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Malicious software got into UN nuclear agency computers

 

U.N. nuclear agency says malware infected some computers (Reuters) – Malicious software infected some U.N. nuclear agency computers over the past few months but no data in its network has been compromised, the agency said on Tuesday….http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/10/22/uk-nuclear-iaea-malware-idUKBRE99L08Q20131022

October 25, 2013 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

UK’s new nukes – prices guaranteed for investors, not for UK consumers

Britain’s first new nuclear plant in 20 years: David Cameron accused over guaranteed energy prices for foreign investors Prime Minister accused of freezing future prices for large companies but not for consumers, The independent  JAMES LEGGE  MONDAY 21 OCTOBER 2013 THE PRIME MINISTER HAS HAILED AS “BRILLIANT NEWS” THE MULTI-BILLION POUND DEAL TO BUILD THE UK’S FIRST NEW NUCLEAR POWER STATION IN 20 YEARS. BUT LABOUR ACCUSED DAVID CAMERON OF DEFENDING THE “RIDICULOUS POSITION” OF SETTING FUTURE ENERGY PRICES FOR LARGE COMPANIES, WHILST REJECTING ED MILIBAND’S PROPOSED ENERGY PRICE FREEZE.

The power station agreement announced today includes a controversial Government guarantee that investors will get more than £92.50 per megawatt hour of energy produced – double the current market price……http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/britains-first-new-nuclear-plant-in-20-years-david-cameron-accused-over-guaranteed-energy-prices-for-foreign-investors-8893954.html

October 21, 2013 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

UK security in doubt, as China to own its nuclear power plants?

fearflag-UKShould we be worried about the Chinese owning our nuclear power stations? ITV,  Thu 17 Oct 2013 Chancellor George Osborne has today given formal Government approval for Chinese state-run firms to buy into British nuclear power generation…….

Unlike the other sectors which already see Chinese state and private company investment, nuclear power is highly sensitive.

Today, George Osborne has approved future majority stakes for the Chinese, allowing China to control the firms running our nuclear generation……

Today’s decision highlights the urgent need to get new massive infrastructure projects completed in the UK, but also puts concerns about the Chinese threat to state security under intense scrutiny. http://www.itv.com/news/2013-10-17/should-we-be-worried-about-the-chinese-owning-our-nuclear-power-stations/

October 17, 2013 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Progress in talks between Iran and USA

Iran, world powers report progress in nuclear talks, agree to further meetings WP, By , Published: October 16 E-mail the writer GENEVA — Iranian and U.S. officials cited significant progress Wednesday in international talks on Iran’s nuclear program, agreeing to hold further meetings in rapid succession with the aim of producing a deal inhibiting Tehran’s ability to acquire atomic weapons.

The two days of talks in a palace just above Lake Geneva yielded no specific agreements on curbing Iran’s nuclear activities. But they produced a rare, one-on-one meeting between U.S. and Iranian officials and pledges from both sides to work quickly to end what a top Iranian official called “an unnecessary crisis.”….http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/iran-nuclear-talks-enter-second-day-western-officials-call-tehrans-proposal-very-useful/2013/10/16/615815f4-364e-11e3-be86-6aeaa439845b_story.html

October 17, 2013 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Heating and air conditioning by solar panels

Solar Panels Can Be Used to Provide Heating and Air Conditioning Science daily Oct. 16, 2013 — The use of solar panels for hot water in the bathroom is standard practice, but researchers at the Madrid Universities Carlos III and Politécnica suggest that they may also be used to provide large offices with heating in the winter and air conditioning in the summer. Their proposal involves the incorporation of solar collectors into a gas-based co-generation system with an absorption machine, which would reduce both energy expenditure and CO2 emissions…….http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131016112615.htm

October 17, 2013 Posted by | general | 2 Comments

USA’s nuclear ‘renaissance’ wel; and truly fizzled out

financial-disaster-1Nuclear power: why US nuclear ‘renaissance’ fizzled and plants are closing Four nuclear plants have closed this year and dozens are at risk of early retirement, as the industry faces low-cost competitors and renewed doubts about the wisdom of nuclear power. Christian Science Monitor, By David J. Unger,  October 10, 2013 A funny thing happened on the way to a nuclear renaissance: For the first time in 15 years, operating nuclear plants are being forced to close, and energy companies are scuttling plans for new plants and upgrades to existing ones. In addition to four closures of nuclear plants so far this year, two other US nuclear plants are at a crossroads, and dozens more at risk of early retirement.

