nuclear secrecy « nuclear-news

Nuclear energy – a continuing blowout in costs

Nuclear economics just don’t add up Sydney Morning Herald MICHAEL R. JAMES December 24, 2009 -“………………..the first-build of the most evolved advanced model in production, Areva’s EPR, which was supposed to be simpler, more efficient, cheaper and faster to build. In Finland’s Olkiluotu a 50 per cent blowout in costs (to $US6.4 billion so far, lawsuits pending) and doubling in construction time (from 3.5 years to at least seven years) is typical of nuclear projects over the decades. Continue reading →

December 24, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, business and costs | antinuclear, AREVA, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes | Leave a comment

US sensitive nuke documents leaked on internet

U.S. agencies responsible for nuclear data leak : GAO WASHINGTON Dec 23, 2009 WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Several federal agencies share responsibility for the inadvertent publishing by a government office of sensitive U.S. nuclear power information on the Web last May, Congressional investigators said on Wednesday. Continue reading →

December 24, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | secrets,lies and civil liberties, USA | nuclear secrecy | Leave a comment

USA’s nuclear deal rejected by Iran

Iran rejects nuclear swap deadline set by U.S.http://www.chinaview.cn 2009-12-24 Iran rejected the December deadline for Iran to accept uranium swap deal.

·Iran is still waiting for response to its nuclear fuel swap proposal.

·U.S. has threatened another UN sanctions if Iran does not abide by the year-end deadline.

TEHRAN, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) — Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast on Wednesday rejected a nuclear swap deadline set by the United States, the state-run IRNA news agency reported……….. Continue reading →

December 24, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Iran, politics international | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

USA’s nuclear energy prospects are uncertain, despit govt boost

the forthcoming loan guarantees amount to only $18.5 billion, and the nuclear industry says it needs tens of billions more.

Nuclear Power, Long Dormant, Gets Wake-Up Call

The New York Times By MATTHEW L. WALD

December 23, 2009

WASHINGTON — When experts on power grid reliability asked themselves recently how a cleaner energy future would look, seven of eight regional councils imagined how their systems would work with 10 percent wind power.

Only one, representing the southeastern United States, chose a radically different option: doubling nuclear power capacity. Continue reading →

December 24, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes | Leave a comment

Spain extending nuke plants, with no radioactive waste solution

The country’s nuclear power stations no longer have room to store much more than the 6,700 tonnes of spent fuel rods they have accumulated.

Spain mulls extending nuclear plant working lives Reuters 23 Dec 09 – “……………..Although the Socialist government had recently suggested it would extend the plants’ working lives, it has also repeatedly said it will not support building new ones. Continue reading →

December 24, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, Spain | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive, wastes | Leave a comment

What a Nuclear War would do to Climate

Ho Hum Nuclear Winter Overcoming Bias 22 Dec 09 “……The effects of a war involving the entire current global nuclear arsenal … [include] a global average surface cooling of –7°C to –8°C persists for years, and after a decade the cooling is still –4°C (Fig. 2). … Cooling of more than –20°C occurs over large areas of North America and of more than –30°C over much of Eurasia, including all agricultural regions.So, the first news about nuclear winter was shocking enough to induce cold war adversaries to agree to big cuts.

Today we know the situation is even worse – not only is nuclear winter easier than we thought to trigger, but more nations now have big enough arsenals to trigger it. Yet today there is far less international discussion or momentum to prevent such disaster. Why the difference?

Overcoming Bias : Ho Hum Nuclear Winter

December 23, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, climate change | climate change, nuclear secrecy, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

Secret USA-Japan nuclear deal revealed

Japan-US secret nuclear deal discovered: reports Full Story Tokyo, Dec 22 (AFP) A secret agreement under which Japan allowed the US military to bring nuclear weapons to the Asian nation has been uncovered despite years of denial of its existence by Tokyo, media reports said today. Continue reading →

December 23, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, politics international | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

Canadian govt carefully tweaks nuclear information

Nuclear safety HARPER BIZARRO (Canada) December 22, 2009 …On January 15, 2008 – in the dead of the night – Stephen Harper and Gary Lunn fired Canada’s world-respected nuclear regulator, Linda Keen.

