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Highly secret transport of Highly Enriched Uranium to secret Russian facility

In the largest such operation ever mounted, U.S. and Kazakh officials transferred 11 tons of highly enriched uranium and 3 tons of plutonium some 1,890 miles by rail and road across the Central Asian country………….

U.S., Kazakhstan complete secret transfer of nuclear materials, KansasCity.com, By JONATHAN S. LANDAY, McClatchy Newspapers, 18 Nov 10, WASHINGTON – Working under extraordinary secrecy, the U.S. and Kazakh governments in the past year have moved nuclear material that could have been used to make more than 770 bombs from a location feared vulnerable to terrorist attack to a new high-security facility. Continue reading →

November 18, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Kazakhstan, secrets,lies and civil liberties, Uranium | antinuclear, enriched, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment

Despite Republicans’ electoral success, nuclear power industry’s future in USA looking grim

Nationwide, ground has been broken for just four reactors, two twin-unit nuclear plants since the 1970s……both are in locations that are insulated from the market, in Georgia and South Carolina. In both locations, the business risk rests with the ratepayers, not with the shareholders…….

G.O.P. Gains on Capitol Hill May Not Advance Nuclear Power, NYTimes.com, By MATTHEW L. WALD, November 16, 2010 WASHINGTON THE outspoken supporters of nuclear power are mostly Republicans, and the Republicans are about to take control of the House of Representatives and gain six seats in the Senate. Is this good news for nuclear power? Continue reading →

November 18, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, USA | AUSTRALIA, climate change, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear technology, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

Atomic Energy of Canada languishing

The Harper government, not a great lover of AECL and its drain on revenue, has tried for a year to sell the company

The sad reality of AECL Ottawa Citizen November 17, 2010 Ontarians would love to be able to say that Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. is on the cutting edge of nuclear technology. That its reactors are heavily in demand. That companies are clamouring to purchase this valuable mass producer of clean, electrical energy. But much of that just isn’t true….. Continue reading →

November 18, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Canada, politics | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, reactors | Leave a comment

UN likely to support international nuclear fuel ‘bank’

some developing states are concerned that a fuel bank might limit their right to sovereign nuclear energy capabilities, even if western diplomats say the proposal makes clear that this would not be the case.

UN expected to approve nuclear fuel bank, The National : Nov 18, 2010 The UN nuclear watchdog is expected to approve a fuel supply plan backed by the UAE next month, which is seen as a way to prevent the spread of weapons technology. Continue reading →

November 18, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, politics international | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear technology, uranium | Leave a comment

China – Nuclear power plant operator delayed notifying of radiation leak

Nuclear official feels Legco heat on leak, The Standard, Dennis Chong, November 17, 2010 Legislators lambasted the operator of the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station for notifying the public more than three weeks after a radiation leak was found.Hong Kong Nuclear Investment Company, a subsidiary of CLP Power which operates the plant, said the incident did not involve risk to the public and, as a result, did not need to be reported.However, lawmakers were dissatisfied and asked the company to reveal the timeline of events after maintenance workers found a defective pipe in the cooling system…… Meanwhile, legislators said the operator has not learned from an experience in May when an increase in radioactivity inside the plant sparked widespread rumors of a major leak.…Nuclear official feels Legco heat on leak – The Standard

November 18, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | China, secrets,lies and civil liberties | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive, reactor | Leave a comment

Guangdong nuclear plant radiation leak reported

Radiation Leak Reported at Guangdong Nuclear Power Plant, Economic Observer News-, By Ruoji TangShare By Yu Huapeng and Hua Yan, November 17, 2010,Translated by Ruoji Tang Original Article: [Chinese] On October 23rd, during a routine inspection of the No. 1 reactor at Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant, a small leak of radioactive material was discovered, the third leak detected in a Hong Kong Nuclear Investment Company plant since May this year. Yesterday, Daya Bay Nuclear Power Operations Management Ltd. Co. released a report stating that one of the heat removal pipes had been found to be defective but had since been dealt with….Radiation Leak Reported at Guangdong Nuclear Power Plant- Economic Observer News- China business, politics, law, and social issues

November 18, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | China, safety | AUSTRALIA, nuclear, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive, reactor | Leave a comment

Radioactive waste sites all around town of Port Hope

Atomic Energy Canada Ltd. has begun a 10-year, $260-million project to dig up 1.2 million cubic metres of low-level radioactive waste buried in numerous sites around town and store it in a huge covered mound.

Sue government over toxic town, activist tells Port Hope – thestar.com, 17 Nov 10 “…………. Radium is leaking into Lake Ontario and uranium from the Cameco refineryPort Hope’s air, drinking water, fish, beach, soil — virtually everything in the town of 16,000 poses a health risk from radioactivity, anti-nuclear activist Dr. Helen Caldicott warned an overflow crowd Tuesday night. Continue reading →

November 18, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Canada, environment | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

Obama up against Republicans’ resistance to nuclear arms control deal with Russia

But Republican resistance to approving the treaty highlights the limits of the administration’s sway after heavy losses by the Democrats in this month’s midterm elections…….

Obama fights to save nuclear arms deal, FT.com By Daniel Dombey November 17 2010 20:21 The Obama administration has mounted a bid to salvage its set piece arms control deal with Russia and shore up its authority on the world stage. Continue reading →

November 18, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear weapons | Leave a comment

Port Hope residents should sue govt over radioactive wastes

OSHAWA — The people of Port Hope should sue the federal government “to the tune of millions of dollars” for the exposure to radiation from Cameco, prominent anti-nuclear activist Dr. Helen Caldicott said during a public speech in Oshawa.

(Canada) Anti-nuclear doctor advises Port Hope residents to sue over exposure northumberlandnews.com Dr. Helen Caldicott gives impassioned talk to standing-room-only crowd in Oshawa Nov 17, 2010

Jennifer O’Meara Continue reading →

November 18, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Canada, wastes | AUSTRALIA, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear wastes, radioactive | Leave a comment

Organs taken secretly from bodies of nuclear workers

scientists had long been concerned about workers’ exposure to radiation, essentially from plutonium. The analysis required a complex procedure in which organs were rendered to ash in a furnace and then dissolved in acid.

Families Shocked To Find UK Nuclear Workers’ Organs Were Removed For Secret Tests Peacefmonline.com, 17-Nov-2010 THE families of nuclear workers in the UK whose hearts, lungs and other organs were secretly tested for radiation for almost 40 years were let down by the authorities. Continue reading →

November 17, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | civil liberties, UK | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear weapons, plutonium, radiation, radioactive | Leave a comment

Stuxnet computer worm was designed to disable nuclear plant

it’s more likely that the target in Iran was a nuclear facility in Natanz…..The new information released by Symantec last week supports this speculation…..

Clues Suggest Stuxnet Virus Was Built for Subtle Nuclear Sabotage , Wired.com, By Kim Zetter November 15, 2010 New and important evidence found in the sophisticated “Stuxnet” malware targeting industrial control systems provides strong hints that the code was designed to sabotage nuclear plants, Continue reading →

November 17, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Iran, secrets,lies and civil liberties | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear technology, nuclear weapons, reactors | Leave a comment

Vermont nuclear reactor ready to be dead and buried

“Vermonters no longer trust that Vermont Yankee can operate safely, without accident or radioactive releases to the groundwater,” ……“Entergy needs to stop putting their profits ahead of the safety of New Englanders, and shut down Vermont Yankee as scheduled.”

Nuclear Reactor in Vermont Needs to be Shut Down, Greenpeace on the Case – Planetsave.com 16 Nov 10, An old nuclear reactor in Vermont, the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station, has had a number of problems lately and Greenpeace has taken notice. “ The 38-year-old reactor has a history of contamination issues, including a recent leak of radioactive water,” Becky Striepe of our sister site Ecoscraps writes. Continue reading →

November 17, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | decommission reactor, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear decommissioning, nuclear secrecy, nuclear weapons, reactor, uranium | 1 Comment

French nuclear firm stuck, unable to sell nuclear reactors in USA

EDF Puts U.S. Nuclear Expansion Plans on Hold, BloombergBy Tara Patel – Nov 16, 2010 Electricite de France the biggest operator of nuclear reactors, put on hold a plan to develop atomic plants in the U.S…. EDF is reviewing its business in the U.S. and supply contracts for developing a reactor, Thomas Piquemal, chief financial officer, said today on a conference call. “When we have a better visibility on the regulatory environment and price evolution, we will be in a better position to see whether we go ahead with U.S. projects.”

EDF agreed last month to pay about $249 million partly to buy out Constellation Energy Group Inc. from a venture to develop EPR reactors in the U.S., including one in Maryland. Slumping power prices has cut the value of three U.S. atomic plants that the two utilities own together and forecasts of sustained low prices prompted Constellation to withdraw from talks on a government loan guarantee for the Maryland reactor…..

November 17, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, France | antinuclear, EDF, France, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, reactor | 1 Comment

American firms keen to make big money out of selling nukes to India

GE scouting for acquisitions in India | Reuters, By Devidutta Tripathy and Anurag Kotoky NEW DELHI | Mon Nov 15, 2010 GE, which set up India’s first hydropower plant in 1902, is keen to tap a $150 billion atomic market Continue reading →

November 17, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, India | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, reactors | Leave a comment

Mounting piles of nuclear wastes in USA

nearly 1.9 million pounds of nuclear waste is stored at Dominion Resources’ Surry Power Station.

Nuclear Waste At Va. Site Awaits Permanent Home. wsj, Nov 15, 2010 RICHMOND, Va. (AP) ― Decades after the federal government agreed to build a permanent storage site for the nation’s nuclear waste, temporary sites including one in southeastern Virginia continue to warehouse the radioactive material. Continue reading →

November 17, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, wastes | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear wastes, radioactive, uranium | Leave a comment