enriched « nuclear-news

U.S. taxpayers fork out for commercial nuclear radioactivity cleanup

USEC now is an investor-owned corporation and has consolidated its enrichment operations at a facility in Paducah, Ky…….

The department rejected a previous request for a loan guarantee in 2009.

Separately, Duke Energy Corp. and Areva SA in mid-2009 announced tentative plans for a 1,650-megawatt nuclear power plant on the Piketon campus. That project remains unscheduled pending site review and exploration of potential federal government financial assistance.

Piketon plant to get $2.1 billion for cleanup work – Business First of Columbus, August 18, 2010, Environmental cleanup of a former uranium processing plant in south-central Ohio will get a boost under a $2.1 billion, 10-year contract the U.S. Department of Energy awarded on Aug. 16. Continue reading →

August 19, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, USA | antinuclear, enriched, nuclear, nuclear costs, radiation, radioactive, reactor, uranium | Leave a comment

How come USA will let Vietnam enrich uranium?

The Shotgun: Filibuster: The first nuclear commandment, Western Standard, 15 Aug 2010, In a story that did not get a lot of press this week, the Obama administration has announced that it plans to go ahead with a nuclear technology deal with the Communist nation of Vietnam, despite that country’s refusal to make a pledge to not enrich uranium. Continue reading →

August 17, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics international, Vietnam | antinuclear, enriched, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

Brazil enriching uranium, and potential for nuclear weapons

Brazil continues to have a program to produce enriched uranium for power plants, and opened its first uranium enrichment plant in 2006.

The Folly of Brazil’s Exceptionalism, THE HUFFINGTON POST, Daniel Wagner: 9 Aug 2010, “……..Brazil first embarked on a nuclear program in the 1930s and pursued a covert nuclear weapons program until the 1970s. It retains the ability to create nuclear weapons but agreed not to do so under the terms of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Agreement, and as a signatory to the 1994 Treaty of Tlatelolco, which bans nuclear weapons in Latin America. Continue reading →

August 10, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Brazil, politics international, Uranium | antinuclear, enriched, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear technology, plutonium, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

China accuses USA of double standards in nuclear deal with Vietnam

…The US is used to employing double standards when dealing with different countries … as a global power that has promoted denuclearization, it has challenged its own reputation and disturbed the preset international order,

China shaken by US move to sign nuclear deal with Vietnam The Times of India, 6 Aug 2010, BEIJING: China, which has recently dominated the security situation in North Asia, appeared shaken by a surprise move by the US administration to begin negotiations for a civilian nuclear deal with Vietnam…. Continue reading →

August 7, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics international, USA | antinuclear, enriched, nuclear, uranium | Leave a comment

Republican Senator against Vietnam being allowed to enrich uranium

Senior Republican Criticizes State on Vietnam Nuclear Deal – Washington Wire – WSJ, By Jay Solomon, 7 Aug 2010, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today criticized an Obama administration plan to forge a nuclear-cooperation agreement with Vietnam.U.S. officials have told the Wall Street Journal in recent days that the State Department is in advanced discussions with Vietnam to share nuclear fuels and technologies in a deal that would preserve Hanoi’s right to enrich uranium indigenously. Continue reading →

August 7, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | antinuclear, enriched, nuclear weapons, uranium | Leave a comment

USA keen to sell nukes to Vietnam – drops non-proliferation standards

An agreement would allow US companies such as General Electric and Bechtel to sell nuclear reactors and other equipment to Vietnam.

US and Vietnam in controversial nuclear negotiations | World news | The Guardian, Chris McGreal, 5 Aug 2010, Nuclear agreement would be without usual restrictions on enriching uranium imposed on other nations …….. Continue reading →

August 6, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics international, USA | antinuclear, enriched, General Electric, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, nuclear wastes, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

Continuing issue of smuggling of Highly Enriched Uranium

The Georgian ministry of interior has foiled eight attempts of illicit trafficking of enriched uranium during the last ten years, including several cases of weapons-grade enrichment.”

Nuclear Smuggling in the Former Soviet Union, THE HUFFINGTON POST, Rizwan Ladha , 4 Aug 2010, “……..In 2006, a North Ossetian man named Oleg Khintsagov (sometimes spelled Khinsagov) was arrested for selling 100 grams of highly enriched uranium (HEU) to an undercover Georgian official. He was sentenced to 7 years in prison. An excellent detailed report of the entire episode (in PDF format) is available from the Belfer Center here, and is covered briefly in the new feature film, Countdown to Zero. Continue reading →

August 5, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | EUROPE, secrets,lies and civil liberties, Uranium | antinuclear, enriched, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

Time for a positive step with Iran nuclear deal?

The perhaps best indicator would be Iran’s willingness to allow full, open, and unrestricted IAEA inspections of its confirmed and suspected nuclear facilities. That would be the first step toward what could be a watershed deal in engaging Iran with the outside world and scaling back the nuclear program threatening Middle Eastern and global security.

