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

Nuclear waste travelling from Italy to La Hague, France

“In both Italy and France, nuclear energy is at an impasse: they don’t know what to do with nuclear waste”

Italians voted overwhelmingly against a return to nuclear energy in a
June 2011 referendum

Convoy taking Italian spent nuclear fuel to France: reports
http://www.expatica.com/fr/news/french-news/convoy-taking-italian-spent-nuclear-fuel-to-france-reports_238702.html 24/07/2012 A rail convoy  highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel from Italy to France set off from the northern Italian town of Saluggia overnight, Italian media reported Tuesday. Continue reading →

July 25, 2012 Posted by | France, Italy, wastes | Leave a comment

Research shows cancer develops from small doses of radiation, especially to children

“Thanks to recent studies, we are now certain that small doses of radiation can seriously affect the thyroids of young children, causing cancers or other illnesses,” 

Victims of French nuclear tests see hope in cancer link finding http://www.france24.com/en/20120717-france-nuclear-tests-polynesia-algeria-radiation-cancer-victims-compensation-health    Victims of French nuclear tests say a report establishing a link between exposure to radiation and cases of cancer may prove decisive in their lengthy battle for compensation. By Andrea Davoust  

Thanks to a landmark medical expert’s report, a new link has been established between France’s nuclear testing in the Pacific and North Africa and cases of cancer among civilians and former military personnel.

The findings, revealed by daily Le Parisien on Tuesday, could help speed up the lengthy legal process to compensate potential victims of these tests. Continue reading →

July 18, 2012 Posted by | France, health | Leave a comment

France used soldiers as guinea pigs for radiation effects

An excerpt published in the newspaper refers to the “Gerboise verte”, code name for the test firings of April 25, 1961. It states that the experiment “should allow for a study of the physiological and psychological effects of atomic weaponry on humans, with the goal obtaining the necessary elements to prepare physically and morally for modern combat.”

Soldiers deliberately exposed to nuclear tests, says report According to the Tuesday edition of the French daily Parisian, a confidential military report proves that soldiers were deliberately exposed to nuclear tests that France conducted in Algeria in the 1960s. By FRANCE 24 17 July 12 Continue reading →

July 18, 2012 Posted by | civil liberties, France, history, Reference | Leave a comment

At last France accepts liability for cancers in nuclear test victims

Under the provisions of the bill the new compensation scheme will apply to former soldiers and civilians that developed cancers and other illnesses after exposure to radiation from nuclear tests carried out in Algeria and French Polynesia.

Parliament approves compensation bill for nuclear test victims The French parliament voted Tuesday to pay compensation to victims of nuclear tests France carried out in Algeria and French Polynesia over the course of more than three decades. By FRANCE 24  17 July 12
The French parliament on Tuesday approved a compromise bill offering compensation to the victims of nuclear tests carried out by France between 1960 and 1996, overturning decades of official failure to accept general liability for health problems suffered by those present at or near the test sites. Continue reading →

July 18, 2012 Posted by | France, Legal | Leave a comment

France’s huge and growing nuclear waste problem

Nuclear waste in France set to double http://www.upi.com/Science News/2012/07/13/Nuclear-waste-in-France-set-to-double/UPI 21671342208921/#ixzz20dUEDe8D  PARIS, July 13 (UPI) –– France’s nuclear waste agency says the amount of such waste in the country will double by 2030, and some of it will remain radioactive for 2 million years.

The current 45 million cubic feet of nuclear waste in France is likely to reach 95 million cubic feet in the next 18 years, a report by Andra, the agency charged with stocking and disposing of nuclear waste, said.

The current amount of waste represents 4 pounds for every person in the country.

With nuclear power the principle source of electricity in France, the Andra report warns of major problems stockpiling waste, Radio France Internationale reported. While only 0.2 percent of current stocks are highly radioactive, some of the material, such as neptunium 237, can remain active for more than 2 million years.

The socialist government of Francois Hollande has resisted pressure from its coalition partners to drastically reduce the nuclear power industry, responsible for 59 percent of all the nuclear waste generated in the country, RFI reported.

July 14, 2012 Posted by | France, Reference, wastes | Leave a comment

France stressing diplomacy in approach to Iran nuclear issue

Hollande highlights importance of dialogue about Iran nuclear issue Tehran Times, 13 July 12, TEHRAN – French President Francois Hollande has highlighted the importance of dialogue between Iran and the six major powers about the country’s nuclear issue.

