UK an ‘attractive opportunity’ for Russia to sell its nukes
Russian ambitions to build nuclear reactors in Britain are ‘realistic’, say ministers By Emily Gosdenhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/10289525/Russian-ambitions-to-build-nuclear-reactors-in-Britain-are-realistic-say-ministers.html 05 Sep 2013
Ministers have opened the door to Russia building nuclear reactors on British soil, signing an agreement describing it as a “realistic longer-term ambition”.
The memorandum of understanding, signed in Moscow by energy minister Michael Fallon, said that “mutually profitable commercial relationships between Russian and British companies in third markets could form the basis in the longer term of commercial cooperation in the UK”.
This would be achieved through an “incremental, step-by-step approach”. Mr Fallon said: “Inward investment into our energy sector will depend upon all reactor technologies meeting the stringent and independent regulatory standards required in the UK and EU.”
The agreement came as Rosatom, the Russian state nuclear corporation, commissioned Rolls-Royce to prepare the ground for its reactor to seek UK safety approval. Rolls-Royce, which already has a partnership with Rosatom, will “undertake engineering and safety assessment work” ahead of Rosatom’s reactor “potentially entering the first step of the UK’s formal regulatory approval process”.
Reactors have to pass a ‘generic design assessment’ from the Office for Nuclear Regulation before they can be built in the UK. EDF-Areva’s reactor design for proposed use at Hinkley Point in Somerset took five years to approve.
Rosatom said it viewed the UK as “an attractive opportunity” because most of the UK’s existing reactors are due to close in coming years.
Russia has made no secret of its desire to expand in the UK but has to convince politicians it can overcome security fears as well as safety concerns stemming from its role in the Chernobyl disaster. In June ministers agreed to create a joint working group on “cooperation in the peaceful use of atomic energy between Rosatom and DECC”.
UK government’s dilemma as China demands more control of UK’s new nuclear plants
Chinese seek greater say in UK nuclear plants By Guy Chazan Dt.com Sept 1 13, The state-owned Chinese nuclear group that is in talks to invest in Britain’s new nuclear programme wants greater operational control of any new plants it finances, potentially creating a national security headache for the government.
China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN), is in talks with EDF of France on sharing the cost of building a new plant at Hinkley Point, Somerset, which has an estimated price tag of £14bn.
But CGN has made it clear to EDF that it will only proceed if it is given more of a say in running other plants the two companies build together in the UK, according to people familiar with the talks.
As well as Hinkley, EDF also has plans to construct two new reactors at Sizewell in Suffolk. One of the people said CGN could seek to become joint operator of the new Sizewell plant – although EDF is likely to retain overall control. The Chinese could also push for greater involvement in the plant’s construction, and might even seek to provide the design for its reactors. “CGN is using Hinkley as a stepping stone,” he said. “In the next project, they’ll want greater control.”
However, given the sensitivities surrounding nuclear power, the idea of allowing a Chinese state-backed company to take an operational role in a nuclear power station could raise a welter of national security concerns……..
Mark Pritchard, a Conservative MP and member of the national security strategy committee, said Chinese companies should only be able to take a “minor” role in sensitive sectors of the economy such as energy………http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/3dfb8eb0-10b5-11e3-b5e4-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2dnO4ZmCk
Sellafield unions want new Sellafield planning authority
UNIONS WANT DEDICATED PLANNING AUTHORITY SET UP FOR SELLAFIELD, TIMES AND STAR, By Julian Whittle , 30 August 2013 Sellafield unions are calling for a dedicated planning authority to be set up specifically for the nuclear site and surrounding area. This new body would rule on any proposals for a nuclear power station or underground waste repository, taking over planning powers which are currently held by local authorities.
The call is a reaction to Cumbria County Council’s decision in February to block investigations into the suitability of west Cumbria for a repository and is among 10 recommendations drawn up by the Unite union on behalf of the Sellafield Workers’ Campaign.
Unite’s report asks the Government to “begin a new search” for a suitable site for a geological disposal facility with the search taking place “within the perimeter of the proposed new planning authority”.
The report, Sellafield – at the heart of a low carbon energy future, was launched this morning at Energus at Lillyhall with Copeland MP Jamie Reed as keynote speaker.
