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Gwynedd anti-nuclear march ‘sent powerful message’.

By Alex Bowen , Tuesday 15th August 2023  https://www.cambrian-news.co.uk/news/gwynedd-anti-nuclear-march-sent-powerful-message-organiser-says-632417

A 70 km long anti-nuclear march ‘sent a powerful message’ according to its organiser.

The march from Trawsfynydd to the Eisteddfod in Boduan, Pwllheli, was organised by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament Cymru, with support from anti-nuclear groups CADNO, People Against Wylfa B (PAWB), Nuclear Free Local Authorities (NFLA).

Dylan Lewis-Rowlands, National Secretary of CND Cymru, said: “Communities and people all across Gwynedd showed their support as we discussed the issue of nuclear power with them – it’s link to military nuclear development, the billions in investment and years in time it has diverted from renewable and community owned energy generation and storage, and the implications nuclear development here in wales will have on the rest of the world.”

Sam Bannon, march organiser, added: “We sent a powerful message. As we marched through the Eisteddfod, people came out of their tent stalls to applaud. The strength of feeling was clear – and this is a strong message to decision makers.”

Dylan Lewis-Rowlands, National Secretary of CND Cymru, said: “Communities and people all across Gwynedd showed their support as we discussed the issue of nuclear power with them – it’s link to military nuclear development, the billions in investment and years in time it has diverted from renewable and community owned energy generation and storage, and the implications nuclear development here in wales will have on the rest of the world.”

Sam Bannon, march organiser, added: “We sent a powerful message. As we marched through the Eisteddfod, people came out of their tent stalls to applaud. The strength of feeling was clear – and this is a strong message to decision makers.”

Dylan Lewis-Rowlands, National Secretary of CND Cymru, said: “Communities and people all across Gwynedd showed their support as we discussed the issue of nuclear power with them – it’s link to military nuclear development, the billions in investment and years in time it has diverted from renewable and community owned energy generation and storage, and the implications nuclear development here in wales will have on the rest of the world.”

Sam Bannon, march organiser, added: “We sent a powerful message. As we marched through the Eisteddfod, people came out of their tent stalls to applaud. The strength of feeling was clear – and this is a strong message to decision makers.”

Dylan Lewis-Rowlands, National Secretary of CND Cymru, said: “Communities and people all across Gwynedd showed their support as we discussed the issue of nuclear power with them – it’s link to military nuclear development, the billions in investment and years in time it has diverted from renewable and community owned energy generation and storage, and the implications nuclear development here in wales will have on the rest of the world.”

Sam Bannon, march organiser, added: “We sent a powerful message. As we marched through the Eisteddfod, people came out of their tent stalls to applaud. The strength of feeling was clear – and this is a strong message to decision makers.”

“These events are crucial because they raise awareness and force those of us to think afresh on the issues at hand, and ask these difficult questions. For the last 10-15 years we’ve been sold this idea that nuclear is a fantastic element and the industry will create well paid jobs, save the environment, and all sorts of arguments which say it will help, but none of them stand up under scrutiny. These events give us the chance to push back against that whitewashing.

“There’s not enough being done to protect Wales from nuclear energy, our own government is promoting it and they’re trying to attract new nuclear into North West Wales. They’re selling nuclear energy as an ideal scenario for us which will solve all of our problems, without telling us the whole truth behind it.”

August 17, 2023 Posted by | opposition to nuclear, UK | Leave a comment

The Inevitable Defeat: Retired US Colonel Speaks Candidly On Ukraine’s Losing Battle Against Russia

Retired US Army Colonel Lawrence B. Wilkerson provides a sobering analysis of Ukraine’s conflict with Russia, highlighting the inevitability of defeat, the tragedy of misguided support, and the profiteering motives behind the scenes

By Kiranpreet Kaur, 12 August 2023,  https://www.easternherald.com/2023/08/12/retired-us-colonel-wilkerson-on-ukraine-russia-conflict

Washington, D.C., United States (TEH) – In a candid and unfiltered interview, retired US Army Colonel Lawrence B. Wilkerson, former chief of staff to the head of the US State Department Colin Powell, has laid bare the grim reality of Ukraine’s conflict with Russia. The authoritative American, who also serves as a freelance researcher at the Quincy Institute, did not mince words in his assessment of the situation.

“It was a disaster from the start. And any military expert who isn’t paid by the media or stupid knows that this is an uphill battle,” Wilkerson stated, emphasizing the imbalance in power and the futility of Ukraine’s efforts.

