wastes « nuclear-news

Possibly, a partial solution to unsolved problem of dead nuclear reactors

EnergySolutions cannot dispose of all the waste. Clive is licensed only for the least contaminated material. And the spent nuclear fuel is in the same situation as used reactor fuel all over the country: the Energy Department is under contract to take it, but has no place to dispose of it. Until a permanent repository is built at the proposed Yucca Mountain facility in Nevada or another location, the waste will stay at the Zion site in steel and concrete casks designed to last for decades.

Nuclear Plant Finds Novel Way to Decommission, NYTimes.com, By MATTHEW L. WALD: November 22, 2010 ZION, Ill. — Twelve years ago, Commonwealth Edison found itself in a bind. The Zion Station, its twin-unit nuclear reactor here, was no longer profitable. But the company could not afford to tear it down: the cost of dismantling the vast steel and concrete building, with multiple areas of radioactive contamination, would exceed $1 billion, double what it had cost to build the reactors in the 1970s. Nor could Commonwealth Edison walk away from the plant, because of the contamination. Continue reading →

November 23, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | decommission reactor, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear decommissioning, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive, reactor | Leave a comment

German govt illegally dumping nuclear waste on rural Russians

Berlin breaks German law to dump nuclear waste on Russians, Indymedia NL (Nederland)Diet Simon / MONITOR – 21.11.2010 The German government is ridding itself of highly dangerous nuclear waste by dumping it on rural people in Russia who can’t defend themselves. They’ve already suffered terribly in Mayak, said to be the most radioactively contaminated place on the globe. See http://archive.greenpeace.org/mayak/mayakstory/index.htmlNow, hoping it will be out-of-sight-out-of-mind, German provincial and national authorities plan to send nearly 1,000 spent fuel rods there, probably next month. One of Germany’s leading political television magazines, Monitor, recently showed the horrific lives nuclear waste has caused people in the area. If you understand German, you may want to watch at http://www.wdr.de/tv/monitor/sendungen/2010/1118/atom.php5……… . Indymedia NL (Nederland) – Berlin breaks German law to dump nuclear waste on Russians

November 22, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Germany, wastes | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

Port Hope residents should sue govt over radioactive wastes

OSHAWA — The people of Port Hope should sue the federal government “to the tune of millions of dollars” for the exposure to radiation from Cameco, prominent anti-nuclear activist Dr. Helen Caldicott said during a public speech in Oshawa.

(Canada) Anti-nuclear doctor advises Port Hope residents to sue over exposure northumberlandnews.com Dr. Helen Caldicott gives impassioned talk to standing-room-only crowd in Oshawa Nov 17, 2010

Jennifer O’Meara Continue reading →

November 18, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Canada, wastes | AUSTRALIA, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear wastes, radioactive | Leave a comment

Vermont nuclear reactor ready to be dead and buried

“Vermonters no longer trust that Vermont Yankee can operate safely, without accident or radioactive releases to the groundwater,” ……“Entergy needs to stop putting their profits ahead of the safety of New Englanders, and shut down Vermont Yankee as scheduled.”

Nuclear Reactor in Vermont Needs to be Shut Down, Greenpeace on the Case – Planetsave.com 16 Nov 10, An old nuclear reactor in Vermont, the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station, has had a number of problems lately and Greenpeace has taken notice. “ The 38-year-old reactor has a history of contamination issues, including a recent leak of radioactive water,” Becky Striepe of our sister site Ecoscraps writes. Continue reading →

November 17, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | decommission reactor, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear decommissioning, nuclear secrecy, nuclear weapons, reactor, uranium | 1 Comment

Mounting piles of nuclear wastes in USA

nearly 1.9 million pounds of nuclear waste is stored at Dominion Resources’ Surry Power Station.

Nuclear Waste At Va. Site Awaits Permanent Home. wsj, Nov 15, 2010 RICHMOND, Va. (AP) ― Decades after the federal government agreed to build a permanent storage site for the nation’s nuclear waste, temporary sites including one in southeastern Virginia continue to warehouse the radioactive material. Continue reading →

November 17, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, wastes | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear wastes, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

BHP Billiton uranium company to be questioned over radioactive waste dumping plans

BHP Billiton boss faces a grilling (at its Annual General meeting, Perth Australia, 16 Nov) Sydney Morning Herald, Mathew MurphyNovember 15, 2010 “……The Australian Conservation Foundation is also expected to attack BHP over its $20 billion expansion plans for Olympic Dam, the world’s largest uranium deposit.ACF nuclear free campaigner David Noonan said the group will ask the BHP board if the new open-pit mine is only considered economic because it is designed to leak up to 8 million litres of radioactive waste a day.

”This company plans to dump rather than to dispose of their radioactive wastes, and do not intend to rehabilitate the proposed open pit, intending instead to leave a toxic lake as a permanent scar on the landscape,” he said. …..BHP boss faces a grilling

November 15, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA, wastes | antinuclear, AUSTRALIA, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

Four priniciples to deal with nuclear radioactive wastes

our position can be summarized by four clear principles:
*No reprocessing of radioactive waste

*Isolation from the biosphere for as long as it remains a hazard

*Hardening and improved monitoring of the waste where it is currently stored

*Stop Making Radioactive Waste!

