nuclear-news

The News That Matters about the Nuclear Industry Fukushima Chernobyl Mayak Three Mile Island Atomic Testing Radiation Isotope

Japan to toughen screenings of seafood imports from S. Korea

klkmùù.jpg
An intermediate wholesaler at the Toyosu fish market provides a wide range of seafood products.
May 31, 2019
In what even some government officials admit is a retaliatory move, the health ministry will tighten screening of seafood imports from South Korea starting in June.
Ministry officials, in announcing the new measure, said it was aimed at preventing food poisoning during the summer. However, some in the prime minister’s office admitted the measure was to hit back for South Korea’s continued ban on imports of Japanese seafood harvested in waters in eastern Japan.
Seoul has raised concerns about the safety of such seafood in the wake of the 2011 triple meltdown at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the latest measure was intended to protect the public’s health and was not meant as a retaliatory measure.
The seafood to be covered are farm-raised flounder, “akagai” ark clams, “tairagigai” pen shellfish, “torigai” Japanese cockle and sea urchin roe.
The percentage of that seafood to be inspected at quarantine stations will be raised from 20 percent to 40 percent of reported imports for flounder and from 10 percent to 20 percent for the other items.
Except for sea urchin roe, most of the other seafood items covered by the new measure come mainly from South Korea.
While the tougher measures for flounder will continue until the end of March, the steps for the other seafood items will at first be implemented for about a month.
A health ministry official explained that last year cases of food poisoning caused by the parasite kudoa septempunctata and the bacteria vibrio parahaemolyticus were found. The parasite and bacteria were found in imported flounder and sea urchin roe.
The three other types of shellfish are refrigerated when shipped much like sea urchin roe so ministry officials judged there was also the risk of those shellfish being contaminated with vibrio parahaemolyticus.
Food poisoning from the parasite and bacteria can lead to vomiting and diarrhea, but normally the symptoms are not severe.
Ministry officials said if levels of the parasite and bacteria are found beyond established standards, all produce shipped out from the same farm where the fish was raised and the same plant the other seafood was processed would be stopped at the quarantine station until the seafood passed inspection.
That would lead to a decline in the freshness of the seafood and would make it more difficult to import those items to Japan.
According to health ministry officials, about 9,000 tons of flounder sold annually in Japan is raised domestically with about 2,000 tons coming from South Korea.
The ministry official said imports would be allowed to continue as long as no problems emerged at the quarantine station.
An official with the South Korean Foreign Ministry only said necessary measures would be considered after carefully observing the developments that emerge from the tougher inspection.
Lawmakers from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party had called for tougher retaliatory measures against South Korea after a World Trade Organization panel upheld Seoul’s ban on Japanese seafood imports because of the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
The timing of the latest measure is somewhat unusual because normally tougher quarantine inspections are announced after products are found to have exceeded safety standards.
So far, there have been no new cases of imported flounder from South Korea found with unacceptable levels of parasites or bacteria.
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201905310036.html