They then appointed a career bureaucrat to head up the Nuclear Safety Commission. They wanted to silence the regulatory arm of Canada’s nuclear industry. They have succeeded, apparently. Continue reading →

December 23, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Canada, secrets,lies and civil liberties | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

Unique problem in managing depleted uranium wastes

At issue is the unique composition of depleted uraniumm — a byproduct of the process that enriches uranium, in this case from weapons production — that results in the material becoming more radioactive over time.

Weather slows unloading of depleted uranium at EnergySolution By Arthur RaymondDeseret News , Dec. 22, 2009 Continue reading →

December 23, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, wastes | antinuclear, depleted, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, uranium, wastes | Leave a comment

Countries will cheat, with nuclear energy to nuclear weapons

‘The history of the nuclear era adds to the ability of cheaters to get their way…’

Farewell to Nuclear Nonproliferation Khaleej Times Bennett Ramberg 22 December 2009 On November 26 in his final report to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors before retiring after a long distinguished career, Director General Mohamed ElBaradei dared to utter what no other senior public figure would about Iran’s nuclear portfolio:“We have effectively reached a dead end.” Continue reading →

December 22, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 1 | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

Poor safety, corruption in China’s nuclear program

Nuclear Power Expansion in China Stirs Concerns The New York Times By KEITH BRADSHER 15 Dec 09 inside and outside the country, the speed of the construction program has raised safety concerns.
The last country to carry out such a rapid nuclear expansion was the United States in the 1970s, in a binge of reactor construction that ended with the Three Mile Island accident Continue reading →

December 17, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | China, secrets,lies and civil liberties | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

Nuclear workers’ cancer from radiation

More former Hanford workers eligible for money Seattle pi THE ASSOCIATED PRESS December 16, 2009 RICHLAND, Wash. — More former workers at the Hanford nuclear reservation may be eligible for compensation for developing cancer due to radiation exposure. Continue reading →

December 17, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | health, USA | antinuclear, cancer, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, radioactive | Leave a comment

Utah doesn’t want depleted uranium wastes

Utah gov to DOE: Halt depleted uranium shipment By BROCK VERGAKIS (AP) 16 Dec 09 SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Gov. Gary Herbert sent Energy Secretary Steven Chu a letter Tuesday asking him to halt the shipment of nearly 15,000 drums of low-level radioactive waste from South Carolina for disposal in Utah.Herbert’s letter was released hours before the DOE was scheduled to begin the first of three shipments from the Savannah River Site near Aiken, S.C………… Continue reading →

December 16, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, wastes | antinuclear, depleted, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, radiation, radioactive, uranium, wastes | Leave a comment

KYRGYZSTAN highly polluted by uranium tailings

KYRGYZSTAN: Mailuu-Suu ranked third in the list of world’s worst polluted places URANIUM TAILINGS 8 Dec 09 URANIUM.KG Mailuu-Suu in Kyrgyzstan ranked third in the list of the world’s worst polluted places according to the report issued by the New-York-based of Blacksmith Institute for 2009.This list, which is compiled annually, is formed from 1100 geographical spots, where state of environment causes serious concern Continue reading →

December 15, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | environment, Kyrgyzstan | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, radioactive, uranium, wastes | Leave a comment

Weapons smuggled in North Korean plane

North Korean plane carrying smuggled arms seized in Thailand Five held in Bangkok over 35-tonne cargo which included rocket launchers, grenades and missiles missiles Simon Tisdall guardian.co.uk, 13 December 2009 Continue reading →

December 14, 2009 Posted by Christina Macpherson | North Korea, secrets,lies and civil liberties | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy | Leave a comment