More than half of eligible schools enlist in new solar scheme in Ireland
More than half of eligible schools enlist in new solar scheme in Ireland.
Ireland’s Department of Education says that just over 900 schools out of
1,600 eligible facilities have signed up to participate in the
government’s first round of the Solar for Schools Programme, a nationally
funded scheme to cover the costs of 6 kW roof-mounted solar installations.
Panels would be connected to the electricity grid, leading to €1,200
($1,310) to €1,600 per annum in savings, according to the government.
Schools from 11 districts could sign up in the first application round
which opened in mid-November and is expected to reach completion in May
this year.
PV Magazine 2nd Jan 2024
DOE docs: Carbon removal proposal bets on rare nuclear reactors
E & E News, ClimateWire, By Corbin Hiar | 01/03/2024
A climate technology startup aims to suck carbon from the atmosphere using a new type of nuclear power plant that’s never been built in the United States.
The use of so-called small modular reactors could provide a steady supply of electricity that’s free of climate pollution to a major carbon removal facility planned in Wyoming, according to Energy Department documents obtained by POLITICO’s E&E News. But some experts worry that relying on a novel nuclear plants could jeopardize the development of a federally funded proposal to develop direct air capture, an emerging industry that uses fans, filters, heat and piping to siphon carbon dioxide from the sky.
“It adds complication upon complication,” said Wil Burns, the co-director of American University’s Institute for Carbon Removal Law and Policy. “You’re starting off with a complex new technology, and now you’re trying to wed another complex technology, including one that’s in transition.”
The interest in small nuclear reactors by CarbonCapture, the lead developer of the carbon removal proposal, is among several previously undisclosed components of its initial concept for the Wyoming Regional Direct Air Capture Hub, outlined in documents released by the DOE via a Freedom of Information Act request.
The revelation comes as the Biden administration is moving to pour billions of dollars into commercializing direct air capture technologies while also resuscitating the nuclear power industry. The administration considers the success of both, which is far from assured, to be essential in the fight against climate change.
There are currently only two commercial-scale direct air capture facilities in operation worldwide that remove carbon dioxide from the air and store it underground or in long-lasting products like concrete. Building direct air capture plants and other types of carbon removal facilities — while rapidly weaning the world off of fossil fuels — is necessary to avoid the worst impacts of global warming, climate scientists say.
In theory, nuclear power plants could provide direct air capture developers with a steady supply of carbon-free electricity and heat.
Yet only two new reactors have come online in the U.S. over the past quarter-century. Small modular reactors have been promoted by the administration and nuclear energy advocates as a way to address concerns about cost and waste that derailed the nuclear industry in the 1990s.
That vision was thrown into doubt in November when a nuclear power company — facing spiraling costs and fleeing customers — pulled the plug on a $1.4 billion project to develop the nation’s first small modular reactors………………………………………………………
For Burns, who also teaches at Northwestern University and has reviewed carbon removal business plans for the payments company Stripe, the new details about CarbonCapture’s initial project designs suggest more due diligence is warranted.
“Government needs to be thinking this through before we commit a lot more money,” he said…………………………………………… https://www.eenews.net/articles/doe-docs-carbon-removal-proposal-bets-on-rare-nuclear-reactors/.
‘100-200,000, Not Two Million’: Israel’s Finance Minister Envisions Depopulated Gaza
Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich joined a growing list of senior lawmakers who expressed support for large-scale transfer of Gaza’s civilian population as a solution to Israel’s post-war security concerns.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that Israel must control the territory in the Gaza Strip and significantly reduce the number of Palestinian residents in Gaza.
In an interview to army radio, the far-right minister said that his “demand” was for the Gaza Strip to stop being a “hotbed where two million people grow up on hatred and aspire to destroy the State of Israel.”
Without outlining his preferred method, Smotrich then suggested that the removal of around 90 percent of Gaza’s residents would help achieve his goal. “If there are 100,000 or 200,000 Arabs in Gaza and not two million, the whole discourse about the day after will be different,” he said.
The Religious Zionism party chairman then noted that in order to regain security, Israel must control the Gaza Strip, and that “in order to control the territory militarily over time, you must also have civilian presence there.”
Smotrich’s comments are the latest in a growing list of troubling remarks by Israeli lawmakers to seemingly support expelling Gazans en masse out of the Strip in order to ensure Israel’s security after the war.