June 10, 2019 Posted by | Japan | , | 1 Comment

Not a single watt of electricity, but still 1 trillion yen in basic revenue

hkjhù.jpg
Japan Atomic Power Co.’s Tokai No. 2 nuclear power plant in Ibaraki Prefecture faces the Pacific Ocean.
May 25, 2019
Even though it hasn’t generated any electricity at its two nuclear power plants since May 2011, Japan Atomic Power Co. chalked up close to 1 trillion yen ($9.1 billion) in basic revenues in that time.
Under an arrangement with five electric power companies, Japan Atomic Power has received about 100 billion yen annually in basic charges for maintaining and managing its nuclear power plants.
Two of the four nuclear reactors owned by Japan Atomic Power are now being decommissioned. Of the two remaining, the Tokai No. 2 plant has not been in operation since the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster.
The No. 2 reactor at the Tsuruga nuclear plant suspended operations in May 2011.
Since then, neither reactor has generated a single watt of electricity.
But Tokyo Electric Power Co. Holdings Inc., Kansai Electric Power Co., Chubu Electric Power Co., Hokuriku Electric Power Co. and Tohoku Electric Power Co. have continued to pay out basic electricity charges. In the fiscal year ended in March, the five companies provided Japan Atomic Power with a total of 109.1 billion yen in revenues.
Since the 2011 natural disaster, Japan Atomic Power has received between 100 billion and 150 billion yen annually, for a total of 988.5 billion yen.
The five utilities have since asked for a rate decrease in light of retail sales of electricity being completely liberalized in 2016, which has made their own corporate standing much more severe.
Mamoru Muramatsu, Japan Atomic Power president, said that for fiscal 2019, electricity revenues from the five utilities would likely fall under 100 billion yen.
But the company still faces a tough high-wire act in achieving financial stability because of problems it faces in resuming operations at its Tokai No. 2 plant.
Because the plant started operations close to 40 years ago, it asked for and received permission last November for a 20-year extension of operations.
An active fault has been found directly under the Tsuruga No. 2 reactor building in Fukui Prefecture, making resumption of operations there much more difficult.
So if the Tokai No. 2 plant cannot resume operations, Japan Atomic Power faces possible insolvency.
TEPCO and the four other utilities are now considering a plan to provide roughly 300 billion yen in financial assistance to Japan Atomic Power. Under the plan, the Tokai No. 2 plant is scheduled to resume operations in January 2023.
But local municipalities in the vicinity of the Tokai No. 2 plant remain at odds with Japan Atomic Power over what say they have over a resumption of operations. So it remains to be seen if those entities will come around to approving operation resumptions.
In addition, the Nuclear Regulation Authority in April decided not to allow an extension of deadlines for installing anti-terror facilities at nuclear plants. The deadline for the Tokai No. 2 plant is October 2023.
Muramatsu conceded that the company was only at the stage of considering specifications for the needed equipment and no discussions have been held on a construction timeline.
But even for nuclear plants that have already resumed operations, installation of the anti-terrorist measures are expected to take between five and a half and seven and a half years. Because no work has even begun at the Tokai No. 2 plant for such measures, the work period is expected to take even longer. Even if the plant resumed operations, the remaining operating period would likely become shorter.
TEPCO has said it was contemplating providing financial assistance to Japan Atomic Power because of the economic benefits that would accrue. But if the operating period is shorter, that would result in higher power generation costs, thereby weakening the rationale for providing the assistance.
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201905250043.html?fbclid=IwAR18tOoPordb6byxvnVI8tfY5KhU-NA3T2h2sci3sQ50UkAhYQl2uuBRzf4

June 10, 2019 Posted by | Japan | | Leave a comment

China wants to sell nuclear technology to Argentina – but big problems plague the industry

 Once again, the media here mindlessly regurgitates nuclear lobby propaganda that nuclear power is “zero carbon”.   It’s not. Even the reactor’s operation emits a timy amount of carbon 14. But, more importantly, the entire fuel chain, and all its transport, from uranium mining through to the disposal of wastes and of the dead reactor –  is highly carbon emitting.

Even if nuclear power were low carbon (which it’s not), it would require thousands of reactors to be built very very quickly, in order to have any effect on global warming.
Meanwhile, funds, and energy are being diverted from genuinely useful measures, in renewable energy, and above all, in energy conservation.

                                  *************************************************************************

China eyes Argentina in global nuclear roll out, China Dialogue, Lili Pike, Fermín Koop, 04.06.2019  “……. Costs, emissions and safety at stake as Argentina and China look set to seal a nuclear power ……… With China looking to increase its nuclear power exports and countries seeking low-carbon electricity, the project in Argentina could be the beginning of a China-led renaissance. However, concerns over the cost and safety of nuclear power continue to plague the technology…….

The Atucha III project is part of an agreement signed in 2015 by former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, which approved two nuclear plants: one using Canadian technology in Argentina’s existing plants, and one using Chinese technology.

Macri scrutinised the deal on taking office, amid doubts over whether nuclear was a sufficiently economical energy source. He eventually approved construction, but Argentina’s economic crisis led one of the plants to be shelved to reduce the size of the loan.

“Argentina is going through an economic crisis and money is tight. Investing in nuclear requires a long-term commitment, but China can offer subsidised capital to its foreign customers,” said Mark Hibbs, senior fellow at Carnegie’s Nuclear Policy Program.

“This gives China an advantage over other nuclear exporting countries.” …….

Backlash

The nuclear deal attracted criticism from a group of former energy secretaries, who claimed in a November press release that it would be cheaper to develop solar and wind projects.

“Any future energy projects have to be part of a national and long-term energy plan, which now doesn’t exist. All new projects should be economically competitive and should be in line with the country’s mitigation commitments,” said Jorge Lapeña, a former energy secretary.

Environmental organisations that prioritise wind and solar proliferation agree.

“We don’t consider nuclear as renewable energy, it has many risks regarding the functioning of the reactors and waste. It’s not suitable for Argentina,” said Andrés Nápoli, head of Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (FARN).

He added: “A new nuclear plant would require risk and impact studies and we haven’t seen any.”……….
, China now has the world’s largest pipeline of nuclear power projects………

The Argentina deal is one of the first success stories for Chinese nuclear overseas. Since 2000, Russia has dominated overseas nuclear power, supplying 45% of total capacity. China is the fifth largest exporter, supplying just 9%. So far, the only Chinese reactors constructed overseas are in Pakistan.

