Australian company Berkeley Energia’s bid to open uranium mine is knocked back by Spain
Spain to block Berkeley uranium mine project – sources, CNBC , Belén Carreño, 16 Oct 2018 The Spanish government has decided not to deliver the permits necessary to open the European Union’s only open-cast uranium mine near Salamanca, dealing a serious blow to Australian mining company Berkeley Energia’s plans.
Russia’s ROSATOM uses the “medical” propaganda to market nuclear technology to Philippines
Russian firm offers expertise in nuclear research to PhilippinesGreen Party becomes Germany’s second largest party
Times 13th Oct 2018 The Green Party has emerged as Germany’s second largest party for the first time, in a poll released days before a crucial state election in Bavaria. The party hopes to become the dominant force of the centre left, dislodging
the ailing Social Democrats (SPD), who have fallen back to fourth place.
In tomorrow’s election in Bavaria, once a solid bastion of conservatism, the Green Party is forecast to win up to a fifth of the vote and break the stranglehold of the Christian Social Union (CSU), which has held an almost uninterrupted absolute majority in the state since the Fifties.
The resurgent Greens fought an upbeat and social media-savvy campaign fronted by Katharina Schulze, a telegenic 33-year-old nicknamed the Mother of Dragons after a stunt in which she dressed up as a character fro m the
television series Game of Thrones.
Nationwide opinion polls suggest that the traditional centre ground of German politics is disintegrating. Angela
Merkel’s Christian Democrats and their CSU allies have sunk to a historic low of 26 per cent. The SPD, their junior coalition partner, has collapsed to 15 per cent.
The Greens are vying for second place with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) as voters become increasingly disenchanted with the grand coalition that has ruled the country for the past five years.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/3a6971bc-ce1b-11e8-998e-a6e3c63abd14
Russian nuclear submarines decommissioned, but reactor compartments still contain highly radioactive trash.
Last three reactor compartments soon off the water https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/ecology/2018/10/last-three-reactor-compartments-soon-water#.W8P-hlNi_4E.facebook25-years with safe decommissioning of Cold War submarines in the Russian north will come to an end next year. By Thomas Nilsen, October 14, 2018
120 nuclear-powered submarines sailing in-and-out from the Kola Peninsula during the Cold War have been properly decommissioned since the early 1990s. While most of the metal could be recycled, the still-highly radioactive reactor compartments had to be secured for long-term storage.
Intermediate, that meant storing the compartments floating at piers until they could be taken onshore at the central storage complex in Saida Bay, north of Murmansk on the coast of the Barents Sea.
In 2017, the Barents Observer reported that 15 compartments were still kept afloat on the water.
Today, only three reactor compartments remain and they will be taken onshore in 2019, Izvestia reports with reference to the northwestern branch of RosRao, Russia’s state owned company for handling radioactive.
The three compartments are today stored at piers in Saida Bay, while 117 compartments are stored on the huge concrete pad.
RosRao’s Chief Engineer says the very last reactor compartment t be taken onshore is the one from the “Kursk” submarine that sant in the Barents Sea in August 2000 during a naval exercise. The submarine was lifted from the seabed two years after and the remaining parts of the hull were scrapped.
In Saida Bay, the reactor compartments will have to be stored for onshore for many decades before the radioactivity have come down to levels acceptable for cutting the reactors’ metal up and pack it for final geological disposal.
Criticism of Anglesey council fact-finding trip to Japan as nuclear plans go on
Anglesey council fact-finding trip to Japan ahead of nuclear plans for island called into question, North Wales Chronicle Local democracy reporter A TRIP to Japan by a delegation from Anglesey council ahead of a planned nuclear plant on the island has been called into question by opposition councillors.
Council of Europe concerned at construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant in an earthquake-prone region
Council of Europe requests Turkey to consult neighbours for Akkuyu nuclear plant https://ahvalnews.com/council-europe/council-europe-requests-turkey-consult-neighbours-akkuyu-nuclear-plant
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) expressed on Thursday deep concern at the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant in an earthquake-prone region of Turkey only 85 kilometres from the border with Cyprus.
In a resolution it adopted, the assembly said that Turkey’s first nuclear plant being constructed as a joint Turkish-Russian project is in very close proximity to the other neighbouring countries.
