Accepting nuclear and gas as ”green” (or even ”amber”) would jeopardise the credibility of the entire European Green Deal
Granting nuclear and fossil gas the label of sustainability would undermine the EU’s climate targets, divert much-needed green investments in Central and Eastern Europe and jeopardise the credibility of the entire European Green Deal
Gas and nuclear: a lose-lose scenario for Eastern Europe, https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2021/12/17/nuscale-nuclear-developer-goes-public-with-a-spac-but-nrc-is-still-a-drag/?sh=6afeedc82c0d EU Observer, By PATRICK TEN BRINKBRUSSELS, 16. DEC, 21 After a year-long fight over the classification of fossil gas and nuclear energy under the EU taxonomy, the Delegate Act defining whether they’re considered as a sustainable investment will finally be released next week by the European Commission.
Yet a last major battle is taking place this Thursday (16 December) in Brussels. The 27 EU leaders will have a final word at the last European Council of the year on whether fossil gas and nuclear should be part of the EU list of environmentally-sustainable economic activities.
The battle lines are drawn: on one side France supporting nuclear with Poland, the Czech Republic and other Eastern partners who, for the most part, are for the inclusion of fossil gas in the EU green labelling; on the other side Italy, Spain, Denmark, Austria and Luxembourg, who are clearly opposed to considering any of them as a sustainable investment.
Paradoxically, central and eastern European governments have been very vocal in advocating for the inclusion of fossil gas on the EU green investment list, while they have most at stake in terms of climate, energy prices and energy sovereignty……………………………..
Nuclear gamble ‘does harm’
The potential contribution of nuclear power to reducing greenhouse gas emissions is as clear as its non-sustainable nature due to severe safety risks, environmental pollution, huge time investment and the unsolved waste problem.
Several inherent risks of nuclear energy, from the disaster potential, to waste management over hundreds of thousands of years, or uranium mining, were not properly addressed in the broadly-criticised report of the Joint Research Centre commissioned by the European Commission to back a decision on the EU taxonomy. It seems obvious that the current nuclear technology cannot ensure the “do no significant harm” EU principle.
Economically, investing in new nuclear plants does not pay off. Newly added capacities are not realistic due to high investment, competition of renewables and time costs.
For example, the Catalan government estimated that with the same budget of 19 billion euros used for the construction of the new nuclear reactor Flamanville 3 in France, they could invest in photovoltaic solar energy that would generate around 5 times more electricity and be operational in a quarter of the time.
Granting nuclear and fossil gas the label of sustainability would undermine the EU’s climate targets, divert much-needed green investments in Central and Eastern Europe and jeopardise the credibility of the entire European Green Deal……… https://euobserver.com/opinion/153831
France’s EDF takes more nuclear reactors offline after faults found.
| France’s EDF takes more nuclear reactors offline after faults found. French power giant EDF said on Wednesday it had found faults on pipes in a safety system at its Civaux nuclear power station, and it would shut down another plant because it used the same kind of reactors. The setback comes as France plans a major nuclear power station building program, diverging from neighbour Germany which retreated from nuclear power after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011. Reuters 15th Dec 2021 https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/edf-extend-civaux-nuclear-outage-shut-down-reactors-chooz-safety-measures-2021-12-15/ |
Cracks cause Torness nuclear plant to close early
Cracks cause Torness nuclear plant to close early, The Ferret Rob Edwards. December 15, 2021
Spreading cracks at the Torness nuclear power station in East Lothian mean that it will have to close two years earlier than planned, according to its operator, EDF Energy.
The power company has told stakeholders it now expects to shut the station down in 2028 instead of 2030 because of “impacts on the graphite cores”.
The Ferret revealed in May 2020 that the cores of the two reactors at Torness were predicted to start cracking in 2022, six years earlier than previous thought. At the time EDF maintained that the station could keep generating electricity safety until 2030…………….
A similar reactor at Hunterston B nuclear power station in North Ayrshire was permanently closed down on 26 November 2021, after 46 years of operation. The station’s second reactor is due to be turned off before 7 January 2022, 15 months earlier than previously planned.
Hunterston is 12 years older than Torness, and has been plagued by increasing cracks in its graphite cores caused by radiation bombardment. The Ferret reported in October 2020 that EDF estimated that one of Hunterston’s reactors could end up with nearly a thousand cracks……………
Torness, near Dunbar, was officially opened in May 1989 by then-Conservative Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. The site had been the target of anti-nuclear protests since 1978………….
Campaigners are seeking assurances that nuclear safety is not being compromised. “Problems with cracks in the graphite core which led to the closure of Hunterston B are clearly expected to cause similar problems at Torness,” said Pete Roche, an Edinburgh-based nuclear critic.
But Torness has a significant design difference likely to make the problem worse. Judging by statements made by the nuclear regulator it might be expected that Torness should close in 2024 or soon after.”
Roche suggested that EDF would strive to keep the station open as long as possible. “The Scottish Government should seek assurances from the Office of Nuclear Regulation that EDF will not be allowed to drag things out so long that safety is compromised,” he added.
