nuclear-news

Dispelling myths about Iran’s nuclear power program

Five myths about Iran’s nuclear program By Ariane Tabatabai  Ariane Tabatabai is a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.    JULY 10, 2014 TEHRANAS THE July 20 deadline approaches for a final agreement between the West and Iran over Iran’s nuclear program, it is vitally important to understand both sides’ positions. Here are five myths about Iran’s nuclear program.

Myth 1:Iran’s supreme leader will block a favorable deal….deep distrust between Iran and the United States. But it is also informed by the opposition of US hard-liners to any diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue. By inviting the hard-liners to tone down their criticism of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif, Khamenei is paving the way for Zarif’s team to effectively pursue a deal and receive sanctions relief, while hedging for failure.

Myth 2: The fatwa against nuclear weapons is bogus.

Myth 3: Iran just wants to defy the international community………Tehran signaled its willingness to cooperate with the agency in the context of the technical cooperation program. Iran is not just trying to defy the international community; it has legitimate concerns, which must be addressed, or at least recognized and understood………… http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2014/07/09/five-myths-about-iran-nuclear-program/kW4pIuwzmnzYlamEgbO4aI/story.html

July 12, 2014 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | Leave a comment

Czech’s Temelin nuclear power plant ceases supplying electricity to the grid

Czech nuclear plant out of action due to defect July 11, 2014 By Diarmaid Williams PennEnergy International Digital Editor Temelin nuclear power plant has stopped supplying power to the Czech grid as its second unit was disconnected over a pump defect on Thursday evening.

July 12, 2014 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | Leave a comment

Earthquake near New York area nuclear plant

‘Puzzling’ quake hits next to NYC-area nuclear plant — “Not along any known fault lines” — Many reports of ‘loud boom’ echoing through area — Residents ‘startled into streets’ — Professor: “They tend to come in bursts… I’m concerned, let’s put it that way… Significant hazard… We don’t understand why these occur” (AUDIO) http://enenews.com/quake-near-indian-point-loud-boom?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ENENews+%28Energy+News%29

Journal News, July 6, 2014 (emphasis added): People living in the Hudson Highlands were startled Saturday morning by an earthquake that […] was accompanied by a loud boom […] those near the epicenter were startled into the streets. […] The U.S. Geological Survey listed the event at a category 5 earthquake, which typically causes light shaking and no damage.

WAMC, July 7, 2014: Nano Seeber is a research professor with Columbia University […] He says the small quake was not along any fault lines. “The Hudson Highlands is a belt of old crystalline rocks [and] have a concentration of earthquakes […] There is fault […] toward the southeast […] and there’s a concentration of earthquakes near this fault. And of course this is of great concern because there is a nuclear power plant as well along this fault […] I am concerned, let’s put it that way.” […] Seeber says, as a seismologist, the earthquake is bit puzzling. “There is significant earthquake hazard  […] we don’t understand basically why these earthquakes occur.”

Kathy Percacciolo, Garrison resident: “I thought somebody hit the house. I went outside to look and my daughter came running out and said, ‘What was that?’ I said maybe it was an earthquake.” She felt one once before, around 1984.

Christine Schaetzl, Garrison resident: “We heard this loud boom and the windows shook. My husband went outside to see if someone’s gas grill blew up… It was kind of scary. It echoed through the valley.” She’d felt earthquakes before, but had never heard one.

Thomas Pitt, Highland Falls resident: [Pitt] heard and felt the quake as well, even though he’s on the other side of the Hudson River. “There’s this big rumble, a loud boom. Everyone was coming out of their houses, looking for smoke.”

Robert Pidgeon, Cortlandt Manor resident: He heard a loud, short sound “that wasn’t normal […] The trees made an odd sound like something was shaking them. I actually thought it was a bunch of deer running.”

Prof. Leonardo Seeber, Columbia University: The earthquake was […] not along any known fault lines […] Scientists keep a close eye on the Ramapo Fault because of the Indian Point nuclear power plant […] more earthquakes might be coming soon. “They tend to come in bursts.”

Rafael Abreu, USGS geophysicist: New Yorkers have nothing to worry about. “Definitely not an indication that there is a larger earthquake coming or anything else.”

Full WAMC broadcast here

July 12, 2014 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | Leave a comment

Israel Defense Force claims their Twitter account was hacked

‘Nuclear leak’ tweet by Israel Defense Force: Claims Twitter account hacked Belfast Telegraph, BY JOHN MULGREW – 03 JULY 2014 The Israel Defense Force has said a tweet warning of a ‘nuclear leak’ following a rocket attack was false – claiming their Twitter account had been hacked.The official IDF Twitter account posted the following message on Thursday night: ‘#WARNING Possible nuclear leak in the region after 2 rockets hit Dimona nuclear facility’

As expected, the post went viral on Twitter.

But it was soon deleted from the account.

