Sellafield Waste Scandal
Concerns are being raised in Japan about the raised radiation levels above legal limits – discovered on the surface of some of the canisters of vitirified High Level Waste (HLW) shipped recently from Sellafield. In August this year, some 40 tonnes of HLW, contained in 76 canisters were shipped from Barrow docks onboard the Pacific Grebe, the newest ship in the nuclear fleet operated by Pacific Nuclear Transport Ltd (PNTL). Routed via the Panama Canal, the Pacific Grebe completed its maiden commercial voyage at the Mutsu-Ogawara port in Japans Aomori prefecture on the 15th September. As reported in Japans Mainichi newspaper this week, the Kyushu Electric utility that owns the HLW has confirmed that, from a batch of 28 canisters being safety tested during transfer to the storage facility at Rokkasho-Mura, 3 had been found to have surface levels of beta and gamma radiation that breached acceptance levels of 4 Bequerels (Bq) per square centimetre in one case almost 50 times over the limit.
CORE Press Release 16th Oct 2011 more >>
Radiation dosages 47 times higher than acceptance levels have been detected from vitrified radioactive waste at a storage facility in Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture, Kyushu Electric Power Co. said Thursday. Up to 190 becquerels of both beta and gamma rays were detected from the surface of three of 28 canisters of waste from spent nuclear fuel reprocessed in Britain. The storage facility’s acceptance level is set at 4 becquerels, Kyushu Electric said, adding there has been no leakage of radiation. The spent fuel came from nuclear reactors operated by Kyushu Electric Power Co. Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd., which operates the High-Level Radioactive Waste Storage Center in Aomori, northeastern Japan, is looking into why three of the vitrified waste canisters are emitting radiation at such levels.
Mainichi 13th Oct 2011 more >>
Horizon
E.ON could pull out of developing nuclear power stations in Britain following the example of RWE, its partner in the project. E.ON was expected to continue alone with the plan to open nuclear plants at Wylfa in Wales and Oldbury in Gloucestershire by 2025 after its partner RWE decided to back out. Any move by E.ON to quit would put the future of the scheme in jeopardy. Sources said both firms were ready to abandon the project after being hit by unforeseen costs in Germany.
This is Money 16th Oct 2011 more >>
New Nukes
Falling Out With Nuclear: Who needs Al-Qaeda when the British government wants to build more nuke plants and dump high level wastes in Cumbria’s leaky geology? NO to Nuclear and YES to Life!
Cozmic.tv 16th Oct 2011 more >>
Hinkley
EDF Energy stopped its 480-megawatt (MW) Hinkley Point B8 nuclear reactor on Friday for a planned outage.
Reuters 17th Oct 2011 more >>
Dalgety Bay
MINISTRY of Defence (MoD) scientists have refused to analyse radioactive contamination from Dalgety Bay in Fife because of the risk it could give them cancer, official minutes of a meeting have revealed. The MoD has been resisting demands to pay for a clean-up of the pollution from old military planes for the last 20 years. It has persistently played down the possible health effects for members of the public. The revelation that its own scientists are not particularly keen to come into contact with the contamination will increase the pressure on UK ministers to act. The MoDs position was condemned last night as contradictory, unacceptable and scandalous. Scottish Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead described the disclosure as disturbing and promised he would contact the new Defence Secretary, Philip Hammond, about it. Foot-dragging by MoD officials must not continue to delay a final clean-up, he told the Sunday Herald.
Sunday Herald 16th Oct 2011 more >>
Times 17th Oct 2011 more >>
The sins of our past will always come back to haunt us. That is true not just for the former defence minister Liam Fox, but for the sprawling, inefficient and sometimes disastrous ministry that he used to run. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has an uneven record on safety, whether on nuclear submarines, on the battlefield in Afghanistan or flying RAF Nimrods. Sometimes, of course, it may not be entirely to blame, but sometimes it is. It was old military planes that caused the radioactive pollution at Dalgety Bay in Fife. The thoughtless dumping of the burned residues of radioactive dials more than 60 years ago has this weekend come back to haunt us with a vengeance.
