Fukushima clean-up mess – a disaster on top of the nuclear disaster
Fukushima Cleanup Workers Have Been Dumping Contaminated Debris Into Rivers http://www.businessinsider.com/fukushima-radiation-cleanup-still-primitive-22-months-after-the-tsunami-2013-1#ixzz2HX4rP6eZ Michael Kelley | Jan. 8, 2013, After a massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami struck Japan on March 11, 2011, officials promised to use cutting-edge technology from across the globe to mount the most ambitious radiological 
cleanup humanity has ever seen.
But it appears that the $11.5 billion, multi-decade effort has become part of the nuclear disaster. Continue reading
Pakistan gets affordable solar panels, a winning strategy in Asia
“We are aiming to make sure that any person who installs the house solar system will have monthly instalments equal to their current monthly electricity bill,” said Khurram. Given the fact that grid electricity in Pakistan is cheap, but unreliable, it is likely that many will find that proposition highly tempting.
The company is confident that the venture will prove to be financially viable. Adeel Anwar, the finance director of the company, said that he expects its revenues to touch €150 million (Rs19.2 billion) within the first year. CAE officials feel they can then double that number within three years.
Renewable energy: German firm to set up first solar panel plant in Pakistan http://tribune.com.pk/story/491194/renewable-energy-german-firm-to-set-up-first-solar-panel-plant-in-pakistan/ By 
Imran Rana January 8, 2013 FAISALABAD: German renewable energy company CAE plans to invest more than €100 million (Rs12.9 billion) in setting up the first solar panel manufacturing facility in Pakistan, and the second of its kind in Asia.
In an exclusive interview with The Express Tribune, Shahzada Khurram, the only Pakistani director of the company, shared its plans of becoming a leading supplier of renewable energy equipment in the country. “Pakistan is going through one of the worst energy crises, and it is time to think about renewable energy as a way to make good money in the sector,” said Khurram. Continue reading
China’s big steps forward in renewable energy
China unveils big renewable energy ambitions for 2013, The Age,
January 9, 2013 China, the world’s largest carbon emitter due to its
dependence on coal, plans to add 49 gigawatts of renewable-energy
capacity this year in an effort to boost power production without
increasing its reliance on fossil fuels.
China will add 21 gigawatts of hydroelectric capacity, 18 gigawatts of
wind generation and 10 gigawatts of solar, according to a statement
today on the website of the National Energy Administration. The
agency, a unit of the National Development Reform Commission, reported
the results of a national work meeting on energy in Beijing yesterday
and was attended by Zhang Ping, who heads the commission.
That will exceed other forecasts for China’s wind and solar
development. The country is expected to surpass Germany to become the
largest solar market by installing as much as 5.39 gigawatts of
photovoltaic panels this year, according to a November report from
Bloomberg New Energy Finance. The London- based research company
anticipates 16.3 gigawatts of new, land- based wind capacity in China
this year……. :
http://www.theage.com.au/business/carbon-economy/china-unveils-big-renewable-energy-ambitions-for-2013-20130109-2cfdd.html#ixzz2HX92zVT0
Japan’s government gambling with climate/nuclear disaster risks
Japan’s Pro-Nuclear Cabinet Fight Future Disaster With Reformed
Policies, The International, By Abbie Saunders JANUARY 07,
2013“……..The American Nuclear Society suggests that “one of the
most effective ways to reduce global carbon-dioxide emissions in the
future is by making increasing use of nuclear energy to replace fossil
fuels”. But Kurt Kleiner for Nature Reports maintains a different
stance.
Kleiner suggests that while the operation of a nuclear power plant
itself has “near-zero carbon emissions”, it is the initial
construction of these plants that damages their eco-friendly
reputation. He points to the sources of nuclear energy as the problem:
“uranium has to be mined, processed and transported, waste has to be
stored, and eventually the plant has to be decommissioned. All these
actions produce carbon emissions.”