It contains a three-point plan to secure 10,000 jobs. This involves building a nuclear power station, exploring the use of Sellafield’s plutonium stocks as fuel for power stations, and pursuing the idea of a waste repository……. http://www.timesandstar.co.uk/unions-want-dedicated-planning-authority-set-up-for-sellafield-1.1081398
UK Labour has an electoral asset – opposition to Trident nuclear replacement
New nuclear weapons for the UK: a challenge Labour can’t dodge REBECCA JOHNSON 50-50, 23 August 2013 Labour could turn opposition to the billion pound Trident replacement into an electoral asset, but instead appears to be sleepwalking to oblivion. Rebecca Johnson makes the case for challenging Trident replacement, and says it’s time to mobilise civil society
The 2015 general election may be this country’s last chance to avoid wasting billions of pounds on new nuclear weapons that one of Labour’s greatest Foreign Secretaries, Robin Cook, condemned as “worse than irrelevant” for addressing 21st century security challenges. Following the sham Trident Alternatives Review, it is clear that we need to mobilise civil society pressure to scrap Trident and elect a new government that is willing and able to participate in multilateral disarmament negotiations to rid the world of the scourge of nuclear weapons for all time.
The rational case was won a long time ago, even with many Conservatives. Across most of the world, nuclear weapons are recognised to be clumsy, outdated weapons that carry residual risks but cannot be used for dealing with the real world security challenges we might face in the 21st century and beyond. Replacing the current submarines with another Trident system is a foolish project driven by the economic interests of a handful of British and American defence contractors well versed in manipulating political fears, vanity, and inertia among our politicians and civil servants. Tony Blair’s memoirs reveal that despite recognising that there was no military or security case for replacing Trident, he felt it would be easier to carry on nuclear business as usual than to initiate the political arguments at home and be accused of “downgrading our status”. Now this shortsighted procurement is being taken forward by David Cameron. Nick Clegg – having been outmanoeuvred by Cameron over the Review – is bent on overcoming Liberal Democrat scepticism and getting his Party to back Trident replacement. Labour could turn opposition to Trident replacement into an electoral asset, but instead appears to be sleepwalking to oblivion…… http://www.opendemocracy.net/5050/rebecca-johnson/new-nuclear-weapons-for-uk-challenge-labour-can%E2%80%99t-dodge
Anti nuclear activists camp outside UK Atomic Weapons Establishment
Nuclear activists camp out at weapons centre Mornng Star, Sunday 25 August 2013 by Paddy McGuffin Home Affairs Reporter Anti-nuclear campaigners swooped on Britain’s Atomic Weapons Establishment early today morning to protest against the £100 billion Trident replacement.
More than 20 activists set up camp outside the AWE in Burghfield, Berkshire, at 2am, pitching their tents under cover of darkness for a fortnight of protest.
Organisers Trident Ploughshares and Action AWE said they wanted politicians to support Britain’s disarmament obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and join multilateral efforts to ban nuclear weapons worldwide.
It’s the latest in a campaign of action to highlight the lunacy of nuclear weapons across England and Scotland.
Activists are planning a blockade of the site on September 2……. http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/news/content/view/full/136775
Two UK nuclear reactors shut down for safety reasons
Heysham nuclear reactors shut down for second time http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-23808744 23 Aug 13
EDF said the plant was shut down as a precaution
Nuclear reactors have been shut down for the second time in three months at a plant in Lancashire.
Two reactors at Heysham 1 nuclear power station were shut down after an electrical fault in a gas turbine set off a sprinkler system on Thursday.
Firefighters were called at 22:27 BST and four crews were sent to the scene from Lancaster, Bispham and Fulwood.
EDF Energy, which operates the plant, said it had been shut down as a precaution.
Lancashire Fire Service said 20 firefighters attended the scene but were not needed.
Ian Stewart, Heysham 1 station director, said: “We will be assessing the generators today, and we will then be looking at bringing the two reactors back on line.”
A reactor was shut down in May after smoke was seen coming from a turbine due to smouldering lagging.
BBC Radio shuts up Fukushima Diary author
“The expert” kept on talking. Said, “Fukushima is much much smaller than Chernobyl. You can’t compare.” then I heard the ending music. I was given 0 question to answer.
[Column] The reason why I published only one article today -Invited by BBC and given 0 sec to talk on the radio show http://fukushima-diary.com/2013/08/column-the-reason-why-i-
published-only-one-article-today-invited-by-bbc-and-given-0-second-to-talk-on-the-radio-show/ Iori Mochizuki August 21st, 2013 In the quiet morning of 8/21/2013, I was communicating with my readers on Twitter.