Sunday Herald 16th Oct 2011 more >>
Energy Prices
Consumers will be encouraged to take steps to reduce their energy bills from Monday amid growing concerns in Whitehall over the sharp increase in prices which has seen the average household pay an extra £300 over the last year. David Cameron and Chris Huhne will outline the measures after summoning Britain’s six biggest suppliers to a special energy summit in London. In a joint article previewing the summit, the energy secretary and the prime minister express their joint determination to see a fall in prices. Caroline Flint, the shadow energy and climate change secretary, said: “The government’s warm words won’t heat homes during a bitter winter. They’re unable to take on vested interests, they won’t tackle the spiralling prices imposed by the energy giants, they won’t investigate the mis-selling of energy and they won’t help the pensioners whose winter fuel payments have been cut. “Unless the out-of-touch government gets to grips with the real issues at the energy summit, their only promise is a cold, costly winter for all.”
Guardian 17th Oct 2011 more >>
Independent 17th Oct 2011 more >>
Friends of the Earth hit back at claims that “green taxes” were causing energy bills to rise with a report suggesting investment in fossil fuel plants rather than renewables would leave UK households paying the increasing costs of coal and gas to make electricity. According to the report, electricity bills rose by 30 per cent between 2000 and 2010, while gas bills rose 78 per cent. The rises were largely due to increased costs of coal, which rose by 71 per cent, and natural gas, which rose 90 per cent, in the decade. If gas and coal costs rise in the coming decade by the same amount as they did between 2000 and 2010, an additional £8bn a year would be needed by 2020 to generate electricity, costing the average householder an extra £300 compared with lower costs if the UK met its targets to boost renewables, Friends of the Earth claimed.
Independent 17th Oct 2011 more >>
The Dirty Half Dozen.
FoE 14th Oct 2011 more >>
European businesses and consumers face at least 20 years of electricity price rises, according to a leaked European Commission report on how the region can meet its green energy targets. Average electricity prices for households and businesses would rise strongly up to 2020-2030 under all scenarios, the document says, and the highest prices would occur after 2030 if renewable sources of power, such as wind and solar, make up a large share of energy production. For example, average prices for households could jump by more than 100 per cent by 2050 if this were the case but only by 43 per cent under a scenario that assumed more nuclear power and carbon capture and storage were used.
FT 16th Oct 2011 more >>
The leaked European Commission report looks closely at four main tools that policymakers could use to achieve what it calls a decarbonised European energy system. The report then looks at what would happen under five scenarios in which more or less weight is given to each of these tools. The five options are: high energy efficiency; high renewables; delayed carbon capture (and therefore more nuclear power); low nuclear; and a fifth diverse supply scenario in which there would be a mixture of nuclear power, renewable energy supply and greater use of carbon capture. Under every scenario it assesses the EU would meet its emissions targets. But there are substantial differences in how much people would pay for their electricity. For example, it suggests average household electricity prices could rise by more than 50 per cent within 20 years under both the low nuclear and high renewables scenarios. But by 2050, it predicts there could be a rise of more than 100 per cent under the high renewables option. This is partly because more money would have to be spent upgrading and extending infrastructure, such as electricity grids, and partly because it appears to assume that a much bigger use of renewables to generate electricity would mean conventionally fuelled plants would have to be idle more often. That in turn would mean their owners would have to charge higher prices to cover their costs of capital. There is much to argue about when it comes to the assumptions used for such forecasts. But it is unlikely that there will be much opposition from wind power lobbyists, since the wind industry is by far the biggest winner under every scenario examined by the report.
FT 16th Oct 2011 more >>
The Conservative chairman of an MPs committee has warned that Government and regulators must be careful with their approach to the Big Six energy firms – or risk losing £200bn of vital investment into Britains energy infrastructure. Tim Yeo, the MP and chairman of the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee, said the energy groups will only make the £200bn of investment needed to update grids, replace ageing power plants and build wind turbines if there is the guarantee of returns and a stable policy in the UK. He said: They need to feel this is a country where there are no quick changes in taxation and regulation.
