Japanese lawmakers plan for new nuclear regulatory body
Opposition wins on nuke watchdog, Japan Times, Kyodo 7 June 12, The administration will effectively accept a plan proposed by opposition parties to set up an independent “nuclear regulatory commission,” lawmakers said following talks between ruling and opposition parties to explore amending a bill to create a new nuclear regulatory agency. Continue reading
Japan’s energy future could be nuclear free
Japan considers nuclear-free future Options require big boost for renewable energy sources. Nature, David Cyranoski 06 June 2012 It’s official: nuclear power will have a much smaller role in Japan’s energy future than was once thought. Since the meltdowns and gas explosions at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station in March 2011, all of Japan’s remaining reactors have been shut down for inspections and maintenance.
Last week the government offered a glimpse of their future, and that of the country’s nuclear power in general, when it published an outline of four ways to satisfy Japan’s future energy demands. One scenario recommends using a market mechanism to determine the nuclear contribution. Under the other three, nuclear power would supply at most one-quarter of Japan’s energy by 2030 — and in one case, none at all. Continue reading
China the nuclear lobby’s great hope – or is it?
Public opinion could also pose an obstacle. In a poll carried out by research agency Ipsos MORI after Fukushima, 42% of those surveyed in China were supportive of nuclear power – but that 48% were opposed. It
is also reported that public opposition and environmental concerns have led to the delay in construction of three inland nuclear power sites.
China’s nuclear developments probably matter more to the rest of the world than they do to China.
Chinese nuclear goes global? China dialogue Antony Froggatt June 06, 2012 From Parisian boardrooms to Kazakh uranium mines, the nuclear industry anxiously awaits news from Beijing. …….
“…… the Fukushima crisis in Japan has had a significant – and under reported – impact on Chinese nuclear developments, triggering a freeze on the start of new construction, a re-consideration of the safety standards of domestic designs and unprecedentedly visible opposition to the building of new, inland nuclear plants. Continue reading
Vigourous and organised opposition to nuclear power in China
many of the companies building nuclear power plants and the government have not held honest discussions with stakeholders and are unwilling to provide adequate information. The Ministry of Environmental Protection rejected Caixin’s application for more information on documents related to the Pengze plant’s environmental assessment.
“Our actions are divided into three phases: official, media and litigation,” Wang said. Petitioning the government was the first step, and using the media to attract attention the second. “If this still doesn’t work, we can only move to litigation. In the next step, we’ll sue whichever departments approved construction of the Pengze nuclear plant, and we’ll sue to the end.”
Ex-officials battle China nuclear plant plan, Market watch,Retired officials vigorously battle China nuclear power plant plan By Cui Zheng BEIJING ( Caixin Online ) —”… the meltdown on March 11, 2011, is still fresh on the minds of four retired cadres in Wangjiang County.
They petitioned against the Pengze nuclear power project in neighboring Jiangxi Province and ultimately convinced their local government to oppose the plan. This kind of official opposition to a nuclear undertaking is almost unheard of in China. Continue reading
China raising funds to launch nuclear power, but public sentiment is “fragile”
China to Stoke Nuclear Power, WSJ 6 June 12, State-Owned Firm Plans IPO to Fund Reactors; $5.4 Billion Deal Is Possible BEIJING—China National Nuclear Power Co. said it is planning a Shanghai initial public offering that will go toward financing part
of five power projects worth 173.5 billion yuan ($27.2 billion), in a multibillion-dollar deal that signals that the country’s ramp-up of nuclear power is moving forward..
… China National Nuclear Power, according to a statement on the environmental ministry website, will sell shares to raise funds for nuclear-power projects in Fujian, Zhejiang, Hainan and Jiangsu provinces, the statement said, adding that these projects were approved by China’s National Development and Reform Commission between 2008 and 2010. Those projects require 173.5 billion yuan in funding,…
the IPO could be asking a lot of the country’s equity markets. The commission hasn’t approved any sizable IPOs since May, when the regulator gave the green light to China Postal Express & Logistics Co.’s potentially 9.98 billion yuan deal, though that has yet to
launch. Since early May, the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index is down 4%.