A Losing Proposition

Wilkerson’s insights provide a sobering perspective on the conflict, highlighting the vast disparity between the military capabilities of Russia and Ukraine. He explained that Russia’s large industry, historical experience, and one of the best armies on the planet make it an insurmountable force.

“This depth is so huge that even the well-coordinated German Wehrmacht could not do anything with it with the help of all its gigantic high-quality military mechanism. Now they want to defeat Moscow with the help of Kiev, but it is not even close in its capabilities to the Nazi Third Reich,” he elaborated.

The Tragedy of Support

The retired Colonel also pointed out the tragic irony of Western support for Ukraine, knowing that defeat is inevitable. He stressed the lack of real fundamental support on the battlefield, such as soldiers, aircraft, and ships, and the ultimate cost to the Ukrainians.

“They will lose, and this, in my opinion, is the whole tragedy. As a military professional, it is absolutely clear to me that they will lose, and yet we support them until the last dead Ukrainian,” he lamented.

Profiteering from Conflict

Wilkerson did not shy away from highlighting the financial motivations behind the conflict. He named defense corporations like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon as beneficiaries, profiting from the ongoing strife.

“There are other people who make money from this in other ways. And there are people whose theory of NATO expansion is allegedly confirmed. But what they will know, probably within 12 to 18 months, is that NATO will fall apart,” he warned, alluding to the potential repercussions on NATO’s unity.

A Sobering Reality

Wilkerson’s interview is a stark reminder of the complexities and harsh realities of international conflicts. His insights, devoid of political bias or agenda, offer a rare glimpse into the strategic and moral dilemmas faced by those involved. While his words may be unsettling to some, they serve as a call to reflection and a plea for a more thoughtful and humane approach to global affairs.

August 16, 2023 Posted by | Ukraine, weapons and war | 1 Comment

Power-Line Cut Raises Alarm Over Russian-Held Nuclear Plant In Ukraine, But Expert Says Little Has Changed

Todd Prince, Radio Free Europe, 14 Aug 23,

The fate of the massive nuclear power plant in the crosshairs of Europe’s largest war in decades has made for worrisome headlines since Russia launched its large-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly 18 months ago. As fighting intensifies not far from the plant, fears of a disaster have not abated.

On August 10, the main power line delivering electricity to the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant was disconnected twice, forcing it to rely on its last remaining off-site power line.

The main line was reconnected by evening. In the meantime, though, Ukraine’s energy minister raised the prospect of a meltdown.

Is Russia’s invasion of Ukraine about to cause a nuclear catastrophe?

Steven Nesbit, a nuclear power industry veteran who was president of the American Nuclear Society in 2021-22, told RFE/RL that the Zaporizhzhya plant has been in a precarious position since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. But the failure of the off-site power line did not make his assessment of the situation any more dire than it had been.

“I don’t see anything really new right now that should have people extremely concerned relative to the already undesirable situation,” he said, adding that the plant’s offsite power sources have been interrupted before due to the war.

“I would not be surprised if it happens again, but simply losing one of the off-site power sources for a period of time is not a reason for undue concern,” said Nesbit, who now runs his own nuclear consulting company…………………………………………………………

Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said the plant was “one step away from a blackout — that is, the complete loss of external power,” and that this could lead to a “major catastrophe.”

Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant

The Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant is the largest in Europe and, before the war, supplied about 20% of Ukraine’s total electricity.

The plant would resort to diesel generators if all external power was lost, but if the generators were damaged by a Russian attack, he said, “the cooling of the plant would stop and the irreversible process of heating and melting of nuclear fuel” would begin.

“I think that’s a little alarmist,” Nesbit said in a phone interview on August 11.

The same day, Enerhoatom said on Telegram that the main power line had been reconnected the previous evening after being knocked out by Russian fire.

The diesel generators are well protected and have enough fuel to provide power to keep the cooling system going for an extended period of time while external sources are being restored, Nesbit said.

“The six units can share power among them. It’s a flexible and safe system,” he said.

The Zaporizhzhya plant has lost all external power at least twice in the past year.

…………………………………..The plant and the surrounding area are controlled by Russia, but it is being run by its Ukrainian engineers. In September 2022, Ukraine shut the station down to minimize risk of a catastrophe.

Five of the six reactors are in what is known as cold shutdown mode while one unit is being maintained at an elevated temperature — hot shutdown mode — to provide auxiliary steam and heating, the American Nuclear Society, which is monitoring information about the plant, said in July.

As a result, the level of heat production has been low and on-site equipment can provide enough of the water needed for cooling, the society, an international organization of engineers and scientists, said in a statement.

It called the threat of a large-scale release of radioactive material “speculative” but said that assessment does “not constitute an ‘all clear’ for safety risks at the plant site.”

