Scrutiny of UK’s nuclear subsidy will delay Hinkley nuclear plant
Brussels ‘state aid’ inquiry to hit Hinkley Point new nuclear plans An investigation by the EU into new £16bn Somerset plant could delay development for a year Telegraph, By Emily Gosden, Energy Editor 11 Dec 2013 Britain’s £16bn plans for its first nuclear plant in a generation could be delayed or derailed by an EU investigation into possible illegal state support, which is likely to be launched within days.
European Commission officials are expected to publish a strongly-worded list of potential breaches of state aid laws in the funding arrangements for the Hinkley Point project, in an initial decision as early as Wednesday.
Under a deal struck by the Government with French energy giant EDF in October, UK energy bill-payers would be committed to paying billions of pounds in subsidies for the plant in Somerset for 35 years…….http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/10512279/Brussels-state-aid-inquiry-to-hit-Hinkley-Point-new-nuclear-plans.html
Iran nuclear accord being worked on by world powers
Iran, world powers work on how to implement nuclear deal VIENNA Thu Dec 12, 2013 Reuters) – Experts from Iran and six world powers labored for a fourth day on Thursday to work out exactly how to implement last month’s breakthrough deal for Tehran to curb its nuclear program in return for limited sanctions easing.
The length of the closed-door discussions at the Vienna headquarters of the U.N. nuclear watchdog indicated the complexity of the task, not necessarily any major disagreements.
Diplomats said it showed the parties were determined to ensure that there would be no misunderstandings in the implementation of the November 24 interim agreement. It is a “good sign” they are taking their time to get it right, one said……http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/12/us-iran-nuclear-experts-idUSBRE9BB0VR20131212
Full investigation by EU into Britain’s subsidies to nuclear power companies
Brussels to probe UK nuclear power plant deal, By Guy Chazan and Alex Barker ,Ft.com 11 Dec 13 Brussels is to launch a full investigation into whether the contract for Britain’s first nuclear power plant in a generation offers illegal state support, casting the project into doubt until at least next summer. Continue reading
Senator Rockefeller opposing new sanctions on Iran
Don’t Risk Peaceful Elimination of Iran’s Nuclear Weapons Capabilities by Imposing New Sanctions HUFFINGTON POST, 12/11/2013 Sen Jay Rockefeller Today I spoke on the Senate floor about preventing Iran from ever developing a nuclear weapon. Below is full text of the speech. Video is available on my YouTube channel.…….
A caution to investors, about Thorium
Thorium Reactors: Nuclear Redemption or Nuclear Hazard?, The Energy Collective 10 Dec 13,“….Thorium does not resolve nuclear power’s proliferation and waste issues, Institute for Energy and Environmental Research President Dr. Arjun Makhijani responded to Martin on the NPR program last year. Pure uranium-233 can be derived from the molten salt coming out of thorium reactors “which is easier to make bombs with than plutonium.” And the waste, Makhijani added, contains carcinogenic radioactive materials…….
“My reactor is free. It’s in the sky, 93 million miles away. You can store its energy in molten salt. It is being done today. You can generate electricity for 24 hours a day,”
Even with extensive investment in thorium technology, he said, it would take ten years to build the infrastructure and ten more to put regulation in place. “I did an honest, unbiased look, not thinking we could do renewable energy. And I found out that my hunch was wrong: We can do 100 percent renewable energy.”……
Let them raise venture capital and do it,” said Vermont Law School Institute for Energy and the Environment nuclear economics researcher Mark Cooper. “I have low carbon and no carbon technologies whose costs have been coming down and they can keep the lights on. In 25 years I am likely to have a whole range of cost effective ways to keep the lights on that evolve from the current set of technologies.”…
Djplomacy, not military action, is the only way to deal with Iran
Go to this website to send a message to your Senator supporting President Obama’s diplomatic efforts to avoid military confrontation with Iran.http://nuclearabolitionist.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/say-no-thanks-to-nuclear-diplomacy.html
S
ay NO THANKS to Nuclear (Non) Diplomacy!!!, The Nuclear Abolitionist, BY LEONARD EIGE. 10 Dec 13
A few days ago Duncan Hunter, a Republican member of the House Armed Services Committee, suggested that the U.S. should plan to use nuclear weapons in a military conflict with Iran.
He said: “If you hit Iran, you do it with tactical nuclear devices and set them back a decade or two or three.”
Of course, Hunter failed to mention the consequences of the use of any nuclear weapons against Iran – among them the uncontrollable consequences of such weapons once released, the radioactive fallout and it’s effects on the region, and the regional destabilization that it would most likely cause.
So much for diplomacy!!!Hunter’s statement demonstrates his total lack of understanding (on any level) of both the risks related to the use of any type of nuclear weapons and the realities of the situation with Iran. It is completely irresponsible on the part of any elected (or other) official to remotely suggest the use of nuclear weapons.