Beyond the Argentina and Pakistan deals, it is unclear whether China’s nuclear power reactors will find other markets.

“After the Fukushima accident, global demand for nuclear power hasn’t been strong, and the US, Germany, South Korea and others are phasing it out,” said Zhang Hua, a senior engineer at the State Power Investment Corporation’s Institute of Science and Technology.

“Demand from South Africa, Turkey, Argentina and other countries is also not as high as expected. The current outlook for China’s nuclear power exports is not optimistic,” Zhang added……….

Weighing risks 

Even as the climate crisis deepens, countries may reject nuclear because of concerns over safety and cost.

While Generation III reactors are safer, nuclear power still poses myriad risks. These include radiation exposure from uranium mining, meltdowns like Fukushima and using the technology to produce nuclear weapons………..

Geopolitical tensions could also stymie China’s export ambitions. In the UK, where the utility China General Nuclear Power has gained a foothold through investment in nuclear plants and plans to build a Hualong One, critics have raised concerns over China’s involvement in sensitive infrastructure.

In markets new to nuclear power, researchers also warn that the regulatory environment may not be mature enough to assess and safely manage new Chinese plants.

In Argentina, several civil society groups oppose nuclear. Rio Negro province has already passed a law banning it………..

https://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/11293-China-eyes-Argentina-in-global-nuclear-roll-out

June 10, 2019 Posted by | China, marketing, SOUTH AMERICA | 1 Comment

Japanese parish priests shared stories of suffering from victims of the Fukushima nuclear disaster

Voices of Fukushima power plant disaster victims strengthens call to ban nuclear energy, ACNS Anglican News Service June 6, 2019  by Rachel Farmer Japanese parish priests shared stories of suffering from victims of the Fukushima nuclear disaster at an International Forum for a Nuclear-Free World held in Sendai, Japan, last week. A joint statement from the forum, due out next month, is expected to strengthen the call for a worldwide ban on nuclear energy and encourage churches to join in the campaign.

The forum, organised by the Nippon Sei Ko Kai (NSKK) – the Anglican Communion in Japan – follows the NSKKs General Synod resolution in 2012 calling for an end to nuclear power plants and activities to help the world go nuclear free.

The disaster in 2011 followed a massive earthquake and tsunami which caused a number of explosions in the town’s coastal nuclear power station and led to widespread radioactive contamination and serious health and environmental effects. The Chair of the forum’s organising committee, Kiyosumi Hasegawa, said: “We have yet to see an end to the damage done to the people and natural environment by the meltdown of TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. I do think this man-made disaster will haunt countless people for years to come. We still see numerous people who wish to go back to their hometowns but are unable to. We also have people who have given up on ever going home.”

One pastor, Dr Naoya Kawakami, whose church was affected by the tsunami and is the General Secretary of the Sendai Christian Alliance Disaster Relief Network, Touhoku HELP, explained how he had supported sufferers in the aftermath and heard from priests supporting the survivors. He said: “I have been more than 700 times to meet with more than 180 mothers and about 20 fathers, all of whom have seen abnormalities in their children since 2011. . . Thyroid cancer has been found in more than 273 children and many mothers are in deep anxiety.

“The more the situation worsens, the more pastors become aware of their important role. The role is to witness . . . pastors who have stayed in Fukushima with the ‘voiceless survivors’ are showing us the church as the body of Jesus’s resurrection, with wounds and weakness . . . sufferers are usually in voiceless agony and most people never hear them.”

The forum was attended by bishops, clergy and lay representatives from each diocese, together with representatives from the US-based Episcopal Church, USPG, the Episcopal Church of the Philippines, the Diocese of Taiwan, the Anglican Church of Korea, and also ecumenical guests. International experts took part, along with local clergy who shared individual stories from those directly affected by the disaster……….https://www.anglicannews.org/news/2019/06/voices-of-fukushima-power-plant-explosion-victims-strengthens-call-to-ban-nuclear-energy.aspx

June 8, 2019 Posted by | Japan, Religion and ethics | Leave a comment

North Korea’s nuclear envoys apparently not executed or sent to labour re-education camp, as previously reported

N.Korea shows former top nuclear envoy, Canberra Times, Joyce Lee , 3June 19

North Korea’s former top nuclear envoy, Kim Yong-chol, accompanied leader Kim Jong Un to an art performance, state news agency KCNA said on Monday, signalling that the former spymaster is alive and remains a force in the power structure.