The assembly asked Turkey to join the UN Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context, also known as the Espoo Convention, and to take into account all concerns expressed, including those expressed by Turkish citizens.
The Espoo Convention , adopted in 1991, sets out the obligations of parties to assess the environmental impact of certain activities at an early stage of planning. It also lays down the general obligation of states to notify and consult each other on all major projects under consideration that are likely to have a significant adverse environmental impact across boundaries
The assembly also requested from the Turkish government to consult with neighbouring countries on the construction of the nuclear plant according to the International Convention on Nuclear Safety.
The construction of the Akkuyu nuclear plant located in the southern province of Mersin was kicked off by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Apr. 3.
The nuclear plant “raises concerns for a possible impact in terms of safety because such a power plant in this area affects our country much more than the largest part of the Turkish territory,” said the Cypriot government’s spokesman Prodromos Prodromou, following the groundbreaking ceremony in Mersin.
“Turkey did not take into account the grave reservations expressed by various quarters, nor did it heed the European Parliament’s call to terminate the construction plans since this is a seismologically vulnerable area,” he said.
Environmentalists in Turkey are also concerned about the potentially destructive ecological consequences of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant and several organisations form Mersin filed a lawsuit to stop its construction
USA-Russia relations at a low ebb: nuclear treaties are under threat
WORLD WAR 3: Russian minister warns nuclear treaties under threat as relations plunge
SKY-HIGH tensions between the US and Russia are putting critical treaties designed to prevent a nuclear arms race in jeopardy as relations sink to an all-time low, a senior Russian official has warned.
He said: “We could lose several elements on arms control infrastructure. The building is shaky.”
Mr Rybakov warned another round of sanctions intruded by Donald Trump in the summer were “dangerous” and getting in the way of negotiations over renewing the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty “New START” which saw both sides agree to reduce their deployed nuclear arms by half but is set to expire in 2021.
He said: “If there is no progress then risk of a real backfire grows.
Mr Ryabkov was speaking as negotiators from the two countries met in Geneva to discuss a Cold War era treaty that was supposed to keep expansion of long-range nuclear-capable missiles in check.
Moscow and Washington have repeatedly accused each other of breaching the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, a 1987 pact which bans firing land-based missiles with a range of up to 5,500km.
The US ambassador to NATO warned Moscow against developing a new cruise missile that could be armed with nuclear warheads, arguing that it was in breach of the INF and could be used against members of the Western military alliance.
Kay Bailey Hutchison said: “Counter measures by the United States would be to take out the missiles that are in development by Russia in violation of the treaty. They are on notice.”
The US government took a more aggressive line against Russia this year, when Mr Trump unveiled a new nuclear strategy that revolved around countering Russia and called for the development of small tactical nuclear weapons that were cheaper to maintain and could be used in more realistic scenarios.
Washington has also accelerated long-running US military plans to develop new intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and nuclear-capable cruise missiles and has just confirmed hypersonic weapons testing is well underway……..https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1030089/world-war-3-russian-minister-sergei-ryabkov-nuclear-treaties-moscow-washington-cold-war
Welsh Labour Government allows Hinkley nuclear station’s mud dumping off Penarth, despite local opposition
Penarth Daily News 11th Oct 2018 , The Welsh Labour Gover nment last night marshalled every vote it could
muster to see-off the combined forces of Plaid Cymru and the Conservative
Party in order to allow the dumping of 320,000 tons of ‘nuclear mud’
off Penarth to continue uninterrupted .
Outside the Welsh Assembly last night – immediately before the debate and vote on the issue in the
Assembly chamber – a mass protest rally took place attended by over 300
demonstrators who were addressed by the leader of Plaid Cymru Adam Price.
The Vale of Glamorgan Council and Barry Town Council votes to oppose the
dumping but a call for a debate on the issue in Penarth Town Council –
which had been initiated by the Deputy Mayor of Penarth Cllr Angela Thomas
– was quashed by the Labour Party.
PDN sources say the Labour leadership didn’t want to rock the sensitive Labour boat so near to a party
leadership election – due in December. Speaking against the
Plaid/Conservative motion was the Welsh Labour Government’s Energy
Minister Lesley Griffiths – a former personal secretary .