“A big IPO would weigh on the stock market further as it would divert funds from the secondary market, especially when the sentiment remains fragile,” said Yang Delong, a fund manager at China Southern Fund….. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303665904577449784005256706.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Enthusiasm for solar power in Japan
The recent rush by home owners to cover their roofs with panels and companies to build “mega solar” farms have made solar cells a hot commodity.
“We are almost at grid parity here. Think of what would happen if Japan allows things to run their natural course and solar reaches grid parity
That all of Japan’s 50 nuclear reactors lie dormant amid public concern in the wake of Fukushima is an added boost for solar power
Solar makers bet on Japan nuclear crisis being a game-changer
* Solar power firms to get boost from feed-in tariff
* Foreign players looking to grab slice of Japan’s solar market
* Companies say FIT will encourage economies of scale
* Public faith in nuclear power still in tatters after Fukushima
By Shinichi Saoshiro TOKYO, June 5 (Reuters) – Solar power firms are betting that the nuclear crisis in Japan will become a game-changer for renewable energy in the world’s third largest economy, with new foreign entrants such as Canadian Solar looking to go toe-to-toe there with some of the biggest utilities in Asia.
They will be given a big helping hand next month when the government introduces a generous subsidy for renewable energy via a so-called feed-in tariff (FIT), in a bid to encourage alternative energy sources, which currently only generate about 1 percent of power in Japan.
The FIT, which excludes large hydro-electric schemes, will require utilities to buy electricity generated by renewable sources such as solar, wind and geothermal heat at a premium for 20 years. Continue reading
A year after Fukushima disaster, and Japanese are growing even more opposed to nuclear power
“It is clear from surveys that the majority of the people think that we can survive this summer by conserving energy and transferring electricity among regions,”
Japanese more opposed to nuclear power a year after the tsunami, LA Times, 5 June 12, As Japanese authorities this week ponder whether to resume producing nuclear energy, a poll shows that opposition to nuclear power is strong and growing more than a year after the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear catastrophe that killed 20,000 and contaminated a broad swath of farmland.
Seventy percent of Japanese surveyed by the Washington-based Pew Research Center said they wanted nuclear power reduced or eliminated, while a year ago the nation was nearly evenly divided on the subject, with 44% urging a phaseout and 46% backing continued generation. Continue reading
New crisis dividing Japanese – dealing with radioactive debris
Japan’s Latest Nuclear Crisis: Getting Rid of the Radioactive Debris, The Atlantic, JUN 4 2012, A plan to disperse the waste to incineration facilities across the country, meant to instill national unity, is doing the opposite, and further delaying Japan’s ability to move beyond Fukushima. KITA KYUSHU, Japan — Disposing the more than 20 million tons of rubble caused by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami is proving to be a difficult problem for Japan, not least because much of the rubble has been irradiated by the Fukushima nuclear disaster. The government’s plan — to destroy 4 million tons of potentially radioactive earthquake debris in garbage incinerators around the country — is dividing the nation and further delaying the country’s ability to put Fukushima behind it. Continue reading
Japan’s “wide area incineration” plan to manage radioactive debris
Japan’s Latest Nuclear Crisis: Getting Rid of the Radioactive Debris The Atlantic, JUN 4 2012“.……While the government insists on the necessity of removing rubble from the earthquake region as quickly as possible, critics point out that the government plan calls for 80 percent of the debris to be burned locally, and say that transporting only 20 percent of the feared waste to incinerators around the country makes little sense. After all, if the goal is to remove debris from the area, why is the vast majority of it staying there? Continue reading
Nuclear capable missile tested by Pakistan
Pakistan tests nuclear-capable Hatf VII cruise missile By: Online | June 05, 2012 Pakistan on Tuesday test-fired another medium range cruise missile Hatf-VII (Babur) having a range of 700 km, the third successful test in a week. “It’s a multi tube, indigenously developed cruise missile Hatf-VII having a range of 700 kms,” ISPR said in a statement. “Babur Cruise Missile is a low flying, terrain hugging missile with high maneuverability, pin point accuracy and radar avoidance features. It can carry both nuclear and conventional
warheads and has stealth capabilities,” ISPR says. …..
