It’s a dodgy time to be advocating new nuclear power
The Australian Liberal Party is soon to ‘discover” that human induced climate change is real. Well they have to, as the push for nuclear power in Australia heats up, and the Liberals will eventually have to come up with a reason for backing nuclear power, (other than just being sycophantic stooges for USA military industrial complex)
But I was quite surprised to find A new South Wales Liberal MP coming out with this position quite so early, as Jonathon O’Dea has.
Really – Australian Liberals should be a bit more careful about this. The official Liberal line is that we really do nothing much about climate change, because, well, it’s not a big deal at all, and certainly nothing to do with Australia’s weather extremes and bushfires. Mr Abbott and Mr Hunt have made this clear.
And secondly – it’s just not a great time to be advocating new nuclear power. Theoretically, Japan might be starting the most perilous exercise at Fukushima as soon as Friday 8th November. A nuclear fuel rods’ cooling pool sits precariously atop the damaged nuclear reactor No 4, with the building unsteadily sinking gradually into the ground. There have been 2 earthquakes in the neighbourhood only very recently. So those fuel rods gotta be removed ASAP, in an operation of unprecedented risk. One slip and the whole of Tokyo would need to be evacuated. It’s a dodgy time to be advocating nuclear power!
Liberal MP Jonathan O’Dea calls for ‘safe, affordable’ nuclear power as climate change solution
MP calls for rethink on nuclear power, SMH November 4, 2013 Sean Nicholls A Liberal MP has renewed his push for serious consideration of nuclear power generation in Australia, arguing the risks are overstated and disasters like Chernobyl and Fukushima can be avoided with modern technology and safety standards.
In an article for the journal Energy News state MP for Davidson, Jonathan O’Dea, says nuclear energy is a “proven supplier of secure, affordable base load power” and the issue of nuclear waste is “manageable”……
Mr O’Dea says carbon dioxide from burning coal and natural gas is “undoubtedly contributing to damage to our oceans and atmosphere…..
The comments come as Resources and Energy Minister Chris Hartcher prepares to announce which mining companies will be invited to apply for uranium exploration licences in NSW following last year’s lifting of a 26-year ban. The ban on exploration has prevented a clear understanding of potential uranium deposits in NSW but the government says it is aware they may exist around Broken Hill.
Premier Barry O’Farrell has said that despite lifting the ban the government is “not about to rush into uranium mining http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/mp-calls-for-rethink-on-nuclear-power-20131104-2wxbo.html#ixzz2jntFzRRo
In Fukushima’s current nuclear emergency – it’s no time to be advocating MORE nuclear power!
nothing short of a full-on global presence will do. The bring-down of the fuel rods from Unit Four is a terrifying unknown. There’s no precedent for an operation of this scope, precision or potential fallout.
At very least it demands fullest possible attention from all the world’s best scientists and engineers. The global media must power through the Abe Administration’s crack-down on the flow of information. And we must all direct our full awareness to what is about to happen at Fukushima.
before anyone advocates MORE nuclear power, they should take a good long look at what’s going at Fukushima. And if they are claiming atomic expertise, maybe they should jump in to help.
Global Warming vs Global Nuclear Radiation: Climate Scientists Dismiss Fukushima, Lobby for Nuclear Energy Global Research 4 Nov 13 Four climate scientists have made a public statement claiming nuclear power is an answer to global warming. Before they proceed, they should visit Fukushima, where the Tokyo Electric Power Company has moved definitively toward bringing down the some 1300 hot fuel rods from a pool at Unit Four.
Which makes this a time of global terror.
In response more than 150,000 petition signatures from www.nukefree.org and others will be delivered at the United Nations this Thursday, November 7, asking for a global response to this disaster.
Since March 11, 2011, fuel assemblies weighing some 400 tons, containing more than 1500 extremely radioactive fuel rods, have been suspended 100 feet in the air above Fukushima Daiichi’s Unit Four. “If you calculate the amount of cesium 137 in the pool, the amount is equivalent to 14,000 Hiroshima atomic bombs,” says Hiroaki Koide, assistant professor at Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute. Former US Department of Energy official Robert Alvarez, an expert on fuel pool fires, calculates potential fallout from Unit Four at ten times greater than what came from Chernobyl.
Tokyo Electric Power says it may start moving these fuel rods as early as November 8. Continue reading
To get USA help, Japan must sign agreement, freeing US vendors from liability
U.S. Says Japan Signing Liability Pact Would Aid Nuclear Cleanup Bloomberg, By Jacob Adelman – Nov 3, 2013 Japan will receive international help with the cleanup at the Fukushima atomic station once it joins an existing treaty that defines liability for accidents at nuclear plants, U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said.