Suddenly a lady talked to me if I can be on BBC at 19:30 in JST. After nearly 2 years blank, BBC and some other international media are coming back to cover Fukushima. Since this morning, BBC has been featuring the latest leakage of 300m3 water.
I talked to her on the phone and we arranged the schedule. She was supposed to call me in 2 hours from that time.
She was nice and professional. She asked me what I think about the leakage. I answered this is only the beginning.When she asked me if I trust what government says, I laughed and said obviously no. She asked me why.
I was “Because the government has been saying no meltdown, no meltout was going on. There is no short term health effect etc. Then last year, the chief cabinet secretary of Japan said they didn’t announce Fukushima was having meltdown because he thought everyone was already aware of it.”.
She said, “Sure.”.
It was the radio show “World Have Your Say [URL]“.
We had 30 mins. Japanese commentators found each other on Twitter and we waited for them to call me.
I was supposed to talk on the phone.
I found the program relatively fair in the beginning except for the “coughing” on the background. (Is it normal to catch someone’s coughing on the radio show of BBC ?) and they started leaning to the “safer” side as it went toward the end. Continue reading
UK press under government pressure
Conspiracy to commit journalism Jay Rosen’s Press Think, Aug.20
“If sunlight coalitions are to succeed, they won’t succeed by outwitting surveillance. Not better technology, but greater legitimacy is their edge.”
The mood toughened just over a month ago, when I received a phone call from the centre of government telling me: “You’ve had your fun. Now we want the stuff back.” There followed further meetings with shadowy Whitehall figures. The demand was the same: hand the Snowden material back or destroy it. I explained that we could not research and report on this subject if we complied with this request. The man from Whitehall looked mystified. “You’ve had your debate. There’s no need to write any more.” —Alan Rusbridger, editor of The Guardian
That’s the government telling the editor of a national newspaper: Time’s up, no more of that journalism stuff! We’ll decide when there’s been enough debate. Stop now or we’ll make you stop. Rusbridger’s response: We will continue our careful reporting of the Snowden material. “We just won’t do it from London.” (The Guardian has a U.S. operation based in New York.) FromReuters:
The Guardian’s decision to publicize the government threat – and the newspaper’s assertion that it can continue reporting on the Snowden revelations from outside of Britain – appears to be the latest step in an escalating battle between the news media and governments over reporting of secret surveillance programs.
This battle is global. Just as the surveillance state is an international actor — not one government, but many working together — and just as the surveillance net stretches worldwide because the communications network does too, the struggle to report on the secret system’s overreach is global, as well. It’s the collect-it-all coalition against an expanded Fourth Estate, worldwide……. http://pressthink.org/2013/08/conspiracy-to-commit-journalism/
250 tonnes of documents about UK’s Dounreay nuclear reactor
Dounreay documents set for nuclear archive The Scotsman, 20 Aug 13, A STAGGERING 250 tonnes of historic documents, charting the development of Britain’s first fast-breeder nuclear reactor at Dounreay, will be among the first items to be stored in the new National Nuclear Archive to be built in Caithness, it was revealed today.
The £20 million national archive centre for the nuclear industry is to be built close to Wick Airport, near the Dounreay experimental power complex, and will eventually house an estimated 30 million digital, paper and photographic records from civil nuclear sites throughout the UK, dating back to the 1940s.
The archive will include records from the UK Atomic Energy Authority in Harwell where the Atomic Energy Research Establishment, the UK centre for research and development into civil nuclear power, was first based.
A spokesman for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) said that the new archive building would be open for business by 2016, just in time for the majority of the documents in the Dounreay archive to be moved offsite, before the existing archive building is vacated.
Ian Pearson, the Dounreay archivist, explained that the site’s archive currently held 250 tonnes of records which if laid out would stretch nearly two-and-a-half miles. Some of these date back to the early days on construction and operation of Dounreay……. http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/heritage/dounreay-documents-set-for-nuclear-archive-1-3052390
Highly radioactive since 1957 nuclear disaster, Windscale site to be cleaned up by robots
Robots to Demolish Site of UK’s Worst Nuclear Incident at Sellafield http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/499768/20130818/sellafield-nuclear-robots-destroy.htm By TOM PORTER: August 18, 2013 Giant robots will be used to destroy the part of the Sellafield nuclear plant that caught fire 56 years ago, spewing radioactive contamination around Britain and northern Europe.
The Windscale Pile One chimney at the Cumbria plant has been sealed and cut off since the 1957 disaster.