Hollande made the remarks during a meeting with new Iranian ambassador to France, Ali Ahani, on Wednesday. He also said that France is closely monitoring the process of talks
between Iran and the 5+1 group (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany) while respecting the Islamic Republic’s independence.   …..
http://www.tehrantimes.com/politics/99558-hollande-highlights-importance-of-dialogue-about-iran-nuclear-issue

July 14, 2012 Posted by | France, politics international | Leave a comment

AREVA scrambles to sell nuclear technology to China

 

Areva Looks To China As France Rethinks Nuclear Power By Francois de Beaupuy and Caroline Connan – Jul 7, 2012 Areva SA (AREVA) Chief Executive Officer Luc Oursel is seeking fresh talks to sell nuclear reactors to China , halted in the wake of last year’s nuclear accident in Japan  and amid questions about the new French government’s energy stance. …. Continue reading →

July 9, 2012 Posted by | business and costs, France | Leave a comment

AREVA and others scramble to sell nuclear technology to Britain

Areva confirms joint bid with China’s CGNPC for UK’s Horizon AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France, July 7 | Sat Jul 7, 2012 (Reuters) – French nuclear group Areva will make a joint bid with China Guangdong Nuclear Power Corporation Holding (CGNPC) for the UK’s 6-gigawatt Horizon project, its chief executive Luc Oursel said on Saturday.

“We will participate in the British government’s plan to make this project a reality, and we will probably do it with Chinese power companies and other players,” Oursel said on the sidelines of a conference in Aix-en-Provence, southern France. “Probably by the end of the year, the sellers will make public their choice for the team that will take over the project,” Oursel told
reporters.

Reuters reported on June 18 that Westinghouse teamed up with SNPTC to make a bid, while Areva picked China Guangdong to put forward a bid…. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/07/areva-horizon-idUSL6E8I72CS20120707

July 9, 2012 Posted by | business and costs, France, UK | Leave a comment

Serious safety problems found in 8 of France’s nuclear reactors

This failure raises even more questions in risk facilities, such as the plant of Areva LaHague whose pools contain the equivalent of 130 cores of nuclear power plants …

Severe abnormalities detected on fuel pools of eight French reactors http://energie-climat.greenpeace.fr/graves-anomalies-detectees-sur-les-piscines-de-combustibles-de-8-reacteurs-francais   Greenpeace France 29 June 12 Network “power without atoms” received and analyzed internal documents released today to EDF and IRSN  who report anomalies on fuel pools of nuclear reactors Paluel, Flamanville and St. Alban. Abnormalities that could have serious consequences in case of earthquake. Continue reading →

June 30, 2012 Posted by | France, safety | Leave a comment

France’s nuclear company EDF must meet deadline and spend $12 billion on safety measures

EDF Gets Six Years to Carry Out $12 Billion Safety Measures, Bloomberg News By Tara Patel on June 28, 2012   Electricite de France SA, operator of the country’s 58 nuclear reactors, has six years to complete about 10 billion euros ($12 billion) of measures to boost safety after Japan’s Fukushima disaster, the regulator said.

Autorite de Surete Nucleaire today published deadlines for employing equipment such as diesel generators, bunkered control rooms, and guards against flooding.

An estimate by state-owned EDF that the measures will cost about 10 billion euros “is not improbable,” Andre-Claude Lacoste, head of the watchdog, told reporters today.,,,, EDF was told today to install “core” safety equipment and procedures at every plant to cope with extreme situations. Emergency diesel generators for backup power have to be deployed between 2016 and the end of 2018 and rapid response teams with specialized equipment by the end of 2014. EDF also has to have bunker-like control rooms….. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-06-28/edf-gets-six-years-to-carry-out-12-billion-of-safety-measures

June 29, 2012 Posted by | France, safety | Leave a comment

French company GDF Suez moving away from nuclear industry

Ambitions to own and operate new nuclear plants by 2020 and play a role in countries like Brazil and the United States have so far come to nothing. Challenges on GDF Suez’s two home fronts, France and Belgium, are making it even harder.

GDF Suez’s nuclear business seen moving backstage by Caroline Jacobs and Benjamin Mallet PARIS, June 26 (Reuters) – GDF Suez is expected to significantly trim its 47-year old nuclear business now that its only showroom, Belgium, is gradually wrapping up its reliance on the energy form and with nuclear prospects in the French utility’s home market dimming. Continue reading →

June 29, 2012 Posted by | business and costs, France | Leave a comment

France’s 3 nuclear agencies must present safety plans by June 30

French Nuclear Safety Body Imposes Security Works On Industry Fox News By Hugo Passarello June 28, 2012 Nuclear energy industry players in France will have to carry out “considerable” work to strengthen security at nuclear facilities, including sizeable investments in human resources and technical skills, said a report by France’s independent nuclearsafety regulator Thursday.
In a statement, the Autorite de Surete Nucleaire, or ASN, announced 32 decisions, including measures relating to Electricite de France’s SA (EDF.FR) nuclear power stations, French nuclear engineering company Areva’s SA (AREVA.FR) installations, and reactors of the French atomic agency, known as the CEA.
As part of the measures, all nuclear sites will have to have “hard-core” compounds which provide robust premises to be used in event of an serious incident.
The three nuclear players are required to present on June 30 the details of materials needed and deadlines for the compounds, said the ASN.
http://www.foxbusiness.com/news/2012/06/28/french-nuclear-safety-body-imposes-security-works-on-industry/#ixzz1zDlPR48Q

June 29, 2012 Posted by | France, safety | Leave a comment

AREVA nuclear power company is in trouble

This renaissance is just a fairy tale, THE HINDU, 15 June 12, “…….In India, In Kalpakkam, , the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor was slotted to contribute to the grid in March 2012. In 2005, Baldev Raj, Director of the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, boasted that the 500 MW unit will be completed in 2010, 18 months before schedule.

