International Nuclear Watch & Discussion

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 30 May 2011 17:11

Renewable energy is important but can't replace nuclear power

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 30 May 2011 18:41

Japan's Nuclear Safety Commission has expressed concerns about internal radiation exposure for workers at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 30 May 2011 18:42

Pump failure nearly brings No. 5 to a boil

The seawater pump in the cooling system for the Fukushima power plant's No. 5 reactor broke down Saturday evening, prompting repair crews to install a backup pump 15 hours later on Sunday afternoon, Tokyo Electric Power Co. said.

Tepco discovered the pump had stopped at 9 p.m. Saturday but didn't announce it to the public until Sunday morning.

The beleaguered utility said it notified the local and central governments of the situation on Saturday evening.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 30 May 2011 18:44

Stabilizing reactors by year's end may be impossible: Tepco
Kyodo

Stabilizing the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant by the end of the year may be impossible, senior officials at Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Sunday, throwing a monkey wrench into plans to let evacuees return to their homes near the plant.

The confirmation of core meltdowns hitting reactors 1 through 3, accompanied by breaches to the critical pressure vessels that hold the nuclear fuel, has led officials to believe that "there will be a major delay to work" to contain the situation, one official said.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 30 May 2011 18:48

Germany decides to abandon nuclear power by 2022

BERLIN -- Germany's governing coalition said Monday it will shut down all the country's nuclear power plants by 2022. The decision, prompted by Japan's nuclear disaster, will make Germany the first major industrialized nation to go nuclear-free in years.

It also completes a remarkable about-face for Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right government, which only late last year had pushed through a plan to extend the life span of the country's 17 reactors - with the last scheduled to go offline in 2036.
But Merkel now says industrialized, technologically advanced Japan's helplessness in the face of the Fukushima disaster made her rethink the risks of the technology.

"We want the electricity of the future to be safe, reliable and economically viable," Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters on Monday after overnight negotiations among the governing parties. "We have to follow a new path."

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 30 May 2011 18:50

Power outages, downed communication lines knocked out most radiation monitoring systems in disaster areas

Most radiation monitoring systems in Fukushima, Miyagi and Ibaraki prefectures broke down temporarily after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, preventing local authorities from gauging the ensuing nuclear crisis, prefectural officials said.

Monitoring systems in other prefectures with nuclear power plants also face similar risks of a breakdown, requiring an urgent review, analysts say.

Twenty-two of the 23 round-the-clock radiation monitors installed around the crisis-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant and at the nearby Fukushima No. 2 nuclear complex stopped sending data to the prefectural monitoring center about three hours after the quake, officials said.

While some monitors were broken by the magnitude 9.0 temblor or were washed away by tsunami, infrastructure disruptions such as downed communication lines and electricity outages were the major causes of the breakdown, one official said.

"It is a general rule that radiation levels near the facilities are always monitored. It is a problem that all the equipment broke down," said an official of the prefecture's radiation monitoring center.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 30 May 2011 19:01

Switzerland latest country to shelve nuclear plant plans – but many states still lack an alternative low-carbon energy supply

The Swiss government said it would phase out nuclear power by 2034, a decision that requires the closure of five nuclear plants that provide 40% of the country's electricity. No plants will be phased out of use ahead of schedule, however. An estimated 20,000 people protested in Switzerland last weekend against nuclear power in the country.

To make up the shortfall, Switzerland will be forced to rely more on hydroelectric power, much of which it now exports as green energy to neighbouring countries, including Germany and Italy.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 30 May 2011 19:04

Italy moves a step closer to shelving new nuclear plants

The Italian government has won a confidence vote on measures that include shelving plans to build new nuclear power plants.
The prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, has been an advocate of nuclear power, but he decided to scrap the construction of new nuclear plants amid mounting public concern after the disaster at Japan's Fukushima reactor.

He has said the situation will be reassessed in one or two years' time.

The government hopes shelving its nuclear plans will avoid a referendum on the issue, which is due on June 12. It won the confidence vote on Tuesday by 313 votes to 291.