It was she whohad issued the licence to allow the mud dumping in the first place. She
said it was “deeply disappointing there are some who are deliberately
seeking to mislead the public for their own political gains and
misrepresenting the facts”. Griffiths warned the skippers of the fishing
boats circling in the waters outside the Assembly not to attempt any
blockade of the mud-dumping operation because it would be “a risk to
public safety”.
New delay in sight for Flamanville EPR.
Le Monde 11th Oct 2018 Flamanville** [Machine Translation] New delay in sight for Flamanville EPR. According to
the Nuclear Safety Authority, “important technical work” remains to be done
to correct the anomalies identified on certain welds. The “battle of the
welds” probably did not finish to delay the construction of the EPR of
Flamanville (Channel). In a note sent to EDF and made public on 3 October, the president of the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) has severely reframed the public electrician, worrying about a “monitoring failure” on the Normandy nuclear site .
“It’s the whole chain of surveillance that has
malfunctioned,” says ASN. Pierre-Franck Chevet also indicated that
“important technical work remains to be done” to correct anomalies
identified on certain welds. To understand the vivacity of the reaction of
the nuclear policeman, we must return to the origin of the case. In
February, EDF discovered problems on 38 secondary circuit welds. This water
circuit serves to evacuate the steam towards the turbine. It consists of
four loops, associated with four steam generators. At first, the group
explains that these pipes comply with the regulations but that they should
have corresponded to the “high quality” standard, which is more demanding.
Specifically, EDF had defined this new standard for the construction of the
EPR and was unable to enforce it by its own subcontractors. And things got
complicated a few weeks later. The extensive examination of the welds
reveals that a large part of them do not comply with the standard required
by EDF, or even the regulations required for pressurized nuclear equipment.
Result: the group has to take back fifty-three welds, knowing that a single
weld represents at least eight additional weeks of work.
https://www.lemonde.fr/energies/article/2018/10/11/nouveau-retard-en-vue-pour-l-epr-de-flamanville_5367969_1653054.html
Wales should be “sceptical” about nuclear power – Welsh Labour leadership candidate
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Drakeford’s nuclear scepticism troubling for Wylfa, say rivals, Wales should be “sceptical” about nuclear power, a Welsh Labour leadership candidate has said. BBC , 12 Oct 18Mark Drakeford’s comments have been attacked by his election rivals – Vaughan Gething and Eluned Morgan.
Both suggested his views could hit the prospects for the planned Wylfa Newydd nuclear power station on Anglesey. Mr Drakeford said its local impact should be borne by the developers, but that did not mean that the plant cannot be built. The winner of the Welsh Labour contest would take the helm of the Welsh Government as first minister – he or she would not have powers over large power stations or Wylfa. That lies with the UK Government in London, which opened talks with the Japanese firm behind the plant in the summer. However, Mr Drakeford’s comments appear to strike a more cautious tone to the project than the existing First Minister Carwyn Jones, who said it has the potential “to transform the Welsh economy”. ‘High bar’In a Twitter video Mr Drakeford said Wales’ attitude to nuclear power should be “sceptical”. The finance secretary said the “bar” should be set high over “developments that would have a direct impact on the Welsh population”. Mr Drakeford, the finance secretary, said he understood the Wylfa Newydd project was “potentially a very big investment in that local economy”. But he said “the long-term interests” of people who live on Anglesey should be protected. He also vowed to establish an independent expert committee to provide “the best possible advice on the impact” Hinkley Point C in Somerset could have on people in Wales……. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-45837501 |
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Dumping of Hinkley nuclear station mud closed – for now
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Nuclear station mud dumping: first phase ends, BBC, 12 Oct 18 The first phase of the dumping of mud off the coast of Cardiff as part of work to build a new nuclear power station in Somerset has been completed.EDF, the firm building Hinkley Point C, said contractors have completed the work.