Nesbit said it is of crucial importance that the reactors at the Zaporizhzhya plant have not been generating power for months, allowing the heating level associated with the reactor fuel to fall. The shutdown cuts by many orders of magnitude the amount of radioactivity that could potentially be released in the event of a major incident involving the reactors.

Still, tension is high.

The plant is located in the Zaporizhzhya region in southeastern Ukraine, where fighting is intense amid a counteroffensive that Kyiv launched in early June, seeking to push Russian forces back from territory they have taken and eventually expel them from the country altogether.

Zaporizhzhya is one of four regions of Ukraine that Moscow claimed last year had become part of Russia but does not hold in their entirety. The plant stands on the south bank of a wide stretch of the Dnieper River that was largely drained by the breach of the Kakhovka dam downstream, while Ukraine controls the north bank.

Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of planning to sabotage the plant, warning of the possibility of a nuclear disaster that could threaten millions of people and poison the environment………………………………………………. more https://www.rferl.org/a/power-cut-ukraine-nuclear-plant-expert-opinion/32547684.html

August 16, 2023 Posted by | safety, Ukraine | Leave a comment

Risks of further delays at Hinkley Point C, EDF warns

EDF has admitted there is a risk of further delays to two nuclear reactors
at Hinkley Point C due to construction setbacks. The French energy giants
behind the new nuclear power station along the Somerset coast remarked last
year that the plants may start 15 months late. In an earnings presentation
in late July, EDF said the increased risk of a 15-month delay is due to
“performances on civil works and challenges on mechanical, electrical,
heating, ventilation and air conditioning” and “progress is below the
planned trajectory and action plans have been set”.

EDF has targeted June
2027 as the first operation of Unit 1, also known as Hinkley Point C, and
has already factored in construction delays and other factors. Originally
scheduled to be generating energy in 2025, Hinkley Point C has faced
several delays due to reduced workforce and workflow challenges caused by
the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as increasing costs.

 Somerset Live 14th Aug 2023

https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/risks-further-delays-hinkley-point-8663204

August 16, 2023 Posted by | politics, UK | Leave a comment

US, Finland Negotiating Defense Agreement That Would See Deployment of American Troops

August 14, 2023  https://wordpress.com/post/nuclear-news.net/240861

Washington and Helsinki are in the process of establishing a new defense cooperation agreement that would see expended deployments of American soldiers and Finland hosting war games.

By Kyle Anzalone / Antiwar.com

Washington and Helsinki are working on a new deal to govern the military relationship between the two nations. Finland recently became the thirty-first member of NATO, doubling the alliance’s border with Russia.

According to YLE News, Finnish state media, Helsinki and Washington are negotiating a new Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA).  YLE said the new deal would be a “significant departure from its previous” DCA with the US.

Finland held a prolonged policy of official neutrality prior to joining NATO earlier this year. However, Helsinki established deep ties with the bloc over recent decades. The new DCA will expand America’s military presence to several Finnish bases, including ports and airports.

The outlet reports the new DCA will “permit the presence of foreign troops for extended periods, specifically for conventional military exercises…[and] grant US military personnel access to facilities and areas within Finland for training, weapons storage, and equipment maintenance.”

The war games and NATO soldiers will be viewed as a provocation by Russia, which shares an 800 miles border with Finland. Helsinki already hosts NATO troops for military drills near the Russian border.

When Helsinki announced its intention to join the North Atlantic bloc last year, the Kremlin warned about additional international troop deployments in Finland. Last week, Moscow announced it would deploy additional military assets to its border with NATO members.

Finnish negotiations have expressed some reservations about expanding the DCA with the US. YLE explains, “noting that the agreement excludes nuclear weapons,” and Helsinki wants all integration troops deployments to be labeled as temporary.

August 16, 2023 Posted by | Finland, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Amid ‘staggering’ Ukrainian toll and souring US polls, Biden seeks billions more for war

the Zelensky government does appear to be a willing partner in McConnell’s sacrifice ritual. Ukrainian defence minister Oleksiy Reznikov is said to have told US officials that flooding Ukraine with weapons allows NATO allies to “actually see if their weapons work, how efficiently they work and if they need to be upgraded. For the military industry of the world, you can’t invent a better testing ground.”

As Ukraine faces “staggering” losses and US public mood shifts, the Biden administration seeks billions more to prolong the war.

