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Nuclear Liability Bill worries USA nuclear lobby, with Obama to visit India soon

Under the measure, plant operator liability in the event of an atomic incident was increased to about $320 million and the suppliers of nuclear materials and technology could also be sued…

.…..the liability bill will be “a significant deterrent not only to U.S. business but, equally importantly, to Indian and other international private business as well,” said Ashley Tellis, who took part in the U.S.-Indian atomic deal negotiations.“It’s going to be interesting to see whether the Indians, now that they have passed this law, are going to stick to their guns or cave under possible U.S. pressure to reverse course,”

New liability law “could end civil nuclear growth in India” Continue reading

September 9, 2010 Posted by | general | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Germany, India, France, getting uncomfortable for the nuclear industry

Christina Macpherson's websites & blogs

The nuclear resuscitation could be falling apart faster than anticipated.

India has been the big hope for USA’s struggling nuclear salesman, Westinghouse and others. But its new Liability Bill does not give them the certainty from financial accountability – they wanted to never  have to pay up, (just like Union Carbide didn’t have to pay up for the Bhopal gas disaster).  They might have to pull out!

Germany – Angela Merkel’s government is on the line, as opposition grows within and without Germany, to the continuance of their old nuclear reactors.  And the nuclear lobby so desperately wants to stomp on Germany’s success with renewable energy!

France – well, Areva’s and EDF’s  the much touted new gee whiz nuclear reactors in Finland and France are becoming an embarrassment with their delays and soaring costs, and the UK is not too keen on their product either.  And France was the poster boy for nuclear!

September 8, 2010 Posted by | Christina's notes | , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

USA’s nuclear salesmen in a turmoil over India’s Nuclear Liability Bill

The US India Business Council, representing 300 top US companies doing business with India, wanted India to adopt a nuclear liability regime “channelling absolute and exclusive liability to nuclear power plant operators, [not to the USA nuclear reactor suppliers]

US fears Indian nuclear liability law may deter foreign suppliers – The Economic Times, 7 Sept 10, WASHINGTON: The passage of a nuclear liability bill by Parliament making suppliers of nuclear equipment also potentially liable threatens to cast a long shadow over India’s plans to open an estimated $150 billion nuclear market to foreign companies. Continue reading

September 8, 2010 Posted by | business and costs, India | , , , , | Leave a comment

USA plays musical chairs with cancer-causing nuclear wastes moving from California to Utah

“significant amounts of soil contaminated with carcinogenic dioxins, heavy metals and radioactive materials” will be removed from the site and taken to licensed waste dumps, including one in Utah,

Santa Susana Nuclear Site’s Toxic Dirt to be Shipped to Utah : Clean Ups : Curbed LA, September 7, 2010, by Adrian Glick Kudler,The Santa Susana Field Laboratory, home to a Cold War nuclear test site, should be all cleaned up, just 58 years after a partial nuclear meltdown. Continue reading

September 8, 2010 Posted by | USA, wastes | , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Florida residents have to pay up in advance for nuclear plant extensions that are not yet scrutinized

FPL customers set to pay $31 million in 2011 for proposed nuclear projects South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com, by Julie Patel, 7 Sept 10,  Costs approved before they’re scrutinized by the Public Service Commission The Public Service Commission agreed to allow Florida Power & Light to charge customers $31 million next year to cover costs of planning proposed nuclear plant expansions. Continue reading

September 8, 2010 Posted by | business and costs, USA | , , , | Leave a comment

Austrian and Bavarian challenges to extending life of Germany’s old nuclear reactors

Anschober said there had been a “decision for the profit interests of the atomic energy lobby and against safety concerns.”

Nuclear extension sparks Austrian meltdown — The Local. 7 Sept 10, Germany’s plan to extend the lives of its nuclear reactors has upset neighbouring Austria, where a environmental official has warned that a reactor near the border poses clear “safety risks.”
Rudi Anschober, environment minister for the state of Upper Austria, which borders Bavaria, also warned that the Austrian Federal Government was preparing to attack Germany’s plan. Continue reading

September 8, 2010 Posted by | Germany, politics international | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Germany’s local electricity companies the losers if old nuclear plants continue

the average 12-year nuclear plant lifespan extension would cost municipal electricity suppliers 4.5 billion euros.

Local utilities want compensation after German nuclear power deal | Germany | Deutsche Welle | 07.09.2010, Gregg Benzow, Municipal electric utility companies have asked for financial compensation to offset losses they say they will incur from a decision to extend the lifespan of Germany’s nuclear power plants. Continue reading

September 8, 2010 Posted by | business and costs, Germany | , , , | Leave a comment

New nuclear power plant plans at Hinkley Point unacceptable to local Councils

Somerset councils call EDF nuclear plans  ‘unacceptable’, BBC News 7 September 2010 Two Somerset councils have called the latest plans for a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point “unacceptable” and “completely inadequate”.West Somerset District Council and Somerset County Council have both criticised a lack of detail in EDF Energy’s proposals……BBC News – Somerset councils call EDF nuclear plans ‘unacceptable’

September 8, 2010 Posted by | general | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Explosion at Honeywell uranium enrichment plant highlights safety problems

Local community members are claiming that Honeywell is also not properly reporting safety violations at the nuclear facility in Metropolis……The Environmental Protection Agency has also been very critical of the safety record of the uranium enrichment facility.