Whilst nuclear energy itself may be considered more eco-friendly than
exhaustible energy sources, renowned Japan correspondent Lucy
Birmingham points to the country’s history of natural disasters as a
potential danger. In November 2012, following the destruction of
Hurricane Sandy, she poignantly remarked that “nuclear power and
superstorms don’t mix”. She suggests that both floods and droughts can
severely damage nuclear reactors, causing them to release potentially
fatal radioactive materials.
It is this reality that prompts the Japanese population to protest.
Since Fukushima, the citizens of Japan have become increasingly
concerned about the dangers of nuclear energy. If the government’s
primary responsibility is the security of its citizens, is Shinzo
Abe’s attempt to bolster the economy and Japan’s carbon footprint one
risk too far for the environment and the welfare of the people
residing in potential risk areas?….”
Cyber war – China’s advanced espionage
It’s global cyber war out there, Financial Review. CHRISTOPHER JOYE
02 JAN 2013“…..Since 2003 the Chinese have executed advanced
cyber-espionage operations against the West, including Australia,
stealing hundreds of billions worth of business and military secrets
in what United States officials say is “the greatest transfer of
wealth in history”.
The Chinese were fingered in the hacking of Barack Obama’s and John
McCain’s computers in the 2008 US presidential election campaign. Continue reading
Tarapur Atomic Power Station (TAPS) – people’s lives in danger
The decommissioning cost of a nuclear reactor (about $300 million-5.6 billion) is more than the cost of construction and commissioning. That’s why TAPS hasn’t been decommissioned despite the American manufacturers’ advice to the government to do so in 1995
When life is cheaper than nuclear power, Jan 7, 2013, By Dilnaz Boga | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA Poonam Hambire, a resident of Ghivali village, 12km from Boisar in Thane district, is at the forefront of the anti-nuclear agitation against the Tarapur Atomic Power Station (TAPS). “Women have to come forward as false cases are slapped against the male protesters in Tarapur,” she alleges.
Her village lies within the 1.6km radius around one the country’s oldest nuclear reactors built by General Electric in the 1960s. It’s the same model as Japan’s Fukushima reactor. The effects of radiation are obvious in every home not only in Ghivali but also in the neighbouring villages. Continue reading
Japanese government’s nuclear reprocessing plans likely to be colossal waste of money
But the continued operation of the Monju reactor is uncertain due to
frequent malfunctions. The Japanese government has admitted that it
may not be put into commercial use until 2050, prompting criticism
that the Rokashomura facility was a colossal waste of money.
Japan Could Reprocess Nuclear Fuel from Korea
http://www.energytribune.com/69930/japan-could-reprocess-nuclear-fuel-from-korea-2
January 07, 2013 From Chosun Ilbo The Japanese government is
considering reprocessing spent nuclear fuel rods from Korea, Vietnam
and other Asian countries, the Tokyo Shimbun reported Sunday. Japan is
the only country in the world that has no nuclear weapons but the
facilities to reprocess spent nuclear fuel rods capable of producing
weapons-grade plutonium.
An advisory council to the Democratic Party of Japan in a report last
May said reprocessing spent nuclear fuel rods would “strengthen”
Japan’s diplomacy, security and the country’s economy as well as
“contribute to the peaceful use of atomic energy.”
The report suggests using the Rokashomura nuclear reprocessing plant
in Aomori Prefecture, which will become obsolete if Japan scraps all
its own nuclear power plants in the 2030s. Continue reading
Russia to make $squillions out of its nuclear sales to India
India-Russia nuclear ambitions and mounting tensions in Sri Lanka,
Daily Mirror, by Dulip Jayawardena, 08 JANUARY 2013
KUNDANKULAM NUCLEAR POWER PLANT “……. the Russian President
Vladimir Putin paid a stand –alone visit to India on December 25 ,2012
for 15 hours to sign an agreement to collaborate to construct another
16 to 18 nuclear energy plants in India of 1000 MW each. At present
prices the total cost of these plants is a staggering US $ 45 billion! Continue reading
No evacuation plans for India’s dangerous Tarapur nuclear facility
Nuclear troubles When life is cheaper than nuclear power, Jan 7, 2013, By Dilnaz Boga | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA
“……All nuclear-spent fuel from India is being brought to BARC, Tarapur, for reprocessing and later, cooling, storing and intermediate burial-storage, amounting to high concentration of nuclear activity material in Tarapur. Tandel explains that NPCIL has no evacuation routes for the villagers in case of emergency, or even any medical facilities, food or a shelter plan. Also, residents of Palghar and Dahanu are also at high risk. “Hence, we are opposing the expansion of the facility and the port that Jindal is going to build here,” says Tandel.