Earthquake-prone Italy is the only member of the G8 industrialised nations that does not produce nuclear power. Italians voted against it in a 1987 referendum after the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 30 May 2011 19:12

Renewable Energy Given a Boost by Fukushima and Revolutions – E&Y

China in top spot as India, Brazil rise up ranks

China retained its number one position on the 35-nation All Renewables index, boosted by increased support for offshore wind projects and the green credentials of its 12th Five Year Plan, released in March. While the report noted supply chain challenges, such as the limitations of China’s wind grid connection, the Fukushima disaster saw the country raise its solar capacity target from 20GW to 50GW by 2020.

The US was steady in second place, despite uncertainty over its clean energy policy, while India leapfrogged fourth spot Germany to occupy third place. India’s rise was due to favourable policies such as the removal of taxes on clean technology components, plans to introduce penalties for delays on solar installations and the start of trading in renewable energy certificates in March.

Italy remained fifth in the ranking while the UK dropped one place to sixth position, as a planned review into incentives sparked uncertainty in the solar sector.

Brazil jumped from 16 to 12, spurred by strong wind sector growth, anticipated renewable subsidy reform helped Poland climb from 16 to 14, while economic woes dragged Ireland down three places to share 14th spot.

Japan’s immediate post-nuclear crisis shift to natural gas and fuel oil imports has hindered renewables investment in the short-term, said the report, which downgraded the Asian nation three places to 18. However, government backing for renewables growth means it may bounce back in the long-term.

Amber G. · Post by **Amber G.** » 31 May 2011 02:17

http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NP_G8_fixed_on_nuclear_safety_2705111.html

Only ten minutes were allocated for leaders of the G8 countries to discuss nuclear energy at the summit in Deauville, France. At the first day's press conference, host President Nicolas Sarkozy of France praised the "courage and dignity" of Japanese prime minister Naoto Kan while the Fukushima Daiichi plant is being stabilised.

"Many among the G8 think that there is no alternative to nuclear power, even if we are convinced of the need to develop alternative energy, renewable energy," said Sarkozy. "But we all want to give ourselves a very high level of regulation on nuclear safety that applies to all countries wishing to use civilian nuclear power," he added, "to make the safety levels the highest ever known."

The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Kan's message to his peers had been to emphasise the country's commitment to establish the "world's highest levels of nuclear safety, while thoroughly investigating the causes of the accident."

On energy policy: "Japan would proceed with the establishment of a four-pillar policy that adds renewable energy and energy conservation measures to the measures already in place for nuclear energy and fossil fuels."

Meanwhile, relatively speaking, I notice that "experts" like Bsuby with their idiotic wild claims about nuclear explosions. at Fukushima ... 1,400,000 deaths due to radiation .. (exceeding the "limit" of 1 mSV ) are little quiet in the media .. I am sure he still has his worshipers but, thankfully, I have not even seen him quoted in BRF for sometime now.

Airavat · Post by **Airavat** » 31 May 2011 06:15

Oconee Nuclear Station reactor first of the 104 reactors in the United States to have digital controls

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 31 May 2011 09:49

Rain increases radioactive water at nuke plant
Could be used for plantain irrigation

Heavy rain has increased the volume of highly radioactive water building up inside the disaster-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Contaminated water already floods the basements of the turbine and reactor buildings, partly due to water injections to cool down the reactor cores.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 31 May 2011 09:58

Exposure of Tepco pair exceeds limit

The two workers were involved in work at reactors 3 and 4. In a measurement on May 23, their thyroid glands were found to have absorbed 7,690 and 9,760 becquerels of radioactive iodine-131, respectively, 10 times more than other workers.

Their external exposure levels were between 74 and 89 millisieverts, Tepco said.

GuruPrabhu · Post by **GuruPrabhu** » 31 May 2011 10:36

The jaahil media has forgotten about Fuk-D. Shame on them. Thankfully, BRF is ahead of the curve, and feeding frenzy in places where even DDM fails to tread. Jai Ho!

GuruPrabhu · Post by **GuruPrabhu** » 31 May 2011 10:38

Amber G. wrote: I am sure he still has his worshipers but, thankfully, I have not even seen him quoted in BRF for sometime now.

