THORP
THORP has been put on trial following the serious radioactive liquor leak which has left Sellafield’s troubled flagship plant virtually shutdown for nearly three years with the loss of many millions of pounds worth of valuable reprocessing income. Thorp is being allowed to start serious operations again by its owners, the NDA, who hopes the plant will come through with flying colours over the next month and pave the way to a full re-start. The Whitehaven News understands this is virtually a trial period to make sure everything is working all right after the expensive repairs to the plant along with checks on a vital support evaporator. The Nuclear Installations Inspectorate has already given thumbs up to a phased re-start but the final consent is subject to performance over the next few weeks. First material to be treated is the massive amount of liquor which spilled in the leak which went undetected for eight months. Most of the 800 or so Thorp operators are working normally again. Some have had to undergo “behavioural” training as a result of the leak. The NDA is banking on Thorp and Mox to make profits to offset the huge costs of Sellafield’s decommissioning otherwise a shadow will hang over the future of the two big production plants.
Whitehaven News 12th July 2007 more >>
NDA
The white powder sent to the NDA was sugar. It was sent by anti-Sizewell campaigner Charles Barnett who says he doesn’t know how it got into the envelope with the newsletter he was sending to Ian Roxburgh.
Whitehaven News 12th July 2007 more >>
Nuclear Spin
The nuclear industry’s biggest challenge: PR. Nuclear energy is safe, clean and long lasting, according to its proponents. But many people associate it with nuclear disaster or war and believe it is the most dangerous thing on the planet. It is time, argues Gia Milinovich, to update its image.
New Statesman Supplement on Energy 2nd July 2007 more >>
North Korea
The armed forces in North Korea warned Friday that a nuclear disarmament deal the government there has agreed to could be scrapped if the US keeps “pressurising” their country, North Korea’s official KCNA news agency reported. The North Korea will step up efforts to protect itself from a “US nuclear attack and preemptive strike” if the US keeps “pressurising [North Korea] under the pretext of the nuclear issue,” the armed forces said in a statement carried by KCNA.
Interactive Investor 13th July 2007 more >>
The shutdown of North Korea’s main nuclear reactor could be a “smooth process” completed within a month, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said yesterday.
FT 13th July 2007 more >>
Body Parts Scandal
NUCLEAR scientists are feared to have stolen organs from the dead bodies of at least 122 people, it emerged yesterday. The body parts from adult or child crash victims were tested by boffins probing plutonium levels in human tissue.
The Sun 13th July 2007 more >>
Difficult questions are going to have to be asked and answered.
Whitehaven News 12th July 2007
more >>
Michael Redfern QC has said he will use the full powers available to him in order to get answers if he needs to.
Whitehaven News 12th July 2007 more >>
Iran
The UN nuclear watchdog has reached an agreement with Iran on how to conduct negotiations over Tehran’s contentious nuclear programme, the delegation’s chief said.
Channel 4 News 12th July 2007 more >>
German prosecutors on Thursday said they are investigating some 50 companies suspected of smuggling technology to Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant via Russia. Berlin-based company Vero is suspected of having smuggled material to build the nuclear reactor through Poland to Moscow, from where it was taken to Iran.
Forbes 12th July 2007 more >>
Iranian nuclear officials and a visiting team from the U.N. nuclear watchdog held a second round of talks on Thursday to discuss ways to remove outstanding questions about Iran’s disputed nuclear programme. Iran has offered to draw up an “action plan” to address Western suspicions that its nuclear programme is a front to obtain nuclear arms. Tehran says it needs nuclear technology only to generate power.
Reuters 12th July 2007 more >>
France
France has offered to co-operate on nuclear power with Algeria, having already offered help to Georgia and Vietnam.
World Nuclear News 12th July 2007
more >>
Dounreay
Dounreay operators have been fined £15,000 for a series of health and safety failings that led to a worker breathing in plutonium.
Channel 4 News 12th July 2007 more >>
ICScotland 12th July 2007 more >>
Herald 13th July 2007 more >>
THE operator of the Dounreay nuclear plant claims it has tightened safety procedures after being fined £15,000 yesterday for health and safety failings that led to a worker breathing in plutonium.
Scotsman 13th July 2007 more >>
A 49-YEAR-OLD Glasgow man is to have a key role in the bid to counter the job losses at Dounreay as the nuclear site is decommissioned at a cost of £2.7 billion. Roy Kirk, who spent over 20 years with the Scottish Office and the Scottish Executive, has just been appointed to the post of inward investment manager by the Caithness Regeneration Partnership and is looking forward to the challenge of his new job which he takes up next month. He told the Caithness Courier yesterday that the Far North can “achieve a number of positive outcomes” and said he will be considering various options. These will include energy – and particularly renewable energy – as well as tourism and the food-and-drink industry.
John O Groat Journal 11th July 2007 more >>
Aberdeen Press and Journal 11th July 2007 more >>
NEW security measures costing £500,000 are to be taken at the Dounreay plant. Work is to get under way early next month to realign the access to the site. A new roundabout is being built, together with new barriers and a vehicle inspection area on the approach to the entrance of the former reactor complex. The UKAEA has planned the work for some time, though momentum has been added with the latest terrorism incidents in London and Glasgow. The new measures have been recommended by the Office of Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS).
John O Groat Journal 11th July 2007more >>
Peace
BIN the bomb was the message from a group of travelling protestors who are on the road to campaign against nuclear weapons. The Peace Walk towards a Nuclear Free Future set off from Dublin on May 13 and aims to arrive in London on Hiroshima Day on August 6.
Matlock Mercury 12th July 2007 more >>
Proliferation
Are the risks associated with the possible proliferation of nuclear materials or the threat of terrorist attack against nuclear facilities a potential barrier to new build? Article by Steve Kidd of the World Nuclear Association.
Nuclear Engineering International 12th July 2007 more >>
Sellafield
A Sellafield scientist wanted to set fire to himself at work after being signed off with depression.
Carlisle News and Star 12th July 2007 more >>
Nuclear Waste
Packaging firm Iggesund Paperboard has objected to the controversial waste plant planned at Lillyhall.
Whitehaven News 12th July 2007 more >>
New nukes
We could have a nuclear power station on our doorstep if the government follows the advice of energy experts, the Post has learned. Friends of the Earth have told the Post Rugeley’s existing station could be converted to nuclear after a report revealed the government is considering building plants on the sites of existing coal and gas-fired stations in the Midlands.
Stafford Post 12th July 2007 more >>
Energy Efficiency
The government and energy supply industry yesterday began a £20m trial to encourage households to curb their use of gas and electricity and reduce Britain’s emissions of greenhouse gases. Some 15,000 homes will be equipped with so-called smart meters, allowing consumers and suppliers to track energy use, cutting out the need for meter readings and estimated bills.
Guardian 13th July 2007 more >>
Guardian 13th July 2007 more >>
Almost 13,000 households in Scotland will be able to see exactly how much they are spending on electricity as new “smart” technology is installed in their homes. About 10,000 Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) customers, mostly in Tayside, and a further 2640 people signed up to ScottishPower in South Lanarkshire are taking part in the trials.
Herald 13th July 2007 more >>