Sunday’s appearance followed conflicting reports of shake-ups in the team that led engagement with the United States last year, only for nuclear talks to collapse after Kim Jong-un and President Donald Trump failed to strike a pact at a February summit…….

On Friday, South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo had said Kim Yong-chol, the leader’s right-hand man and a counterpart of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo before the failed summit, had been sent to a labour and re-education camp, citing an unidentified North Korean source.

Asked on Sunday about the last US contact with Kim Yong-chol and North Korea in general, Pompeo declined to answer, saying, “We conduct our negotiations in private.”

Asked about reports of a “shake-up” of Kim’s negotiating team in a May 5 interview with ABC News, Pompeo said it did appear that his future counterpart would be somebody else, adding: “But we don’t know that for sure.”……..

As Kim Jong-un’s point man for the nuclear talks, Kim Yong-chol was stripped of a key party post in apparent censure for the summit’s collapse, a South Korean lawmaker said in April.

That move may have cleared the way for long-time diplomats sidelined during last year’s process to take centre stage if talks with the United States resumed, analysts said…….

The Chosun Ilbo report, which Reuters was unable to confirm independently, also said North Korea executed its working-level nuclear envoy to the United States, Kim Hyok-chol. …..

Some officials who worked with Kim Yong-chol have been out of the public eye since the summit. But other seasoned diplomats who appeared to have been sidelined, including Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, were seen returning to the spotlight. https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6195440/nkorea-shows-former-top-nuclear-envoy/

June 4, 2019 Posted by | North Korea, politics | Leave a comment

Japan’s Olympic torch relay to start in Fukushima – even children are invited to carry it

Tokyo 2020 reveals Olympic Torch route will begin in Fukushima, Inside the Games, By Matthew Smith, 1 June 2019
The Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee has revealed the Olympic Torch Relay route, which will take in many of Japan’s most historic and famous sites – and also areas touched by tragedy.

The Flame will be taken all over Japan inside 121 days, culminating in the Olympic Games next summer.

It will begin the final leg of its journey on March 26, 2020 from the J-Village National Training Centre in Fukushima, the training facility of the Japan football team.

The Flame will travel to all 47 prefectures of Japan, with the Organising Committee claiming around 98 per cent of Japan’s population live within one hour’s travel of the proposed route.

The route will take in World Heritage Sites such as Mount Fuji and Itsukushima Shrine, but will also visit areas affected by recent disasters.

Fukushima has been chosen as a start point after the Tohoku region was struck by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011, which also caused a nuclear incident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

As well as revealing the route, Tokyo 2020 also unveiled the Torchbearer uniforms and how members of the public could apply to take part in the Relay.

The uniform features the Relay emblem on the front and the Olympic symbol on the back.

The most notable design feature is a diagonal red stripe, echoing the sash used in place of batons in Ekiden, Japan’s historic long-distance relays…….

“In Japan, these Games are being referred to as ‘the Recovery Games’ and so the Olympic Flame will start its journey from an area affected by recent natural disasters……

Games organisers say the Olympic Torch Relay will feature around 10,000 Torchbearers including men, women and children of a wide range of nationalities and ages.  People from all over the world are encouraged to apply and can do so here……..https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1079973/tokyo-2020-reveals-olympic-torch-route-will-begin-in-fukushima

June 3, 2019 Posted by | Japan, politics international | Leave a comment

Hiroshima and Nagasaki protest U.S. subcritical nuclear test

Hiroshima and Nagasaki slam U.S. subcritical nuclear test, The governors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki prefectures sent letters of protest May 26 over the latest subcritical nuclear test in the United States. http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201905270043.html, May 27, 2019 Hiroshima’s Hidehiko Yuzaki addressed his letter to President Donald Trump, who is now visiting Japan. He urged Trump to visit Hiroshima, which was leveled by atomic bombing in 1945, to fully “understand the reality of total destruction caused by a nuclear weapon.”

The United States conducted a subcritical nuclear test in Nevada on Feb. 13, according to a May 24 announcement by the U.S. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Yuzaki called the test “extremely regrettable.”

He said, “It destroys the hopes of Hiroshima residents who strongly wish the abolition of nuclear weapons.”

Trump arrived in Japan as state guest on May 25. He will wind up his visit on May 28.

Nagasaki Governor Hodo Nakamura, along with prefectural assembly chairman Mitsuyuki Segawa, also denounced the subcritical nuclear test.

They sent protest letters to U.S. Ambassador William Hagerty on May 26.