In an article titled Nukes Are Nuts David Krieger quoted former US secretary of state and four-star general Colin Powell who said “no sane leader would ever want to cross that line to using nuclear weapons. And, if you are not going to cross that line, then these things are basically useless.” Yes – Nukes are certainly nuts (and most definitely “useless”, and the people who consider them a viable weapon most certainly are nuttier than a nuke.
There must be only one line of conversation about the situation with Iran – DIPLOMACY!!!
As citizens we need to send a clear message to Congress that there is only one acceptable path toward a resolution of tensions with Iran and that is a diplomatic one.
Go to this website to send a message to your Senator supporting President Obama’s diplomatic efforts to avoid military confrontation with Iran.
http://nuclearabolitionist.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/say-no-thanks-to-nuclear-diplomacy.html
Further loss of trust in Japan’s Government with new state secrets bill
Risk of losing public’s ‘tolerance’, Reader Mail, Japan Times 6 Dec GRANT PIPER Tokyo 13 Regarding the Dec. 2 article “Secrecy law protests ‘act of terrorism‘: LDP secretary general”: Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Shigeru Ishiba’s comments that street protesters voicing opposition to the new state secrets bill by shouting it in public demonstrations are doing something “not so fundamentally different from an act of terrorism” confirms in my mind the direction that Japan’s conservative government is headed.
That direction is to silence opposition by criminalizing criticism of the leadership. It will include not only journalistic and the political opposition’s critiques of government policy and behavior but also comedic parody and satire as well as treatment of the state and government in the arts — letters, music and graphic arts.
It will come in the form of a bill mandating respect for the prime minister and his Cabinet, the Emperor, the national anthem and the flag, and other symbols of the state, plus symbols of the traditional culture like Grand Ise Shrine or the Kamakura Daibutsu.
Presumably Ishiba was calling loud street protests a kind of terrorism because he thinks such behavior is terrible in the same way we think passengers on an enclosed subway train who are talking loudly on their smartphones — contrary to polite etiquette, common sense and posted prohibitions — are terrible.
By framing opposition as a security matter, almost anything at all could be outlawed if the government so desired and if it could muster enough votes in the legislature.
We can turn the tables and say that the way the LDP government rammed the bill through the Diet last week was an act of terrorism, because it is terrible as are so many other policies and aims of this government and this party. Ishiba knows about terrorism because he’s a terrorist. Of course, LDP spokesmen deny that the bill is intended, or will be used, to prosecute legitimate news reporting or legitimate quests for freedom of information.
One thing we are certain of is that Japanese politicians lie. It’s not that the government is losing our trust or risks losing our trust. The government never had our trust to begin with, only our tolerance.
Fuushima cesium release almost double that of Chernobyl
Canadian officials estimated Fukushima cesium-137 release almost double Chernobyl — Based on the “most conservative and credible” projections http://enenews.com/canadian-govt 8 Dec 13
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear reactor’s only future is a slow decommissioning
Earthquakes uncomfortably close to Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant
Quake rocks Iran near nuclear plant AFP NOVEMBER 29, 2013 http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/quake-rocks-iran-near-nuclear-plant/story-e6frg6so-1226771027078#sthash.7vnMgUMa.dpuf A 5.7 magnitude earthquake on the Gulf coast near Iran’s sole nuclear power plant has killed eight people and injured 190, emergency autorities said.
“So far, there are seven dead and 30 injured receiving hospital treatment,” the official IRNA news agency quoted emergency response chief Hassan Qadami as saying. However, an official said the temblor had “not created any problem for the activities of the power plant” at Bushehr, where Iran has its Russian-built reactor.
The quake’s epicentre was near Borazjan, around 60 kilometres from Bushehr.
The media said the quake had destroyed around 250 homes and businesses, while Dashtestan provincial Governor Alireza Khorani also spoke of damaged houses and electricity pylons.
Iran stands on several seismic fault lines. In April, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Iran and neighbouring Pakistan, killing 40 people. A massive quake in December 2003 struck the southern city of Bam, killing 26,000 people and destroying its ancient mud-built citadel.
Iran’s Arab neighbours across the Gulf have often raised concern over the reliability of the Bushehr plant and the risks of radioactive leaks in case of a major quake. But Iran and Russia insist it respects international standards under the supervision of the UN nuclear watchdog.
Fierce public opposition to India’s Jaitapur nuclear plant
There is fierce opposition to Jaitapur nuclear plant: Officials Times of India Nov 29, 2013, MUMBAI: Government officials have admitted that there is “fierce opposition” to the Jaitapur nuclear power plant in Maharashtra despite the compensation package.
They spoke to this newspaper at the 5th edition of India Nuclear Energy 2013 summit which opened at the Nehru Centre on Thursday, with active participation from countries like France, Canada, United Kingdom apart from nuclear power firms from India. …
Iran nuclear deal supported by most Americans
War-weary Americans back Iran nuclear deal by 2-to-1 margin The Raw Story, By Agence France-Presse Thursday, November 28, 2013 Americans back a newly brokered nuclear deal with Iran by a two-to-one margin and are very wary of the United States resorting to military action against Tehran even if the historic diplomatic effort fails, a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday showed.