There is still highly charged material trapped inside the shaft of the 400ft chimney, and more than 10 tons of melted radioactive uranium fuel remains inside the structure itself.
The reactor was built after World War II to make some of Britain’s first nuclear bombs, and then pressed into service to make tritium for an H-bomb, pushing the reactors beyond their limits and causing the blaze.
Workers at the plant were exposed to 150 times a safe lifetime’s dose of radiation, and for a month the government destroyed all milk produced within 200 miles of the site. Environmentalists and campaigners have since pointed to Sellafield as a warning of the potentially catastrophic effects of nuclear energy. Continue reading
“Decommissioning” – a pretty word for taking radioactive trash
Nuclear Laundry Outsourced for 4 years , Radiation Free Lakeland UK,By mariannewildart on January 14, 2013 “……...Shortridge tell us that they have been washing Sellafield laundry for 4 years on a contingency basis i.e. when the power is insufficient (from Fellside Gas power station) at Sellafield, the washing is outsourced. Highly Active work wear and towels go to Wales and the Non Active laundry of towels and underwear goes to Shortridge at Lillyhall. Shortridge do not have a discharge license or any means of monitoring the laundry once it reaches them, relying wholly on Sellafield to monitor and we know that they always get it right!
Shortridge are understandably angry that we have drawn attention to their contract with Sellafield and asked that the original blog post be taken off immediately. What we feel is deeper than anger, Shortridge is a business looking at the bottom line, they see themselves as “innocent bystanders.” At Lillyhall, a previously non nuclear site, Nuclear Studsvik is now recycling radioactive scrap metal, radioactive waste from Chapel Cross and elsewhere is now going into landfill and Shortridge is now washing nuclear laundry.
Government, the regulators and the nuclear ‘industry’ are actively encouraging private business to take government contracts often under the guise of “decommissioning.” The result is new pathways for accidental and routine release of radiation into the wider environment of Cumbria away from Sellafield. Why is there no contingency laundry with its own generators on the Sellafield site?
A cynic might suspect that the nuclear industry is deliberately trying to annihilate Cumbria’s reputation as an attractive and healthy tourist destination so that all we are left with is the “huge opportunity” of the worlds largest nuclear dump and new nuclear developments. Barbed wire, security wall and armed guards around the whole of Cumbria? If tourism is most at threat from the nuclear industry’s agenda then it is clear that the nuclear agenda in Cumbria is most at threat from tourism. Baroness Verma’s promised “Brand Protection” is meaningless and has the added benefit for government of being the scapegoat to detract from nuclear if the tourist industry crashes i.e. the “brand protection strategy” has failed.
The only brand protection worth having is to ensure that Sellafield is banned from contracting out pathways (whether that’s a mega nuclear dump or nuclear laundry) that allow the accidental or routine release of radioactivity to the wider environment. http://mariannewildart.wordpress.com/2013/01/14/nuclear-laundry-outsourced-for-4-years/
Russia keen to sell nuclear reactors to UK, as long as UK subsidises price
RUSSIA’S ROSATOM EYES NUCLEAR CONTRACTS IN BRITAIN YAHOO NEWS, BY SVETLANA BURMISTROVA , 13 Aug 13, MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian state nuclear company Rosatom is considering selling reactors in Britain and will soon decide whether to apply for a UK reactor licence, a senior company executive said.
Rosatom is now building more atomic power plants than any other vendor and has been marketing the legacy of the former USSR’s own nuclear disaster, at Chernobyl in 1986, as a lesson learned in nuclear safety.
A major player in developing markets such as China, Vietnam and India, Rosatom has long been interested in building reactors in the European Union, where it is already a supplier of nuclear fuel…… Russian nuclear technology has been unpopular in western Europe since the Chernobyl disaster, but Britain is in dire need of investors willing to replace its ageing nuclear fleet after a series of utility companies, including Germany’s RWE and E.ON and Britain’s Centrica , have dropped out…….
Before entering the UK market, Komarov said, Rosatom would wait to see whether EDF reaches a deal with the British government on a guaranteed minimum power price for its proposed Hinkley Point project, Britain’s first new nuclear plant in almost 20 years.
The guaranteed price, also known as a contract-for-difference (CfD), is part of a major electricity market reform, currently being assessed by Parliament, to encourage types of energy that emit little or no carbon.
Through the CfDs, the government guarantees to top up prices to reach an agreed ‘strike price’ for power generated by the nuclear plants, should market prices fall after they are commissioned.
