Japanese court admits radiation risk to children, but rules out evacuation
Japan court rejects demand to evacuate kids, acknowledges radiation risk The Associated Press CTV News, , April 25, 2013 TOKYO – A Japanese court has rejected a demand that a city affected by the fallout of the country’s 2011 nuclear disaster evacuate its children. The unusual lawsuit was filed on behalf of the children by their parents and anti-nuclear activists in June 2011. The Sendai High Court handed down its ruling Wednesday.
The case had drawn international attention because it touched the uncertainties about the effects of continuous low-dose radiation on health, especially that of children, who are far more vulnerable than adults.
The lawsuit argued the city of Koriyama had legal responsibility to evacuate children at elementary schools and junior-high schools, which are part of compulsory education under Japanese law.
The court acknowledged radiation in the city exceeded levels deemed safe prior to the disaster. But it said the government shoulders no responsibility for evacuating the schools as demanded — in effect, telling people to leave on their own if they were worried. Continue reading
Large photovoltaic solar farm now operating in Thailand
Thailand’s Largest Solar Farm Powered By REC Panels by Energy Matters, 25 April 13 Renewable Energy Corporation has arrived in Thailand in a big way – supplying panels for the country’s largest solar power station.
The 9.5 MW Chiang Rai installation commenced operations last month. 41,000 REC Peak Energy Series solar panels are now generating enough electricity to provide the power needs of 7,200 Thai households and will avoid the production of 9,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide annually…. http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3710
China’s slower, more expensive, nuclear energy plan
China moves cautiously ahead on nuclear energy, China Daily Mail, BY MICHAEL B. CALYN ⋅ APRIL 25, 2013⋅ “…....Based on the new plan, China will only approve a few new reactor construction projects before 2016. China now expects to grow its total nuclear capacity to 58 GWe by 2020, rather than the more than 80 GWe previously expected.
The government resumed approval of new nuclear power projects in December 2012, just as the new plan was issued. Several inland nuclear power projects where significant preparation work had already begun will be suspended, with some of their equipment likely transferred to coastal sites. Continue reading
China definitely keeping “no first nuclear strike” policy
. The original Chinese text is unambiguous and emphatic in its assertion that no first use has been “scrupulously” observed “from the start” and will continue to be “to the end” [始终恪守].
China Still Committed to No First Use of Nuclear Weapons http://allthingsnuclear.org/china-still-committed-to-no-first-use-of-nuclear-weapons/Gregory Kulacki, China project manager and senior analyst April 23, 2013
On April 16, the Chinese Ministry of Defense released a white paper that mentioned Chinese nuclear weapons but did not contain familiar language expressing China’s declaratory policy, particularly that China would never use nuclear weapons first, under any circumstances. This commitment to “no first use” has been a bedrock of Chinese nuclear weapons policy since the announcement was first made in 1964, immediately following China’s first nuclear weapons test. All previous white papers issued by the Chinese Ministry of Defense contained the language.
James Acton suggests the omission indicates China may be abandoning its long-standing commitment to no first use. It doesn’t. Continue reading
North Korea’s nuclear test might be cause of radiation detected at Takasaki, Japan
Radiation detected in Japan may be from North Korea nuclear test news.com.au April 24, 2013 POSSIBLE radioactive traces from a North Korean nuclear test in February have been detected for the first time, 1000km away in Japan.
The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) said it had detected isotopes “consistent with a nuclear fission event”, The Japan Times reports. “The ratio of the detected xenon isotopes (xenon-131m and xenon-133) is consistent with a nuclear fission event occurring more than 50 days before the detection,” the CTBTO said.
“This coincides very well” with the North Korea’s announced nuclear test on February 12.The detection at a monitoring station in Japan came 55 days after the explosion, The Japan Times reports.
The group said, however, that the discovery couldn’t help it answer the key question of whether Pyongyang used plutonium or uranium in the blast.
North Korea used plutonium in its 2006 and 2009 tests and any discovery that it used highly enriched uranium for its third test would mark a significant technological step for the impoverished and unpredictable regime…..
It is also possible that the so-called radionuclides were from a nuclear reactor or other atomic activity, and the CTBTO said it is currently examining the traces to see whether this is the case.
It ruled out however that the source was the crippled Fukushima No.1 nuclear plant.
The detection was made in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, 1000 km from the North Korean test site. Lower levels were also picked up at Ussuriysk, Russia, one of several hundred sites worldwide reporting to the CTBTO. http://www.news.com.au/world-news/radiation-detected-in-japan-may-be-from-north-korea-nuclear-test/story-fndir2ev-1226628391900
No agreement between USA and South Korea on enriching uranium
South Korea and U.S. Fail to Reach Deal on Nuclear Energy, NYT, By CHOE SANG-HUN, April 24, 2013 SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea and the Obama administration delayed the deadline for a deal that Seoul had hoped would allow it to begin making its own fuel for its civil nuclear energy program, but that the United States feared would undermine its attempts to curb nuclear proliferation. It had appeared that a deal might be reached this year, but officials in both countries said the deadline would slip until 2016.
