measurement of plutonium was abandoned in Japan.It was announced on 10/3/2011   by staff from Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

Now Japanese people are allowed to take 1~10 Bq/kg of plutonium. However, 1 in a million gram of plutonium causes cancer.

They announced that plutonium and strontium were detected in 45km / 79km area on 9/30.They seem afraid of having the contamination situation known by more people. http://fukushima-diary.com/2011/10/breaking-news-the-measurement-of-plutonium-was-abandoned-in-japan/#.Tomr6dmxwk4.facebook

JGov and TEPCO are disgusting.

http://nuclearhistory.wordpress.com/2011/10/03/japan-ceases-measuring-the-plutonium/

October 4, 2011 Posted by | - plutonium, health, Japan | Leave a comment

Top ten places in dangerous radioactivity

Just wait till the communist parties in China and North Korea finally fall, and the truth is out. You haven’t heard/seen real horror stories yet! Already, China’s known pollution is horrifying, 

Fukushima Tops List of World’s 10 Most Radioactive Places Fellowship of the Minds – Conservatives who love America 24 Sept 11  Our media have the attention span of a child.

The damaged nuclear reactors of Fukushima Daiichi, Japan, have fallen off the radar of our media’s interest, but that doesn’t mean things are hunky dory.

On the contrary, according to the 2010 report by the non-profit Blacksmith Institute, the most radioactive places are listed, with Chernobyl the worst.  But now, Fukushima can top the list of the world’s ten most radioactive places. Yes, Fukushima is more radioactive than Chernobyl!

10. Hanford, U.S.A. Continue reading →

October 3, 2011 Posted by | 2 WORLD, environment, wastes | Leave a comment

Plutonium in soil 40 Km from Fukushima nuclear plant

Plutonium 40km from Fukushima plant, FT.com Asia Pacific By Mure Dickie in Tokyo, 3 Oct 11  Small amounts of plutonium believed to have escaped from Japan’s tsunami-crippled    nuclear plant have been detected in soil more than 40km away, say government researchers, a finding that will fuel already widespread fears about radiation risk……

The plutonium was found at six sites – including one in Iitate around 40km from the plant – all of which are subject to evacuation orders. However, plutonium’s long half-life and the potential for even small amounts to pose a health hazard if ingested is likely to make it a focus of popular concern.

Japanese authorities, who significantly underestimated radiation releases from the plant in the early days of the crisis, have since struggled to convince the public that they are able effectively to guard against radiation health threats…. http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/7e3af460-ece6-11e0-be97-00144feab49a.html#axzz1Zkkm68Sy

October 3, 2011 Posted by | - Fukushima 2011, - plutonium, environment, Japan | Leave a comment

Secret negotiations over Mongolia becoming repositary for nuclear waste

the idea has become a political lightning rod, with the opposition Green Party charging that a waste facility could become an environmental and safety nightmare….

the draft agreement, which has not been released but reportedly included a passage referring to Mongolia as a future destination for spent fuel……

“Mongolia is not an awfully democratic state,”

Senior U.S. Official Denies Talk of Foreign Nuclear Waste Site in Mongolia, NTI Global Security Newswire, Sept. 30, 2011, By Elaine M. Grossman WASHINGTON — A senior U.S. Energy Department official on Wednesday disputed reports that the Obama administration has sought Mongolian support for construction of a storage site for international spent nuclear fuel in the Central Asian nation (see GSN, March 30).

The assertion — made by a high-ranking official who asked not to be named in addressing a diplomatically sensitive issue — directly countered remarks offered last spring by a veteran State Department official who leads U.S. nuclear trade pact negotiations. Continue reading →

October 1, 2011 Posted by | ASIA, secrets,lies and civil liberties, wastes | Leave a comment

Dounreay nuclear plant’s radioactive pollution of Scotland’s North coast seabed

“Once again, we see the nuclear industry causing a problem it can’t solve, and dumping the cost and consequence on the rest of us,” 

Scottish nuclear fuel leak ‘will never be completely cleaned up’ The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has abandoned its aim to remove all traces of contamination from the north coast seabed s  guardian.co.uk,  21 September 2011 Radioactive contamination that leaked for more than two decades from the Dounreay nuclear plant on the north coast of Scotland will never be completely cleaned up, a Scottish government agency has admitted. Continue reading →

September 22, 2011 Posted by | oceans, UK, wastes | Leave a comment

Radioactive pollution from rare earths processing in China

China Re-Nationalizes Rare Earths – Part One, Metal Miner by STUART on SEPTEMBER 19, 2011 That China has suffered severe and widespread pollution from the mining and refining of rare earth elements (REE) is not in doubt —

The New York Times reported this week that China had largely shut down its rare earth industry for three months to address pollution problems. Officials confirm evidence visible by satellite that large tracks around both legal and illegal mine sites have become wastelands…….