It is taqqiya. Not naming the Lord (or drawing a cartoon of him) does not imply that the cause is forgotten. Wait and see.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 31 May 2011 10:41

S&P cuts TEPCO rating by 5 notches to junk status
Looks like Kaahil Experts are silently at work.

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Standard & Poor's downgraded its long-term credit rating for Tokyo Electric Power Co. by five notches to junk status Monday, saying it remains uncertain whether the operator of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant would be smoothly bailed out by the Japanese government

....

The rating agency also said there is a high possibility that TEPCO, Japan's largest corporate bond issuer, will not be able to drastically increase electricity charges in the short term, further worsening its financial health.

The agency has downgraded its rating for TEPCO by a total of 10 notches since the nuclear crisis broke out..

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 31 May 2011 10:48

Falling confidence in 'Japan brand' more than just a domestic problem

Well some would like to forget what happened. But Japanese Media has continued its relentless focus on areas of concern and consequences from f***d up plant.While others would try hard to be back to Business as usual as if nothing happened. If we go long back enough in time Gobar pattis would be business as usual.But mankind learn from all sorts of things and move onto better things.
Meanwhile...

The nuclear power plant in Fukushima has completely tarnished the "Japan brand," which enjoyed a reputation around the world as being safe, clean, and high tech. All of that has been wiped away now by the black cloud of radioactive contamination.

Along with the "Japan brand," the popularity of Japanese food -- whose "health food" reputation had until recently attracted fans around the world -- has plummeted. In an attempt to bring back customers, one overseas conveyor-belt sushi restaurant has gone as far as to post a sign saying that none of its ingredients are imported from Japan.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 31 May 2011 11:01

Japan could face overseas lawsuits from nuclear crisis
BY KYOHEI MATSUDA STAFF WRITER

2011/05/31

Japan faces the possibility of having to pay huge compensation to overseas victims of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant because it has yet to sign any international convention that defines procedures for filing lawsuits for damages from a nuclear accident that extend beyond a nation's borders.

While the Kan administration has compiled a framework to provide support to Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the Fukushima plant, as it makes compensation payments, if lawsuits were filed overseas the total compensation could go much higher than current estimates of several trillions of yen.

There are three conventions which establish the standards for having the nation where a nuclear accident has occurred handle compensation lawsuits.

One is the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC), which was agreed to by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Japan had been asked by the United States to join the CSC and has been considering the move.

However, because of a longheld myth in Japan that accidents would never occur at a nuclear plant and other considerations, no decision was made to sign the convention.

Another factor that had been considered was the concerns that anyone in Japan who became a victim of a nuclear accident in a neighboring nation would have to go to the nation where the accident occurred in order to file any lawsuit for compensation.

Because Japan has not signed the convention, if any damage from water contaminated from the radiation leaking from the Fukushima plant were to arise in the fishing industry of another nation or if rubble from the tsunami after the Great East Japan Earthquake were to become contaminated with radiation and drift ashore at another nation, victims in those nations would be able to file lawsuits in their own nation.

Standards for calculating compensation in that nation would also be applied in determining the amount of compensation. That could lead to the possibility of huge compensation amounts being awarded.

Japan's Civil Procedure Law has provisions that allow verdicts made in other nations to be recognized domestically. In recent years, there has been an increase in cases where Japanese companies have faced huge compensation amounts awarded by U.S. courts.

An expert in international private law said if Japan were to sign the convention after the nuclear accident but before any lawsuits were filed overseas, "It might be possible to have Japanese courts gain jurisdiction depending on negotiations with that other nation."

Because of concerns of further damage from aftershocks, a Japanese government source said, "We have to hurry in signing the CSC before any lawsuits are filed."

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology is in charge of the compensation system.

Kanji Fujiki, director-general of the ministry's Research and Development Bureau, said, "We are thinking more seriously about joining the convention because of the latest accident."

However, Japan would also have to pass bills to implement joining the convention. Moreover, other nations may criticize Japan for joining the convention after the nuclear accident has occurred.