Explosion Rocks Honeywell Uranium Facility Run by Scab Workers, THE HUFFINGTON POST, Mike Elk, September 7, 2010:  The Metropolis uranium facility is the only one in the United States that can convert U308 into the extremely deadly UF6. Because the plant is the only conversion facility of its kind in the United States, familiarity with the Metropolis plant, and not just generic experience in the field, is essential to ensuring the plant’s safety……….. Continue reading

September 8, 2010 Posted by | safety, USA | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Slowdown in maintenance of German nuclear reactors

Germany plans to slap an annual 2.3 billion-euro ($2.9 billion) tax on nuclear power plant operators from next year through 2016

RWE May Shelve Power Plant Work, Saying German Nuclear Tax Will Sap Cash, – Bloomberg, By Nicholas Comfort – Sep 7, 2010 RWE AG, Germany’s largest power company, may delay maintenance work at some of its generators to cut costs as a planned tax on the country’s nuclear stations saps cash. Continue reading

September 8, 2010 Posted by | Uncategorized | , , | Leave a comment

breakdown of Egypt’s nuclear reactor

Egypt nuclear reactor broke down in April: atomic chief, Google hosted news,  (AFP) – 7 Sept 10, CAIRO — An Egyptian nuclear reactor broke down in April but there was no radiation leak, the head of the country’s atomic agency said on Tuesday.”There had been a mechanical failure of the cooling pump when the reactor was switched on,” Mohammed al-Qolali told AFP, saying the reactor was quickly repaired………

AFP: Egypt nuclear reactor broke down in April: atomic chief

September 8, 2010 Posted by | general | , , | Leave a comment

Renewable energy in the news, more than nuclear

Christina Macpherson's websites & blogs

Yes – I know this is supposed to be about nuclear news. But I can’t help noticing that all the interesting, forward-looking investment stuff is about clean energy, not dirty old nuclear.

Sure, the nuke lobby tries. They spruik about nuclear fusion (ridiculously costly and unproven), about Thorium (just as good or better, for nuclear weapons), about This New Generation design and That one.

The nuclear news is all about whether or not USA and Israel should bomb Iran. Tony Blair thinks so. But he was wrong before, wasn’t he, on Iraq?   The Brits certainly think so. He can’t even market his book, without getting pelted with eggs, in the UK.

Then it’s all about USA, Russia, France, South Korea, desperately competing to sell nuke reactors to the Third World, ones they can’t even sell to their own people. Nuclear is becoming a bore. – Christina Macpherson

September 7, 2010 Posted by | Christina's notes | , , , , , | Leave a comment

USA, Russia desperate to sell nuclear reactors to the Third World

Nuclear power in Vietnam: the US and Russia compete, FT.com, September 6, 2010  by Matt Steinglass “…… today Russia and America are again jockeying for influence in Vietnam, and this time they’re offering reactors.The head of the Russian state-owned nuclear power monopoly Rosatom, Sergei Kirienko, (at left) was in Hanoi on Friday, shaking hands with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung………

Meanwhile, Hanoi has been working towards a Section 123 Agreement with the US, which would allow it to import American nuclear technology.

Westinghouse Electric and Japan’s Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, both of which use American technology, are bidding on the contract for Vietnam’s second reactor.

Nuclear power in Vietnam: the US and Russia compete | beyondbrics | FT.com

September 7, 2010 Posted by | business and costs, Vietnam | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Prolonging nuclear power in Germany – damaging to society and investment

“We are further than ever away from a consensus in society, …that is a bad basis for investments,”

German local utilities, renewables slam nuclear plan. (Reuters)(Reporting by Vera Eckert in Munich, Anneli Palmen in Duesseldorf and Christoph Steitz in Frankfurt; editing by Keiron Henderson) 6 Sept 10, – A decision to extend the lifespans of German nuclear plants in a two-tier strategy will create more dissent and discourage investment, associations for the country’s local utilities and renewable industry said. Continue reading

September 6, 2010 Posted by | general | , , , | Leave a comment

Radioactive pollution from uranium milling can no longer be ignored

Regulators are examining hydrology, seismology, demographic impacts and effects on flora and fauna, as well as demanding complete plans for how ….. the site would be reclaimed.

Toxic legacy of uranium haunts proposed Colorado mill – The Denver Post, Nancy Lofholm, 5 Sept 10, GRAND JUNCTION — “………..More than a billion dollars has been spent cleaning up radioactive tailings piles and lessening toxic leaks into rivers and aquifers at nine defunct mills in Colorado. Nearly 20 million tons of radioactive tailings sit in disposal sites where they must be monitored in perpetuity. Hundreds of acres of unusable water fill contaminated aquifers. Continue reading

September 6, 2010 Posted by | Legal, Uranium, USA | , , , , , | Leave a comment