Although the illicit operation was finally closed down,  pollution nightmares continue to haunt residents as toxic water from waste heaps and the makeshift mine finds its way into creeks and ultimately to the drinking water supply system. Nor is drinking water the only medium affected; REE are found in association with thorium, making waste from the refining process radioactive…..
Apparently the government also plans to consolidate 80 percent of the production from southern China — which produces the rest of China’s rare earths — into three companies within the next year or two. All three of these companies are former ministries of the Chinese government that were spun out as corporations, and the central government still owns most of the shares. These actions will at least ensure Beijing achieves control of mining and refining; if pollution remains a problem, they only have themselves to blame.http://agmetalminer.com/2011/09/19/china-re-nationalizes-rare-earths-part-one/

September 22, 2011 Posted by | China, Uranium, wastes | Leave a comment

Yucca Mountain nuclear dump is dead, but not yet buried

Closing down Yucca Mountain “once and for all” can happen if the DOE’s license application is denied by NRC and its decision is upheld through a final non-appealable decision rendered by a federal court, or if Congress amends the Nuclear Waste Policy Act and the president signs the legislation. 

Yucca Mountain is dead again, September 16, 2011  The Ely Times, By Elizabeth Crum, Nevada News Bureau In a long awaited ruling, the federal nuclear safety agency has said Nevada can close down Yucca Mountain once and for all. Or not. Continue reading →

September 17, 2011 Posted by | USA, wastes | Leave a comment

Getting rid of Fukushima’s nuclear reactors a tortuous and dangerous task

Tepco also needs to find ways to prevent any new nuclear reaction, which could happen if the fuel is not adequately cooled during the entire process…

Japan Atomic Energy Body Sees Technical Hurdles Ahead, WSJ, By MITSURU OBE, 14 Sept 11, TOKYO—Japan’s efforts to safely dismantle the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex is expected to be fraught with technical challenges and take more than a decade to complete, the government’s Atomic Energy Commission said Wednesday.

Removing the fuel from the spent-fuel pools and the reactors is vital to ensuring there will be no radiation leakage from the quake-ravaged facility. Experts fear that their structures might have been weakened by the heat and radiation from the damaged fuel and the large amount of seawater that was poured into them as an emergency measure to cool down the fuel. Continue reading →

September 15, 2011 Posted by | decommission reactor, Japan | Leave a comment

Iowa deliberates on nuke waste, indigenous interests ignored

Bullcreek, a Skull Valley band member who opposes the nuclear waste storage project, commented that tribes also ought to have a bigger say in transportation over reservation lands. Skull Valley Chairwoman Lori Bear and Tribal Secretary Kristen Bear also attended the morning sessions but indicated they would not be participating in the meeting.
Westerners seek stronger voice on N-waste  BY JUDY FAHYS, The Salt Lake Tribune, Sep 13 2011, DENVER • Westerners on Tuesday told the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future that any new plans for dealing with the nation’s nuclear waste must include a stronger voice for state governments…..

Co-chaired by Utah native Brent Scowcroft, the panel has been assigned by President Barack Obama to suggest ways to solve the nation’s nuclear waste disposal backlog. There is more than 67,000 tons of high-level waste for which there is no disposal, and more piles up every year. Continue reading →

September 14, 2011 Posted by | USA, wastes | Leave a comment

Australian government deceiving public on nuclear waste

“The claim that a waste facility is required to support nuclear medicine is mischievous scare-mongering,” 

Muckaty dump justification ‘nonsense, Channel 9 TV News 12 sept 11,A nuclear expert has taken aim at claims a planned waste dump in remote Australia is needed to house low level radioactive waste from hospitals. Speaking ahead of a Senate debate this week on the National Radioactive Waste Management Bill, Dr Peter Karamoskos was critical of plans for the proposed dump. Continue reading →