The treaty, known as the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage, assigns accident liability to plant operators rather than equipment and technology vendors, Moniz said in a Nov. 2 interview in Tokyo. Continue reading
Even pro nuke USA Energy Secretary Moniz sees Fukushima cleanup as “unprecedented challenge”
US Energy Secretary “shocked” and “stunned” after being at Fukushima plant — “Unprecedented” and “daunting” task ahead for Japan — America has “direct interest” in Tepco doing things safely (VIDEO) http://enenews.com/energy-secretary-shocked-stunned-after-being-fukushima-plant-unprecedented-daunting-task-ahead-japan-america-direct-interest-tepco-doing-safely-video
Statement from U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz Regarding Fukushima, Nov. 1, 2013 “On Friday, I made my first visit to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. It is stunning that one can see firsthand the destructive force of the tsunami even more than two and a half years after the tragic events.[…] TEPCO President Hirose, and his dedicated staff […] face a dauntingtask in the cleanup and decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi, one that will take decades and is being carried out under very challenging conditions. The TEPCO workforce is facing unprecedented challenges and is clearly focused on devising and implementing solutions. […] It appears that spent nuclear fuel will begin to be removed from Unit 4 as scheduled in mid-November. […] As Japan continues […] the cleanup at the Fukushima site […] the United States stands ready to continue assisting our partners in this daunting yet indispensable task […]“
NHK WORLD, (removed from Internet) Oct. 31, 2013: Ernest Moniz […] in his speech in Tokyo on Thursday […] said the success of the cleanup of areas around the Fukushima plant and decommissioning of reactors have global significance. Moniz said the US has a direct interest in seeing the next steps are done efficiently and safely.
Fukushima to Remove Tritium, IAEA To Send “Help” Update 11/2/13
AP, Nov. 2, 2013: In a speech Thursday in Tokyo, [Moniz] said “the success of the cleanup also has global significance. So we all have a direct interest in seeing that the next steps are taken well, efficiently and safely.”
NHK,, Nov. 2, 2013: Ernest Moniz spoke to NHK on Saturday in Tokyo, one day after visiting the Fukushima Daiichi plant. Moniz said he was shocked to see the scale of the damage that remains more than 2 and half years after the tsunami disaster and the nuclear accident. He said he also sensed how difficult work at the plant is with workers required to wear full face masks and other protective gear.
Watch the NHK interview here (removed from Internet
Australian company Silex in solar and nuclear developments
enriched uranium demand would remain depressed in the next two to three years due to the shutdown of nuclear plants after the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster i
China solar backers sought in Australia, South China Morning Post Silex, claiming a technology edge, is talking to state-backed power generators for investment in an expansion of a major solar farm project Eric Ng eric.mpng@scmp.com 05 November, 2013 Silex Systems, an Australian solar energy and nuclear fuel enrichment technology firm, is in talks with Chinese state-backed power generators to invest in its major solar farm project in Australia and buy its equipment to develop projects in China.
The company, listed in Australia and the United States, commissioned a 1.5 megawatts solar farm in Victoria in July, and plans to build a 100MW expansion project on the same site late next year.
Its 1.5MW plant is Australia’s first grid-connected solar farm based on so-called concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) technology.
Silex chief executive Michael Goldsworthy said the company had started talks with two of the mainland’s five state-owned power generation groups about investing in the proposed 100MW project, and for them to buy equipment from Silex to develop solar farms on the mainland. Continue reading
South Australia gets world’s first wave energy converter
Oceanlinx launches wave energy converter in Australia, Renewable Energy Magazine, Dan McCue Monday, 04 November 2013 Australian wave energy company Oceanlinx team launched the world’s first 1 MW wave energy converter — called ‘greenWAVE’ — on 25 October 2013 in TechPort Adelaide in Australia. By the end of the year, Oceanlinx Ltd.along with the Port MacDonnell community will be celebrating the long awaited connection of the ‘greenWAVE’ energy converter unit to the grid in South Australia.
Built and launched from TechPort in Adelaide, the $7 million project will be the first of its kind to be commissioned in the world. The groundbreaking demonstration unit received $4 million from the federal government in a bid to make the project ready for market.
Once connected to the grid, the unit will be rigorously tested for the best part of 2014, the company said in a written statement.
Based on the Oscillating Water Column principle, the technology is one of the most tested and matured technologies in the wave energy sector.
The unit is completely environmentally friendly sitting under its own weight on the seabed in shallow water with no anchors, mooring or attachment to the seabed. It is expected to act as an artificial reef for sea life. It has no moving parts under the water and is designed to withstand the most aggressive sea conditions. With ease of access to the weather tight power house placed above the sea level, the through life management costs are kept to the minimum…….http://www.renewableenergymagazine.com/article/oceanlinx-launches-wave-energy-converter-in-australia-20131104
Australia’s nuclear advocates should realise that nuclear power is really, really expensive!
Nuclear energy verdict: Costly, slow and very high maintenance REneweconmy,By Giles Parkinson on 4 November
2013 By Giles Parkinson on 4 November 2013 (interesting and useful graphs) The story we published on Friday comparing the costs of new nuclear, now that they have been defined by contract signed by the UK Government for the construction of the $24 billion Hinkley C facility – with clean energy alternatives such as wind and solar, certainly generated a lot of interest, and comment.
