REHABILITATION: The only future for Ranger uranium mine
9 April 13, Kakadu uranium miner Energy Resources of Australia’s (ERA) is expected to announce a financial loss at its Annual General Meeting in Darwin tomorrow.
The AGM comes only months after open cut mining ended at the troubled Ranger site and only a month after the end of plans for uranium mining at the nearby Koongarra region.
“Now is the time to draw a line for uranium mining in Kakadu and to end plans for a new underground mine at Ranger – called the Ranger 3 Deeps project,” said Environment Centre NT spokeswoman Cat Beaton.
“The Ranger and Jabiluka leases need to go the way of Koongarra and the chapter closed on uranium mining in the Kakadu National Park region”.
The federal government has determined that ERA’s proposed 3 Deeps underground uranium mine plan requires a full Environmental Impact Statement and there is much scepticism about whether any underground mine could meet the mine lease closure date of 2021.
“Both the profitability and social license for uranium mining in Kakadu have faded and we are urging ERA to now clean up, rehabilitate and exit the Ranger lease.
There is no economic or environmental rationale for taking the Ranger operation underground and any move to do so will be actively contested,” concluded Ms Beaton.
VIDEO: the uranium mine most likely to fail: Tor Energy’s Wiluna
VIDEO http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1754604/WA-needs-to-provide-more-info-on-uranium-mine WA ‘needs to provide more info on uranium mine’ The Australian Conservation Foundation has called on the Western Australian government to be more transparent regarding the country’s newest uranium venture near the remote town of Wiluna.
ACF National Nuclear Campaigner Dave Sweeney says there has been little information to date about how the uranium will be mined and transported.
“If the WA government really believes this is a good industry and it would stack up, they would have no problem at all putting it on the spotlight and putting it on the table and being open about it, rather than cutting secret deals in Perth and making little agreements in a language that most people can’t understand between bureaucrats,” Mr Sweeney said…..
The Federal Government recently approved the Wiluna mine, but has attached what it describes as “36 strict conditions” to ensure minimal impact on country and culture…..
But environmentalists say Toro Energy hasn’t got a proven track record handling a uranium operation. The ACF says uranium is high risk and low return. “We hear a lot about uranium as if it’s some sort of miracle mineral, but if you look at the sums, it’s 650 jobs and $600 million in export earnings, which in the scheme of things of Australia’s balanced trade is really a pittance,” said Mr Sweeney.
Greens Senator Scott Ludlam says the real money and job creation is in renewable energy. “We’ve looked at the company’s assumptions around jobs and investment,” he said. “It’s a very small mine, it’s financially very marginal…The company has said the operation will mostly be fly-in, fly-out. So there aren’t jobs there for local people, they’ll be coming in from Perth and elsewhere.”
Walkatjurra Walkabout – Western Australia – May 2013
The Walkatjurra Walkabout will be taking of to the Wiluna area in 3 weeks… Everyone is welcome to join us and it will be a great opportunity to see the country and walk and talk with the people from the area.. This will give you a deep understanding of the beauty in this part of the country and a connection with the local community that has been opposed to uranium mining in that area for over 40 years..
Walkatjurra Walkabout
4th – 28th of May The walk will be a celebration of Wangkatja country, a testament to the strength of the community More info at www.walkingforcountry.com
Necessity for Australia to promote a nuclear free Middle East zone
How, then, are we to explain Australia’s relative inaction when it comes to supporting moves to denuclearise the Middle East? The only plausible explanation is the close relationship with the United States. Australia’s political leaders appear unwilling to say or do anything that might be construed in Washington as conflicting with US priorities and preferences.
What might a more independent Australia do to promote a Middle ……East WMD-free Zone? Four modest but important initiatives suggest themselves. The first would be a prime ministerial statement strongly supporting the establishment of such a zone and explaining how this objective is in line with Australia’s security and economic interests…….
11 April 2013 Joseph Camilleri and NAJ Taylor
Despite Australia’s obvious national interests in the Middle East, our leaders have been strangely silent about the alarming security threats in that region, write Joseph A Camilleri and NAJ Taylor.
Weapons of mass destruction – biological, chemical and nuclear – are once again buzz words in the international corridors of power. In Australia, North Korea has attracted media headlines, but the more disturbing and far less predictable situation unfolding in the Middle East has yet to receive the attention it deserves.
The unresolved Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Iran nuclear dispute, Western-led interventions, popular uprisings, conflict in Syria, and actual and potential regime changes have combined to create a highly volatile and dangerous security environment in that region. Continue reading
West Papua Freedom Flotilla for indigenous rights, August 10 -14
Freedom Flotilla: Lake Eyre to West Papua http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=20130409202415335 10 April 13 Uncle Kevin (Kev) Buzzacott, a peacemaker from Arabunna Nation at Lake Eyre in South Australia, and Jacob Rumbiak (exiled Foreign Affairs Minister from the Federated Republic of Occupied West Papua) have announced a new action of creative resistance against the apartheid of colonisation and destruction caused by multinational mining companies on Indigenous land in West Papua and Australia.