No international convention has yet been applied over a nuclear accident.

However, at the just-concluded Group of Eight summit meeting in France, the leaders agreed to strengthen the functioning of the IAEA.

That is part of a trend toward a more international framework for safety management of nuclear plants and for providing relief to those victimized by nuclear accidents.

After the No. 5 Fukuryu Maru, a Japanese fishing boat, was showered with radioactive ash from a U.S. hydrogen bomb test at Bikini Atoll in 1954, the United States paid 720 million yen ($8.91 million) in compensation to Japan in a political settlement.

The former Soviet Union did not provide compensation to ranchers in the West whose cattle were contaminated by radiation following the 1986 accident at Chernobyl.

The article mentions only about CSC, what about other two conventions it hinted?

Amber G. · Post by **Amber G.** » 02 Jun 2011 08:08

GuruPrabhu wrote:The jaahil media has forgotten about Fuk-D. Shame on them. Thankfully, BRF is ahead of the curve, and feeding frenzy in places where even DDM fails to tread. Jai Ho!

IAEA also has not forgotten..Their preliminary report is out.
(Wrt to all the shameful, "evil" things Japan, Tepco, and Indian Scientists, Banana experts ityadi have done) Please do read the full report when it comes out. Instead of paying attention to just the headlines like "IAEA report blames Japan for ignoring tsunami risk at nuclear sites" (This is one headline, I am sure.. some one will post it here)

Here is one story
First IAEA report on Fukushima

The handling of the Fukushima nuclear crisis was "exemplary," said a preliminary report from the International Atomic Energy Agency, and could eventually show "what can be achieved in responding to such extreme nuclear events."

After a week's fact-finding mission that involved touring nuclear sites and talking to officials, managers and engineers, head UK safety regulator Mike Weightman has delivered a preliminary summary of his group's findings. The full report will be presented to a ministerial meeting held at the IAEA's Vienna headquarters later this month.

Some of the findings come as no surprise - "The tsunami hazard for several sites was underestimated" - while others praise Japan's "extremely open" stance in sharing information with the IAEA team. {Interesting how many times Busby and their followers blamed Japan for hiding things} There was no dissection of precise actions by the various corporate and government players either before or after the tsunami, with this kind of detail inevitably coming in subsequent reports on a much longer timescale.

Many findings matched the regulatory considerations already under review in national jurisdictions: diversity and redundancy of safety systems, defence in depth and physical separation all in the context of extreme natural events. Singled out for praise was the J-Village near the damaged Fukushima Daiichi plant, which gave "highly professional back-up to secure the protection of workers at the site." The accident showed the value of hardened on-site emergency response centres, which "should be provided for all major nuclear facilities with severe accident potential."

The response of Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) by "dedicated, determined and expert staff under extremely arduous conditions has been exemplary, and resulted in the best approach to securing safety given the exceptional circumstances," said Weightman.

The overall response in Japan was also praised. He said the government's protection of the public (mainly by means of early evacuation and use of potassium-iodide pills) was "impressive and extremely well organised." Future monitoring of the health of the public as well as workers "would be beneficial" although "to date, no health effects have been reported in any person as a result of radiation exposure." {And yet worthies still peddling 1,400,000 deaths per Busby and other nonsense..wonder if they have any shame}

Weightman alluded to the possibility that the areas near the Fukushima Daiichi plant could return to normal, given proper planning and perhaps remediation. He said the roadmap to stabilise the plant should be thought of as part of a wider plan, "that could include the remediation of areas affected off site affected by radiological release to allow people to resume their normal lives. Thus demonstrating to the world what can be achieved in responding to such extreme nuclear events."

Weightman on the Fukushima Daiichi staff

"The operators were faced with a catastrophic, unprecedented emergency situation with no power, reactor control or instrumentation, and in addition to this, severely affected communications systems both within and external to the site."

"They had to work in darkness with almost no instrumentation and control systems to secure the safety of six reactors, six associated fuel pools, a common fuel pool and dry cask storage facilities."