Aaron Maté, AUG 15, 2023,  https://mate.substack.com/p/unlocked-amid-staggering-ukrainian?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=100118&post_id=135995766&isFreemail=true&utm_medium=email—

The Biden administration is asking Congress for an additional $24 billion for the Ukraine proxy war, more than half of it in military aid. The request comes one week after a CNN poll showed, for the first time, that a majority of Americans oppose additional funding to Kiev.

For a White House committed to ensuring a Russian “quagmire” in Ukraine, public opinion is of secondary importance. Two months into a widely hyped yet now faltering Ukrainian counteroffensive, a fresh influx of NATO weaponry appears necessary to prolong the war. In one of several gloomy assessments to appear in US establishment media, a senior western diplomat tells CNN that the prospect that Ukrainian forces can “make progress that would change the balance of this conflict” is “extremely, highly unlikely.” Ukraine’s “primary challenge” is breaking through Russia’s heavily fortified defensive lines, where “Ukrainian forces have incurred staggering losses.” According to Democratic Rep. Mike Quigley, US military assessments of the war are “sobering,” with Ukraine now facing “the most difficult time of the war.”

This picture, CNN’s Jim Sciutto observes, represents “a marked change from the optimism at the start of the counteroffensive,” with Western officials now acknowledging that “those expectations were ‘unrealistic.’” The battlefield reality is so dire that it is even “now contributing to pressure on Ukraine from some in the West to begin peace negotiations, including considering the possibility of territorial concessions.”

But as Biden’s new spending request suggests, there is no sign that the US is among those Western states applying pressure for peace. After all, the stated US aim, as top officials have made clear, is not to defend Ukraine and its long-term future but to instead “weaken” Russia (Lloyd Austin) and ensure “a strategic failure for Putin,” so that Russian can “pay a longer-term price in terms of the elements of its national power.” (Jake Sullivan)

Whereas CNN’s Western sources now allow themselves to admit that their publicly voiced “optimism at the start of the counteroffensive,” was “unrealistic”, it was in fact, dishonest. As Pentagon leaks and subsequent disclosures have confirmed, US officials were well aware that Ukraine was not prepared to take on Russia’s heavily fortified defenses, but kept that assessment under wraps. Accordingly, while Ukraine’s battlefield losses are indeed “staggering”, what is perhaps most “sobering” is the fact that the Biden administration both anticipated and encouraged them.

But just like souring US public opinion, Ukrainian casualties are also a secondary concern, as the Biden administration’s more candid neoconservative proxy war partners continue to make clear.

To push through the new spending package , the White House is “counting on help from Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican minority leader,” the New York Times reports. At a public event, McConnell detailed his rationale: The US, he explained, hasn’t “lost a single American in this war,” – not accurate if one counts mercenaries and private citizens, but correct in its implicit recognition that Ukraine has lost tens of thousands of lives on its American sponsors’ behalf. According to McConnell, there are additional benefits of the war that do not extend to ordinary Ukrainians: “Most of the money that we spend related to Ukraine is actually spent in the US, replenishing weapons, more modern weapons. So it’s actually employing people here and improving our own military for what may lie ahead.”

Therefore, according to prevailing Biden-McConnell policy, the US must continue to fund a war that will sacrifice many more Ukrainian lives, all so that domestic war profiteers can reap taxpayer largesse for “replenishing weapons”, and so that the US – not having its soldiers die in Ukraine – can use the opportunity for “improving our own military” for a war that it might actually fight.

Although US officials have reportedly “expressed frustration” at Ukraine’s efforts to minimize military casualties, the Zelensky government does appear to be a willing partner in McConnell’s sacrifice ritual. Ukrainian defence minister Oleksiy Reznikov is said to have told US officials that flooding Ukraine with weapons allows NATO allies to “actually see if their weapons work, how efficiently they work and if they need to be upgraded. For the military industry of the world, you can’t invent a better testing ground.”

For the benefit of weakening Russia, enriching US military contractors and serving as a NATO “testing ground,” Ukrainian lives are not the only staggering sacrifice. According to the Wall Street Journal, “20,000 and 50,000 Ukrainians who have lost one or more limbs since the start of the war,” a scale unseen for a Western military since the First World War, and a potential undercount “because it takes time to register patients after they undergo” surgery.

According to veteran State Department bureaucrat Aaron David Miller, the Biden administration has no other choice but to continue sacrificing Ukrainians. The US, he explained, “is in an investment trap in Ukraine with no clear way out. Chances of a military breakthrough or a diplomatic solution are slim to none; and slim may have already left town. We’re in deep and lack the ability to do much more than react to events.” The key term here is “investment trap”: having invested in a proxy war aimed at bleeding Russia, the US is therefore obliged to continue it.

