reactors « nuclear-news

Plan to ship radioactive bus-sized nuclear generators across Greatr Lakes

Opponents of the plan argue that the school-bus sized generators are too dangerous to ship across waterways that millions of people in Canada and the U.S. rely on for drinking water. Some worry that it will also open up the lakes as a main thoroughfare for other nuclear shipments.

Public hearing delays planned nuclear shipment, Montreal Gazette, 4 Aug 2010, TORONTO — A controversial plan to ship 16 aging radioactive steam generators across Ontario’s Great Lakes has been delayed so a public hearing can take place. Continue reading →

August 5, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Canada, opposition to nuclear | antinuclear, nuclear spin, nuclear technology, nuclear weapons, radioactive, reactors | Leave a comment

Inadequate screening of nuclear workers

The NRC is still deciding whether to give the plant final approval.

NRC to begin inspection at Ga. nuclear work site – BusinessWeek, 5 Aug 2010, Federal regulators will start an inspection after workers were improperly screened at the construction site of a proposed nuclear power plant in eastern Georgia. Continue reading →

August 5, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear secrecy, reactors | Leave a comment

France’s dubious dream of global nuclear power empire

France’s recent nuclear record is so ragged, it may struggle to win orders whatever the ownership structure. A new generation nuclear-power station being build by French state-owned reactor maker Areva in Finland is years behind schedule and nearly 80% over budget. A new EDF plant in France using the same Areva technology is also behind schedule……

France’s Tricky Nuclear Fusion, – WSJ.com, Matthew Curtin, AUGUST 3, 2010 “…..President Nicolas Sarkozy wants to create a French nuclear powerhouse. France believes 250 nuclear power stations will be built worldwide over the next 20 years, requiring total investment of $1 trillion or more. But dominating this market may be harder than Mr. Sarkozy thinks. Continue reading →

August 4, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, France | antinuclear, AREVA, nuclear, nuclear costs, reactors | Leave a comment

France shows the way to nuclear financial meltdown

Last week, AREVA posted a massive operating loss of 485 million euros for the first half of 2010…..Electricite de France (EDF) finds itself in a similar predicament. In the first half of 2010, the company saw its profits slashed by almost half.

France leads the way in the nuclear debacle Greenpeace International, by jmckeati – August 2, 2010 If you want to know why the so-called nuclear ‘renaissance’ is never going to happen, you need only look at the news that’s been coming out of France in the last few days. Continue reading →

August 3, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, France | antinuclear, AREVA, EDF, France, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear technology, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

USA to allow South Korea to reprocess nuclear fuel?

Washington has so far been reluctant to permit it since the process results in the production of weapons-grade plutonium.

Korea, U.S. to Discuss Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing This Fall, The Chosun Ilbo, 3 Aug 2010, Korea and the United States have agreed to start talks about the revision of a bilateral atomic energy agreement this fall, it emerged on Monday. Seoul is keen to reprocess its own spent fuel rods, which it is barred from doing under the agreement, Continue reading →

August 3, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | South Korea, technology | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear technology, reactors, recycling, reprocessing, uranium | Leave a comment

France desperate to sell nuclear technology, even to Pakistan

The thorny nuclear issue was also expected to be on the agenda at Sarkozy and Zardari’s meeting. France is a major exporter of civil nuclear technology

Pakistani president says France considers his country ‘responsible partner’, The Canadian Press, By Jenny Barchfield (CP) –3 Aug 2010, PARIS — Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari, facing questions about his country’s role in Afghanistan, turned to France for support in talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy that covered fighting terrorism and nuclear co-operation… Continue reading →

August 3, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Pakistan, politics international | antinuclear, AREVA, France, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

Court action to stop uranium drilling

The groups say the government improperly excluded the vent project from federal regulations, deeming it a “special use” rather than a traditional mining operation.
“The agency thus illegally bypassed the strict permitting and environmental protection requirements of its special use regulations,” the groups claim.

Groups Sue to Block Uranium Drilling in Utah, Courthouse News Service,By SUZANNE ASHE 2 Aug 2010, SALT LAKE CITY (CN) – Three conservation groups want to stop the U.S. Forest Service from allowing a private mining company to drill 16 uranium exploration holes and two 6-foot-diameter vent holes on national forest land in southeast Utah. Continue reading →

August 3, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Legal, Uranium, USA | antinuclear, radiation, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

Nuclear company cutting back on spending on new reactors

He loves nukes, he really wants to build a couple of new ones, but he still thinks it’s too risky to spend money on them…….

NRG Cuts Nuclear Spending, Says It’s Not Giving Up « The Energy Source – Forbes.com, Jonathon Fahey, 2 Aug 2010, NRG Energy chief executive David Crane’s words couldn’t be more different from his actions. In a conference call with investors this morning he announced the company was cutting spending on the new nuclear reactors he hopes to build down to a trickle. Continue reading →

August 3, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, nuclear wastes, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

Nuclear industry resuscitation in trouble in USA

Nuclear Projects Looking for a Savior : CleanTechnica, by Zachary Shahan August 1st, 2010 “….two nuclear reactors that are an urgent matter to some (in the nuclear industry and politics) and also, potentially, the source of a very big bill for U.S. taxpayers….. Continue reading →

August 2, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission will allow shipment of steam generators across Great Lakes

Bruce Power asked Canada’s nuclear regulator for a licence to ship the steam generators from its power plant on Lake Huron to Sweden, where 90 per cent of the metals inside the generators are to be recycled and resold. The remaining materials that are too radioactive to be recycled will then return to the Bruce plant to be contained for the rest of their radioactive lives.

Public hearing to be held on shipment of nuclear waste through Great Lakes – thestar.com, Brett Popplewell , Jul 30 2010 Canada’s nuclear safety regulator has agreed to hold a public hearing into a controversial plan to ship 1,760 tonnes of radiation-laced steel through Lake Ontario. Continue reading →

August 2, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | Canada, wastes | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons, radiation, reactors | 18 Comments

General Electric and Toshiba medical radiation scans overdoses

machines involved in the botched CT scans, made by General Electric and Toshiba, had been wrongly calibrated and subjected patients who underwent brain perfusion scans following a stroke to excessive doses of radiation.

New Details Emerge in CT Scan Radiation Overdose Scandal, News Inferno, August 1st, 2010 Radiation overdoses resulting from botched CT brain perfusion scans that occurred at hospitals across the country were larger and more widespread than previously known, Continue reading →

August 2, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | health, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, radioactive, reactors | 1 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

New evidence on how radiation causes cancer

radiation, while killing many cells within a tissue, will create mutations in some of the surviving stem cells. When such abnormal (mutated) stem cells repopulate the tissue, they will divide many times and this can promote the development of tumours,”

Body’s natural cell-suicide program can fuel tumour development’, sify news, 1 August 2010, Researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researchers in Melbourne, Australia, have made a discovery that has turned on its head scientists’ understanding of programmed cell death and its role in tumour formation. Continue reading →

August 2, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA, health | antinuclear, AUSTRALIA, cancer, nuclear, radiation, reactors | Leave a comment

French nuclear firm EDF’s financial woes

“The U.S. provision is bad news,”…… Results were also hurt by “poor availability” of nuclear reactors in France and the U.K……EDF has expanded in Europe, China and the U.S., driving up debt,

EDF Net Income Tumbles 47% After Outlook Dims for Nuclear Project in U.S. – Bloomberg, By Tara Patel – Jul 30, 2010 Electricite de France SA, Europe’s biggest power generator, reported a 47 percent drop in first- half profit on a charge linked to the development of a nuclear reactor in the U.S. and the outlook for low power prices there. Continue reading →

July 31, 2010 Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, France | antinuclear, EDF, France, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear secrecy, nuclear technology, nuclear wastes, reactors, uranium | Leave a comment

China has no national strategy for nuclear wastes

the IAEA panel said the government should set up a comprehensive national strategy for dealing with nuclear waste

Chinese nuclear safety bodies need more money, IAEA experts say | Earth Times News, 30 July 2010, Vienna – China’s nuclear safety authorities need more funds and staff to keep pace with the country’s rapidly expanding nuclear energy sector, a panel of experts appointed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Friday. Continue reading →