"Despite brave and sometimes novel attempts of the operational staff to restore control and cool the reactors and spent fuel, severe damage of the fuel and a series of explosions occurred." { And to think of shameless worthies blaming these brave people}

"These explosions caused further destruction at the site, making the scene faced by operators even more demanding and dangerous."

"The response on the site by dedicated, determined and expert staff under extremely arduous conditions has been exemplary, and resulted in the best approach to securing safety given the exceptional circumstances."

Here you have it. Yes the report took some deliberation and inspection of data, but unlike the shameful shouting of idiots who had and continue to have no idea of the facts or the sciences involved, it is worth paying attention to.

More check out
http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/201 ... ssion.html

Amber G. · Post by **Amber G.** » 02 Jun 2011 08:27

Japan could face overseas lawsuits from nuclear crisis

Meanwhile ..
Talks on cost of anti-nuclear policy

EOn is counting the cost of Germany's new energy policies and preparing to put its case to government for a multi-billion euro compensation deal.

amit · Post by **amit** » 03 Jun 2011 07:48

X-posting from the Indian Nook Dhaga.

amit wrote:Another interesting article about German plans.

Merkel Coalition Backs Atomic-Power Exit by 2022

The decision in the early morning hours today by coalition leaders in Berlin underscored Merkel’s flip-flop from a 2009 re- election promise to extend the life of nuclear reactors. She did her about-face after the March meltdown in Japan as the anti- nuclear Green Party gained in polls. Her party lost control of Baden-Wuerttemberg state to the Greens in March and finished behind them in a state election for the first time on May 22.

“As far as the government’s credibility is concerned, it was about damage limitation,” said Bernhard Jeggle, a utility analyst with Landesbank Baden Wuerttemberg in Stuttgart. “Those people who wanted to exit nuclear probably voted Green in the first place and will continue to choose the original rather than Merkel’s copy.”
Finally, the political dimensions of Frau Merkel's flip-flop (Note: For those who think we are mocking Merkel, please note that I took the flip-flop descriptor from the quote above).

Businesses and utilities opposed Merkel’s move, warning of increased costs and less reliable power sources. Merkel said the government will ensure the shift won’t disrupt power supplies fueling Europe’s biggest economy.

“Germany is one of the best-performing and economically most successful countries in the world,” Merkel said today. “For that to stay this way, we have to have a competitive energy supply. Our citizens trust that there is sufficient availability at any given time.”

Nuclear supplied some 22 percent of German power in 2010, while renewable sources provided 17 percent, the Economy Ministry said. Europe is split on the future of nuclear power, with France and the U.K. planning more reactors while Germany joined Switzerland in setting an exit date and Italy extended a moratorium on plans to re-enter atomic energy.

Germany is Europe’s largest power market, followed by France. Germany last year was a net exporter of power to France, sending 16.1 terawatt hours to the country compared with imports of 9.4 terawatt hours, according to data published by grid operate Reseau de Transport d’Electricite.

“It’s hard to see how they will replace the energy,” Anne Lauvergeon, chief executive officer of French state-owned Areva SA, the world’s biggest maker of nuclear equipment, said. “I’m not sure there is enough Polish coal, and it creates carbon problems. Alternative energy sources are intermittent sources. I think they will do what Austria did in its time: import nuclear electricity from neighboring countries.”
Somnath, the last bolded portion, especially the Austria example is for you.

Germany may keep one of the seven oldest reactors in reserve should the country be at risk of blackouts, Roettgen said later today at a press conference with Merkel in Berlin.
I'm a bit mystified here. Perhaps GP or Amber can help. How do you keep a nuclear reactor in reserve in case of blackouts? Doesn't it take some time to fire up a reactor?

The CDU’s “Wirtschaftsrat” or council of affiliated companies, said Merkel’s “go-it-alone” nuclear policy in Europe may add billions of euros to power bills paid by industry and consumers.

“I’ve heard lots about a phase-out of nuclear power but little about the costs of phasing in renewable energy,” its President Kurt Lauk told reporters in Berlin on May 25.
Kurt Lauk's point is very important. It's been the same on this thread. All the folks championing alternative energy sources have been avoiding the cost issues. In a super cost conscious market like India can one fudge the cost issues?