Why Iran Might Finally Be Ready for a Nuclear Deal – International – The Atlantic, Max Fisher, 28 July, 2010, It’s difficult to know how seriously to take Iran’s offer to halt its program of enriching medical-grade uranium in exchange for a nuclear fuel swap. Continue reading →

August 5, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Iran, politics international | antinuclear, enriched, nuclear spin, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, reactor, uranium | Leave a comment

USA desperate to sell, allows India to reprocess nuclear fuel

The Civil Nuclear Cooperation Initiative has facilitated significant new commercial opportunities across India’s multi-billion dollar nuclear energy market, including the designation of two nuclear reactor park sites for U.S. technology

India Gets US Nod To Reprocess Spent Nuclear Fuel, GantDaily.com, August 1, 2010 Tejinder Singh –Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – The United States on Friday gave India a go-ahead on reprocessing of American nuclear spent fuel by India, marking the final steps in terms of implementation of the landmark civil nuclear deal between the two countries. Continue reading →

August 2, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | India, politics international, technology | antinuclear, enriched, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, reactors, recycling, reprocessing | Leave a comment

World wide network of nuclear smuggling

Investigators believe he [Nima Alizadeh Tabari] had as many as a dozen agents working around the world at the time of Yadegari’s arrest, including more in Canada,

The nuclear puppet-master, Macleans.ca, A Tehran businessman’s clandestine worldwide web includes agents in Canada, by Charlie Gillis and David Armstrong , July 27, 2010 When Mahmoud Yadegari became the first man in Canada convicted of supplying nuclear equipment to Iran two weeks ago, his lawyer was quick to downplay his importance… Continue reading →

July 28, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, secrets,lies and civil liberties | antinuclear, enriched, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, reactors | Leave a comment

Uranium processing costs higher than estimated

The range was significantly higher than the informal federal estimate of $1.4 billion to $3.5 billion for constructing the planned Uranium Processing Facility...

Senator Says Uranium Plant Could Cost Billions More Than Planned NTI: Global Security Newswire, July 27, 2010 U.S. Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) yesterday suggested the expense of building a highly enriched uranium processing center at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee might ultimately amount to between $4 billion and $5 billion, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported. (see GSN, Oct. 29, 2009).

The range was significantly higher than the informal federal estimate of $1.4 billion to $3.5 billion for constructing the planned Uranium Processing Facility……In a July 6 letter to Deputy Energy Secretary Daniel Poneman, acting Government Accountability Office head Gene Dodaro said his agency believed the plant’s cost might reach or surpass the $3.5 billion threshold, the Nuclear Weapons and Materials Monitor reported (Frank Munger, Knoxville News Sentinel II, July 26)………

July 28, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, Uranium, USA | antinuclear, enriched, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear weapons, uranium | Leave a comment

Nuclear Regulatory Commission not concerned with weapons proliferation risks

a systemic flaw at the NRC: The commission does not conduct broad assessments of the proliferation concerns associated with licensing projects…….

Nuclear Licensing Process Raises Proliferation Concerns « The Washington Independent, NRC Not Required to Assess Proliferation Risks When Approving New Technology, By Andrew Restuccia 7/21/10 This Thursday in Wilmington, N.C., officials from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the government agency responsible for overseeing the country’s nuclear energy activities, are slated to present a report laying out the environmental impacts of a proposed uranium enrichment facility, a key step in approving the facility’s license. Continue reading →

July 22, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, Uranium, USA | antinuclear, enriched, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons, uranium | Leave a comment

How workers’ uranium exposure levels can be fudged

levels of residual radiation at the site AFTER the structure itself was removed and buried in Piketon, Ohio, were used to approximate radiation doses of workers when it was in operation…..“there’s no reason to believe that host decontamination measurements would be meaningful to reconstruct doses 18 years earlier during operations.”

Panel Discussing Raising Huntington Radiation Exposure Levels at Atomic Plant Some Could Jump Ten Fold By Tony Rutherford, Huntingtonnews.net, 21 July 2010, Continue reading →

July 22, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | health, Uranium, USA | antinuclear, enriched, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, radiation, radioactive, recycling, reprocessing, uranium | Leave a comment

Arab nations likely to develop nuclear weapons

This is causing unease in Washington …….The Americans have sought to ensure that none of the Arab states will seek to enrich uranium to weapons-grade level.

Ready to Churn out Nuclear Energy and Nuclear Weapons: Arab States « international environmental law, 17 July 2010, Saudi Arabia’s decision last week to sign a nuclear cooperation pact with France marks a major step forward for a pan-Arab drive toward nuclear power, even as the United States strives to rein in Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Continue reading →

July 17, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | MIDDLE EAST, politics international | antinuclear, enriched, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear weapons, radiation, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

Iranian nuclear scientist – a spy for USA or for Iran?

Was Iranian Nuclear Scientist a Double Agent? | The Atlantic Wire, By Max Fisher July 15, 2010, Alleged Iranian nuclear scientist Shahram Amiri has returned to Iran after 13 months in the U.S. It’s still unclear what happened during his stay and why he returned home. We may never know the full truth, but several new reports point to the possibility that he was an Iranian double agent all along. Under this theory, Amiri would have faked his defection to the U.S. (or allowed himself to be abducted, depending on whose story you believe), where he either fed the U.S. false information or acquired information to send back to Iran or both. Here’s what we know…….

Was Iranian Nuclear Scientist a Double Agent? | The Atlantic Wire

July 16, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA | antinuclear, enriched, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons, uranium | Leave a comment