The IDF then posted a tweet, claiming there had been a security breach and apologised…….http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/nuclear-leak-tweet-by-israel-defense-force-claims-twitter-account-hacked-30405776.html

July 5, 2014 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | Leave a comment

Widespread radiation contamination in 1958 radiation accident

Dozens of Y-12 workers exposed to radiation in 1958 accident Rad exposures in 1958 accident at Y-12 more widespread than reported… (Subscribers only) http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2014/jun/30/dozens-of-y-12-workers-exposed-to-radiation-in/  Frank Munger June 30, 2014

July 2, 2014 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | Leave a comment

Nuclear energy: Thorium fuel has risks

• Stephen F. Ashley,
• Geoffrey T. Parks,
• William J. Nuttall,
• Colin Boxall
• & Robin W. Grimes

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v492/n7427/full/492031a.html

June 30, 2014 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | Leave a comment

Fracking brings radioactive risks in USA

Radioactive Risks From Fracking Waste, Living on Earth Air Date: Week of June 27, 2014 New techniques allow companies to extract oil and gas from deep in the ground, but as Matt Richmond of WSKS and the Allegheny Front reports, naturally radioactive rocks above the Marcellus shale in the Eastern US can create a dangerous waste product. Transcript……http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=14-P13-00026&segmentID=2

June 30, 2014 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | Leave a comment

Pilgrim nuclear protestors raise problems of climate change affecting nuclear plant

Islanders Join Chorus Against Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station Vineyard Gazette Olivia Hall, 26 June 14“…….Three Cape Cod activists will join the panel on Monday, including Mary Lampert of Pilgrim Watch, Diane Turco of Cape Downwinders and Karen Vale of Cape Cod Bay Watch. Cape and Islands state Sen. Dan Wolf, who has called for closing the plant, will also speak Monday. A group called 350 Martha’s Vineyard Island, a local organization founded in early 2013 to address climate change, has also been vocal on the issue.

Though not directly related to climate change, founder Mas Kimball said sea level rise and sea temperature rise could imperil the plant in the event of a storm. The warming of bay waters could also compromise the necessary cooling of fuel rods, he said. “Climate change is impacting the plant,” said Ann Rosenkranz. “Rising seas, warming waters, the severity and frequency of the storms, all of those things are really imperiling what is not a safe situation to begin with and making it even more dangerous.” ……..  :http://mvgazette.com/news/2014/06/26/islanders-join-chorus-against-pilgrim-nuclear-power-station?k=vg53acdc3930608&r=1#sthash.yF08kclK.dpuf

June 30, 2014 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | Leave a comment

Scotland question: just who are Britain’s nuclear targets?

A right to know nuclear targets http://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/letters/a-right-to-know-nuclear-targets-1-3460159 The Scotsman Joseph G Miller, Dunfermline29 June 14 SURELY the people of Scotland are entitled to know the targets of the 200 nuclear warheads stationed at Faslane.
Is Russia a target? Russia, whose leader suggested dismantling Syria’s poisonous gas installations instead of bombing them, as proposed by the US?
Is China a target? Is China a military threat? Or is it Iran? Until a few days ago this seemed likely as we’ve heard so much about Iran’s “illegal” nuclear programme. Now we, the West, are relying on Iran to bolster Iraq’s faltering regime.
The IRA can no longer be a target if, indeed, it ever was. Even if all the above are targets, it still leaves an awful lot of missiles unaccounted for.

Does Westminster really have so many enemies on this little planet? If so, should they not be sweet-talking them?
As they are clearly not, and seem determined to cling to the nuclear trigger, voting Yes would seem to provide Scotland with 200 new friends overnight. Come to think of it, it could also save civilisation as we know it.

June 30, 2014 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | Leave a comment

Should we worry about electromagnetic radiation?

Radiation protection – sense or nonsense? Geovital 30 June 14 Is radiation protection meaningful or just hype among a few crazy people?

June 30, 2014 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | 1 Comment

Very high levels of radiation again at WIPP nuclear facility

Radiation spikes at WIPP nuclear facility — Hits highest levels since initial hours of radioactive release in February — Document link removed from official website — Gov’t analyzing samples for “potential impact on human health” http://enenews.com/large-spike-radiation-levels-wipp-nuclear-facility-highest-measurements-recorded-first-days-incident-govt-analyzing-potential-impact-human-health?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ENENews+%28Energy+News%29

: June 27th, 2014 Station A and B Filter Readings for Public Release 6-16-14, New Mexico Environment Department Air Filter Station Sampling Data (pdf):

(Note: Measurements are taken after air passes through the filtration system. Also, the June data is shown in 4-hour intervals, while most in February are around 8 hours.)

*See the archived version of the NMED’s document list here and the current version here

June 28, 2014 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | Leave a comment

France’s energy plan boosts renewables, drops nuclear power down

Renewables Up, Nuclear Flat in French Energy Plan IEEE Spectrum,  By Peter Fairley 24 Jun 2014 After months of negotiation, the French government has unveiled a long-awaited energy plan that is remarkably true to its election promises. The legislation’s cornerstone is the one-third reduction in the role of nuclear power that President François Hollande proposed on the campaign trail in 2012.