Every fortnight, the authorities take samples of soil and water for testing from the villages in the plant’s vicinity, but the results are never shared with the inhabitants…. “Labourers and contractuals are appointed from the roadside. There is no proper health procedure. They die on the roadside after their contracts are through…. Scientist Dr V Pugazhenthi, who had conducted a survey in Chinchani village, 8km from the plant two years ago, said cases of neuroblastoma can be attributed to radiation. “Even 40km away from the plant cases of unexplained anaemia, Down’s Syndrome, tumours, high rate of abortions and miscarriages and multiple myeloma are seen.” http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_when-life-is-cheaper-than-nuclear-power_1786292
Continuing strong renewable energy growth in China
China’s Strong Renewable Energy Growth Continues Clean Technica, http://cleantechnica.com/2013/01/07/china-increases-overall-renewable-energy-capacity/#jmKrVGDEZY5PCtxO.99
January 7, 2013, Joshua S Hill In good news for planet Earth, and news
that should conversely kick us Western nations up the proverbial,
China has again stretched its renewable energy installed capacity,
increasing its wind energy capacity up to 56 megawatts at the end of
October 2012, and increasing its hydro power capacity to 206
megawatts.
China’s renewable energy capacity installation growth has
been impressive, and even more so when you consider that its growth
has been higher than the global average.
The global average growth of wind energy capacity over the past decade
was only 25% while China’s wind energy capacity rose at an annual
average growth of 60%.
When it comes to solar, the average global growth was 44%, while China
managed 50% over the same time period.
It’s good news to see China reaching and beating goals it has set for
itself, especially in light of its recently introduced 12th Five-Year
Plan, in which China has set a target of increasing its total
renewable energy consumption to 478 million tonnes of coal equivalent.
This would represent approximately 9.5% of the overall energy
consumption in the country by 2015.
Abuses, deceptions, cover-ups in the Fukushima clean-up operations
Citizen journalism also brought to light that workers as young as 18 were sent to the Fukushima site without adequate training. Some reported that they were told to write resumes with fictitious work experience. The new citizen media site 8bit uploaded a video interview with a worker in September who had applied for a job entitled “backup logistics support,” but was actually dispatched to the stricken plant, and exposed to high doses of radiation. (Global Voices, Sept. 20)
Back in July, journalists and scientists who undertook to inspect the droids found that the immediate environs of the monitoring posts had been deliberately decontaminated so as to produce low readings. For instance, clean, non-radioactive soil was spread over the ground below the posts so the contamination below would not be registered
by Bill Weinberg 01/06/2013– Contractors could be illegally dumping radioactive soil, vegetation and water into rivers and open areas near the stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, Japan’s Environment Ministry admitted Jan. 4. The ministry said it will summon senior officials from companies contracted by the Fukushima Office for Environmental Restoration to answer questions on how they manage contaminated waste following claims of illegal dumping in the coastal town of Naraha, the evacuated village of Iitate, and the inland in the city of Tamura. Under a law passed in the wake of the Fukushima disaster, illegal dumping of contaminated substances may be punishable by up to five years in prison or a fine of up to ¥10 million. “It is very regrettable if that is true,” Fukushima Gov. Yuhei Sato said of the suspected dumping at his first news conference of 2013. (Kyodo, Jan. 5)The charges came to light when a young worker for one of the contractors, Dai Nippon Construction, alerted the Environment Ministry after repeated complaints to management were apparently met with such replies as “Yeah, yeah, it’s OK. It can’t be helped.” The young man, who was recruited at a job placement center in Tokyo, even reported that contaminated vegetation was being dumped loose, rather than being collected in bags. (Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 4) Local residents also reported witnessing radioactive mud being dumped directly into Fukushima prefecture’s major river, the Abukuma. (Fukushima Diary, Jan. 5) Continue reading
India’s repression of anti nuclear protestors
politicians, scientists, and bureaucrats have made every effort to crush agitation against the potentially lucrative KKNPP.