Meanwhile, I still think that if the Germans are really serious about the 2022 deadline, they'll have to go either for more coal plants or gas from Russia to keep up to demand in what is by far Oirope's biggest and best performing economy.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 04 Jun 2011 01:35

Japan Steel Works sees shift away from nuclear
Reality Check

Japan Steel Works Ltd., a maker of nuclear reactor parts for customers from Areva SA to Toshiba Corp., will shift sales to nonatomic energy equipment and may cut idled capacity as the Fukushima disaster curbs orders.

Japan will freeze construction of nuclear reactors and China is likely to delay new orders by a year, slashing component purchases from nuclear plant builders, President Ikuo Sato said in an interview at the company's headquarters in Tokyo. The company will focus more on wind turbines, steel pipes for natural gas and rotor shafts used in thermal power plants to make up for the shortfall, he said.

Japan's nuclear accident, the worst since Chernobyl in 1986, coincides with Sato completing an ¥80 billion expansion at its Muroran factory in Hokkaido. The disaster triggered by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami has prompted governments to reconsider the future of atomic energy, hampering efforts by Japan Steel Works to expand nuclear operations.

"I never expected such a crisis would occur in Japan," Sato, 62, said. "We must do whatever we can to overcome the situation."

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 04 Jun 2011 01:37

Tepco pair's exposure topped 250 millisievert limit

By KAZUAKI NAGATA
Staff writer

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Friday two employees who were working at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant exceeded for the first time the 250-millisievert radiation exposure limit set for the crisis.

The two, who had absorbed high levels of radioactive iodine-131, received a detailed assessment by the National Institute of Radiological Sciences, which said the internal exposure of one worker in his 30s is estimated at 210 to 580 millisieverts and that of the other worker in his 40s is 200 to 570 millisieverts.

Their external radiation exposure is 73 and 88 millisieverts, respectively, meaning the total amount exceeds the 250-millisievert limit.

Tepco spokesman Junichi Matsumoto said the pair have shown no problematic symptoms, and doctors told them they can live just as they normally do, although the long-term prognosis is still unclear.

The two are currently working at the Fukushima No. 2 plant handling tasks that avoid more radiation exposure.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 04 Jun 2011 01:41

TEPCO says contaminated water may overflow

Tokyo Electric Power Company says that, in a worst case scenario, highly radioactive water may overflow from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant as early as June 20th.

The company is set to start operating filters for highly radioactive water from June 15th. However, it warns that if the filtering does not go to plan, highly radioactive water may overflow from a tunnel at the Number 2 reactor.

TEPCO says that by May 31st, 105,100 tons of waste water had accumulated. It contains an estimated 720,000 terabecquerels of radioactive substances. Tera stands for one trillion.

Could it be used for Banana plantation?? I mean Radioactive water after filtration. Or are they going to dilute it in the Pacific?

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 04 Jun 2011 02:06

Theseconclusionsof IAEA , if implemented , would lead to escalation of cost.

1.The tsunami hazard for several sites was underestimated. Nuclear plant designers and operators should appropriately evaluate and protect against the risks of all natural hazards, and should periodically update those assessments and assessment methodologies;

2. Nuclear regulatory systems should address extreme events adequately, including their periodic review, and should ensure that regulatory independence and clarity of roles are preserved; and

3. The Japanese accident demonstrates the value of hardened on-site Emergency Response Centres with adequate provisions for handling all necessary emergency roles, including communications.