“Civil nuclear power” has always been a cover story for wasting public money on nuclear weapons.
The ride aboard our “Pale Blue Dot”
By Walt Patterson, Beyond Nuclear 31 Dec 23
“…………………………………………………………………………………………………… Eighty-seven years after I got here the blue dot is now in serious trouble. Not the dot itself, but all of us creatures riding on it. My eighty-seven year ride coincides precisely with the time we have been living with the knowledge about nuclear fission. As I have contemplated it most of my life I have been compelled to conclude that nuclear electricity, so-called nuclear power, has never been a normal economic activity, it has never paid its way, and still does not, it has always relied on vast injections of money and resources from taxpayers and electricity users, decreed by governments.
Civil nuclear power has been in effect a cover story, to disguise the true reason for pouring so much of our wealth into this dangerous sinkhole. In the eyes of governments, the key nuclear activity has been to stockpile terrifying quantities of nuclear explosives for use as weapons, nuclear political power, in which someone says, in effect, unless you do what I want, or give me what I want, I’ll obliterate this blue dot.
As climate change makes more and more of the blue dot uninhabitable, conflicts are breaking out world-wide. We have to hope that some people, some of our fellow dot-riders, some states-people, can find a way to defuse the nuclear threat.
Best wishes for a better 2024 — Walt. https://beyondnuclearinternational.org/2023/12/31/the-ride-aboard-our-pale-blue-dot/
COP28’s Nuclear Energy Promise Is Still a Long Way Off
The role nuclear energy might play in the future global energy mix should be supported by realistic analysis not on hope about what might be accomplished on hypothetical pathways.
During the past decade, the industry has shifted its
attention from constructing relatively large scale ~1,000 MWe pressurized
and boiling water reactors to considering small modular reactors, SMRs ≤
300 MWe. It is widely believed that SMRs will be of lower cost than the
disastrous cost levels experienced at the Vogtle, GA, and abandoned V.C.
Summer, South Carolina, plant construction. Accordingly, SMRs have
attracted a great deal of private and federal investment, but low overnight
capital cost has yet to be demonstrated.
Optimism arose beginning in
mid-2022 that nuclear deployment in the United States was entering a period
of growth. The GE-Hitatchi BWRX-300 MWe SMR was selected for deployment by
the Ontario Power Group at its Darlington site. It is under consideration
by Saskatchewan’s SaskPower and the TVA at Clinch River, Tennessee.
NuScale, partnering with Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS),
planned to combine twelve 77 MWe pressurized water modules to produce a 924
MWe plant at the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Idaho Falls ID site by
2030. The DOE’s GEN IV Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program selected
X-Energy’s Xe-100 high-temperature gas reactor (four 80 MWe modules
ganged together to produce 320 MWe) and TerraPower’s 345 MWe molten salt
Natrium reactor, each to receive $110 million 50/50 cost share. X-Energy
has selected DOW’s Seadrift TX chemical plant as its first location.
TerraPower was selected at a retired coal plant at Kemmerer, WY, which
PacifiCorp will operate.
Toward the end of 2023, expectations collapsed.
COVID-19, unexpected inflation, and high borrowing rates have caused all
the early participants to extend their anticipated completion dates, exceed
initial cost targets, and indicate additional financing will be needed.
After the massive budget outlays of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act and
Inflation Reduction Act legislation, it is unlikely that major additional
support will come from the federal government.
In November, NuScale
announced the cancelation of its UAMPS project, delivering a major setback
to nuclear energy expectations. The DOE has provided $232 million for the
project since 2020, and the department has backed the project with a $1.4
billion cost-share deal. The project was abandoned because of the
substantial cost overruns and the unwillingness of UAMPS members to pay
higher prices for the off-take electricity.
Accordingly, the United States
will not have acquired a record declining unit cost on SMR reactors, at
least until the mid-2030s. In sum, we are confronted with an aspirational
goal for the growth of international nuclear energy deployment at
mid-century and a decidedly guarded assessment of nuclear energy progress
today based on conditions in the United States, the country with the
largest deployment of nuclear reactors and a history of leading the world
in nuclear technology. The role nuclear energy might play in the future
global energy mix should be supported by realistic analysis, not hope about
what might be accomplished on hypothetical pathways.