Campaigners had demanded more tests on the sediment, taken from a site in the seabed near the new facility. But EDF said the sediment was not radioactive under UK law and posed no threat to human health. A second phase of dredging is yet to take place with work potentially taking place in 2020. Campaigners had been concerned the sediment, which was dumped at a site just over a mile out to sea from Cardiff, could have become contaminated by discharges from the old Hinkley Point A and B sites…….. further dredging “will be required ahead of drilling the vertical shafts for the cooling water system for the new power station”. ……….Demands for the licence to be suspended were rejected in the assembly on Wednesday following a lively Senedd debate. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-45837504 |
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France to defend lawsuit over its Pacific nuclear tests- “accepted its nuclear legacy with serenity” (whatever that means!)
France to defend itself against nuclear tests complaint, France says it will defend itself against allegations of crimes against humanity for its nuclear weapons tests in the South Pacific. The overseas minister, Annick Girardin, made the comment in the senate two days after French Polynesian opposition politician Oscar Temaru told a UN meeting in New York that a complaint had been lodged in the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Ms Girardin said France would defend itself and restate the facts, adding that it accepted its nuclear legacy with serenity……..https://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/368543/france-to-defend-itself-against-nuclear-tests-complaint
Anniversary of UK’s Windscale nuclear accident
serious fire developed in the core of a nuclear reactor at Windscale Works,
Sellafield, northwest England, which led to the release of significant
quantities of radioactive material into the environment over a wide area
including but not exclusively Cumbria. This release of radioactive
materials including polonium, led to an increase in radiation linked
diseases and conditions from cancers to Downs Syndrome.
https://mariannewildart.wordpress.com/2018/10/10/remembering-windscale-outside-the-gates-where-nuclearmudness-is-made/
France’s nuclear regulator delays ruling on extending reactors’ life
Reuters 10th Oct 2018 France’s ASN nuclear regulator will issue by the end of 2020 its
long-awaited and much-delayed generic ruling on the life span extension of
utility EDF’s nuclear plants, said the French government’s nominee to
head the ASN. “Based on the information at my disposal, the generic
ruling should be issued at the end of 2020,” Bernard Doroszczuk said at a
French senate committee hearing about his nomination. The ruling, which is
crucial for EDF, has been repeatedly delayed, most recently by outgoing ASN
chief Pierre-Franck Chevet.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-nuclearpower-edf/frances-asn-to-rule-on-edf-reactor-lifespans-by-end-2020-asn-nominee-idUSKCN1MK11M
Plan to sue France over ‘crimes against humanity’ in nuclear tests in South Pacific
France sued for ‘crimes against humanity’ over nuclear tests in South Pacific https://www.dw.com/en/france-sued-for-crimes-against-humanity-over-nuclear-tests-in-south-pacific/a-45826054
France is being taken to the International Criminal Court for nuclear weapons tests in French Polynesia. France has long denied responsibility for the impacts of the tests and only recently began compensating civilians. France is being taken to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for carrying out nuclear weapons tests in French Polynesia, a Polynesian opposition leader announced on Tuesday.
Oscar Temaru, the archipelago’s former president and current leader of the Tavini Huiraatira Party, announced the move during a United Nations committee dealing with decolonization.
Temaru accused France of “crimes against humanity” and said that he hopes to hold French presidents accountable for the nuclear tests with the ICC complaint.
“We owe it to all the people who died from the consequences of nuclear colonialism,” he told the UN committee.
Maxime Chan from Te Ora Naho, an association for the protection of the environment in French Polynesia, told the UN that there had been 368 instances of radioactive fallout from the tests and that radioactive waste had also been discharged into the ocean — violating international rules.
Three decades of nuclear tests
The French territory, currently home to 290,000 people, is best known for the popular tourist island of Tahiti, but its atolls of Mururoa and Fangataufa were used for decades for nuclear tests.
France carried out 193 nuclear weapons tests on islands in the archipelago between 1960 and 1996 until French President Jacques Chirac halted the program.
Around 150,000 military and civilian personnel were involved in France’s nuclear tests, with thousands of them later developing serious health problems.
France has long denied responsibility for the detrimental health and environmental impacts of the tests, fearing that it would weaken the country’s nuclear program during the Cold War.
In 2010, France passed a law allowing military veterans and civilians to be compensated if their cancer could be attributed to the nuclear tests. Out of approximately 1,000 people who have filed complaints against France, only 20 have been compensated.
1 This Month
1 June Webinar – The High Cost of Nuclear Power – Register
of the week– Nuclear Reactor Information Task Force
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