Some of these conclusions are nothing extraordinary. In fact these have been known for ages and Nuclear Industry is known for taking shortcuts in areas not directly linked to increase in generation of electricity or getting certification for extension of EOL Plant for next 10 or 20 years. In fact members have pointed out these very deficiencies in the early days of FUK-D as appeared from News reports appearing in Japanese media as well as western newspapers.
Of course one would like to see exploding mangoes errr SPV Plants

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 04 Jun 2011 04:37

post on renewable energy moved to the renewable energy thread

Amber G. · Post by **Amber G.** » 04 Jun 2011 11:33

X-post:
http://forums.bharat-rakshak.com/viewto ... 0#p1103490

shaardula · Post by **shaardula** » 04 Jun 2011 18:04

Trinity and Beyond a documentary showing some of the newclear tests conducted by massa. about 90 mins. includes visuals of explosions due to megaton bums including the 58 megaton russi bum. several others explosions discussed in paki newclear thread are also shown. but the 30 cm-wala is not shown. a few bums with yields still classified.

here is a trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvnWXf6UZXY

prolific bombing of earth for experiments of varied scales and scope. bums in sea, bums on missiles, bums on rockets, bums on towers, underground bums, bums in air, bums in sky, bums on islands, bums in deserts. bums for building tests, bums for weapons tests, bums for bum tests. and some just for the heck of it.

looks like between 40s and 60s bum testing was a seasonal thing. every season they would go and do tests in dozens and hundreds.

Amber G. · Post by **Amber G.** » 04 Jun 2011 18:39

Meanwhile ...Despite Fukushima ...
MHI eyes global growth in nuclear orders

Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) is still aiming to reach its goal of doubling its global nuclear power-related orders by 2014. The company's US subsidiary has announced plans for a new engineering centre in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Mitsubishi Nuclear Energy Systems (MNES) said that the Charlotte Engineering Centre will "expand the company's business in the US market of building new nuclear power plants and supplying replacement components for existing nuclear power plants." It added that the new centre "will be the core of the company's new-build projects in the United States."

The company said that it will invest some $4.1 million in the new facility, which is expected to create 135 jobs over the next five years.

<snip>
Global growth

MHI expects to meet its goal of doubling orders in the nuclear power business in the next few years, despite the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan. The company anticipates nuclear power orders worth ¥600 billion ($7.4 billion) in fiscal 2014, Kyodo News reported.

In the fiscal year ended March 2011, the company's nuclear business reported orders worth ¥310 billion ($3.8 billion), up 15% from the previous year. For fiscal 2012, MHI anticipates orders worth ¥400 billion ($5.0 billion).

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 04 Jun 2011 22:26

Gov't didn't release radiation data after accident

Coming immediately after the exultant endorsement (??) by IAEA of Japan's "extremely open" stance in sharing information with the IAEA team, this seems incongruent.Is it bing economical on facts or truth?

The Japanese government has expressed regret for not disclosing some important results of the radiation monitoring conducted near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant soon after the accident.

The central and Fukushima prefectural governments collected the data to determine evacuation measures as well as food and water restrictions for residents.

A reading on March 12th, one day after the massive earthquake and tsunami hit the plant, shows that radioactive tellurium was detected 7 kilometers away. Tellurium is produced during the melting of nuclear fuel.

Three hours before the data was collected, the government expanded the radius of the evacuation area around the plant from 3 kilometers to 10 kilometers.

But the government's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency reported at a news conference several hours later that the nuclear fuel was intact.

The government also failed to disclose the high radiation levels in weeds 30 to 50 kilometers from the plant. On March 15th, 123 million becquerels of radioactive iodine-131 per kilogram were detected 38 kilometers northeast of the plant.

The nuclear safety agency says it deeply regrets not releasing the data.

Professor Yasuyuki Muramatsu of Gakushuin University says radioactive iodine has a high effect on children. He says that if the data had been released earlier, more measures could have been taken to protect them from exposure.
Saturday, June 04, 2011 15:27 +0900 (JST)

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 04 Jun 2011 22:28

Fukushima's No. 1 reactor building radiation level rises
Saturday 04th June, 04:40 PM JST

TOKYO —
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant said Saturday it has detected radiation of up to 4,000 millisieverts per hour at the building housing the troubled No. 1 reactor—the highest reading taken in the air inside the complex.

Tokyo Electric Power Co also suggested the possibility that the March 12 hydrogen explosion at the plant’s No. 1 unit may have been caused by a reverse flow of steam intended to be sent into the air through the exhaust stack after radioactive gases were vented.