The National Interest 2nd Jan 2024
EDF using Pontins Brean Sands has ‘big determinantal impact’ on local economy, tourism firm fears
It is unclear when the site will return to
being a holiday park. The continued use of Pontins Brean Sands to house
hundreds of Hinkley Point C workers is reportedly having a “big
determinantal impact” on the local economy, according to one tourism firm.
Up to 900 staff from Hinkley Point C have been living at Pontins Brean
Sands and are expected to be there across 2024 and perhaps beyond. The
holiday resort has seen a massive refurbishment of the chalets worth around
£2 million, which saw new kitchens, bathrooms, furniture, TVs, and new
Wi-Fi access installed. Yet Discover Brean has hit out at the continued use
of the site to Hinkley Point C workers and noted its impact on the local
economy and nearby traders.
Somerset Live 3rd Jan 2023
https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/news/somerset-news/edf-using-pontins-brean-sands-9009354
‘Renewable surge powers all UK homes in 2023’
Renewable electricity production in the UK reached a significant milestone
in 2023, generating more than 90 terawatt hours (TWh) of power from wind,
hydro and solar sources. This amount surpasses the energy needed to power
all of the UK’s 28 million homes.
Energy Live News 2nd Jan 2024
Volcanic hazard to planned Natrium fast nuclear reactor – even the NRC admits.
The proposed site of the Natrium fast nuclear reactor in Kemmerer, Wyoming
is subject to potential volcanic hazards that must be rigorously evaluated.
Volcanic ash falls and nuclear plants don’t play together very well.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission 16th Dec 2023
Backing the wrong horse: Government doubles Sizewell C funding on nuclear bad news day
Given the Hinkley debacle, the NFLAs regret that Mr Bowie did not put his shovel to good use by burying the Sizewell project, but instead, like many reckless gamblers, Ministers and senior civil servants at the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero have chosen to blow more taxpayers’ money on a losing prospect, doubling their bet on Sizewell C to £2.5 billion.
The UK/Ireland Nuclear Free Local Authorities were incredulous to learn that government ministers chose to back Sizewell C with a further £1.3 billion of public money on the same day (23 January) French nuclear operator EDF announced that Sizewell’s older twin sister, Hinkley Point C, would begin operating even later and at an even greater cost.
The public relations team handling Hinkley Point C announcements at EDF Energy must have a thankless task as theirs is seemingly a role that involves continually dispensing bad news. Yesterday’s https://www.edf.fr/en/the-edf-group/dedicated-sections/journalists/all-press-releases/hinkley-point-c-update-1 took the biscuit (though whether the PR team could console themselves with any given the state of the corporate finances is debatable; humble pie maybe?)
In the latest in a long litany of gloomy announcements portending further cost and delivery overruns, the company has now advised that the expected cost of delivering Hinkley Point C has increased by anything from £5-9 billion (your guess is as good as theirs) or ultimately between £31 and £35 billion. But this is based on 2015 estimates, so with inflation the bill might run to £46 billion at today’s prices. And the anticipated year in which Reactor 1 might start generating has slipped from the summer of 2027 to sometime never in 2029, with Reactor 2 coming online about one year later (or maybe not).
Interestingly our friends in Stop Sizewell report that Nuclear Minister Andrew Bowie told them recently on his whistlestop visit to Suffolk, bearing a ceremonial shovel, that Hinkley would come online in the late 2020s or early 2030s, and even the Telegraph and Guardian have reported that the plant will not be operational until the next decade.
Rather unconvincingly EDF claims that ‘The project continues to capitalise on the experience gained from construction of the 4 other EPRs around the world’ which is hardly encouraging as Taishan-1 in China experienced a serious accident which led to its shutdown for many months; Flamanville-3 in France, started in 2007 and expected to commence generation in 2012, is only now about to start loading fuel after an unhappy history of faults and compromised quality control; and Olkiluoto-3 in Finland, begun in 2005 with a start date of 2010, was only finished last year after a prolonged construction period which included a bitter contractual dispute about the apportionment of the massively spiralling costs, followed by a corporate bankruptcy.
Given the Hinkley debacle, the NFLAs regret that Mr Bowie did not put his shovel to good use by burying the Sizewell project, but instead, like many reckless gamblers, Ministers and senior civil servants at the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero have chosen to blow more taxpayers’ money on a losing prospect, doubling their bet on Sizewell C to £2.5 billion.