The West Papua Freedom Flotilla is a journey that hopes to reunite the history and peoples of a land that was once geographically and culturally connected. “We were one people, we still are one people, we must uphold our cultural connection, the old land is calling us,” proclaimed Uncle Kev, Arabunna Elder. “We have a responsibility to care for our brothers and sisters from across the water. We must bring the water and the fire, the love and the music to heal the country and move in solidarity.”
This action has been called and endorsed by Indigenous Elders from both Australia and West Papua and is being actively supported by a coalition of environmental and human rights activists, artists and musicians from all over Australia. Continue reading
Fukushima’s radioactive water problem: plant is not safely under control
Japan Plant Forced to Move Tainted Water, WSJ, 10 April 13 Disclosure of Plan to Close Massive Storage Pools Over Leaks Is Latest Problem at Nuclear Facility, Rousing Safety Fears TOKYO—The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear-power plant on Wednesday said it has to move tens of thousands of tons of radioactive water out of leaky underground reservoirs—the latest in a string of problems and missteps that has spurred a rebuke from regulators and amplified fears that the heavily damaged plant isn’t fully under control. Continue reading
USA and Europe downplay North Korea’s threats
Allies dismiss North Korea’s nuclear war threats Radio Australia, 10 April 2013, By Brendan Trembath, The White House and the European Union dismiss North Korea’s claim war is imminent and call on the rogue state to act sensibly.Both the White House and the European Union have described North Korea’s warnings of “thermo-nuclear war” on the Korean peninsula as “unhelpful rhetoric”.
North Korea has told foreign companies, organisations and tourists in South Korea to consider leaving for their own safety.
Warning that events were “inching closer to thermo-nuclear war”, the North’s official news agency said it did not want foreigners to come to harm if war breaks out.
White House spokesman Jay Carney labelled that statement unhelpful, and said it would only serve to “further isolate North Korea”.
European Union delegates meeting in Brussels have drawn up a response to the North Korean warnings, saying it is wrong to proclaim that war is imminent and Pyongyang should heed international demands regarding its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
The EU’s note, agreed by the bloc’s 27 member governments on Tuesday, is a response to a warning by North Korea last week that it could not guarantee the safety of diplomats in the country after April 10. An EU diplomat said the note underlined the need for North Korea to act sensibly and rejected “its analysis that full-scale war is imminent”. ….
Japan readies missiles Meanwhile, Japan says it has deployed missile interceptors to the centre of Tokyo and will use them to shoot down any missile heading towards its airspace…..http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2013-04-10/allies-dismiss-north-koreas-nuclear-war-threats/1113858
Myth of “baseload power” – Renewable electricity IS reliable
Why 100 per cent renewables is possible… and affordable, Climate Spectator Mark Diesendorf 11 April 13, “…..In a previous article for The Conversation I reported on the initial results of computer simulations by a research team at the University of New South Wales that busted the myth that renewable energy cannot supply baseload demand. However at the time of the article I was still under the misconception that some baseload renewable energy supply may be needed to be part of the renewable energy mix.
Since then Ben Elliston, Iain MacGill and I have performed thousands of computer simulations of 100 per cent renewable electricity in the National Electricity Market, using actual hourly data on electricity demand, wind and solar power for 2010. Our latest research, available here and reported here, finds that generating systems comprising a mix of different commercially available renewable energy technologies, located on geographically dispersed sites, do not need baseload power stations to achieve the same reliability as fossil-fuelled systems.
The old myth was based on the incorrect assumption that baseload demand can only be supplied by baseload power stations; for example, coal in Australia and nuclear in France. However, the mix of renewable energy technologies in our computer model, which has no baseload power stations, easily supplies baseload demand.
Our optimal mix comprises wind 50-60 per cent; solar PV 15-20 per cent; concentrated solar thermal with 15 hours of thermal storage 15-20 per cent; and the small remainder supplied by existing hydro and gas turbines burning renewable gases or liquids. (Contrary to some claims, concentrated solar with thermal storage does not behave as baseload in winter; however, that doesn’t matter.)
The real challenge is to supply peaks in demand on calm winter evenings following overcast days. That’s when the peak-load power stations, that is, hydro and gas turbines, make vital contributions by filling gaps in wind and solar generation. http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2013/4/11/renewable-energy/why-100-cent-renewables-possible-and-affordable#ixzz2QC1tYRM9
President Obama goes for renewables, and for scrapping fossil fuel subsidies
Obama Budget – Spend Big On Renewables, Slash Fossil Fuel Support http://www.energymatters.com.au/index.php?main_page=news_article&article_id=3682 11 April 13, US President Barack Obama has proposed billions more be ploughed into renewable energy and to eliminate $4 billion in fossil fuels subsidies in his 2014 budget proposal.
Among the highlights:
– $615 million to increase the use and reduce the costs of solar power, wind, geothermal, and hydro energy.