The high amount of radiation was observed at the southeast corner of the building during measurement taken using a robot Friday. Steam was seen rising from an opening in the floor for a pipe that runs through the building, but TEPCO said it found no damage to the pipe.

Amber G. · Post by **Amber G.** » 05 Jun 2011 22:54

The link to IAEA preliminary report is at:
http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/focus/fu ... 010611.pdf

Worth reading.

Amusing but not surprising was that the same story indeed got headlines such as:
"IAEA report blames Japan for ignoring tsunami risk at nuclear sites" in quite a few newspapers .. and of course, a few, commented as "Trust me, IAEA is lying"

(Along with many other news stories .. the kind which are posted here)

(Link for the above story, for example is: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/155437/ ... l-risk.htm

Meanwhile, wathed GPS on CNN where Dr. Nathan Myhrvold was a guest. Unlike mainstream-media and other CNN stories, the guy also puts the things in perspective as:

Not a single death due to nuclear issues, but if you see the coverage of radiation, you would think that all the deaths were due to Fukushima radiation.

.. For those who are interested, GPS/CNN can be watched online. There was a discussion about German/Swiss/Japan/China nuclear programs.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 05 Jun 2011 23:41

Plutonium found outside Fukushima plant

Minute amounts of plutonium have been detected for the first time in soil outside the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Shinzo Kimura of Hokkaido University collected the roadside samples in Okumamachi, some 1.7 kilometers west of the front gate of the power station. They were taken during filming by NHK on April 21st, one day before the area was designated as an exclusion zone.

Professor Masayoshi Yamamoto and researchers at a Kanazawa University laboratory analyzed the samples and found minute amounts of 3 kinds of plutonium.

The samples of plutonium-239 and 240 make up a total of 0.078 becquerels per kilogram.

This is close to the amount produced by past atomic bomb tests.

But the 3 substances are most likely to have come from the plant blasts, as their density ratio is different from those detected in the past.

Professor Yamamoto said the quantities are so minute that people's health will not be harmed.

But he recommended that the contamination near the plant should be fully investigated, saying that a study may shed light on how radioactive materials spread in the air.
Sunday, June 05, 2011 23:21 +0900 (JST)

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 05 Jun 2011 23:50

Please note that this isn't the Fukushima thread nor is it an anti-nuclear thread. Those on some Quixotic campaign should tilt at windmills elsewhere. This is all rather tedious.

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 06 Jun 2011 00:03

Gerard wrote:Please note that this isn't the Fukushima thread nor is it an anti-nuclear thread. Those on some Quixotic campaign should tilt at windmills elsewhere. This is all rather tedious.

Gerard

If you mean that Fukushima shouldn't be discussed at all on BRF please say so.Let everybody stop quoting anything even remotely related to Fukushima.Else you can cleanup the old thread and bring it up on;line rather than shutting it down. And please understand that I don't think anyone has any agenda. If you have any inclination for a position , that doesn't mean others should be asked to stop.

Neshant · Post by **Neshant** » 06 Jun 2011 00:05

IAEA will be praising Japan's response to the fukushima crisis because it knows interest in nuclear energy is about to fall off a cliff !

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 06 Jun 2011 00:22

CERN Scientists Refine Antimatter 'Trap'

Amber G. · Post by **Amber G.** » 06 Jun 2011 02:37

From MIT Technology Review:
What Will a Nuclear-Free Germany Cost?

A bit dated (but still very relevant) but related article also from the same source:
GE Hitachi's Answer to Nuclear Waste

Amber G. · Post by **Amber G.** » 06 Jun 2011 19:15

The US DoE has awarded a 417 million dollar contract to Idaho Treatment Group (ITG) for Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project (AMWTP) Idaho site.
Here waste boxes are remotely opened, the waste is removed and sorted and the boxes are shredded and the stuff is sent to site in NM.
( Transuranic, as well as mixed low-level waste)

Contract to manage Idaho mixed waste

Amber G. · Post by **Amber G.** » 06 Jun 2011 19:19

Lithuania's new nuclear build plans have sprung back into life with the announcement of two proposals from reactor vendors

New start for Lithuanian nuclear