Since then, we have received an analysis from Deutsche Bank, which makes some other observations about the cost of nuclear, the comparisons with gas, the price of abatement, and the cost of upkeep for France’s existing fleet.
The first point made by Deutsche is that this deal underlines the fact that nuclear is not cheap, but really, really expensive – a point that should not be forgotten in Australia, where there is still a push for nuclear in some quarters despite the abundant alternatives (in particular solar) that are not available to the UK. Continue reading
AUDIO: Farmers and householders can benefit from Mildura area’s renewable energy developments
North west Victoria tapping into renewable energy http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-04/ag-energy-victoria/5067808Vic Country Hour By Brett Worthington Nov 2013, Victoria’s north west is quickly developing a reputation as the state’s clean energy heartland.
Near Mildura, there are plans to build a power plant that uses waste from almond, grape and grain growing. Just meters away is a 
one of Australia’s largest solar electricity plants, which features satellite dishes covered in mirrors.
Melbourne University researcher David Coote says agricultural communities can slash their bills if they embrace renewable technology. “Somewhere like Mildura could easily target going 100 per cent renewable,” he said. Continue reading
New book exposes the unsafety of India’s nuclear power industry
In recent years, some of the crucial Russian suppliers of components to the plant have been detained in Russia and indicted for shoddy business practices.
A new book, The Power of Promise: Examining Nuclear Energy in India by Princeton University physicist M.V. Ramana, takes a sober—and sobering—look at the fantasies and perils attached to this mirage, and finds the promise of nuclear energy empty in every way: environmental, economic and technological.
The more disturbing parts of Ramana’s book deal with the neglect of safety by the nuclear establishment. Recounting various alarming “incidents” in recent decades, he inspires little confidence in India’s ability to avoid a major disaster such as Chernobyl or Fukushima.
India shouldn’t buy what Japan is selling, Live Mint, 4 Nov 13, Materials of substandard quality have already been installed in Kudankulam plant, says former chairman of AERB Pankaj Mishra 
An obsession with nuclear power makes many political elites secretive, ruthless and delusional, even as their cherished projects threaten millions of people with disaster. But the egregious examples I have in mind here aren’t Iran, Pakistan and North Korea. They are Japan and India, two countries with democratic institutions.
New film “Utopia” exposes the brutal and racist Northern Territory Intervention against the Aborignes
Utopia Review, Hey U Guys.Co.UK November 4, 2013 By Lewis Bazley “…..‘The lying country’ might be more apt, as Utopia reveals to heartbreaking effect. Australia flourishes financially while its oldest residents are subjected to racism, persecution and in the case of “The Intervention’ (a government initiative aimed at breaking up supposed – and non-existent – Aboriginal paedophile rings), a trial by media that lurches into genocidal territory. This is a staggering, furious, essential film. It will dishearten you, yet it must be seen.” http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/utopia-review/
Peter Reith’s conflict of interest on “expert” task force about coal seam gas.
Advice is compromised, The Age, Russell Edwards, 5 Nov 13 Lobbyist Peter Reith, who chaired the state government’s ”expert” taskforce regarding the expansion of coal seam gas, is employed by First State Advisors and Consultants Pty Ltd. Among its clients are Thiess Pty Ltd and the NSW Aboriginal Land Council, both major players in the CSG industry. That the government would take advice from such a compromised party is disturbing. …… http://www.theage.com.au/comment/the-age-letters/actions-underpinned-by-greed-not-compassion-20131104-2wxj1.html#ixzz2jnlts1AD
Weapons grade uranium turned to nuclear reactor fuel (bad luck uranium miners?)
UNITED STATES, INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS REMOVE LAST REMAINING WEAPONS-USABLE HIGHLY ENRICHED URANIUM FROM HUNGARY, SET NUCLEAR SECURITY MILESTONE EIN News Desk 4 Nov 13,WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Energy today announced under a multi-year international effort coordinated between Hungary, the United States, the Russian Federation, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the successful removal of all remaining highly enriched uranium (HEU) from Hungary. This makes Hungary the twelfth country to completely eliminate HEU from its borders since President Obama’s 2009 announcement of an international effort to secure all vulnerable nuclear material around the world……..
The final 49.2 kilograms of remaining HEU in Hungary were removed over a series of three secure air shipments during the past six weeks and transported to Russia. Previously, the four participants returned 190 kilograms of HEU from Hungary to Russia via three shipments – in 2008, 2009, and 2012. The material will be transported to Russia where it will be downblended into low enriched uranium (LEU) for use in nuclear power reactors.
The other eleven countries and locations that have completely removed HEU under this effort are Austria, Chile, Czech Republic, Libya, Mexico, Romania, Serbia, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine, and Vietnam. To date, the Department has removed or dispositioned more than 5,000 kilograms of HEU and plutonium from more than 40 countries around the world and has removed all HEU from 25 countries. A fact sheet on the Department’s efforts to prevent nuclear terrorism is available here…….. http://www.einnews.com/pr_news/174969858/united-states-international-partners-remove-last-remaining-weapons-usable-highly-enriched-uranium-from-hungary-set-nuclear-security-milestone
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 