But if the US were driven by other concerns – such as Ukrainian well-being – it could consider supporting the diplomatic opportunities that it has blocked to date. Prior to Russia’s invasion, the Biden administration encouraged the Ukrainian government to crack down on political opponents; further integrate its military into NATO; avoid implementing the Minsk accords for ending its post-2014 civil war; and assault the Russian-allied Donbas. When Russia submitted detailed proposals in December 2021 to address its concerns, the White House effectively balked. And after Russia’s invasion, the US blocked a tentative peace deal that would have seen Russia withdrew to its pre-February 2022 lines. More recently, the US has pushed Ukraine into a counteroffensive that it knew had no chance, and rejected a Ukrainian NATO bid that it had long encouraged for the apparent purpose of baiting Moscow.

In short, the Biden administration has provoked this war and is now seeking a new influx of taxpayer money to prolong it. Even the latter goal is now openly admitted. At last month’s NATO summit in Lithuania, the New York Times reported, “several American and European officials acknowledged” that their “commitments” to Ukraine “make it all the more difficult to begin any real cease-fire or armistice negotiations.” Additionally, US-led “promises of Ukraine’s eventual accession to NATO — after the war is over —create a strong incentive for Moscow to hang onto any Ukrainian territory it can and to keep the conflict alive.”

So long as keeping the conflict alive comes predominantly at the cost of Ukrainian lives, then Washington’s bipartisan proxy warriors clearly have no qualms about forcing a war-weary public to foot the bill.

August 15, 2023 Posted by | Ukraine, USA, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Ukraine facing ‘difficult’ autumn – foreign minister

12 Aug 23,  https://www.rt.com/russia/581192-ukraine-kuleba-difficult-autumn/

Kiev’s Western backers will increasingly push the country to negotiate with Russia, Dmitry Kuleba predicts

Ukraine is heading for a “very difficult political season,” with the country likely to be pushed into negotiating with Russia, Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba has said.

He promised to do everything to resist efforts to coerce the country into seeking a diplomatic solution to the ongoing conflict.

“It will be a very difficult political season, I warn everyone. These voices [calling for talks] are getting louder. We will do everything within the framework of international and criminal law to ensure that these voices fade away,” Kuleba said on Saturday, as quoted by Ukrainian media.

Kiev has repeatedly rejected any possibility of negotiating with Russia, with the country’s President Vladimir Zelensky even introducing specific legislation last fall that explicitly banned such a move. On the other hand, Moscow has repeatedly expressed readiness to engage in meaningful negotiations to resolve the conflict, which has continued for a year-and-a-half.

Kuleba’s take on the upcoming autumn was ridiculed by Russian Senator Sergey Tsekov, who represents Crimea in the country’s upper chamber, the Federation Council. He suggested the diplomat and the Ukrainian leadership as a whole were actually worried about Western aid eventually drying up.

“He believes that autumn will be a difficult test for Ukraine due to calls for negotiations, as he and the Kiev elite are held hostage by easy money coming from the West,” Tsekov told Russian media.

The longer the fighting goes on, the more they will earn, the more they demand from the US, the EU. Still, the people of Ukraine will not see most of the funds since the aid will be ransacked,” the senator suggested.

Over the course of the ongoing conflict, the West has poured extensive military and financial aid into Ukraine, with the US alone allocating around $100 billion. Moscow has repeatedly urged Kiev’s Western backers to stop “pumping” Ukraine with weaponry, arguing that this will only prolong the hostilities rather than change their outcome.

August 15, 2023 Posted by | Ukraine, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Is it “Hello” or “Goodbye” to Great British Nuclear Power?

13 August 2023  https://www.banng.info/news/regional-life/hello-or-goodbye-great-british-nuclear/

Andrew Blowers contemplates this question in the BANNG column for Regional Life, August, 2023

The frenzied relaunch of Great British Nuclear (GBN) as the vehicle to produce 24GW of nuclear power (i.e. a quarter of Britain’s electricity) was long on rhetoric and short on commitment. The prospect of low carbon nuclear power sometime in the future – albeit costly, slow, accident-prone and with a legacy of dangerous wastes – seemed a soothing distraction from the present reality of heatwaves, wildfires, warming oceans and rapidly melting ice.

But, nuclear power cannot escape the reality of an insecure and unsafe future with global warming and sea-level rise. In the immediate future, individual nuclear stations will be affected by floods, storms, heatwaves and droughts. Increasing temperatures will affect cooling systems reducing power output as thermal efficiency decreases. In the longer-term, nuclear power may face an existential crisis especially where stations, like Bradwell, are sited on coasts prone to flooding, erosion and storm surges as sea-level rises.