– $4 billion in loans to rural electric cooperatives and utilities to support a transition to clean-energy generation.
– $238 million in loan guarantees and grants to assist farmers and rural small businesses in developing renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements.
– $100 million to maintain capacity to review and permit new renewable energy projects on Federal lands and waters.
– $23 billion of incentives for renewable energy production and energy efficiency over the next 10 years.
– $153 million in smart grid research and development and other activities plus $80 million to advance clean energy integration into the grid.
– $2.5 billion in tax credits for investments in advanced energy manufacturing projects.
The fossil fuel subsidy gravy train will lose more than just a few carriages.
“As we continue to pursue clean energy technologies that will support future economic growth, we should not devote scarce resources to subsidizing the use of fossil fuels produced by some of the largest, most profitable companies in the world.”
“The Budget proposes to eliminate inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that impede investment in clean energy sources and undermine efforts to address the threat of climate change. The Budget would repeal over $4 billion per year in tax subsidies to oil, gas, and other fossil fuel producers.”
The United States has nearly doubled its energy generation from renewable energy sources since 2008 and President Obama has set a goal of doubling it again by 2020.
Further details of the 2014 budget proposal section, “Clean Energy Economy, Improving Energy Security, and Addressing Climate Change” can be viewed here.
All USA nuclear reactors have ‘Irreparable’ safety issues – says former chairman of Nuclear Regulatory Commission
‘Irreparable’ safety issues: All US nuclear reactors should be replaced, ‘Band-Aids’ won’t help, RT.com April 10, 2013 All 104 nuclear reactors currently operational in the US have irreparable safety issues and should be taken out of commission and replaced, former chairman of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Gregory B. Jaczko said.
The comments, made during the Carnegie International Nuclear Policy Conference, are “highly unusual” for a current or former member of the safety commission, according to The New York Times. Asked why he had suddenly decided to make the remarks, Jaczko implied that he had only recently arrived at these conclusions following the serious aftermath of Japan’s tsunami-stricken Fukushima Daichii nuclear facility.
“I was just thinking about the issues more, and watching as the industry and the regulators and the whole nuclear safety community continues to try to figure out how to address these very, very difficult problems,” which were made more evident by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan, he said. “Continuing to put Band-Aid on Band-Aid is not going to fix the problem.”
According to the former chairman, US reactors that received permission from the nuclear commission to operate for an additional 20 years past their initial 40-year licenses would not likely last long. He further rejected the commission’s proposal for a second 20-year extension, which would leave some American nuclear reactors operating for some 80 years.
Jaczko’s comments are quite significant as the US faces a mass retirement of its reactors and nuclear policy largely revolves around maintaining existing facilities, rather than attempting to go through the politically hazardous process of financing and breaking ground on new plants…… Fittingly, Jaczko’s comments came during a panel discussion of the Fukushima incident, which has brought greater attention to aging US reactors – some of which were quite similar to the General Electric-designed models overwhelmed by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami in 2011….. http://rt.com/usa/us-nuclear-reactors-should-replaced-592/
Earthquake near Iranian nuclear power plant
Strong earthquake near Iran nuclear plant kills dozens Radio Australia 10 April 2013, More than 30 people are dead after a magnitude 6.3 earthquake which hit near Iran’s only nuclear power plant. A powerful earthquake has struck close to Iran’s only nuclear power station, killing at least 37 people and injuring 850 as it destroyed homes and devastated two small villages.
The magnitude 6.3 quake totally destroyed one village, a Red Crescent official told the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA), but the nearby Bushehr nuclear plant was undamaged, according to Iranian officials and the Russian company that built it.
Many houses in rural parts of the province are made of mud bricks, which have been known to crumble easily in quake-prone Iran.
The death toll is expected to climb, as the stricken area is home to some 12,000 inhabitants.
Across the Gulf, offices in Qatar and Bahrain were evacuated after the quake. Its epicentre was 89 km south-east of the port of Bushehr, according to the US Geological Survey.
The early afternoon shock was also felt in financial hub Dubai, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates
The Russian company that built the nuclear power station, 18km south of Bushehr, said the plant was unaffected….. http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2013-04-10/strong-earthquake-near-iran-nuclear-plant-kills-dozens/1113782
Renewable electricity is affordable
Our latest peer-reviewed paper, currently in press in Energy Policy journal, compares the economics of two new alternative hypothetical generation systems for 2030: 100 per cent renewable electricity versus an ‘efficient’ fossil-fuelled system. Both systems have commercially available technologies and both satisfy the NEM reliability criterion. However, the renewable energy system has zero greenhouse gas emissions while the efficient fossil scenario has high emissions and water use and so would be unacceptable in environmental terms.Energy efficient buildings and appliances, solar hot water, onshore wind, solar photovoltaic modules, concentrated solar thermal power with thermal storage and gas turbines burning a wide range of renewable liquid and gaseous fuels are commercially available on a large scale. The costs of these technologies have declined substantially, especially those of solar PV. Continue reading
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 