Government under pressure to suspend non-essential construction work (such as building nuclear plants)
“The judgment we have made is that in work, in many instances, the 2m rule can be applied,” he said.
However critics say public health should be prioritised over the economy during the coronavirus outbreak.
Former Tory cabinet minister Iain Duncan Smith joined those calling for a temporary suspension of work. He told the BBC: “I think the balance is where we should delete some of those construction workers from going to work and focus only on the emergency requirements.”
The confusion over who is able to work came after Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announced a nationwide lockdown in a televised address on Monday night.
The PM said people should only leave their homes to shop for basic goods, fulfil medical needs, to exercise and to travel to work when “absolutely necessary”. However the types of work considered necessary has not yet been made clear….. https://www.cityam.com/government-under-pressure-to-suspend-non-essential-construction-work/
British small nuclear reactors to help Turkey to get nuclear weapons?
Fears over nuclear Turkey after Rolls Royce reactor deal, Morning Star, MARCH 25, 2020 ENGINEERING firm Rolls-Royce has struck a deal with Turkey for the production of nuclear mini-reactors, sparking fears that the British company and its international consortium partners are helping pave the way for Ankara to develop a nuclear bomb…..
the plans have raised fears that Turkey’s authoritarian President Recep Tayyip Erdogan could use the development as a step towards the country becoming a nuclear-armed power.
As previously reported in the Morning Star, Turkey’s secret nuclear programme includes plans to acquire weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), including nuclear missiles.
Writing in a pro-government newspaper in 2017, Mr Karaman said: “We need to consider producing these weapons, rather than purchasing them, without losing any time and with no regard to words of hindrance from the West.”
There are already some 70 US-owned nuclear warheads said to be based at Incirlik airbase near the southern of Adana.
In previous deals with Russia and a Japanese-French consortium, the door was left open for the development of nuclear weapons after Turkey rejected offers to include the provision of uranium and the return of the spent fuel rods used in the reactors.
The development has parallels with the Indian missile capability developed after the testing of plutonium produced in the Canadian-supplied Cirus reactor, which first raised the issue that nuclear technology supplied for peaceful purposes could be diverted to weapons production. https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/fears-over-nuclear-turkey-after-rolls-royce-reactor-deal
Hinkley nuclear construction work continues, while rest of UK is in lockdown
UK and Fench govts consider nuclear construction as “essential”, so can remain open
The Government has deemed the jobs at Hinkley Point C nuclear power station near Bridgwater to be essential and French energy giant EDF says that it is “a project of critical national importance”.
The number of construction workers will now be reduced by more than half to around 2,000 to mitigate the coronavirus risk and bosses have pledged to reduce staffing levels further as the project progresses.
But critics and opponents have rounded on the decision to carry on and have called on the Government to halt proceedings.
This is putting lives at risk right across Somerset and the whole of the country. Why hasn’t the Prime Minister ordered them to stay at home – is he just pandering to the nuclear lobby? While the rest of the country is in lockdown, EDF fails to acknowledge that if someone has developed a fever, they have been incubating and spreading the virus for days beforehand.
Workers have been photographed close to each other in the canteen and sitting shoulder to shoulder on the buses which transport them to and from the site.
This is at odds with Government advice to socially distance.
They need to put something else in place. They need to consider their workers. If there is an outbreak at Hinkley Point then it would be uncontrollable. Our NHS system here in the South West is quite small compared to big cities.
Sellafield nuclear facility cuts back drastically on staff working onsite
In Cumbria 22nd March 2020, Sellafield is telling the vast majority of its workers to stay away from its main site and satellite offices and to work from home. Mark Neate,
director of environment, safety and security with Sellafield Ltd, has told
employees: “We will minimise attendance at all of our sites and wherever
possible everyone should continue (or start) working from home.
https://www.in-cumbria.com/news/18325910.sellafield-workforce-told-stay-home/
Why using hydrogen to supply heating would be a terrible choice
energy. Even if the hydrogen was sourced from renewable energy (and not much of it will be) the result would be a grandiose waste of renewable energy. This is because using hydrogen from renewable energy to heat buildings is around four times less energy efficient compared to using heat pumps (using renewable electricity) to supply heating in buildings.
