nuclear « nuclear-news

Tennessee Valley Authority wants delay in new nuclear licenses review

TVA asks for delay to US NRC review of new nuclear unit licenses, Washington (Platts)–6 Oct2010 The Tennessee Valley Authority has asked the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to defer its review of the federal utility’s applications to build and operate two new Westinghouse-designed nuclear reactors at the Bellefonte site in Alabama. TVA, in a letter made public Wednesday, asked NRC to temporarily suspend the combined construction permit-operating license (COL) review for the two units, with the exception of some elements already under way…….TVA cited the expectation that its board will vote in the spring on whether to complete Bellefonte-1, an unfinished nuclear unit of an older design at the site… Platts: RSS Feed Detailed News

October 7, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, reactors | Leave a comment

Safety and costs – the top concerns about keeping aging nuclear reactors

two questions — safety and economics — lie at the heart of the research agenda now under way on plant aging…..the environment inside nuclear plants is like nothing else, subjecting reactor components to intense heat, stress, vibration and neutron bombardment that could potentially cause hidden weaknesses in reactors, pipes, joints, wiring and other components…if one were to have a seismic event — an earthquake — would the structures withstand the forces?”.

Experts Weigh Extending the Lives of Nuclear Power Plants to 80 Years- NC WARN , September 22nd, 2010 By PETER BEHR of ClimateWire Next year, when two nuclear reactors near Syracuse, N.Y., are shut down for normal refueling operations, technicians will enter their cavernous containment structures looking for signs of aging in the thick steel walls surrounding shrouds of concrete. Continue reading →

October 7, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, reactors | Leave a comment

Increased nuclear program in Pakistan

Pakistan steps up nuclear construction, Google hosted news, By Shaun Tandon (AFP) – 6 Oct 10, WASHINGTON — Pakistan appears to have stepped up construction of a new atomic reactor that could help the country produce easier-to-deliver nuclear weapons, a US research institute said. Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal is one of the most sensitive topics for the United States as it tries to improve relations with its frontline partner in the campaign against Islamic extremism.The Institute for Science and International Security, a private US group which is critical of nuclear weapons, said Tuesday it observed progress at Pakistan’s tightly guarded Khushab site which is key to plutonium production……….Pakistan, which experts estimate now has up to 100 nuclear weapons, has been adamant that its nuclear weapons are in safe hands and President Barack Obama has publicly concurred.

But the United States hinted at its frustration on Tuesday at the United Nations, where Pakistan has blocked a resumption of negotiations for an agenda in global nuclear disarmament talks. AFP: Pakistan steps up nuclear construction

October 7, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Pakistan, politics international | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear weapons, reactor | Leave a comment

Nevada’s 1,360 radioactive square miles need robot guards

The Nevada National Security Site is the location of a thousand nuclear weapons tests that have left the site contaminated with tens of millions of cubic feet of low-level radioactive waste. The site spans 1,360 square miles

Robo Tanks to Guard Nuclear Facility. What Could Possibly Go Wrong? | Discover Magazine,7 Oct 10, Who needs people to guard a nuclear weapons facility when you can build an autonomous robot to do it? Continue reading →

October 7, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

France in scramble to sell nukes to India

When asked if the ministry had set a deadline for clearing the project, Ramesh said, “There is no deadline for the approval of the project but since the French President is coming in December, we hope to take a decision on it before his arrival.”
Ramesh hints at clearance for Jaitpur N plant before Sarkozy visit, The Hindu, October 6, 2010, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday voiced hope that concerns raised by locals on a nuclear power plant to be built in collaboration with France in Maharashtra would be addressed and decision taken on the project before President Nicolas Sarkozy’s visit in December……..

The six-unit nuclear power project is to be set up at Jaitpur in Ratnagiri using the technological know-how from France but there has been strong opposition from local NGOs who are demanding that it be scrapped citing radiation threat and alleged inadequate land compensation.

A nod by Ramesh’s Ministry to the project before the French President’s visit would save the authorities from an embarrassment as signing of a final agreement on the plant is understood to be high on Sarkozy’s agenda. The Hindu : News / National : Ramesh hints at clearance for Jaitpur N plant before Sarkozy visit

October 7, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | India, politics international | antinuclear, France, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, nuclear technology | Leave a comment

India affected by Stuxnet cyber worm

Stuxnet hits India the most, Anirudh Bhattacharyya, Hindustan Times New York, October 04, 2010 It’s being described as the new cyber WMD and may have crippled an Iranian nuclear plant, but one cybersecurity company has estimated that the worm, Stuxnet, may have its largest footprint in India…. Continue reading →

October 7, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | India, safety | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs | Leave a comment

Lavish media campaign to promote Vermont nuclear reactor

they are pouring money into TV, radio and newspaper advertising, lobbying lawmakers and civic groups…they are spending freely on the “I Am Vermont Yankee” campaign, blanketing Vermont TV stations with commercials showing plant employees talking about their jobs there, at a cost well into six figures.