The government of President Park Geun-hye has been pushing hard for the United States to lift a ban, part of a treaty signed in 1972, that prevents South Korea from enriching uranium and reprocessing spent nuclear fuel.
But the same technologies are also used to make material for nuclear weapons. American officials have said that lifting the ban would have complicated diplomatic efforts to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear programs and to stop any attempt by Iran to develop atomic weapons….. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/25/world/asia/south-korea-and-us-fail-to-reach-nuclear-energy-deal.html
Rejection of evacuation claim for Japanese children – is this justice?
Japan court rejects demand to evacuate children while acknowledging radiation risks on health http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/04/24/japan-court-rejects-demand-to-evacuate-children-while-acknowledging-radiation/#ixzz2RWzeEca2 April 24, 2013 Associated Press
TOKYO – A Japanese court has rejected a demand that a city affected by the fallout of the country’s 2011 nuclear disaster evacuate its children.
The unusual lawsuit was filed on behalf of the children by their parents and anti-nuclear activists in June 2011. The Sendai High Court handed down its ruling Wednesday.
The case had drawn international attention because it touched the uncertainties about the effects of continuous low-dose radiation on health, especially that of children.
The court acknowledged radiation exceeded levels deemed safe prior to the disaster. But it said the government shoulders no responsibility for evacuating the schools as demanded — in effect, telling people to leave on their own if they were worried.
Man made corium lava – from Fukushima, toxic for centuries
Wired: ‘Healthy debate’ about location of Fukushima corium — Lava can melt a foot of concrete per hour — Cooling with water may not stop corium flow Title: The Most Dangerous (Man-Made) Lava Flow http://enenews.com/wired-healthy-debate-about-where-fukushima-coriums-are-lava-can-melt-a-foot-of-concrete-per-hour-cooling-with-water-may-not-stop-corium-flow
Source: Wired
Author: Erik Klemetti
Date: April 18, 2013 at 11:45a ET
h/t Room101
Title: The Most Dangerous (Man-Made) Lava Flow
[…] researchers at the Argonne National Lab have created corium in the laboratory […] They found that corium lava can melt upwards of 30 cm (12″) of concrete in 1 hour! This is why it is so important to know if a nuclear reactor accident has gone into true “meltdown” as the corium lava will rapidly melt its way through the inner containment vessels (or more) in a matter of hours unless it can be cooled again.
However, results from these CCI (core-concrete interaction) experiments, suggest that cooling with water may not be sufficient to stop corium from melting the concrete. One thing to remember — much of the melting of concrete during a meltdown occurs within minutes to hours, so keeping the core cool is vital for stopping the corium for breaching that containment vessel.
[…] TEPCO, the Japanese energy company who ran Fukushima Dai’ichi, claims that the corium didn’t breach the outer wall of the containment vessel (although there is a healthy debate about this). […]
So, why is corium so dangerous? Well, even long after the flow has stopped, that lava will be highly radioactive for decades to centuries (along with the surrounding countryside if radioactive material made it out of the containment vessel) as the various radioactive materials in the lava decay. In fact, we don’t even have pictures of the corium lava from Fukushima Dai’ichi due to the high levels of radioactivity near the reactor. […]
Kudankulam nuclear plant has faulty technology
India’s nuclear watchdog finds faulty valves in Kudankulam plant by Pallava Bagla, Edited by Ashish Mukherjee: April 19, 2013 New Delhi: For the very first time, India’s nuclear watchdog, the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), has indicated that faulty parts have been found at the Kudankulam nuclear power plant. The problematic valves are being replaced, said officials.
The Department of Atomic Energy, which reports to the Prime Minister, has been insisting that the nuclear facility in coastal Tamil Nadu is safe and ready to be commissioned in weeks.
Protesters, including local fishermen and villagers who have campaigned long and hard against the nuclear plant, have repeatedly shared their concern that sub-standard equipment has been installed at the facility.
The AERB confirms that “performance of four valves of a particular type were found to be deficient”…… SP Udayakumar, leader of the anti-Kudankulam protesters, said the nuclear watchdog’s finding proves that the plant is not safe. “Not just valves, the reactor pressure vessel itself is deficient. The project should be scrapped,” he said. http://www.ndtv.com/article/south/india-s-nuclear-watchdog-finds-faulty-valves-in-kudankulam-plant-356391
Sri Lanka finds radioactive particles from Chernobyl in its soil!