Till date, there is no sign of this happening. The Kudankulam plant, which is now 23 years old since conception, lost only eight months due to protestors. In Jaitapur too, the government has more to worry about than local protestors.

Areva, the technology supplier, is in trouble. Last year, it announced losses of €1.6 billion, and the sacking of 1,200 workers in Germany. Last June, it decided to suspend production at a Virginia reactor component plant due to declining market prospects. Its expansion plans in France, the United Kingdom, and the U.S. may never materialise. Areva expected to sell 50 nuclear reactors this decade. It has not received a single order since 2007.

Now, with a socialist president at the helm in France, Areva’s future looks even more uncertain. French President François Hollande had promised voters a reduction in nuclear dependence from 75 to 50 per cent, and shutdown of an aging reactor in Fessenheim. Whether or not he carries through with these promises, it appears certain that no new
plants will be built or planned during his term.

Both conservative-led Germany and socialist France will make up the shortfall from the
nuclear phase-out, by investing in renewables for electricity and new jobs. In replacing nuclear with renewables, these nations are declaring that despite its carbon dividend, nuclear is too risky — financially, politically and environmentally — to pursue.
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/article3528968.ece

June 18, 2012 Posted by | business and costs, France, Reference | Leave a comment

Nuclear companies compete desperately for sales, prices offered below costs!

French Nuclear Watchdog Says Orders Won At Too-Low Prices Bloomberg, By Francois de Beaupuy – Jun 6, 2012  Nuclear-reactor makers are offering prices too low to cover costs to win orders abroad in a strategy that puts earnings at risk, the head of the industry’s watchdog in France said. “Export contracts for nuclear plants are being obtained at pure dumping-level prices,” Andre-Claude Lacoste, head of the Autorite de Surete Nucleaire regulator, said today at a conference organized by L’Usine Nouvelle magazine in Paris.

“Prices accepted by vendors and obtained by buyers are unsustainable,” Lacoste said. “There aren’t many tenders, which is why competitors are ripping each other off. It’s already a serious matter, and we need to make sure that there’s no dumping on safety on top of that.”
Areva SA (AREVA), the world’s largest provider of nuclear equipment and services, has booked more than 2.8 billion euros ($3.5 billion) of costs since 2005 because of delays and cost overruns at an atomic plant it’s building in Finland. The Paris-based company and General Electric Co. (GE) were beaten in 2009 on a four- reactor order in the United Arab Emirates by Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEP) in the Seoul-based company’s first export contract……. Areva is preparing
bids or in talks to sell reactors in countries including China, India, the U.K., the Czech Republic and Poland. In Finland, Areva faces GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (7011) and Toshiba Corp. (6502) in a tender next year.  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-06-06/french-nuclear-watchdog-says-orders-won-at-too-low-prices.html

June 7, 2012 Posted by | business and costs, France | Leave a comment

France’s nuclear dilemma – costs of shutting aged reactors

Nuclear Europe: a dream unwinding, China Dialogue, Steve Thomas June 06, 2012“…… the real challenge – regardless of whether Hollande or Sarkozy had won the election – was always going to be what to do about France’s existing plants when they reach the end of their lives. Under present plans, these ageing reactors will be retired at a rate of five to six per year from 2017 onwards. The cheaper option for the country’s power giant EDF would be to do as the Americans and extend the plants’ lifespans from 40 to 60 years, though thanks to post-Fukushima regulatory requirements that existing plants be made more robust for “extreme situations” this is not such a cheap option as it once was.

Such a move would also likely sound the death knell for Areva’s problematic European Pressurised Reactor (EPR), the design causing huge delays and cost overruns at Olkiluoto in Finland and Flamanville in France. Both projects are running four years or more late and about 100% over budget. Without new French orders from Areva – a French company – the design would lose all credibility.

On the other hand, if France takes the route of replacing old reactors with EPRs, assuming problems around cost, licensing and construction can be solved, and the EPR remains a viable option, then the cost to EDF of replacing old capacity would be astronomical – far higher than first time around. It is doubtful that France could sustain the logistical and financial challenge of ordering and building four or five EPRs a year for a decade. It would also have to start paying huge sums for decommissioning existing reactors. That leaves France facing some tough choices…. http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/4956

June 7, 2012 Posted by | business and costs, decommission reactor, France | Leave a comment

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