Clearly, DESNZ is unaware that lumbering nuclear white elephants are not the best runners to back in a race, and that renewables, provided with equal financial encouragement, will romp home by a mile every time. Given its latest foolhardy behaviour, the NFLAs now venture to suggest that DESNZ be once more swiftly renamed – this time to the Department of No Energy and Zero Sense.
TODAY. Japan’s earthquake: The world must not be conned by the irrational optimism of the nuclear lobby
Dr Pangloss would be in his element. In today’s world, Pangloss would surely be paid a fortune, one that would minimise the fat salaries of Nuclear Publicist Raphael Grossi, and his cronies.
The earthquake in Japan is a timely case in point.
It demonstrates the safety of nuclear technology.
Or does it?
We get the comforting headlines in the corporate media. - “nuclear power plants largely undamaged following quake” “No Irregularities Identified At West Coast Nuclear Power Plants, Says Regulator”
Grossi’s been remarkably quiet about all this. Being the devious slimy propagandist that he is, Grossi knows that the full story may not be so comforting. He really needs a Dr Pangloss to tutor him on this one.
At first, the news of a radioactive spill at at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station was unavailable – labelled “Forbidden”. And no wonder, as this, the world’s biggest NPP, has a chequered safety history, and is about to be restarted! It has 7 reactors, and is situated all too close to the earthquake fault line.
But then, the nuclear lobby rallied – and added ” No Damage or Leak” to the headline, and made it public.
So – the timing of the earthquake was unfortunate for its owner – Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), (especially as TEPCO is still afflicted with the legal and other effects of its Fukushima nuclear catastrophe).
But hey – the nuclear lobby to the rescue! Never mind that the earthquake made radioactive water from Kashiwazaki-Kariwa’s fuel pools spill over.
They will push ahead with restarting this globally iconic nuclear plant – regardless of its recent problem, and regardless of its problematic history:
- Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear powerplant out of action for many months due to 74 instances of defective welding.
- Security lapses at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata.
- Safety and security issues at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station.
- A number of cases of unauthorized access have occurred at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant.
- Japan’s nuclear regulator bans Tepco from restarting Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant due to safety flaws.
- 60 holes at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuke plant found unfilled in violation of building code. TEPCO again!!
- Danger of radioactive groundwater leak at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant
- Trouble with nuclear fuel rods in Japan’s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant.
So we wait to see what Grossi, Pangloss, and the rest of of the nuclear cabal come up with, to justify the restart of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa.
Japan Earthquake: Water Levels Rose At Shika Nuclear Plant After Monday’s Tsunami, Says Report
Earlier, it was said that there was no significant change in water levels while monitoring the gauge at Shika nuclear plant.
The water levels rose at Japan nuclear plant— Shika after Monday’s tsunami.
The broadcaster NHK quoting the operator of the nuclear power plant in quake-hit Ishikawa Prefecture said water levels rose by about three meters at the site following tsunami triggered by the magnitude 7.6 earthquake in central Japan.
The plant is located in the prefecture’s Noto region, the report mentioned.
A major tsunami warning was temporarily issued for the area following the quake, which struck around 4:10 p.m. on Monday, the report mentioned.
It also stated the waves later reached multiple locations along the Sea of Japan coast.
Staff at Hokuriku Electric Power Company checked a water level gauge near a seawater intake. They found out the level had been three meters higher than usual between 5:45 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Monday,” it said.
Earlier, it was said that there was no significant change in water levels while monitoring the gauge at the plant.
It was also said a four-meter high seawall installed to protect the No.1 reactor was tilting by several centimeters when its workers took a second look at the plant premises, the report mentioned.
The report mentioned some systems at the plant are not functioning after pipes of transformers used to supply outside electricity to the reactors sustained damage in the earthquake. The rupture led to oil leaks, it said.
The operator says the plant is using other means to supply power to critical equipment, the report said.
The report said the recovery work started on Tuesday and is proceeding quickly. That work includes retrieving the leaked oil, it said.
Both the No.1 and No.2 reactors at the plant were taken offline long before the earthquake, the report said.
Radioactive water spills over after quakes hit Japan
By JIANG XUEQING in Tokyo | China Daily 3 Jan 24
Radioactive water from the fuel pools of two reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant in Japan’s Niigata prefecture spilled over after a magnitude 7.6 earthquake and multiple aftershocks rocked the country on New Year’s Day.