Friends of the Earth Scotland argued that EDF had had to “admit the inevitable” and close earlier than planned. “The remaining question is whether they will make it even that far,” said the environment group’s director, Dr Richard Dixon.
“Nuclear is incredibly expensive, and suffers from complex problems like these cracks, as well as creating waste which will have to be looked after for thousands of years.”
Edinburgh Green councillor, Steve Burgess, also questioned how safe it was to keep running Torness. “This isn’t very reassuring news from Torness,” he said.
“Announcing that they are closing two years early, with mention of the graphite core, means EDF are acknowledging that they are coming hard up against a time when it really isn’t safe to operate.”………… more https://theferret.scot/torness-nuclear-plant-close-cracks/
French nuclear plants out of operation, exacerbating Europe’s energy crisis
On top of an ongoing natural gas crunch, Europe faces the winter season
with reduced nuclear output in France, exacerbating the energy crisis and
leaving large parts of the continent praying for a milder winter.
France’s EDF stopped on Thursday two nuclear power plants after finding a
fault at one during routine maintenance. This brings the total number of
nuclear plants out of operation currently at four, which account for 13
percent of the current power availability in France, a major electricity
exporter to neighboring countries and to the UK.
Oil Price 16th Dec 2021
https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Europes-Energy-Crisis-Just-Got-Worse.html
EDF shuts down nuclear reactors on safety concerns
| Electricite de France SA’s 2021 earnings could take a slight hit from the temporary closure of reactors at two nuclear plants on safety grounds, the French energy company said late Wednesday. Faults were detected on both reactors during routine safety checks at EDF’s Civaux plant in France’s southwestern Vienne department, EDF said. The faults related to pipes on the safety injection system circuit, it said. The company and the country’s nuclear safety agency, the ASN, have decided to replace the affected parts on the two reactors, meaning their shutdown will be extended. EDF has also decided to shut down the two reactors at another nuclear plant at Chooz in the northeastern Ardennes department to check them for similar issues, since they use the same technology as those at Civaux. One will be shut down Thursday and the other Saturday, EDF said. Market Watch 16th Dec 2021 https://www.marketwatch.com/story/edf-shuts-down-nuclear-reactors-on-safety-concerns-revises-2021-target-271639637549 |
Warmer winters are happening across the globe
As climate scientist Kai Kornhuber walks around New York City this winter,
an eerie feeling creeps into his body. It’s warm enough for a T-shirt in
December, and the birds are chirping loudly.
The temperatures tell birds
and trees that it’s time for action, but the systems are out of sync for
December, says Kornhuber, a postdoctoral researcher at Columbia
University’s Earth Institute. “It’s not right, there’s a disconnect
between how it should be and how it is.” Kornhuber said.
Warmer winters
are happening across the globe, and leading to some big impacts: 2021
brought the planet’s 16th-warmest February since records began. While the
popular imagination might associate the climate crisis with scorching
summers and their attendant droughts, wildfires, hurricanes and heat waves,
milder winters can also be drivers of catastrophic weather events and
profound changes. They range from shifts in agricultural use, triggering
changing weather patterns to boosting the likelihood of violent events,
like the swarm of tornadoes that wreaked havoc in the American midwest and
south over last weekend.
Guardian 17th Dec 2021
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/dec/17/warmer-winters-climate-crisis-scientists
Residents on Taiwan’s Orchid Island hope that the nuclear waste storage facility will now be closed
For decades, Taiwan has been storing barrels of radioactive waste on
Orchid Island, home to some 5,000 — mostly Indigenous people. DW’s Joyce
Lee met residents who hope that the facility will be finally closed after
all those years.
Deutsche Welle 16th Dec 2021
https://www.dw.com/en/living-next-to-taiwans-nuclear-dump-site/av-60154113
Iran and UN inspector reach agreement on reinstalling cameras at Karaj nuclear facility
Iran and the UN inspector have reached an agreement on the imminent reinstallation of cameras at the Karaj nuclear facility, a move that is seen as indispensable to keeping alive the broader nuclear talks and the lifting of US sanctions on Tehran. Those negotiations appear to be hanging by a thread judging by a string of negative comments from European diplomats when they discussed the progress of the talks at the UN security council on Tuesday. Guardian 16th Dec 2021 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/16/iran-un-inspector-agreement-cameras-nuclear-facility-us-sanctions |
Sweden’s Non Government Organisations want the government to reject nuclear repositary plans, on safety grounds
The new Minister of Climate and Environment Annika Strandhäll at a press
conference on December 8 presented a timetable for a decision on the
planned repository for spent nuclear fuel in Forsmark, and a decision on
the extension of the current repository for short-lived radioactive waste
(SFR 2).
The nuclear fuel repository decision will be taken on January 27,
2022, and the SFR 2 decision already on December 22. The Swedish Society
for Nature Conservation, the Swedish Friends of the Earth and the Swedish
NGO Office for Nuclear Waste Review (MKG) want the government to say no to
both repositories.
The organisations are of the opinion that it has still
not been shown that the spent nuclear fuel repository is safe enough and
believe that the LOT experiment can, if necessary, be used to develop more
knowledge about copper as a canister material before a decision is made.