One day this summer my grandson and I built a fortified sandcastle on West Mersea beach. With a willing suspension of disbelief, it can be imagined as a nuclear power station, let’s call it Bradwell B. My grandson is standing on the ‘nuclear island’ which is ringed by a high wall to protect it from the sea.

But, as time goes by, the sea rises (by as much as 3 or 4 metres in the next century) and surges threaten the doomed station, until the walls are breached, the island invaded and power station and highly radioactive wastes are cast into the waters. The station, like our sandcastle, will eventually be no more.

Despite the long-term risks from climate change, developers seem still to be eyeing up the prospects for building at Bradwell. By a process called ‘adaptive management’ they envisage increasing the height of the walls, to the point where the nuclear island becomes, literally, an island. If such an idea sounds crazy, that’s because it is.

In 1953 The Great Tide surged down the East Coast, flooding the Essex coastlands, leaving death and destruction in its wake.

Back then, the floods receded and the land was reclaimed. Under climate change there will be no turning back and the land and all that is upon it will be gone for ever.

Sooner or later, GBN will signify “Good-Bye” Nuclear.

August 15, 2023 Posted by | climate change, UK | Leave a comment

Sweden’s “Energiforsk” should remove misleading reports on nuclear power”.

Do you want an energy policy based on opinions and misleading information
or should we demand an energy policy based on research and facts?

Basing our energy policy on opinions without factual basis is bad, but even worse
is that the research company Energiforsks is currently providing Sweden’s
politicians with incorrect and misleading information about the
possibilities of nuclear power, writes energy consultant Hugo Franzén in a
debate post on SMB.

Some time ago I met a politician who claimed that we
must invest in nuclear power if we want a sustainable energy supply. The
politician was adamant in his conviction and referred to a “research report
from the UN where the authors concluded that nuclear power is an
indispensable tool for achieving the global sustainability goals formulated
in Agenda 2030″.

I work as an energy consultant and know that the UN does
not take such positions and was then curious about the source. I searched
and found the mentioned report on Energiforsk’s website, see further on
this link. On the website, Energiforsk highlights the report and writes,
among other things, “The 155-page long report states that nuclear power is
an indispensable tool for achieving the global sustainability goals
formulated in Agenda 2030″.

I emailed Energiforsk’s CEO, Markus Vråke, and
asked if it was a fact-based conclusion that was presented on the website
and that Energiforsk stood behind. Markus then replied “We do not stand
behind other people’s messages”. Now that Energiforsk’s CEO admits that it
is not a conclusion that can be drawn from the report but rather an
opinion, or a message from the report authors, I suggested that they should
remove the report from the website, or alternatively be clear that the
report is misleading and has no scientific support . Markus Vråke did not
respond to my email but continues to mislead by highlighting the report on
the website as a credible source of knowledge.

Supermiljobloggen 12th Aug 2023

”Energiforsk borde ta bort vilseledande referat om kärnkraft”

August 14, 2023 Posted by | secrets,lies and civil liberties, Sweden | Leave a comment

Scottish ministers test attitudes to building radioactive waste facilities near homes

The Scottish Government said the work was ‘very long-term’ and no decisions had been made regarding locations

Ministers are looking to test public attitudes to radioactive waste management, including potentially building facilities near where people live.

 The Scottish Government has budgeted up to £30,000 to commission a survey of public
opinion, documents published online show. Questions will cover topics such
as trust in the government and the nuclear industry, as well as “attitudes
towards constructing facilities for radioactive waste in proximity to where
people live, if proven to be safe and resulting in significant economic
benefits”.

The move forms part of the Higher Activity Waste Implementation
Strategy, which was published in 2016 and sets out long-term plans for
disposing of such material. The Scottish Government said it was a “very
long-term programme of work” and no decisions had been made regarding
locations.

A tender document says the work “will help improve Scotland’s
environment by informing radioactive waste policy makers about the views of
Scottish citizens, as storage and disposal options are considered as part
of Scottish ministers’ obligations to manage the nuclear legacy clean-up
programme”.

It adds: “The nuclear waste landscape in Scotland remains
complex, with a mixture of civilian and military nuclear waste liabilities
requiring careful management to help protect people and the environment.
The Scottish Government is responsible for developing national radioactive
waste plans to help manage this nuclear legacy and in 2016, published its
Higher Activity Waste (HAW) Implementation Strategy. This strategy included
an illustrative timeline towards construction of a national nuclear waste
repository and a commitment to undertake various research activities such
as carrying out public attitude surveys and developing near-surface
disposal concepts.”