enough to 100 per cent. Second, such a programme will provide support for a continued fossil fuel industry. A third reason is that using ‘blue’ hydrogen, in as much as it succeeds in paving the way for supply of renewable hydrogen, will lock in a huge wastage of renewable energy
compared to using this renewable energy much more efficiently.http://realfeed-intariffs.blogspot.com/2020/03/why-using-hydrogen-to-supply-heating.html
Hinkley nuclear worker concerned at coronavirus risks at the site
station but has seen no changes.
https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/worker-fears-spread-coronavirus-hinkley-3967724
Seabrook Nuclear plant operating with limited staff
Nuclear plant operating with limited staff Gloucester Daily Times, By Jack Shea Staff Writer, 22 Mar 20
- SEABROOK, N.H. — Amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the company that owns the Seabrook, New Hampshire, nuclear power plant is continuing to operate the facility with only essential personnel, while the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is doing most of its work to monitor the plant remotely.
In a statement Friday afternoon, Lindsay Robertson, spokesperson for NextEra Energy, which owns the Seabrook nuclear plant, said the company has implemented its “pandemic plan,” and is following its procedures for ensuring continuity of service……..
According to Diane Screnci, spokesperson for the NRC, the commission is continuing oversight of the Seabrook plant and other facilities licensed by the commission, although much of the work is being done over the phone.
Screnci said the NRC’s resident inspectors are onsite at a reduced frequency, and are able to do their jobs remotely……
The C-10 Foundation monitors the safety of the Seabrook nuclear power plant because six Massachusetts communities — Amesbury, Merrimac, Salisbury, Newburyport, Newbury and West Newbury — are within a 10-mile radius of the plant and are considered part of the New Hampshire plant’s emergency planning zone. https://www.gloucestertimes.com/news/local_news/nuclear-plant-operating-with-limited-staff/article_b477e508-1332-5eb5-8592-3d9426ab897d.html
Britain’s Trident nuclear submarine base is in the grip of a Coronavirus scare
Coronavirus crisis at UK’s nuclear submarine base as twenty staff show COVID-19 symptoms and are forced into isolation Daily Mail,
By JAKE WALLIS SIMONS ASSOCIATE GLOBAL EDITOR FOR MAILONLINE 20 March 2020 Britain’s Trident nuclear submarine base is in the grip of a Coronavirus scare, MailOnline can reveal. Her Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde, the home of the UK nuclear deterrent in Scotland, has nearly 20 possible cases of infection so far. Servicemen and women reporting Covid-19 symptoms have been isolated in sealed rooms with ‘no entry’ signs taped to the doors. The number of possible victims is currently in the ‘low teens’, a source said, and preparations are underway for a major outbreak. The top floor of the Linton Block, one of 17 accommodation buildings at the facility, has been converted into a makeshift quarantine unit and sealed off. A medical team equipped with masks and yellow biohazard bags was seen at work on the base last week. A Ministry of Defence source insisted that Britain’s nuclear deterrent remains fully operational and that there is no possibility of a national security emergency. So far nobody has tested positive on the base, he added, though he acknowledged that testing has not been carried out in every case, in line with Government guidelines. Staff have complained at being ‘left in the dark’, saying they have not been informed about the virus risk at the facility. ‘Nobody knows what is going on and it’s making people frightened,’ one told MailOnline on condition of anonymity. ‘We have not had a single communication to tell us what is happening, and every day more rooms are sealed off. ‘Everyone here is expected to put our lives on the line for the Navy. We just want the Navy to level with us and tell us what the risk is.’ A Ministry of Defence source said that the jigsaw of different private firms and Navy units that operate the base has made it difficult to communicate news about the virus effectively to all staff. The source said: ‘The base is endeavouring to ensure all personnel are aware of the situation and the measures being taken to safeguard personnel.’ HMNB Clyde, commonly known throughout the Navy as ‘Faslane’, is home to 3,000 service personnel, 800 of their families and 4,000 civilian workers, mainly from the engineering firm Babcock International. The Linton Block, where the quarantine facility is being set up, is opposite the ‘Supermess’, one of the base’s major leisure hubs. In addition to separate bars for officers and sailors, there are restaurants, cafes and shops, with a bowling alley, ski slope, swimming pool and gym nearby. All of these are now seen as a ‘petri dish for the virus’, according to personnel serving at the site, and most are being closed down as the top brass prepares for the worst. The sports schedules, which include circuit training and team events such as football, rugby and boxing, have been cancelled, and the swimming pool has been shut in an effort to combat the spread of the disease………https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8131755/Coronavirus-crisis-UKs-nuclear-submarine-base.html |
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1,000 staff at Sellafield nuclear facility self-isolating amid pandemic
 Coronavirus: 1,000 Sellafield staff self-isolating amid pandemic https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cumbria-51951984
18 March 2020
About 1,000 employees at the Sellafield nuclear site in Cumbria are self-isolating amid the coronavirus outbreak. The firm earlier said it was carrying out a controlled shutdown of the Magnox plant, ahead of any absences. The plant in Seascale reprocesses spent fuel and Sellafield Ltd said it was scaling back operations so staff could concentrate on critical processes. The thousand staff represents about 8% of the whole workforce. They are either showing symptoms, have close family who have symptoms, or are having to distance themselves because they have an underlying health condition. On closing the reprocessing site, Sellafield said: “As a proactive measure, to retain the reprocessing stream in a sustainable state for the future, we are moving to a controlled shutdown of the Magnox reprocessing plant over the next few days. “This approach will enable the best opportunity for an effective restart when circumstances permit. With safety in mind, similar measures may be necessary elsewhere across the business.” |
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The Blackwater Against New Nuclear Group (BANNG) protests the lack of full information on nuclear plans
BANNG 19th March 2020, In the wake of the coronavirus epidemic, Bradwell B has cancelled two-thirds of the exhibitions it had planned as part of its public
consultation on its proposals for a new nuclear power station. But, the
company is still calling for feedback on its plans to be given at any time
up to 27th May 2020.
The Blackwater Against New Nuclear Group (BANNG) has protested that the partial consultation will be only partially informed and
consequently feedback will be unrepresentative of the views of the whole of
the Blackwater communities. Prof. Andy Blowers, Chair of BANNG has written
to the Chinese company developing the proposals urging that the
consultation be terminated altogether. The exhibitions that did take place
were well attended, engaging in robust discussion where citizens were able
to question the plans and make clear in face-to-face exchanges with company
staff their concerns about the imposition of a massive nuclear complex on
the Dengie peninsula. The meetings at Maldon and Bradwell Village were well
attended, informative and occasionally emotional.
https://www.banng.info/news/banng-press-release-19th-march-2020/
Sellafield nuclear waste site to close due to coronavirus
Sellafield nuclear waste site to close due to coronavirus, Magnox reprocessing plant will begin controlled shutdown after 8% of staff self-isolate,Guardian Jillian Ambrose Energy correspondentThu 19 Mar 2020 Britain’s nuclear waste site will shut its reprocessing plant at Sellafield after more than 8% of its staff began self-isolating to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
The controlled shutdown of the Magnox plant in Cumbria will begin in the next few days after an outbreak of the Covid-19 virus within Sellafield’s 11,500 staff.
The company told employees on Tuesday evening that it would “scale back some operations” to “make best use of available people”.
Sellafield revealed last weekend that a staff member had tested positive for coronavirus, and on Monday it confirmed that another employee with suspected Covid-19 had begun self-isolation.
The number of Sellafield employees self-isolating has quickly climbed to about 1,000.
A Sellafield spokesman said the number in self-isolation included people with symptoms of the virus as well as those with underlying health conditions who undertaking social distancing……..