Under the plan, nuclear’s share of the nation’s power generation is to drop from 75 percent to 50 percent by 2025, as renewable energy’s role rises from 15 percent today to 40 percent to make up the difference. That is a dramatic statement for France, which is the world’s second largest generator of nuclear energy, after the United States. France has a globally-competitive nuclear industry led by state-owned utility Electricité de France (EDF) and nuclear technology and services giant Areva…….http://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/energy/nuclear/renewables-up-nuclear-down-in-french-energy-plan

June 26, 2014 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | Leave a comment

Nuclear and Coal plants at increasing risk from climate change impacts

World’s energy systems vulnerable to climate impacts, report warns Generators from nuclear reactors to coal-fired power plants will feel the brunt of the weather changes  Fiona Harvey, environment correspondent theguardian.com, Wednesday 18 June 2014  Rising sea levels, extremes of weather and an increase in the frequency of droughts and floods will all play havoc with the world’s energy systems as climate change takes hold, a new report has found

Energy companies are more often cited as part of the problem of climate change, generating the lion’s share of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, amounting to around 40% of the total. But they will also suffer as global warming picks up pace, as generators – from nuclear reactors to coal-fired power plants – feel the brunt of the weather changes.Many large plants are particularly at risk from droughts, because they need water to cool their facilities, and floods, because they lack protection from sudden storms. Electricity distribution networks are also likely to be affected.

The vulnerability of energy systems to natural shocks was shown starkly when the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan had to be closed down following the 2011 tsunami, which prompted governments around the world to review their nuclear policies.

The World Energy Council (WEC), which compiled the study along with Cambridge University and the European Climate Foundation, urged generators to examine their vulnerability to climate change……http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jun/18/world-energy-systems-vulnerable-climate-impacts-report

June 24, 2014 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | Leave a comment

More delays, more costs for Georgia’s new nuclear power plants

Monitor warns of delays building Ga. nuclear plant  Seattle Pi By RAY HENRY, Associated Press , June 23, 2014 ATLANTA (AP) — The companies building one of the first U.S. nuclear plants in a generation have missed project deadlines, and government monitors questioned in reports released Monday whether those delays could grow.

Southern Co. subsidiary Georgia Power and its partners are building two more nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle (VOH’-gohl) southeast of Augusta using a first-of-its-kind technology. The construction project was originally estimated to cost $14 billion, but the final price tag is likely to rise.

The plant in Georgia and an identical facility under construction in South Carolina are widely viewed as tests of whether the nuclear industry can build new power plants without the big delays and cost overruns common decades ago. Total project costs could jump $2 million every day there is a delay, according to estimates released by state analysts. Utility customers ultimately pay those costs unless regulators intervene………http://www.seattlepi.com/business/energy/article/Monitor-warns-of-delays-building-Ga-nuclear-plant-5573404.php

June 24, 2014 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | Leave a comment

Despite differences, a nuclear deal is possible between Iran and the West

Iran Nuclear Talks Produce Possible Framework for Deal Chinese Envoy Says Negotiations This Week Made Progress But Main Issues Unresolved y
WSJ, LAURENCE NORMAN  June 20, 2014 VIENNA—With one month to go until a July 20 deadline, the odds of a high-stakes nuclear deal between Iran and six major powers appeared finely balanced, with senior diplomats saying this week’s talks had shown “progress” but warning that gaps may prove too wide to resolve.

After five days of discussions in Vienna, top Iranian and U.S. officials demanded major concessions from the other side and there was no pretense of any sudden breakthrough.

However, the negotiating teams departed Friday with a working document in hand—the first concrete advance in months. Diplomats said all sides appear committed to reach an accord and they left with plans to return July 2 for a mammoth negotiation session that could run through July 20.

The climax to the decade-old Iran talks comes at a time of flux in the long frozen relationship between Tehran and Washington. The Obama administration has suffered multiple foreign policy setbacks in recent months, and Iran has been shaken by the offensive by extremist Sunni groups in its neighbor, Iraq. On Monday, senior U.S. and Iranian officials discussed the Iraq crisis in Vienna.

It’s not yet clear whether that development could help pave the way for a nuclear deal, which could be a rare foreign policy win for the U.S. administration and reward Iranian President Hasan Rouhani for the diplomatic outreach he instigated when he took office last summer.

Iran and the six powers—the U.S., the U.K., China, Russia, Germany and France—are seeking an accord that would settle international concerns about Iran’s nuclear ambitions in return for lifting tight energy and financial sanctions on Tehran…….

Russia’s top negotiator at the talks, Sergei Ryabkov, said earlier this week that while the differences between Iran and the U.S. on centrifuge numbers remain a “big problem,” this issue was always likely to be settled “at a very late stage.” http://online.wsj.com/articles/iran-nuclear-talks-produce-possible-framework-for-deal-1403273321

June 21, 2014 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | Leave a comment