Scotsman 13th Aug 2023

https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/scottish-ministers-test-attitudes-to-building-radioactive-waste-facilities-near-homes-4250246

August 14, 2023 Posted by | politics, UK, wastes | Leave a comment

Poland admits Ukraine’s counteroffensive won’t succeed

12 Aug 23,  https://www.rt.com/russia/581125-duda-counteroffensive-fail-weapons/

Kiev doesn’t have enough weapons to “change the balance of the war,” President Andrzej Duda has said

Polish President Andrzej Duda, one of Kiev’s most ardent foreign backers, has predicted that Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces will likely fail. Duda, echoing President Vladimir Zelensky, also insisted that even more Western weapons are the answer.

“Does Ukraine have enough weapons to change the balance of the war and get the upper hand?” Duda asked the Washington Post in an interview published on Thursday, before answering, “Probably, no.” 

We know this by the fact that they’re not currently able to carry out a very decisive counteroffensive against the Russian military,” he continued. “To make a long story short, they need more assistance.”

Ukraine launched its long-awaited counteroffensive against Russian forces in early June, assaulting multiple points along the frontline from Zaporozhye to Donetsk Regions. However, the Russian military had spent several months preparing a dense and multi-layered network of minefields, trenches, and fortifications, which the Ukrainian side has thus far failed to overcome

Advancing through minefields without air support, Ukraine’s Western-trained and NATO-equipped units have suffered horrendous casualties, losing 43,000 troops and 4,900 pieces of heavy weaponry in just over two months, according to the most recent figures from the Russian Defense Ministry.

Recent media reports suggest that Kiev’s Western backers knew that Ukraine wasn’t ready to go on the offensive, but encouraged the operation nonetheless. Duda was among those cheerleading the counteroffensive, declaring in early June that the operation would lead to “the ousting of Russian military forces from all occupied territories.”

Like Duda, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky now blames his forces’ lack of success on the West, claiming that Ukraine did not receive enough munitions, weaponry, or training to succeed. Zelensky and his senior officials have repeatedly asked the US and its allies for F-16 fighter jets, long-range missiles, and anti-aircraft weaponry, claiming that this equipment will reverse Ukraine’s losing streak on the battlefield.

Moscow has repeatedly urged the West to stop “pumping” weapons into Ukraine, warning that continued military aid will only prolong the conflict and inflict more destruction upon Ukraine, without changing the final outcome.

August 14, 2023 Posted by | EUROPE, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Public participation for the Flamanville EPR reactor commissioning project (INB 167)

ASN ………………………………………… TERMS OF THE CONSULTATION

Consultation reference [2023.06.39]

Public consultation on the Flamanville EPR reactor commissioning application, with the full application file made available, will take place from 5 June to 15 September 2023 on the ASN website.

Any additional relevant information, in particular with regard to the administrative procedure implemented, may be requested from the Nuclear Safety Authority, the competent authority to make the decision, by electronic means at the address info@asn.fr , or at its premises, 15 rue Louis-Lejeune – CS 70013 – 92541 Montrouge Cedex – by appointment on 01 46 16 42 74.

The paper file can be consulted on request and by prior appointment with the Prefecture of La Manche (on 02 33 75 47 39), which coordinates the availability on its premises, in the sub-prefectures, in the France Services area of ​​the town of Les Pieux and in the town hall of Flamanville.

Observations and proposals from the public can be made on the ASN website for the duration of the consultation. As the project is subject to environmental assessment, the opinion of the Environmental Authority, EDF’s brief in response to this opinion and the opinions of the local authorities concerned by the project can also be consulted on the ASN website.

ASN will take into account the observations and proposals of the public within the framework of the current examination of the commissioning application for the installation. In the event that it considers giving a favorable response to this request, it plans to consult the public on its draft decision authorizing the commissioning……………………………………………..  https://www.asn.fr/l-asn-reglemente/consultations-du-public/mise-a-participation-du-public-pour-le-projet-de-mise-en-service-du-reacteur-epr-de-flamanville#documents-a-consulter

August 14, 2023 Posted by | France, politics | Leave a comment

Plush new building for UK’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA)

A government agency is moving into a plush 53,000 sq ft building at the
Harwell Science Campus. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) will
have a new office space after Vale of White Horse District Council granted
permission for the building in June. It will be occupied by the NDA but has
been designed to provide flexibility. In addition to workspaces, the
planning consent also includes breakout areas inside and outside of the
building for staff and visitors, enhanced landscaping and tree planting, as
well as car and cycle parking on site.

