Problems in France’s plan for 100,000 years of nuclear waste storage
“No geologist can guarantee that there will never be water infiltration in the places intended for storage,”
Europeans Pursue Labyrinths of Nuclear Waste, NYTimes.com, By SUE LANDAU, June 2, 2011 BURE, FRANCE —”…….Gérald Ouzounian, the international director at Andra, said that research had found that this hard clay had a water content of just 15 percent, and that water remained in the clay rather than moving through it. This is critical for the repository, because it must prevent radioactivity seeping out into groundwater and contaminating soil, plants, animals, and ultimately, human beings. Continue reading
France’s nuclear wastes must be secured for over 100,000 years
The repositories are supposed to remain hermetically sealed for at least 100,000 years — roughly the length of time human beings have existed on Earth
Europeans Pursue Labyrinths of Nuclear Waste, NYTimes.com, By SUE LANDAU : June 2, 2011 BURE, FRANCE — Reached by narrow roads that meander through picturesque villages, a high-tech laboratory sits in a corner of France so remote that until construction started on it a decade ago, the local inn was not connected to the electricity grid.
Beneath a plateau surrounded by fields of colza and wheat, the underground laboratory, located near the village of Bure, in the eastern French region of Lorraine, is run by the Agence Nationale pour la Gestion des Déchets Radioactifs, or Andra, the national authority charged with the safe disposal of nuclear waste. Continue reading
AREVA neglecting France’s old radioactive uranium mining sites
Today, the site is the responsibility of Areva, a majority state-owned French multinational that builds nuclear power stations and manages uranium mines around the world……
France’s respected Independent Research and Information Commission on Radioactivity (CRIIRAD). is similarly critical of the situation. “These exposures are totally unjustified and levels should be reduced by properly redeveloping the site and removing radioactive material,”
Radiation fears surround France’s old uranium mines, Google News, By Simon Coss (AFP) 27 May 11, ROSGLAS, France — It looks like any other another leafy woodland path in Brittany, but campaigners say ramblers on this particular trail may face levels of radiation at least 10 times higher than normal. Continue reading
Global nuclear industry slowdown, as investment in renewables grows
The deepening nuclear debate over nuclear energy in France, meanwhile, may have global implications…….Even France’s allegiance to nuclear appears to be loosening…..several candidates vying to take on Nicolas Sarkozy in the presidential election next year have called for France to begin shifting from nuclear to renewable energy.China and the U.S. are also showing signs of strain over the issue…..In the U.S., nuclear investment plans are wavering
A Worldwide Nuclear Slowdown Continues – Technology Review, May 18, 2011, By Peter Fairley“……….The German government has already identified renewable energy as the future, setting plans to boost renewable generation to 50 percent of electrical consumption by 2030 (from 17 percent last year) and to 80 percent by 2050.
….Germany’s accelerated nuclear phase-out may also threaten plans in Eastern Europe by undermining support for subsidies. Continue reading
Greenpeace now blocking construction of dangerous Flamanville nuclear reactor
The EPR design in particular has a number of safety risks similar to Fukushima, as the French nuclear safety authority ASN pointed out a few weeks ago.
Greenpeace Blocks Construction at France’s Flamanville Nuclear Reactor, Greenpeace by Justin – May 4, 2011 , At dawn on Monday this week, Greenpeace activists began blocking the construction of the European Pressurized Reactor (EPR) under construction at Flamanville, France. Two trucks were anchored to the ground, blockading the entrance carrying activists. More activists scaled four cranes, attempting to impede further construction work at the site. Continue reading
World must “embrace nuclear power” says AREVA
“Nuclear is the cheapest” power source, Besnainou said
Areva Executive Praises Nuclear Power, Urges Loan Guarantees – WSJ.comBy Yuliya Chernova Of DOW JONES VENTUREWIRE NEW YORK 4 April 11, –-Jacques Besnainou, chief executive of the U.S. arm of nuclear giant Areva SA (CEI.FR, ARVCY), said that the world must embrace nuclear power and advocated the continuation of U.S. federal loan guarantees for new nuclear power plants. Continue reading
France’s nuclear plant owners not liable for accident costs
Whereas nuclear power plants are liable under German regulations for damages of up to 2.5 billion euros, for example, those in France can be found only liable for just 91.5 million.
“It is unfair that a nuclear power plant only needs to insure itself against a fraction of its risks.” Green European MP Claude Turmes told the business magazine.
Pressure rising on Europe’s nuclear plant owners Reuters Apr 3, 2011 “….. FATAL EXPANSION Separately, WirtschaftsWoche reported Oettinger plans to talk to nuclear power plant operators and insurers in Brussels on Tuesday about harmonising liabilities across the EU, seen as an implicit subsidy for operators in certain countries. Continue reading
Nuclear power now losing its glow in France
France has quietly begun reassessing the risks of nuclear power…… “Climate change is changing the situation,” he said, “Extreme events that so far happened every thousand years along the coast now happen every hundred years.”…..