Telegraph 16th Oct 2011 more >>
Eight million households are to receive advice on how to cut energy bills by an average £100 as the Government tries to shield people from high fuel costs. The big six energy companies are to send letters spelling out the savings to be had from switching to direct debit payments and dual fuel bills. They will also pledge to spell out on bills whether customers are on the best tariff while making it easier to switch suppliers. Separately, the Government will write to four million vulnerable households who are eligible for free insulation, urging them to take up the offer.
Times 17th Oct 2011 more >>
Japan
Sumitomo Corp., IHI Corp. and Obayashi Corp. are among companies seeking to win decontamination contracts around the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant as Japan sets aside $14 billion for the clean-up.
Business Week 14th Oct 2011 more >>
The Japanese government minister in charge of the nuclear industry has lashed out at one of the country’s leading nuclear energy companies accusing it of watering down a report that found the firm guilty of manipulating public opinion. An independent panel found that the Kyushu Electric Power company stacked public meetings with employees pretending to be ordinary citizens. The report also implicated the governor of the prefecture in the scandal.
ABC.net 17th Oct 2011 more >>
Japans economy minister has sharply criticised an atomic power operator over its handling of an email scandal that dealt a new blow to public confidence in a sector still reeling from the worst nuclear crisis in 25 years. Kyushu Electric Power on Friday handed the government a final report on the scandal surrounding its use of underhand methods to sway public opinion in favour of restarting idled nuclear reactors.
FT 16th Oct 2011 more >>
In the Japanese city of Ohtawara, more than 100 km (62 miles) southwest of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, 400 tonnes of radioactive ash have piled up at a garbage incineration plant, which will run out of protected storage space in two weeks. Further south, the city of Kashiwa has been forced to temporarily shut a high-tech incinerator because its advanced technology that minimises the amount of ash produced has the side-effect of boosting the concentration of radiation.
Reuters 17th Oct 2011 more >>
France
Thousands of activists have staged demonstrations in seven cities across France, calling for an end to all forms of nuclear activity in the country. Some 25,000 activists from 900 French anti-nuclear groups took part in the Saturday rallies, which were organized by Sortir du nucléaire (Nuclear phase-out) federation. The demonstrators called on the government to halt all its military and civilian nuclear activities, and criticized Paris for continuing its nuclear policy while France’s neighboring countries have already announced plans to scrap their nuclear facilities, AFP reported. The protesters particularly called for the closure of Bugey nuclear plant in eastern France, which they say is susceptible to high risks of earthquake and flood. They also held a minute of silence in honor of the victims of Fukushima nuclear disaster in eastern Japan, and urged the French government to take lessons from Japan’s tragedy and turn to renewable energies.
Press TV 16th Oct 2011 more >>
Korea
The US is preparing to embark on another round of direct talks with North Korea over its nuclear weapons programme, as Washington attempts to stave off possible provocations by Kim Jong-ils irascible regime. But analysts are sceptical that this round will be any more successful than previous ones, given North Koreas history of using negotiations to extract rewards without having to take irreversible steps towards denuclearisation.
FT 16th Oct 2011 more >>
Coal
NO coal-fired power station will be built at Hunterston for the foreseeable future regardless of whether the Scottish Government approves plans for the facility, according to several experts in the field. Professor Jon Gibbins, a professor of power plant engineering and carbon capture at Edinburgh University, said that new regulations for coal plants would make it unecomomic for Ayrshire Powers proposal to go ahead. He believed the controversial plan would be brought down by the same commercial logic that has seen E.ON withdraw its plan for a coal-fired station at Kingsnorth in Kent and seen several other English proposals redrawn towards using gas. In a development that will cheer environmentalists whose judicial review case against Hunterston was recently rejected in the Court of Session, Gibbins sa id: If all the utilities appear to be finding coal plants uneconomic, you have to wonder why that would not apply in Scotland. It could be a problem for [Ayrshire Power owner] Peel Holdings to find a development partner or to find finance for the project. It all depends on the price of coal, and based on recent economic trends it looks unlikely.
Sunday Herald 16th Oct 2011 more >>