According to the survey, 44 percent of Americans support the interim deal reached Sunday between Iran and six world powers in Geneva, and 22 percent oppose it. The findings come as good news for President Barack Obama, whose approval ratings have dropped in recent weeks, largely due to the botched rollout of his flagship healthcare reform law, the Affordable Care Act. Even if the Iran deal fails, 31 percent think the U.S. should launch further diplomacy, while 49 percent would want to then increase sanctions. Only 20 percent would want U.S. military force to be used against Iran.
The survey’s results suggest that a war-weary U.S. public could help bolster Obama’s push to keep Congress from approving new sanctions that would complicate the next round of negotiations for a final agreement with Iran.
While indicating little trust among Americans toward Iranian intentions, the survey also underscored a strong desire to avoid new US military entanglements after long, costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. “This absolutely speaks to war fatigue, where the American appetite for intervention — anywhere — is extremely low,” Ipsos pollster Julia Clark said. “It could provide some support with Congress for the arguments being made by the administration.”…… http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/11/28/war-weary-americans-back-iran-nuclear-deal-by-2-to-1-margin/
Shhh the nuclear lobby doesn’t want us to know – Thorium nuclear energy is a dud!
There’s One Big Obstacle To US Development Of Thorium BUSINESS INSIDER LUCAS KAWA DEC 20 2012, SOME OF THORIUM’S DISADVANTAGES, WHICH INCLUDE:
- High capital costs ($4000-$10,000/kW)
- Little existing infrastructure, no commercially operating plants
- Long lead times (estimated at over 10 years) and licensing issues
- The bad reputation of nuclear energy, due to meltdowns at Chernobyl and Fukushima……
His conclusion:
Thorium power technology cannot economically compete with electricity generated by gas
Global media avoids covering the real global problems of Fukushima
The Global Threat of Fukushima, counterpunch A Global Response is Needed WEEKEND EDITION OCTOBER 25-27, 2013 by KEVIN ZEESE AND MARGARET FLOWERS The story of Fukushima should be on the front pages of every newspaper. Instead, it is rarely mentioned. The problems at Fukushima are unprecedented in human experience and involve a high risk of radiation events larger than any that the global community has ever experienced. It is going to take the best engineering minds in the world to solve these problems and to diminish their global impact.
When we researched the realities of Fukushima in preparation for this article, words like apocalyptic, cataclysmic and Earth-threatening came to mind. But, when we say such things, people react as if we were the little red hen screaming “the sky is falling” and the reports are ignored. So, we’re going to present what is known in this article and you can decide whether we are facing a potentially cataclysmic event.
Either way, it is clear that the problems at Fukushima demand that the world’s best nuclear engineers and other experts advise and assist in the efforts to solve them. Nuclear engineer Arnie Gundersen of Fairewinds.org and an international team of scientists created a 15-point plan to address the crises at Fukushima.
A subcommittee of the Green Shadow Cabinet (of which we are members), which includes long-time nuclear activist Harvey Wasserman, is circulating a sign-on letter and a petition calling on the United Nations and Japanese government to put in place the Gundersen et al plan and to provide 24-hour media access to information about the crises at Fukushima. ..http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/10/25/the-global-threat-of-fukushima/
Costs of renewables in fact lower, fossil fuel and nuclear costing more
one of the main barriers is that the fossil fuel industries is simply resisting change. The incumbent generators fight against energy efficiency and renewables, because of the damage it is doing to their traditional business models. Fossil fuel companies are still invested $675 billion a year in R&D on finding new fossil fuels.
“The perception is that renewables are expensive,” says Elisabeth Press, the executive secretary of IRENA. “The narrative around renewables has to change.”
Reality check on renewable energy could unblock climate talks REneweconomy, By Giles Parkinson on 24 November 2013 The biggest frustrations of the UN sponsored climate change talks are the endless blockages that are seemingly caused because the potential solutions to rising greenhouse gases appear insurmountable: Yet the solutions are staring the negotiators in the face.
Energy efficiency could provide half the abatement required to meet the “emissions gap” between where the world is heading and what it needs to do to meet the global target to cap emissions at 450 parts per million, or a better than even chance at capping global warming at 2C. It can do this at little or no extra cost. And a new study to be released in the new year will say that renewable energy alone could provide the other half of the abatement needed from now to 2030, again for little or no extra cost.
The findings by the International Renewable Energy Agency – to be included in a document called ReMap 2030 and released in January – suggests that this can be done by doubling the penetration of renewables in the global electricity market to 36 per cent by 2030. Continue reading
1 This Month
petition to oppose the rapid increase of space-military industry threatening Jeju Island and the region.
[Petition by April 19th (KST)] Stop the joint military-Hanwha Systems-Jeju Provincial Government Sea Launch!
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
of the week–London Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Tell the Ukrainian Government to Drop Prosecution of Peace Activist Yurii Sheliazhenko
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity – go to https://nuclearinformation.wordpress.com
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