Radiation of Chernobyl blast discovered in Sri Lankan soil Hiru TV Sri Lanka, 19 April 2013 – A sample test carried out by the Sri Lankan Atomic Energy Authority has found some acute radioactive particles which were released by the Chernobyl nuclear explosion of Ukraine in Sri Lankan soil……. The catastrophe which caused various illnesses to many thousand believed to be the world’s most disastrous nuclear accident.
Later its radiation effects were spread to many parts of Western Russia and Europe.
The new threat of radiation to the country was found during a soil testing program to ascertain whether there are any possible dangers being posed to the country by the recently commenced Kundankulam Nuclear Plant in South India…… http://www.hirunews.lk/57432
India’s Green Power Market Development Group is expanding
Green Power Market Development Group Announced at Clean Energy Ministerial World Resources Institute April 19, 2013 Business group will help increase the uptake of renewable energy sources in India
A group of leading businesses and organizations announced the expansion of India’s Green Power Market Development Group(GPMDG) at the Clean Energy Ministerial in New Delhi. The objective of the GPMDG is to transform energy markets and enable corporate buyers to access reliable and clean energy, diversify their energy portfolios with green power, and reduce their impact on climate change.
According to the latest reports, clean energy investment dipped in 2012, but it still was nearly $270 billion, which is a five-fold increase over the past decade…… Continue reading
Changing policy in China about the use of nuclear weapons?
Is China Changing Its Position on Nuclear Weapons? NYT, By JAMES M. ACTON April 18, 2013 NTERPRETING any country’s pronouncements about its nuclear weapons can be a study in fine distinctions, but occasionally a state says — or fails to say — something in a clear break from the past. A Chinese white paper on defense, released on Tuesday, falls into this category and now demands our attention, because it omits a promise that China will never use nuclear weapons first…….
- INTERPRETING ANY COUNTRY’S PRONOUNCEMENTS ABOUT ITS NUCLEAR WEAPONS CAN BE A STUDY IN FINE DISTINCTIONS, BUT OCCASIONALLY A STATE SAYS — OR FAILS TO SAY — SOMETHING IN A CLEAR BREAK FROM THE PAST. A CHINESE WHITE PAPER ON DEFENSE, RELEASED ON TUESDAY, FALLS INTO THIS CATEGORY AND NOW DEMANDS OUR ATTENTION, BECAUSE IT OMITS A PROMISE THAT CHINA WILL NEVER USE NUCLEAR WEAPONS FIRST…… Continue reading
Protest in Taiwan against slanted referendum question
Nuclear referendum question protested, Taipei Tmes By Lee I-chia / Staff Reporter, 19 Apr 13, Members of the Green Citizens’ Action Alliance demand that the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in Gongliao District, New Taipei City be discontinued without a referendum, outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday. Continue reading
Japan’s nuclear future – very uncertain
Japan’s nuclear future Don’t look now A series of mishaps comes at an awkward time for the government the Economist, Apr 20th 2013 | TOKYO In February this year, Shinzo Abe, leader of the then incoming Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), said the new government would restart reactors after they passed a forthcoming set of new safety tests. The country’s “nuclear village”, a cosy bunch from industry and government, cheered. But now the stricken Fukushima Dai-ichi plant is starting to alarm the public once more. Continue reading
Solar power developments in Japan: battery storage
Japan To Implement 60,000 kWh Capacity Battery http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3697 19 April 13 The Japanese government plans to install a massive battery at an electrical substation on the island of Hokkaido.
According to the Japan Times, the country’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) says the battery will be put in place by the end of the first quarter in 2015 to help develop a stable electricity supply generated by solar and wind power sources. The battery system will have a storage capacity of around 60,000 kWh and will use up a large portion of ¥29.6 billion earmarked for battery projects.
Hokkaido is Japan’s second largest island and the largest and northernmost of Japan’s 47 prefectures. It has become a hive of renewable energy activity due to the availability and low prices of suitable land. According to Bloomberg, the island’s power infrastructure is approaching its limit for handling the amount of clean electricity being generated.
Japan has seen solar uptake skyrocket since the introduction of a feed in tariff scheme, currently paying 38 yen per kilowatt hour (around AUD 38 cents) for rooftop solar power systems under 10kW and slightly more for larger systems.
In other renewables news out of Japan, METI states based on data compiled by the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (ANRE), the total combined new renewable energy capacity added between April 1, 2012, and January 31, 2013,reached 1,394,000 kW .
Photovoltaic power facilities accounted for 1,329,000 kW, with household solar panel systems making up 1,023,000kW of that amount. METI notes that 37,000kW capacity was added by January 31 – with all of that being added after June 2012.
METI also announced Japan and India have decided to hold the “India-Japan Energy Forum 2013” in September in New Delhi and Greater Noida, which aims to reinforce the two nation’s cooperation in the field of energy.
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