Oxford Mail 11th Aug 2023

https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/23714472.new-office-space-occupied-harwell-science-campus/

August 14, 2023 Posted by | decommission reactor, UK | Leave a comment

Zelensky Fires All Military Enlistment Office Chiefs Over Corruption Allegations

DAILY WIRE, By  Zach Jewell, Aug 12, 2023

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Friday that he will dismiss every single head of the country’s regional military enlistment offices over allegations of abuse of power, fraud, and corruption. 

In a statement released by Zelensky’s office, the president said that a recent inspection of “military commissars” revealed that some of the military officials illegally obtained cash or cryptocurrency while others illegally transported people eligible for military service across the border. The inspection began in June after journalists uncovered that the former head of the Odesa Oblast military enlistment office purchased property in Spain worth $4.5 million, according to the Kyiv Independent. ………………….

In all, 112 criminal cases have been opened following the inspection of enlistment offices and 33 people have been charged. …………………….

The Ukrainian president said he will replace the fired commissars with officers who have experience on the battlefield. The replacements will be reviewed by the country’s Security Service. 

Earlier this year, Zelensky fired one of his top generals and numerous top officials were fired or resigned after they were hit with allegations of corruption. Many of the officials who were fired or resigned were accused of leaving the country and living lavish lifestyles while their country fought the Russian invaders.

Zelensky’s firing of the enlistment office chiefs comes as President Joe Biden asked Congress to approve more than $24 billion in aid to Ukraine as part of a $40 billion package. In the package, Biden asked for $20 billion more to go to Ukraine than he requested be used to address the ongoing border crisis, POLITICO reported. 

The U.S., which is by far the largest supporter of Ukraine’s war effort, has failed to track its shipments of weapons and military equipment to the European country, according to a report last month from the inspector general for the Department of Defense. After describing the inability of the U.S. to track all of the weapons it had sent to Ukraine, the report listed several examples of groups in the country obtaining military equipment for nefarious purposes, though the origin of the equipment remained unclear as the report was heavily redacted.

Americans are becoming increasingly wary of U.S. involvement in the Ukraine-Russia war with a majority of voters now saying they oppose more funding for Ukraine, according to a recent CNN poll. Biden, however, has repeatedly said that the U.S. will support Ukraine for “as long as it takes.”

August 13, 2023 Posted by | secrets,lies and civil liberties, Ukraine | Leave a comment

Ukraine: Zaporizhzhya nuclear plant initiates reactor shutdown following water leak, reports IAEA

UN News, 10 August 2023

The Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine has begun transitioning one of its reactor units from a hot shutdown to a cold shutdown after a water leak was detected in one of its steam generators, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Thursday.

The purpose of placing reactor unit 4 in cold shutdown is to investigate the exact cause of the leak and carry out necessary maintenance to repair the affected steam generator, according to a statement by Rafael Mariano Grossi, IAEA Director General.

There was no radiological release to the environment, the statement noted, adding that over the next three days, the nuclear power plant will move unit 6 to hot shutdown to continue steam production.

Unit 6 had been in cold shutdown since 21 April to facilitate safety system inspections and maintenance.

“The IAEA team on the site will closely monitor the operations for the transition between the shutdown states of Units 4 and 6,” said Mr. Grossi.

Power challenges

The IAEA has been monitoring the situation at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant since the early days of the conflict.  The ZNPP is controlled by Russian forces but operated by its Ukrainian staff.

Mr. Grossi reported that there were power disruptions on Thursday after the 750kV power line disconnected twice during the day.

The ZNPP  had to rely on 330 kV backup line, to supply the electricity required, for example, to perform safety functions such as pumping cooling water for the plant; and there was no total loss of off-site power to the site and emergency diesel generators were not needed.

According to IAEA, the nuclear power plant has been experiencing major off-site power problems since the conflict began in February 2022, exacerbating the nuclear safety and security risks facing the site currently located on the frontline.

“The repeated power line cuts underline the continuing precarious nuclear safety and security situation at the plant,” Mr. Grossi said.

Availability of cooling water remains relatively stable, with measures to mitigate water loss from the cooling pond by pumping in water from the ZNPP inlet channel.

IAEA experts’ site inspections

IAEA experts at the nuclear power plant have also conducted multiple walkdowns in different parts of the site, including visits to spent fuel storage and reactor control rooms, the agency said.

In one of the visits, on Tuesday, to the main control room, emergency control room and other safety-related rooms, the team did not observe any mines or usual objects in the main control; but in the turbine hall of unit 2, they noted the presence of a number of military trucks parked in an area reserved for vehicle maintenance……………………………..  https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/08/1139662

August 13, 2023 Posted by | safety, Ukraine | Leave a comment

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