France Gives Its Nuclear Power Industry a 2nd Look NYTimes.com By KATRIN BENNHOLD and DAVID JOLLY March 31, 2011 PARIS — The Fukushima nuclear crisis has prompted anti-nuclear marches across the world, persuaded the Chinese authorities to delay the construction of new reactors and helped the German government lose an important state election. Continue reading
France wants to keep NATO’s tactical nuclear weapons in Europe
France is biggest obstacle to ridding Europe of tactical nuclear weapons – report |guardian.co.uk, Julian Borger, 30 march 11, IKV Pax Christi, a Dutch nuclear abolitionist group, is putting out a report today on its findings from talking to Nato member states about what they think about the estimated 180 remaining US tactical nuclear weapons on European soil.
The key findings of the report show that there is sufficient political will within NATO to end the deployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons in Europe. Fourteen, or half of all NATO member states actively support the end of TNW deployment while ten other countries say they would not block a consensus decision to removed the weapons. Only three NATO members (France, Hungary and Lithuania) say they oppose an end to the TNW deployment, and only France has is willing to invest political capital to keep the weapons on the territory of Belgium, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands and Turkey…..
Anxiety in France about its nuclear reactors
French atomic security unready for repeat disasters: agency Expatica France, 30 march 11, French nuclear security has not yet taken into account the kind of accumulation of natural catastrophes that led to Japan’s atomic disaster, the head of the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) said Wednesday.”How do we deal with an accumulation of assaults? This is something that we have not yet taken into account,” ASN head Andre-Claude Lacoste said when asked about lessons to be learnt from the unfolding nuclear accident at Fukushima……
“We cannot live on quiet certainties, in fact who can after what’s just happened?” he said, adding that the ASN’s position remained that “no one can ever say that there will never be a nuclear accident in France.”
The French government last week told the ASN to carry out a security audit at France’s 58 active atomic reactors. France is proportionally the world’s largest user of nuclear power…..French atomic security unready for repeat disasters: agency < French news | Expatica France
South Africa gives desperate France a chance to save its nuclear business
“South Africa is an indispensable lifeline,” Yves Marignac, a French energy consultant who campaigns for renewable solutions, told FRANCE 24. “It seems to be the only country seriously willing to put out a tender [for the construction of nuclear reactors] next year, so the only one that can salvage the little credibility that France as an exporter still has.”
France creeps closer to South Africa’s nuclear jackpot, France24 by Sophie PILGRIM 3 March 11, Long-time energy partners France and South Africa signed a series of bilateral agreements Wednesday on President Jacob Zuma’s final day of his state visit to Paris. The deals, which involve energy giants Areva and EDF, come just before South Africa is set to expand its nuclear programme. Continue reading
France’s Sarkozy aggressively marketing nuclear power
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been especially aggressive in leveraging the French lead in civilian nuclear technology to try to secure diplomatic, commercial and military advantages in the Middle East, in addition to parts of Africa and Asia.
Nuclear Babies and Bathwater , The Diplomat, by Manpreeth Sethi, 3 March 2011, “……..It’s no secret that with the current global nuclear renaissance, France hopes to seize a significant share of the world nuclear market—including from major Asian nuclear energy rivals such as South Korea Continue reading
France’s plan for nuclear reactors out of sight, undersea
Anti-nuclear groups such as “Sortir du Nucleaire” (“Phasing Out of the Nuclear Age”) have described the project as “absurd”.
“Radioactivity would spread even more quickly in the water than in the air, with even fewer means to control leaks,” said Sortir du Nucleaire coordinator Anne-Laure Meladeck in Lyon……
French scientists eye underwater nuclear plants By Marie Maitre PARIS, March 2 (Reuters) – French scientists are looking at the possibility of submerging small nuclear power plants deep underwater to supply low-cost energy to isolated countries or islands that cannot afford a major inland atomic plant. Continue reading
France devising new nuclear marketing system
The new plan calls for France to create partnerships with China, accelerate the development of the 1100MW medium-sized Atmea-1 reactor, which is currently being developed by Areva in partnership with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The council is seeking participation from EDF and GDF Suez in this project.
France launches new nuclear strategy Industrial Fuels and Power, February 23rd, 2011 The French Nuclear Policy Council has drawn up a new strategy to boost the industry’s competitiveness on the international stage. Continue reading
French wheeling and dealing to save nuclear export industry
The government also envisages the construction of a new type of reactor in France and will force state-controlled nuclear engineering firm Areva SA (CEI.FR, ARVCY) to confine its uranium-mining operations in a separate legal unit…….the French government, which owns more than 93% of Areva, has been looking to raise the cash needed to realize the company’s investment needs………….
French Government Reaffirms EDF’s Lead Role In Nuclear Energy, FoxBusiness.com, By Angeline Benoit and Geraldine AmielFebruary 21, 2011| Dow Jones Newswires – The French government issued Monday new guidelines for the country’s nuclear-energy industry, reaffirming the leading role of state-controlled Electricite de France SA (EDF.FR) in the sector after a French consortium failed to win a key overseas contract in 2009. Continue reading
1 This Month
Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes – A good documentary on Chernobyl on SBS available On Demand for the next 3 weeks– https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/tv-program/chernobyl-the-lost-tapes/2352741955560
of the week–London Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Tell the Ukrainian Government to Drop Prosecution of Peace Activist Yurii Sheliazhenko
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity – go to https://nuclearinformation.wordpress.com
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