June 1, 2019 Posted by | Japan, politics international, USA, weapons and war | Leave a comment

South Korean Report Says That North Korea Executed and Purged Top Nuclear Negotiators

June 1, 2019 Posted by | North Korea, politics | Leave a comment

Nuclear envoys from Japan, U.S., South Korea discuss North Korea during trilateral meeting in Singapore

June 1, 2019 Posted by | ASIA, Religion and ethics | Leave a comment

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay set to visit Fukushima nuclear complex

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay set to visit Fukushima nuclear complex, PACNEWS, 1 June, 2019,

A staff takes out a banner featuring Tokyo 2020 Olympics emblem from the wall after a news conference in Tokyo, Japan June 30, 2017. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

TOKYO, 01 JUNE 2019 (INSIDE THE GAMES) – A town devastated by the nuclear meltdowns in the Fukushima Prefecture in the wake of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan is set to feature on the route of the Olympic Torch Relay for Tokyo 2020. The relay course will pass through the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear…. (subscribers only )   https://www.fijitimes.com/tokyo-2020-olympic-torch-relay-set-to-visit-fukushima-nuclear-complex/

June 1, 2019 Posted by | Japan, politics | Leave a comment

World’s second EPR nuclear reactor starts work in China

 Phys Org, 6 May 19 A next-generation EPR nuclear reactor in China has carried out its first chain reaction, French energy giant EDF announced Wednesday, becoming the second using the much-delayed European technology to reach the milestone…….

EDF, which helped design the European Pressurised Reactor (EPR), is a minority shareholder in the Taishan project, which is a joint venture with China’s state-run CGN and regional Chinese utility Yuedian.

The first nuclear fuel was loaded into the Taishan 2 reactor in early May in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong……….

EDF has faced serious problems rolling out the technology and has managed to sell just a handful of the reactors as construction problems piled up.

EDF has been building an EPR reactor at Flamanville along the Atlantic coast of northwest France. It was originally set to go online in 2012 but the project has been plagued by technical problems and budget overruns.

Levy acknowledged that the “difficulty” of the Flamanville project had been “underestimated.”

French President Emmanuel Macron has asked EDF to study the feasibility of building more next-generation EPR nuclear reactors in the country, but will wait until 2021 before deciding whether to proceed with construction. https://phys.org/news/2019-05-world-epr-nuclear-reactor-china.html

May 30, 2019 Posted by | China, politics | Leave a comment

At June G20 meeting, Japan to push for international conference on nuclear waste disposal (but no talk on stopping making radioactive trash)

Japan to push for int’l conference on nuclear waste disposal at June G-20 meet  https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20190525/p2a/00m/0in/006000c    TOKYO — The Japanese government announced May 24 that it plans to arrange an international meeting to consider how to dispose of highly radioactive nuclear waste.

Tokyo is set to get approval for the plan at the Group of 20 Ministerial Meeting on Energy Transitions and Global Environment for Sustainable Growth scheduled for mid-June in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, and aims to launch the first roundtable this autumn.

Nuclear waste is a problem for all countries operating nuclear power plants, and the Japan-backed international summit on cooperating to dispose of it will be a world first. Participating nations are expected to aim for improved cooperation and formulation of an international “basic strategy” on dealing with radioactive waste.

High-level nuclear refuse is usually “vitrified” — mixed with melted glass and solidified — before being deposited in an underground storage facility. Japan’s own disposal plans call for holding the waste for 30 to 50 years to cool it before burying it in stable rock formations at least 300 meters below ground. Finland is already building a major underground disposal site, while its neighbor Sweden is conducting a safety evaluation at the location of its own planned facility. However, there is no precedent for actually operating such an installation, and Japan has not yet even begun the survey process to choose a site.

The Japanese government will thus use the June 15-16 G-20 environment and energy summit meeting to urge member nations to cooperate on realistic solutions. Specifically, Japan will press nations with advanced nuclear disposal technology including those in Europe to share their know-how, and also promote international collaboration among research facilities and staff exchanges. The international roundtable will put together a collection of proposals on a basic nuclear waste disposal cooperation strategy and how to explain the issue to the citizens of member nations.

(Japanese original by Hajime Nakatsugawa, Business News Department)

May 27, 2019 Posted by | Japan, politics international, wastes | Leave a comment

240 shrines within 20 K of Fukushima reactor 1, so a move to build a new shrine

May 27, 2019 Posted by | Japan, Religion and ethics | Leave a comment

Pakistan Tests Nuclear-Capable Ballistic Missile 

May 25, 2019 Posted by | Pakistan, weapons and war | Leave a comment

North Korea warns that nuclear talks “will never be resumed” if USA continues ‘hostile acts’

May 25, 2019 Posted by | North Korea, politics international | Leave a comment

« Previous Entries     Next Entries »