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/national/05-Jun-2012/pakistan-tests-nuclear-capable-hatf-vii-cruise-missile
Solar energy projects for India’s rural areas
Solar energy to be promoted in Varanasi http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/varanasi/Solar-energy-to-be-promoted-in-Varanasi/articleshow/13767724.cms Binay Singh, TNN | Jun 3, 2012, VARANASI: With the announcement of a budgetary provision of Rs 100 crore for promoting solar energy projects particularly in the rural areas of the state the authorities of New and renewable Energy Development Agency (NEDA) are optimistic about further promotion and use of solar energy in the region. Continue reading
Radiation in Japan’s foodstuffs – the invisible hazard
Unlike harmful iodine 131, which disappears in matter of days, caesium 137 has a “half-life” of 30 years and lingers even longer.
Radioactive discharge from the crippled power station fell directly on crops and vegetables, and worked its way into the food chain when fish or animals in affected areas consumed contaminated plants.
Japan’s invisible enemy within TOKYO, Malaysian Insider, June 2 — Before March 11, 2011, procuring food for an average Japanese household was a pretty straight-forward affair.
Following long-established traditions, a housewife — it is, still, almost always a woman in charge — did her best to ensure that every product brought to the table could be traced to Japanese soil or waters. This, it was widely held, was the best way to avoid eating fish, meat
or produce tainted with dangerous contaminants. Chinese imports were to be avoided whenever possible.
The accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, unleashed by a devastating earthquake and tsunami, shattered this age-old faith in the purity of Japanese produce. Continue reading
China against North Korea having nuclear weapons
Chinese paper urges Beijing to oppose N. Korea’s nuclear power claim, SEOUL, June 3 (Yonhap) –– A leading Chinese newspaper has urged Beijing to oppose North Korea’s nuclear power status proclaimed in its revised constitution.
The Global Times, an English-language Chinese newspaper under the People’s Daily, said in its June 2 editorial that any legalization of North Korea’s possession of nuclear weapons can stimulate South Korea and Japan, and prod Taiwan to demand its right to nuclear arms,
triggering a chain reaction of nuclear armament in Northeast Asia……
The Global Times editorial is the first unofficial response from China, as the Beijing government has kept mum on the issue so far. Continue reading
Burma gives up nuclear ambitions
Myanmar abandons nuclear project, Today Online, Jun 03, 2012 SINGAPORE – Myanmar has abandoned research on a nuclear programme that never progressed very far, and has stepped back from close military and political ties with North Korea, said Myanmar’s defence minister yesterday.
News reports two years ago indicated Myanmar obtained technology for enriching uranium from North Korea along with parts for a nuclear weapons programme. The reports were based on interviews with an army major who was involved in the programme and defected with files he said documented the project….. http://www.todayonline.com/World/EDC120603-0000009/Myanmar-abandons-nuclear-project
Perilous state of spent nuclear fuel rods pool at Fukushima reactor No. 4
The worries gained new traction in recent days after the operator of the plant, Tokyo Electric Power Co., or TEPCO, said it had found a slight bulge in one of the walls of the reactor building
questions about whether Japan’s all-out effort to convince its citizens that nuclear
power is safe kept the authorities from exploring other – and some say safer – options for storing used fuel rods.
Radioactive waste at Fukushima threatens second nuclear catastrophe
http://www.watoday.com.au/environment/radioactive-waste-at-fukushima-threatens-second-nuclear-catastrophe-20120527 1zcxu.html#ixzz1wgpRdAiv Hiroko Tabuchi, Matthew Wald May 28, 2012 TOKYO: What passes for normal at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant today would have caused shudders among even the most sanguine of experts before an earthquake and tsunami set off the world’s second most serious nuclear crisis after Chernobyl.
Fourteen months after the accident, a pool brimming with used fuel rods and filled with vast quantities of radioactive caesium still sits on the top floor of a heavily damaged building, covered only with plastic.
The public’s fears about the pool have grown in recent months as some scientists have warned that it has the most potential for setting off a new catastrophe. The three nuclear reactors that suffered meltdowns are in a more stable state, but frequent quakes continue to rattle the
region.
The worries gained new traction in recent days after the operator of the plant, Tokyo Electric Power Co., or TEPCO, said it had found a slight bulge in one of the walls of the reactor building, stoking fears over the building’s safety. Continue reading
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