The Magnox plant is to close permanently this year. It began reprocessing waste from Britain’s first nuclear reactors in 1964 to separate the uranium and plutonium, which can still be reused from the spent radioactive waste. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/mar/18/sellafield-nuclear-waste-plant-close-coronavirus-staff
EDF reassures UK that during coronavirus epidemic, nuclear operations will continue
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EDF Energy says plans in place to maintain operations at UK nuclear plants https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/edf-energy-says-plans-place-144424093.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9uZXdzLmdvb2dsZS5jb20v&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAABq2naeyyQ9ohtcPQW2Ho9e2-qDfI6XSbDwfZUneTxi4VhdT3GWx-zWbqg0MCFS2ArOO-cBI7xrEXbGJxc_Z4MEQGCMb8xZYz9GdF6dLu3azUPUvN5EB4x2GgyUSjwZkX1E93xGECuqxS4HnxqOETaVwytGf9KBTZIzT3QuaBP-R Reuters18 March 2020 By Nina ChestneyLONDON (Reuters) – EDF Energy has plans in place to maintain operations at its nuclear power plants in Britain during the coronavirus outbreak, it told Reuters on Tuesday.
The company operates all 15 nuclear reactors in Britain. Currently eight of those, with a combined capacity of around 4.2 gigawatts – almost half of the country’s total nuclear power capacity – are offline for planned or unplanned outages. “We have comprehensive plans in place to maintain operations at all of our power stations and planned generation is not affected at any of our sites,” said a spokeswoman, declining to specify what the measures were. On Monday, EDF Energy’s parent company EDF <EDF.PA> said it would reduce staff at its Flamanville nuclear power plant in northern France due to coronavirus infections in the Cotentin region. The plant has been offline for maintenance. Britain’s Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) said all UK sites have minimum staffing levels, and contingency plans should they fall below these levels, to enable them to stay in control of activities that could affect nuclear safety under all foreseeable circumstances. The ONR, which is in charge of overseeing nuclear safety, said its staff have been directed to work at home. “A number of inspectors will continue to travel to sites where required, but we will endeavour to carry out as much of our business as possible via phone, email and Skype,” it said. “These measures will not have a severe impact on our regulation of the nuclear industry.” (Reporting by Nina Chestney; Editing by Pravin Char and Jan Harvey) |
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UK’s nuclear regulated asset base (RAB) financing passes all financial risks to electricity customers
Times 15th March 2020 David Lowry: I read with incredulity the claims of Horizon nuclear chief Duncan Hawthorne that his company, which is really a Japanese shell company with no products, could build nuclear plants offering power at half the currently projected cost from the Hinkley Point C plant being built.Fukushima Daiichi reactors in Japan on March 11, 2011 — costs $250bn
(£200bn) and rising — suggests Horizon has not learnt the full lessons
of that. The regulated asset base (RAB) financing mechanism Horizon
advocates transfers all financial investment risk to electricity customers
before a single unit is delivered to a home, allowing the foreign nuclear
company to build plants without having to pay attention to keeping costs
under control. This is an extraordinarily one-sided proposal. Surely even
this nuclear-friendly government cannot fall for it.
Nuclear waste transport disrupted by measures to stall coronavirus
GNS 13th March 2020, The return transport of vitrified waste from the reprocessing plant in Sellafield to the interim storage facility in Biblis planned for this spring is suspended. As the police authorities responsible for accompanying and carrying out the transport have stated, the police operation is currently not responsible with regard to the current “spread of corona” and therefore cannot be carried out in spring as planned. The companies and institutions involved in the repatriation will agree on a new deadline for the repatriation in due course.
1 This Month
26 April – Chernobyl: Inside the Meltdown airs on National Geographic on Sunday 26th April from 4pm
29 April – Nuclear Expert Webinar #1 – Radiation Impacts on Families with Mary Olson and Cindy Folkers
- 12:15 PM MT – 1:45 PM MT
- Location: Virtual – REGISTER TODAY
4 May -West Suburban Peace Coalition to discuss Iran war at May Educational Forum
Monday, May 4, 7:00 – 8:00 PM Central Standard Time
Title: : How Trump’s Narrative Tries to Shape the Reality of the War on Iran.
Contact Walt Zlotow, zlotow@hotmail.com 630 442 3045 for further information
14 May – online event From Bombs to Data Centres: the Face of Nuclear Colonialism
Pine Ridge Uranium is the real threat, not Tehran- Tell Burgum: Stop the Extraction.
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
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity – go to https://nuclearinformation.wordpress.com
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