Sign the Petition: Principles for Radioactive Waste Policy, Nuclear Information and Resource Service, November 10, 2010 In light of its decision to end the failed and scientifically-indefensible Yucca Mountain, Nevada radioactive waste dump, the Obama Administration has established the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future (BRC) to re-evaluate radioactive waste policy. Continue reading →

November 11, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, wastes | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive, reactors, uranium | 1 Comment

Hanford’s super hot radioactive waste needs a robot for cleanup

The Tank C-107 holds 247,000 gallons of radioactive and chemical sludge

Robotic arm to clean out Hanford waste tank, Seattle Times Newspaper, 9 Nov 10, Workers at the Hanford nuclear reservation are cutting a bigger hole in a high-level radioactive waste tank so a robotic arm can be inserted for cleanup work Continue reading →

November 10, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, wastes | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, nuclear weapons, plutonium, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

Nuclear waste must not be exported to other countries: EU

to put a stop to the current practice where EU member states, which do not want to store spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste on their territory, can pay countries outside the bloc to do the job for them…….The facilities would have to deal with material that can stay radioactive for up to one million years.

EU: Nuclear waste cannot be outsourced, New Europe, 7 November 2010 The European Commission on 3 November unveiled new proposals, stating that EU governments will be banned from offloading their nuclear waste onto third countries. Continue reading →

November 8, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | EUROPE, wastes | nuclear secrecy, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

AREVA illegally storing radioactive nuclear waste

These containers are highly radioactive, and the rail terminal has not been classified as a basic nuclear installation – a classification necessary for any building storing nuclear waste. Greenpeace has therefore filed a complaint against French nuclear giant Areva for use of an undeclared basic nuclear installation, by storing nuclear waste in a place not designed for this purpose.

Complaint against AREVA for illegal storage of nuclear waste Greenpeace International, by JulietteH – November 4, 2010, On Tuesday, at 3pm, Greenpeace conducted a citizen inspection at the entrance of the railway terminal in the small town of Valognes, France. Activists carried out radiation measurements by monitoring the passage of trucks that have been carrying containers of highly radioactive nuclear waste for a week. Continue reading →

November 6, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | France, wastes | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear wastes, radioactive | Leave a comment

Irresponsible to continue with nuclear power without solution to nuclear waste

“Nobody should be taken in by this spin. These proposals fail to address the core issues and citizens’ concerns on dealing with dangerous nuclear waste….
“Clearly, the absence of any solution on how to deal with dangerous nuclear waste makes current calls for a ‘nuclear renaissance’ in Europe all the more irresponsible.”…..

Mixed response to EU nuclear waste plan THE PARLIAMENT, By Martin Banks – 3rd November 2010 Today’s proposals on new EU rules for nuclear waste seem to be little more than a cheap PR exercise – Rebecca Harms EU energy commissioner Günther Oettinger has urged member states to bury radioactive nuclear waste, saying burial is the safest form of disposal. Continue reading →

November 4, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | EUROPE, wastes | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear weapons, reactors | Leave a comment

EU struggles with nuclear waste problem, plans to ban exports of waste

no final repositories exist for the roughly 7,000 cubic meters of high-level waste produced each year….the majority of the toxic substance is kept in interim storages..

EU nuclear waste proposals include export ban EUobserver, ANDREW WILLIS 03.11.2010 BRUSSELS – New European Commission proposals will require EU member states to bury their radioactive waste deep underground, with overseas exports of the toxic byproduct also set to be banned. Continue reading →

November 4, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | EUROPE, wastes | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive, reactors, uranium | 1 Comment

Like everyone else, Europe has no solution to nuclear waste

“Safety is indivisible. If an accident happens in one country, it can have devastating effects also in others,” said EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger.

Nuclear waste storage problem must be addressed: EU BBC News November 2010 Europe needs to identify sites for long-term storage of nuclear waste, Continue reading →

November 4, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | EUROPE, wastes | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

Survey finds Cumbria site wrong for nuclear waste dump

Cumbria not suitable for nuclear waste repository: survey | TopNews United Kingdom, 30 Oct 10, The initial study into the possible dumping grounds for nuclear waste has suggested that West Cumbria is unsuitable for the purpose. However, is still in the running for providing the deep geologic storage of nuclear waste.The study conducted by the British Geological Survey ruled out a tract of land alongside the coast, ranging from St Bees Head to Maryport…….

The government is in search for an apt ‘dumping ground’ for the nuclear industry as there are plans for building more nuclear power stations on eight sites, which require deep geologicalstorage by 2040….Cumbria not suitable for nuclear waste repository: survey | TopNews United Kingdom

October 29, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | UK, wastes | antinuclear, Copenhagen, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive, reactors | Leave a comment

England’s beautiful Lake District could get radioactive waste dump

the report showed “almost anywhere in the Lake District could become a dump for the UK’s radioactive waste”…dumping this stuff underground is no solution anyway – wherever it is. So we certainly shouldn’t be creating any more nuclear waste.

Nuclear waste could be dumped in Lake District The Lake District could become a ‘dumping ground’ for the nuclear industry, environmentalists fear, after the Government failed to rule out England’s largest national park to bury radioactive waste. Telegraph UK By Louise Gray, 28 Oct 2010 The problem of where to store nuclear waste has dogged the British Government since the first power stations were built in the 1950s. Continue reading →

October 29, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | UK, wastes | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment