Foreign News

One of Greenland’s most controversial mining projects, a proposed uranium and rare earths mine, has reached what its owners describe as a “major” milestone in its approval process, after authorities said a revised version of the environmental impact assessment met all the requirements for it to be accepted for public review. Greenlandic law requires that mining companies submit an independently prepared environmental impact assessment when seeking permission to begin operations. The assessments must indicate what damage the mine could be expected to cause during its construction and operation, as well as any problems it could cause after operations cease. Greenland Minerals, an Australian-listed firm formerly known as Greenland Minerals and Energy, began conducting preparatory work in the Kvanefjeld area of southern Greenland in 2007.

Arctic Today 24th Sept 2020 read more »

The Fukushima disaster can have unexpected consequences. The news became public on September 23, 2020 following the publication of an article in Le canard enchaîné : a researcher at the Human and Social Sciences Laboratory of the Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), Dr Christine Fassert , was dismissed on June 16 for serious misconduct. According to the famous duck, she was fired because of “a recurring insubordination with distrust vis-à-vis [his] hierarchy” and “inappropriate behavior”. A chain reaction, this dismissal led David Boilley, a nuclear physicist very involved in the search for information on the Fukushima disaster, to resign from the IRSN Research Orientation Committee (COR) where he represented ACRO ( association for the control of radioactivity in the west). Even though numerous studies prove that low doses present a health risk, IRSN’s discourse remains the same: nothing can be said! The straw that broke the camel’s back was IRSN’s refusal to publish an article that Christine Faussert was preparing to send in February to the journal “Les Annales des Mines”.

Fukushima Blog 25th Sept 2020 read more »

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Saturday visited the disaster-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant where decommissioning work is taking place. The day trip is Suga’s first since he replaced former leader Shinzo Abe, who stepped down for health reasons, and is aimed at demonstrating the government’s continued commitment to rebuilding areas of northeastern Japan impacted by the massive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 and the nuclear crisis that followed.

Mainichi 24th Sept 2020 read more »

Japan Times 26th Sept 2020 read more »

An eerie photograph, and a whole gallery online, show the reality of what life is now like in the destroyed and highly radioactive control room at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

LAD Bible 25th Sept 2020 read more »

Following a decision by the Court of Justice of the European Union in 2019, the Belgian Constitutional Court annulled in August 2020 the law of 2015 on the extension of the life of reactors 1 and 2 of the Doel nuclear power plant. In its judgment, the Belgian Court ordered the Government to organize an environmental impact study involving a phase of public participation and a cross-border consultation before December 31, 2022. “ Extending the life of a nuclear power plant can impact local residents as well as neighboring countries in the event of an accident. As the safety margins decrease with the aging of a reactor, the risks of a nuclear accident increase. The fact that an incident is not improbable is demonstrated by the many faults of old nuclear power stations, which are regularly shut down, ”said Roger Spautz, nuclear campaigner for Greenpeace. The Minister of Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development of Belgium has just notified neighboring countries that an environmental impact assessment (EIA) with cross-border consultation, in accordance with the Espoo convention, will be organized in the first quarter in 2021. Neighboring countries wishing to participate in this consultation must express their interest before the end of September.

Greenpeace 25th Sept 2020 read more »

The Government of the Netherlands has published a report on the potential role of nuclear in its future energy mix. The government commissioned the report, prepared by consultancy company Enco, to evaluate its options for energy transition. Earlier this week, Dutch minister for economic affairs and climate Eric Wiebes presented the report to the government. The cabinet will now prepare a motion requesting that the Netherlands holds a market consultation, assessing commercial interest in nuclear developments in the country. The minister said he will update the parliament before its winter recess.

Power Technology 25th Sept 2020 read more »

Global Construction Review 25th Sept 2020 read more »

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi has ordered the formation of a committee tasked to build a nuclear reactor for research purposes, the Iraqi Radioactive Sources Regulatory Authority (IRSRA) revealed yesterday. Speaking to the Iraqi News Agency, the head of the IRSRA, Hussein Latif, said that Al-Kadhimi is “aware of the importance of the issue of atomic energy”, following discussions held with French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday. Al-Kadhimi is scheduled to visit France next month, as part of a European tour. Latif added that Iraq is “looking forward to restoring its position in nuclear science, which it occupied in the 1970s and 1980s”, highlighting a recent resolution by the UN Security Council in support of Iraq’s renewed peaceful aspirations in the nuclear field.

Middle East Monitor 25th Sept 2020 read more »

54% of Sweden’s power comes from renewables and this energy is increasingly local. Smart grids are switching Swedish homes from energy consumers to power-making ‘prosumers.’ Local ‘district heating’ plants use excess heat to warm the majority of Swedish homes. Sweden tops the World Economic Forum’s Energy Transitions Index By 2030, almost a third of all the energy consumed in the European Union must come from renewable sources, according to binding targets agreed in 2018. Sweden is helping lead the way. As well as targeting 100% renewable electricity production by 2040, the country is transforming homes into highly efficient ‘prosumers’ – buildings which both produce and consume the vast majority of their own energy.

WEForum 21st Sept 2020 read more »