It points to the thwarted promise of a nuclear industry that 10 years ago seemed on the verge of revival, until derailed by cheap energy alternatives, listless energy demand, and renewed safety and regulatory concerns, especially after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident……

both public opinion and market forces are working against the renaissance that industry backers have been predicting. Continue reading →

October 11, 2013 Posted by | general | 1 Comment

Nuclear Regulatory Commission sends 90% of regulators off work

90% Of America’s Nuclear Regulators Forced To Take Leave Of Absence http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2013/10/almost-all-of-americas-nuclear-regulators-are-about-to-be-furloughed/   That US government shutdown is still causing all kinds of problems, and this one’s a doozy. Starting tomorrow, some 90 per cent of the workers who watch over America’s 100 nuclear reactors will be furloughed. Since these guys are sort of the first line of defence in a nuclear disaster, that’s really bad news.

Thankfully, a few of the nation’s nuclear regulators will stick around to sound the alarms if something bad happens. To be exact, 300 “resident inspectors” from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will remain on the job to keep an eye on the 63 different nuclear power plants across the country. That is very much a skeleton crew, however, considering that 3600 employees will not be going to work. They will call in more employees if there’s an emergency, but it’s unclear how many.

The NRC wants you to know that everything’s going to be OK though. “We are going to make sure that we continue our oversight of the plants because the resident inspectors will be on duty, and we are prepared to respond to an emergency on short notice,” NRC spokesman Eliot Brenner told the press. NRC chairman Allison Macfarlane expressed a similar sentiment in a blog post saying that the agency “must… err on the side of safety and security.” No duh.

But obviously people get a little shaken up when it comes to messing around with nuclear power. Ed Lyman with the Union of Concerned Scientists said it best: “Yes, I am worried.” Then again, those guys are always worried. [CNN]

October 11, 2013 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

How is the USA government shutdown affecting nuclear power?

Nuclear Power and the Shutdown NYT, By PHILIP M. BOFFEY 9 Oct 13Try as they may, Tea Party Republicans who triggered the shutdown cannot disguise the fact that it is disrupting important government activities.

Fortunately, the heads of federal agencies are not as reckless as Tea Partiers and have generally found ways to continue activities to protect public safety and health. But if this shutdown grinds on much longer it could cause significant harm.

Here is how two science-based agencies are faring.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission

The agency is expected to run out of previously appropriated money at the close of business on Thursday. At that point, the work force of 3,900 will drop to about 300. Some 150 inspectors at the nation’s 100 nuclear power plants will remain on the job as will an equal number of personnel in emergency response and support functions. That is an essential move to make sure reactors continue to operate safely. Work that is extremely important for future nuclear operations, however, will stop in its tracks. There will be no work on licensing new reactors or certifying new reactor designs, no work on adjudicating technical disputes, and no travel to or participation in meetings on such important issues as nuclear waste disposal. The Atomic Safety and Licensing Board, an expert group that second-guesses agency decisions, has started canceling hearings into next week….. http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/08/nuclear-power-and-the-shutdown/?_r=0

October 10, 2013 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

USA govt shutdown could send nuclear workers home

Gov’t workers at nuclear reactors could be furloughed By Greg Suskin WSOCTV.com YORK COUNTY, S.C. 9 Oct 13,  —  As the government shutdown continues, thousands more federal workers are about to clock out.The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which watches over the nation’s 100 nuclear reactors, has announced furloughs.