September 12, 2011 Posted by | AUSTRALIA, wastes | Leave a comment

Yucca nuclear waste plan pretty much finished off

Nuke regulators bring Yucca Mountain waste plan closer to death, THE HILL, By Ben Geman – 09/09/11  The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) acted Friday to end review of the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, handing a victory to the Obama administration in its ongoing effort to kill the project. Continue reading →

September 10, 2011 Posted by | USA, wastes | Leave a comment

The expensive 30 year process of decommissioning Fukushima’s nuclear plant

Experts split on how to decommission Fukushima nuclear plant, Mainichi Daily News,  Japan) August 28, 2011 What is actually going to take place at the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant, where word is that the four reactors that were crippled in the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami will eventually be decommissioned?…

 Around the world, only around 15 nuclear reactors have thus far been dismantled. Continue reading →

August 30, 2011 Posted by | decommission reactor, Japan | Leave a comment

USA planning to send radioactive wastes back to uranium selling countries

Official: U.S. in Early Talks About Int’l Nuclear Leasing Arrangements, NYT. By HANNAH NORTHEY, August 23, 2011 Department of Energy officials have spent weeks trying to knock down reports that they have been interested in building a nuclear waste repository in Mongolia.

Now, the Obama administration is going a step further, disclosing that what DOE hopes to do is “lease” uranium from other countries, then return the spent fuel to the originating country.

A senior Obama administration official told Greenwire earlier this month that the government is in preliminary talks with several countries, including Mongolia, Japan and the United Arab Emirates, about setting up commercial nuclear fuel leasing arrangements.

In one example of how a fuel leasing arrangement could work, countries with uranium reserves could mine, enrich and fabricate the material and lease it to reactor companies abroad. Spent nuclear fuel would then be sent back to the originating country, the official said.

Discussions have not touched upon what those countries would do with the waste, the official said, but the United States hopes to prevent proliferation by providing alternatives to domestic enrichment and reprocessing capabilities…..

the commercial nuclear fuel leasing arrangements the administration official discussed seem to be consistent with what some U.S. officials want to see for the International Framework for Nuclear Energy Cooperation (IFNEC), formerly the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership.
The Obama administration scrapped parts of GNEP, which was part of the George W. Bush administration’s efforts to accelerate research and development on the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel in reactors (ClimateWire, Dec. 24, 2009). The partnership was seeking to create “cradle-to-grave fuel services” under a regulated market for enriched uranium, which would allow a few large countries to supply smaller ones with enriched uranium to burn in reactors, sparing them the billions of dollars needed to build facilities for uranium processing and disposal (Greenwire, Oct. 26, 2010……http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/08/23/23greenwire-official-us-in-early-talks-about-intl-nuclear-96182.html

August 25, 2011 Posted by | politics international, USA, wastes | Leave a comment

General Atomics trying to avoid uranium mine cleanup

General Atomics Faces Yet Another Uranium Cleanup Fight, By Matt Potter, San Diego Reader August 22, 2011,  The New York Times has reported via the Greenwire news service that Rio Grande Resources Corp., a subsidiary of La Jolla-based General Atomics is stirring opposition in New Mexico with its plans to delay cleanup of its Mount Taylor uranium mine, which has been closed since 1990.

The mountain, which contains the nation’s largest single deposit of the radioactive ore, is said to be viewed as sacred land by surrounding Native American tribes, the story says.

“More than 8 million pounds of “yellow cake” were produced from the mine before it was closed more than two decades ago due to plummeting uranium prices,” according to the report…….

Rio Grande critics testified at a hearing on the application to keep the mine in “standby status” held by the New Mexico Mining and Minerals Division that a five year delay in remediation risked further contamination of the site, but backers said it would help the mine get back into operation.

As we’ve previously reported, General Atomics, operated by San Diego brothers Neal and Linden Blue, also faces a fight in Colorado over the cleanup of an old uranium mill in that state….San Diego Reader | “General Atomics Faces Yet Another Uranium Cleanup Fight” by mpotter

August 23, 2011 Posted by | Uranium, USA, wastes | Leave a comment

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