“We, the poor, are at the receiving end of all false promises given by the authorities,”
police and intelligence agencies are stepping up their suppression of protestors.
269 persons have been arrested in connection with the agitation. Agitation leaders claim the number is much higher, with pending cases running into the thousands.
T. Peter, secretary of the National Fish Workers Forum, told IPS that many people have been taken into custody under the charge of sedition. He alleged that the establishment is trying to “sabotage” the protest movement and crush it with an iron fist.
Villagers Wail Against Nuclear Power, Independent European Daily Express, January 6, 2013 .“…..The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP), situated 24 kilometres from the world famous tourist town of Kanyakumari on the southern tip of the Indian peninsula, is likely to be commissioned this month.
Speaking to IPS, Mahalakshmi and dozens of women in Kudankulam, a village in the Tirunelveli district of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, charged that the energy project would ruin their futures, homes and livelihoods. Continue reading
Thousands of anti nuclear protestors stopped by police, 2km from Jaitapur nuclear site
Indian protest movement spreads World Nuclear News, 03 January 2013
Mass public unease at nuclear power development has emerged at
Jaitapaur. Thousands of protestors were held by police today as they
attempted to surround the site of six planned reactors.
Groups representing villagers in the vicinity of the development in
western Maharastra state said they were angered by Nuclear Power
Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL’s) recent actions to move forward
with tenders towards the future power plant’s facilities. They said
tenders for a health clinic, fire station and security building showed
the national government had not given their concerns sufficient
attention and called for the project to be cancelled outright.
The march from surrounding towns to the plant attracted around 2000
people, according to a Business Standard report. Leaders had intended
to surround the 1000 hectare site and hand a letter to site managers,
but the crowd was stopped and held by police around two kilometres
from its destination…..
Daily 400 tons of underground water flows into Fukushima reactor buildings
NHK: Radiation levels increasing at Fukushima plant — “No solution to tainted water” — Hundreds of tons flowing into reactor buildings every day (VIDEO) http://enenews.com/nhk-radiation-levels-increasing-fukushima-plant-solution-tainted-water-hundreds-tons-flowing-reactor-buildings-every-day-video
January 5th, 2013
Title: No solution to tainted water at Fukushima plant
Source: NHK WORLD English
Date: Jan. 4, 2013
No solution to tainted water at Fukushima plant
[…] Each day about 400 tons of underground water has been flowing into reactor buildings […] The water becomes contaminated with radioactive materials.
[…] the volume of the water is continuing to rise, increasing radiation levels at the plant. […]
The company plans to pump underground water to prevent it from flowing into reactor buildings. It will also install steel walls underground to block contaminated water from leaking into the sea. […]
Watch the video here
Japan can survive without nuclear power, by smart energy saving
When he returns to
Japan in the spring, Okamura will be able to tell METI what would be
necessary to achieve its energy savings goal of 20 percent in the
years ahead, especially as the effectiveness of voluntary pleas wears
off.
Sacrifice and luck help Japan survive without nuclear power, Stanford
visiting scholar says, Stanford News, Stanford Report, January 4, 2013
In the wake of the Fukushima disaster, nuclear-dependent Japan began
shutting down its other reactors. Toshiya Okamura, a Tokyo Gas
executive and visiting scholar at Stanford University, explains how
the country survived the summer, and expresses deep concerns about
this winter and his country’s energy future. Continue reading
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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