If the government shutdown doesn’t end by Thursday, about 3,600 employees will be sent home. ……http://www.wsoctv.com/news/news/local/govt-workers-nuclear-reactors-could-be-furloughed/nbJgk/

October 10, 2013 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

UK company Magnox wants to prolong use of aged nuclear recator

safety-symbol-Smflag-UKMagnox moves to extend lifetime of UK’s oldest nuclear reactor LONDON | Tue Oct 8, 2013  Oct 8 (Reuters) – Magnox Limited, the owner of Britain’s oldest nuclear power reactor, has submitted a proposal to the country’s nuclear regulator to extend the unit’s lifetime by 15 months to December 2015.

The 42-year old Wylfa 1 nuclear reactor in Wales is scheduled to shut down at the end of September 2014, but its operator has submitted a document to the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) proposing to prolong operations…….http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/10/08/britain-nuclear-wylfa-idINL6N0HY21720131008

October 10, 2013 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Iran says can prove nuclear program isn’t for bomb

Iran: We can ‘clearly prove’ nuclear program isn’t for bomb  Iran’s parliament speaker to CNN: West should allow enrichment for civilian purposes. By JPOST.COM STAFF10/09/2013 03 Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani on Tuesday told CNN that Tehran was serious about resolving its nuclear issue, and was seeking to come to an agreement shortly given that the West would agree to let Iran to enrich nuclear fuel for civilian purposes. Larijani told Amanpour that Iran can “clearly show and prove” to world powers that it was not developing a nuclear bomb……..

“From Iran’s side, I can say that we are ready,” Larijani, speaking from Geneva, told CNN’s Chrisitan Amanpour. http://www.jpost.com/Iranian-Threat/News/Iran-We-can-clearly-prove-nuclear-program-isnt-developing-bomb-328211

October 10, 2013 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

The lose-lose situation – nuclear weapons

POV: Nuclear Armament Is a Lose/Lose Even unused, nuclear weapons damage the lives of millions BU Today, 10.09.2013 By Neal Leavitt Amartya Sen is a Nobel Prize–winning economist and philosopher who is best known for his writings on famine and human development. His approach to the broader questions of foreign policy—including his commitment to nuclear disarmament—have not received as much attention, but they should.

In his essay “India and the Bomb,” Sen notes that military spending does not occur in a vacuum. A nation cannot increase spending on its armed forces and expect no response. Instead, one nation’s decision to increase its military spending will affect its neighbors. “Why,” these other heads of state might wonder, “is my neighbor developing or purchasing incredibly lethal arms? What is my neighbor planning to do with these new capabilities?” And if these persons are sufficiently alarmed, they might direct more resources to their own armed forces. The development or purchase of weapons in one country can have a cascading effect.

The key insight of Sen’s foreign policy lies here. In Sen’s words, one must take “into account the responses from others that would be generated by one’s pursuit of military strength.” Escalating actions almost inevitably lead to escalating “counteractions,” he says. This is not just an abstract and theoretical claim. Sen describes how the conflict between India and Pakistan morphed into a potential nuclear catastrophe through each nation’s commitment to a nuclear weapons program. Sen also discusses the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, when the Soviet Union and the United States came very close to ending human life.

There is nothing theoretical about these events. But the problem is not limited to the destructive potential of arms races in general—or nuclear weapons proliferation in particular. Sen also notes that a government must divert a large amount of society’s resources away from other vitally important social goals to construct “the bomb.”……

How much money has the United States spent on its nuclear weapons program since its inception? Or Russia? Or the other nuclear powers of the world? Or the states that might be seeking, but do not yet possess, nuclear weapons? And what opportunities have been lost because of these commitments? The answer to these questions is clearly: way too much. A program of nuclear disarmament—coupled with the redirection of this spending to global development goals, such as mandatory, universal primary schooling—clearly has a lot going for it. A less militaristic foreign policy can accomplish much. http://www.bu.edu/today/2013/pov-nuclear-armament-is-a-lose-lose/

October 10, 2013 Posted by | general | 2 Comments

Nuclear waste: urgent and unsolved danger for USA and Canada, as well as Japan

 We must fix our own nuclear woes before criticizing others  http://blogs.theprovince.com/2013/10/06/letter-of-the-week-we-must-fix-our-own-nuclear-woes-before-criticizing-others/ Jorgen Hansen, Kelowna It is very sad for Japan and the rest of the world that they had the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011 as a result of an earthquake and the resulting tsunami and have nuclear waste going into the ocean.