“This is a very comfortable scheme that guarantees return on investments,” Komarov said. EDF expects to announce by year-end whether it has reached a deal with the British government and plans to hold talks on partnering with a Chinese state-run firm.
“We are waiting to see what agreements EDF reaches,” Komarov said. “If we see that we can get a return on our investments, we will enter the project with great desire……. http://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/-/world/18488685/russias-rosatom-eyes-nuclear-contracts-in-britain/
Scotland’s Moray dunelands to be tested for radioactivity
Testing begins on possible Moray radiation sites
http://www.scotsman.com/news/environment/testing-begins-on-possible-moray-radiation-sites-1-3031685 by ALISTAIR MUNRO 06 August 2013 TESTING has begun on potential radiation contamination at sand dunes in Moray where hundreds of aircraft were dismantled during World War
Two.
Environmental protection officers will be digging a series of test pits at Findhorn dunelands, next to the former RAF base at Kinloss. It was revealed last year that a stretch of the sand dunes had been
used to dismantle more than 1,000 aircraft following the war.
It is believed parts were disposed of in the area, including instruments with radioactive luminous paint.
The investigation is being carried out by staff at Moray Council contaminated land section and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency.
The authorities believe the residue could pose a potential risk tohuman health and the environment.The land is no longer owned by the Ministry of Defence, but is one of nine sites in Scotland thought to be contaminated.
A Moray Council spokesman said: “Geophysical surveys of the area have
already detected the presence of material which experts believe is
worthy of further investigation.
“Staff expect to be on site for four or five days and will wear
protective clothing as a precaution.
“The investigation will entail excavating a number of shallow pits
based on information obtained from geophysical surveys of the area.”
British Queen has profitable investments in depleted uranium trade
UK Queen in depleted uranium trade? British anti-war campaign group the Stop the War Coalition has in a video claimed that Britain’s Queen Elizabeth is one of the richest women on earth and much of her profits are from arms trade including the notorious depleted uranium trade. http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/08/05/317277/uk-queen-in-depleted-uranium-trade/
The video apparently created by anti-monarchy activists and published on YouTube says the British monarch has managed to increase her wealth from £300 million early in her 60-year reign to £17 billion at present thanks to investments in arms firms that produce uranium used in depleted uranium (DU) shells, including Rio Tinto Zinc
DU shells are notorious for their ability to pierce armor and kill targets due to their deadly radioactive features.
The video cites the American nuclear radiation expert Jay M. Gould as saying in his 1996 book titled “The Enemy Within: the High Cost of Living Near Nuclear Reactors” that the British royal family, especially the Queen herself, privately own investments in uranium holding worth some £4 billion through Rio Tinto Zinc.
The mining company, originally named Rio Tinto Mines, was allegedly created for the British Royal family in the late 1950’s by Ronald Walter Rowland, the Queen’s “buccaneer”.
The video argues that the Queen and other royals have been investing in the death trade of depleted uranium globally with little ethical concerns for the consequences of their profiteering.
DU weapons were first used by the US military during the first Persian Gulf War against Iraq in 1991.
The US Defense Ministry estimated that between 315 and 350 tons of DU bombs, shells and bullets were fired during the conflict There are allegations that American and British troops used more than five times as many such weapons as the total number used in the 1991 war in Iraq.
The US has confirmed the use of depleted uranium in both wars but refuses to disclose the scale of the use.
Iraq has seen a sharp rise in the number of children with leukemia and genetic malformation in the decades after the First Persian Gulf War that are attributed to the use of DU weapons.
UK’s Liberal Democrats about to sell out on their anti nuclear policy
Lib Dems may be set to relax trademark anti-nuclear stance Opposition to building a new generation of nuclear power stations has been one of the Liberal Democrats’ most distinctive policy positions
The Independent, DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR SUNDAY 04 AUGUST 2013 Liberal Democrats could ditch their long-standing antipathy to nuclear energy next month in a conference debate that will cause deep
divisions within the party.
Opposition to building a new generation of nuclear power stations has been one of the Liberal Democrats’ most distinctive policy positions although they have watered it down in the Coalition Government.
At their conference in Glasgow, delegates will be asked whether they want to adopt a new policy of accepting that nuclear energy has its place in electricity generation.
The move is understood to have the backing of Nick Clegg, the party leader, and Ed Davey, the Energy and Climate Change Secretary, although they are unlikely to speak directly on the issue……….. Continue reading
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