If the government intends to say yes to the start of construction repository,
the decision should follow the Swedish Council for Nuclear Waste’s proposal
to condition an approval to more research and that a separate decision
under the Environmental Code be given separately to start operation when
that time.
MKG 8th Dec 2021
Iran nuclear talks to resume ‘soon’ after modest gains in Vienna
Iran nuclear talks to resume ‘soon’ after modest gains in Vienna
Negotiators trying to agree on a joint text that would act as the basis for a potential agreement. Aljazeera By Maziar Motamedi 17 Dec 202117 Dec 2021
The seventh round of talks in Vienna to restore Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal has ended and while it appears progress was made, the negotiating world powers are not close to an agreement.
A Joint Commission meeting of the remaining signatories of the deal the United States abandoned in 2018 was held in Palais Coburg on Friday…………………….. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/12/17/iran-nuclear-talks-to-resume-soon-after-modest-gains-in-vienna
Hundreds of Scientists Ask Biden to Cut the U.S. Nuclear Arsenal
Hundreds of Scientists Ask Biden to Cut the U.S. Nuclear Arsenal, New York Times,
In a letter, the scientists also urged President Biden to declare that the United States would never be the first to use nuclear weapons in a conflict., By David E. Sanger 17 Dec 21,
WASHINGTON — Nearly 700 scientists and engineers, including 21 Nobel laureates, asked President Biden on Thursday to use his forthcoming declaration of a new national strategy for managing nuclear weapons as a chance to cut the U.S. arsenal by a third, and to declare, for the first time, that the United States would never be the first to use nuclear weapons in a conflict.
The letter to Mr. Biden also urged him to change, for the first time since President Harry S. Truman ordered the dropping of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima, the American practice that gives the commander in chief sole authority to order the use of nuclear weapons. The issue gained prominence during the Trump administration, and the authors of the letter urged Mr. Biden to make the change as “an important safeguard against a possible future president who is unstable or who orders a reckless attack.”
But while Mr. Biden has often declared that he will be guided by scientific advice alone when it comes to managing the Covid-19 pandemic, he has made no such pledge in the nuclear arena, where strategists, allies protected by the American nuclear umbrella and members of Congress all have views — many of them diametrically opposed to the ones described by scientists………………….. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/16/us/politics/scientists-letter-nuclear-arsenal.html
EDF to delay maintenance outages at 3 nuclear reactors in France, to avoid a supply shortage
EDF will delay outages at three nuclear reactors in France – Flamanville
1, 2 (1,300 MW each) and Gravelines 3 (910 MW) – to avoid a supply crunch
this winter, its latest transparency data showed on Tuesday. A maintenance
outage at Flamanville 2 was postponed from 29 January.
Montel 14th Jan 2021
https://www.montelnews.com/news/1282408/edf-postpones-3-reactor-outages-to-avert-supply-crunch
China to lead in global wind power
China is forecast to account nearly 70% of new wind power capacity
additions globally within a decade boosted by the country’s robust
electricity demand. Consulting firm Wood Mackenzie in its fourth quarter
forecast expects a 69 gigawatts (GW) increase in new wind power capacity
additions globally for the period of 2021 to 2030 with 48GW coming from
China.
Capital.com 15th Dec 2021
https://capital.com/china-to-lift-global-new-wind-power-capacity-additions
European states divided, as decision looms on December 22nd about including nuclear as ”green”
The EU is set to make a final decision on December 22 on whether to
include nuclear power and natural gas in its green taxonomy. The issue is
dividing EU members, with France and number of nuclear CEE states, such as
the Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania, in favour of including
atomic energy and natural gas, while Germany is leading a group that also
includes Italy, Spain, Denmark, Austria and Luxembourg that is against
including gas and nuclear in the green taxonomy.
Pro-gas and pro-nuclear
countries regard gas as a transition fuel that can help reduce emissions in
countries such as Poland and the Czech Republic that are now aiming to
reduce coal’s role in power generation. The nuclear lobby, meanwhile, is
strong, with energy ministers from Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Finland,
France, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia speaking out in
October to support nuclear’s inclusion in the taxonomy.
BNE Intellinews 17th Dec 2021
EDF shares slide after faults found at nuclear plant
EDF shares slide after faults found at nuclear plant. Shares in EDF EDF.PA
plunged on Thursday after the French power giant found faults at a nuclear
power station and shut down another plant using the same kind of reactors,
leading it to cut its core profit goal for this year.
FT 16th Dec 2021
https://www.ft.com/content/430280fc-250d-4fc2-863c-a0b16a960018
1 This Month
19 November – Webinar – The Reality of Reprocessing
Time: 11:00 AM Pacific Time (US & Canada) / 2:00 PM Eastern / 7:00 PM UK / 8:00 PM CET
Register for the Zoom Event Here
Shut down the radiation-damaged Heysham nuclear reactors now
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity – go to https://nuclearinformation.wordpress.com
Say No to NASA’s Reckless Nuclear Reactor on the Moon
Say No to NASA’s Reckless Nuclear Reactor on the Moon
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