Here at home in Canada and in the United States, we should be much more concerned about the nuclear waste storage at Hanford, Wash., nuclear waste disposal site.

There they have nuclear waste in old steel containers — huge containers — and the tanks are rusting away. What type of nuclear waste? Apparently it is a mixture of everything you can imagine, much of it waste that came from making nuclear bombs for the Cold War.

Now, we have hot stuff in our very own backyard. Concerned scientists are worried about the buildup of nuclear-waste hydrogen that could result in an explosion so large that we will have this mess drift up into our Canadian atmosphere, much the same way Mount St. Helen’s ash did when that exploded.

Scientists do not know how to get rid of this stuff or how to process it into distinct components and then deal with each of them. The U.S. is more concerned about waging war around the world to convert the Muslim heathens into good little Christians. Should the U.S. not clean up at home before they venture abroad? It could be that the waging of wars has left the U.S. so broke that it has no money left for clean up.

In the meantime, the news is all about Iran and its nuclear program. No one mentions the Israel’s nuclear program and where its waste goes. It is time to clean up at home before we concentrate on the nuclear problems of our neighbours.

Nuclear waste lasts for millions of years; at this rate, humans won’t.

Jorgen Hansen, Kelowna

October 8, 2013 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Shinzo Abe’s rather vague call for international aid on Fukushima crisis

Japan appeals for foreign help to stop leaks at crippled nuclear plant The Independent, MARI YAMAGUCHI TOKYO SUNDAY 06 OCTOBER 2013 Shinzo Abe, Japan’s Prime Minister, has appealed for overseas help to contain the ever-increasing leaks of radioactive water at the crippled nuclear plant in Fukushima.

“We are wide open to receive the most advanced knowledge from overseas to contain the problem,” Mr Abe said in his speech to open the conference on energy and environment in Kyoto yesterday. “My country needs your knowledge and expertise,” he said. Despite Mr Abe’s reassurances to the International Olympic Committee last month that the leaks were “under control”, many Japanese believe he was glossing over problems at the plant.

Mr Abe did not say whether he still thinks the leaks are under control, nor did he give any specifics about foreign participation………http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/japan-appeals-for-foreign-help-to-stop-leaks-at-crippled-nuclear-plant-8862659.html

October 6, 2013 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

USA shutdown stalls Nuclear Regulatory Commission meetings on dead San Onofre nuclear plant

san-onofre-deadfGovernment shutdown: Nuclear Regulatory Commission meetings on San Onofre postponed http://www.scpr.org/news/2013/10/04/39653/the-government-shutdown-nuclear-regulatory-commiss/ Ed Joyce | October 4th, 2013, The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has postponed two California meetings on nuclear waste storage proposals related to the closure of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station due to the federal government shutdown.

While its website proclaims “NRC Remains Open For Business” on the home page, the agency is postponing public meetings around the country due to the “anticipated lack of federal funding” resulting from the government shutdown.

Two public meetings next week in San Luis Obispo (Monday) and Carlsbad (Wednesday) fell victim to the shutdown. The meetings were meant to present the findings and receive public comments on NRC’s proposed rules andenvironmental study on the long-term storage of spent nuclear fuel.

The postponed meetings come at time the NRC is laying out plans to oversee the decommissioning of the San Onofre nuclear power plant near San Clemente. Those plans are likely to include proposals to store spent nuclear fuel on site for hundreds of years or longer.

The agency said more scheduled meetings in October and November might also be affected if the shutdown continues. The status of these meetings will be updated on the agency’s Public Meetings Schedule on the NRC website.

October 5, 2013 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

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