However, Tokyo Electric Power Company, which owns and operates the plant, said the reactors were offline before the quake hit and no abnormalities in operation had been detected……………………………………………………………………………………………
TEPCO said that about 10 liters of water containing radioactive materials spilled from the fuel pool of the No 2 reactor and about 4 liters from the fuel pool of the No 7 reactor at around 6:45 pm on Monday.
After the 2011 earthquake triggered a triple meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, Japan introduced a maximum operating life of 60 years for its nuclear reactors. However, the limit was scrapped in May as the nation shifted its policy to promote nuclear energy, aiming for an early restart of nuclear power plants, The Yomiuri Shimbun reported. https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202401/03/WS65949a3ba3105f21a507a34e.html
Fears after warning of ‘rotting’ nuclear infrastructure on Clyde
By Xander Elliards
THE UK Government must “urgently” make a statement to parliament on whether Scots living near its nuclear bases remain safe after alarm bells were rung over “rotting” infrastructure, the SNP have said.
It comes after Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnson’s former chief adviser, claimed
there was a top-level cover-up of the poor state of the UK’s nuclear
provision. Cummings said that in 2022 Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had
approached him for help with the next General Election campaign, and he had
asked for several conditions in return.
One of these, he said, was
addressing the “fundamentally critical” issue of “the scandal of
nuclear weapons infrastructure which is a dangerous disaster and a budget
nightmare of hard-to-believe and highly classified proportions, and which
has forced large secret cannibalisation of other national security
budgets”.
Writing on social media, Cummings added that it was a
“fact that our nuclear weapons infrastructure is dangerously rotting and
is tens of billions secretly in the hole, with huge knock-on effects beyond
its destructive effects on MoD [Ministry of Defence] which has got *even
worse*”. HM Naval Base, Clyde, at Faslane on the west coast of Scotland is
home to the UK’s nuclear submarines. The nearby Royal Naval Armaments
Depot at Coulport is responsible for storing, processing, maintaining and
issuing key elements of the UK’s Trident nuclear missile system.
The National 2nd Jan 2024
https://www.thenational.scot/news/24023426.fears-warning-rotting-nuclear-infrastructure-clyde/
Hackers use LinkedIn to target UK nuclear waste firm
ITPRO, By Emma Woollacott, 2 Jan 24
Radioactive Waste Management said attackers have leveraged LinkedIn in a spear phishing campaign
Radioactive Waste Management (RWM), which is planning a huge underground nuclear waste store in the north of England, has been targeted by cyber criminals via LinkedIn, according to The Guardian.
Accounts for RWM filed at Companies House show that the organization has been targeted by cyber criminals using various methods, including the use of popular social network platforms to dupe staff.
RWM, which is part of Nuclear Waste Services (NWS), revealed that attacks have escalated in recent months, raising concerns over the risk of hackers gaining access to highly sensitive materials.
NWS chief executive, Corhyn Parr, said the government-backed organization has experienced “instances of potential exploitation of ownership change through specific attack vectors, predominantly LinkedIn targeting”…………………………………………………………………………..
The incident highlights a growing problem. Last month, for example, the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and international partners warned that Russia-based hacking group Star Blizzard was using spear phishing techniques via email and social media to target defense and governmental organizations.
LinkedIn has been the method of choice in previous attacks on industry and infrastructure, according to Adam Pilton, cyber security consultant at CyberSmart.
Used by millions of professionals globally, the popular social network has become a key hunting ground for targets in recent years……………………………………………. more https://www.itpro.com/security/hackers-use-linkedin-to-target-uk-nuclear-waste-firm
Water Containing Radioactive Materials Spills Over at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant Due to Earthquakes
The Yomiuri Shimbun, 21:24 JST, January 1, 2024
Water from the fuel pools at the top floors of the No. 7 and No. 2 reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture spilled over due to strong earthquakes, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. announced Monday. No damage or leaks were confirmed.
According to TEPCO, when the company checked the fuel pools of reactors No. 1 through No. 7 at around 6:45 p.m., it found that water containing radioactive materials spilled from the pools. About 10 liters spilled from the No. 2 reactor and about 4 liters from the No. 7 reactor. TEPCO is measuring the radiation levels.
1 This Month
PLEASE OPPOSE HR 8255 AND S.3639 – bills would accelerate satellite deployment, with no environmental review or safeguards – https://ncstd5li.quorum.us/campaign/169331/
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