Vermont nuke plant still lobbying for new license, Google hosted news, By JOHN CURRAN (AP) – 4 Oct 10, MONTPELIER, Vt. — Shot down once, the owners of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant continue pushing for a second vote by state lawmakers for a license extension allowing it to stay open past 2012. Continue reading →

October 7, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | media, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs | Leave a comment

Sarkozy’s nuclear sales promotion to Africa – and everybody else

Senegal working with France on nuclear plant, IC Publications, 9 March 2010, Senegal is preparing to build a nuclear power plant with French help, its energy minister said Tuesday at a conference hosted by France to promote civilian use of atomic energy.The project could make Senegal Africa’s second nuclear energy producing country after South Africa, which has two French-designed reactors at Koeberg, near Cape Town…..President Nicolas Sarkozy opened the 65-nation conference in Paris on Monday by offering French know-how to build nuclear reactors, which he said would be a safe and efficient source of clean energy all over the world.IC Publications

October 7, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | France, spinbuster | antinuclear, AREVA, EDF, France, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin | Leave a comment

Ballooning costs of nuclear waste cleanup at Savannah River Site

Also, $600 million of the $1.4 billion cost increase has little to do with the actual cleanup – it’s money the Energy Department is spending to make up for recessionary losses in SRS worker pensions, the GAO said…..

Cleaning Up Nuclear Waste at SRS to Cost More Than Expected, wltx.com | Columbia, SC News, By RAJU CHEBIUM ,Tony Santaella : 9/14/2010 WASHINGTON (Gannett News Service) – Emptying, cleaning and sealing 22 underground nuclear-waste storage tanks at Savannah River Site will cost substantially more and take longer than previously thought, a new report says. Continue reading →

October 7, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, wastes | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

Obama will re-install solar power to White House

These new panels go far beyond what Jimmy Carter installed and then Ronald Reagan tore down. Carter’s $30,000 rig was installed in 1979 to heat water, which it did.

Reagan’s tear down was part of his assault on the green power industry on behalf of big oil and nuclear power.

Obama says he’ll now re-instate solar water heating to the White House roof, AND will add photo-voltaic cells that will generate electricity. by Harvey Wasserman, 6 Oct 10,

Could a Solar Green White House Finally Face the Nukes & Military?. By Harvey Wasserman
Five things are certain about solar panels going back on the White House roof: Continue reading →

October 5, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, USA | antinuclear, climate change, energy efficiency, global warming, nuclear, nuclear spin, renewable energy, renewables, solar | Leave a comment

Democrats encouraged by Obama’s support for solar power

Restoring solar power to the White House may be the first tiny step toward the green-powered future necessary to our survival.

Next must come the definitive turn away from the failure of atomic power. Imagine what a magnificent green-powered Earth we might inhabit had we not squandered all those billions on that profoundly dangerous, disastrously expensive technology.

Team Obama is clearly responding to the anger of the Democratic base. Those who worked to put them in the White House want it green. by Harvey Wasserman, 6 Oct 10, This includes ferocious opposition to atomic energy. The administration recently granted $8.33 billion in loan guarantees for a disastrous double-reactor scam in Georgia. Barely underway, the project has already resulted in $100 million in hikes for the state’s ratepayers. The builders are now asking for an extra $1 billion. Horrific delays and cost overruns have already defined new reactor construction in Finland, France and elsewhere. Continue reading →

October 5, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | antinuclear, climate change, energy efficiency, France, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, reactors, renewables, solar | Leave a comment

USA nuclear, coal, policy-makers leave, in troubled election climate

The major shift in DOE leadership is afoot as the Obama administration prepares to grapple with a new and more hostile Congress….“I can’t recall . . . this many leaving at the same time.”

Energy Department changes continue as heads of nuclear, coal offices depart, The Hill’s E2-Wire, By Ben Geman – 10/04/10 The directors of the Energy Department’s offices of nuclear power and fossil energy – which includes programs to trap carbon emissions from coal plants – are leaving the agency, signaling a major change in DOE’s upper ranks. Continue reading →

October 5, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy | Leave a comment

Low dose ionising radiation a leukemia risk for children

children with acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL) had almost twice the chance of having been exposed to three or more X-rays compared with children who did not have leukemia.

X-rays linked to increased childhood leukemia risk Berkeley, Eureka Alert, Sarah Yang, 5 Oct 10, – Diagnostic X-rays may increase the risk of developing childhood leukemia, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley’s School of Public Health. Continue reading →

October 5, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | health, USA | cancer, nuclear, radiation | Leave a comment

Keeping terrorists from working in nuclear plants

Report: Changes needed to keep terrorists out of nuclear plants, KGAN CBS 2 – National News, October 04, 2010 ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) –– The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says it’s already on it.Federal auditors today recommended that the NRC be given better access to criminal databases and foreign travel histories of job applicants to keep terrorists from getting jobs inside the nation’s nuclear power plants…..Sen. Charles Schumer requested the review after a suspected al-Qaida member was found to have worked in a New Jersey nuclear power plant for six years. Schumer says the plants are not filled with terrorists, “but all you need is one.” ……KGAN CBS 2 – National News

October 5, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear weapons, reactors | Leave a comment

Russia might have targeted Iran’s nukes with the Stuxnet computer worm

“The Russians, … have shown increasing unease at the prospects of an Iran that would really have nuclear weapons.As regards to opportunity and expertise, the Russians stand at the top of any suspect list.

Stuxnet—a Russian worm?, Capital J | JTA – Jewish & Israel News, By Ron Kampeas · October 4, 2010 At the National Interest, David Kay, the weapons inspector who determined that Saddam Hussein was not, after all, anywhere near reviving his WMD program, wonders whether Russia is behind Stuxnet, the nuclear-disrupting worm the Iranians have blamed on israel and the United States: Continue reading →

October 5, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons, reactor | Leave a comment