Australian nuclear news this week
Radioactive waste– causes for concern
- The Abbott government’s move to get rid of its federal responsibilities about environment – letting the States have control of many issues and decisions
- A new Bill in the Western Australian Parliament, that could give power to an Aboriginal leader to evaluate and negotiate decisions on land use.
- The proposal by one such Aboriginal leader, for a nuclear waste dump in his area.
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visits and does a defence/trade deal with Abbott government, – further locking Australia into USA’s military encirclement of China. Abe was welcomed in Parliament. He offered condolences, but no apology for Japan’s World war 2 cruelties to Australian soldiers, – just as there have been no apologies to Korea for the scandal of the Korean “comfort women” Abe recently and very publicly visited Yasukuni Shrine, which honors convicted war criminals. He would not have got the same kind of grand welcome in USA Congress, nor in South Korea, as he got from our historically illiterate P.M. Abbott.
Politics. New Senator Rickey Muir and Palmer United Party are blocking Abbott govt’s attempts to abolish Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA). But Industry Minister Ian MacFarlane, is pre-empting the parliament by refusing to renew the contracts of Arena board members.
Abbott gaffe – about Australia being “unsettled” before British colonisation – got an angry response from Aboriginals, including Senator Nova Peris, but notably not from Abbott’s best pro nuclear pal Warren Mundine
Climate change. Conservative British peer Lord Deben absolutely trashes Abbott’s policies on climate change. Anglican Church urges Abbott to change his climate policies.
Lynas rare earths company, (of the dodgy processing plant in Malaysia) is not going too well, and has moved its head office from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur.
Renewable Energy. Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CIFC) continues to fund solar energy initiatives, and following the Al Gore visit, and Clive Palmer’s stance – it looks as if the CIFC will be saved from Abbott. Interesting times ahead in Australian politics. Perhaps Tony Abbott’s campaign against renewable energy is about to fall apart?
Australian Capital Territory (ACT) on its way to being Australia’s new energy beacon. and is taking on the anti-wind farm brigade. Sydney gets the world’s first solar integrated house.
Shameful honouring of Japanese Prime Minister Abe
Does Tony Abbott know that there is no way that Japan’s Prime Minister Abe would be paraded proudly in front of both sides of politics at the USA Congress? Nor in South Korea?
Why not? Because Japan and Abe have never recognised, apologised or honoured the Korean “comfort women” who were so horribly exploited by Japan in World War 2.
And because Prime Minister Abe has only recently and very publicly honoured the graves of 14 major Japanese war criminals.
As Australians, we have even more reason to not honour Shinzo Abe. He appeared in our Paerliament, and offered “condolences’ for the sufferings of Australian soldiers at the hands of Japanese prison guards. “Condolences”! Not good enough! Our soldiers were starved, tortured and killed. At least a public apology is called for.
Our Prime Minister Abbott, known to be scientifically illiterate, is apparently also historically illiterate. Or is it that Abbott is so keen to appease his military-industrial complex masters in USA, that anything goes, in his efforts to wed Australia to USA’s military encirclement of China, by palling up in defense agreements with Japan?
Australia’s fossil fuel front groups “tax deductible gift recipients” !
The IPA and Waubra Foundation’s charitable tax status rorts Independent Australia Sandi Keane 8 July 2014 Why do corporate lobby groups like the IPA and fossil fuel front organisations like the Waubra Foundation retain ‘deductible gift recipient’ status, while genuine environmental charities like the Australian Conservation Foundation face having theirs stripped away by the Abbott Government.Sandi Keane investigates.
FOR AN ORGANISATION that has been touting ‘low taxes‘ for sixty years, the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) sure delivers big on tax benefits to its major donors, especially Big Mining — which is already heavily subsidised by Australia’s taxpayers (note graphic below right).
Some, like Glencore, not only enjoy such subsidies but have no qualms about paying zero tax. These are the true “leaners” we tax-payers have to “lift”, as this article will show……….
Fortunately, Sourcewatch has done significant work into the IPA’s funding and relates the following:
The IPA has heavily relied on funding from a small number of conservative corporations. Those funders disclosed by the IPA to journalists and media organisations include:
- Major mining companies – BHP-Billiton and Western Mining Corporation;
- Pesticides/Genetically modified organisms: Monsanto;
- A range of other companies including communications company Telstra, Clough Engineering, Visy, and News Limited;
- Tobacco companies – Philip Morris (Nahan) and British American Tobacco
- Oil and gas companies: Caltex, Esso Australia (a subsidiary of Exxon) and Shell and Woodside Petroleum; and fifteen major companies in the electricity industry;
- Forestry: Gunns, the largest logging company in Tasmania;
- Murray Irrigation Ltd …
In 2003, the Australian [Howard] Government paid $50,000 to the Institute of Public Affairs to review the accountability of NGOs.
The latest truly breathtaking rort is tax deductibility for donations to fund the new IPA-promoted misinformation manual, Climate Change: The Facts 2014. Like previous books, it attacks climate science, carbon pricing and renewable energy targets……….http://www.independentaustralia.net/environment/environment-display/the-ipa-and-waubra-foundations-charitable-tax-status-rorts,6649
New Senator Ricky Muir out to save Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena) from theAbbott axe
Ricky Muir seeking to save the Australian Renewable Energy Agency Lenore Taylor, political editor theguardian.com, Tuesday 8 July 2014 Senator is seeking to amend the carbon tax repeal bills to stop $435m in funding being stripped from the clean energy body Motoring Enthusiast senator Ricky Muir has emerged as a surprise would-be saviour of the $2bn Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena), seeking to amend the carbon tax repeal bills to stop $435m in funding being stripped from the clean energy body and promising to try to stop its abolition.
Muir’s amendment is very similar to one already circulated by the Australian Greens, and seeks to stop immediate funding reductions for Arena, which the government is seeking to abolish with separate legislation to be voted on in September.
The move raises the possibility that the crossbench could frustrate the government’s intention to abolish Arena. Palmer United party senators have already promised to stop the government’s plan to abolish the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and the existing renewable energy target.
But the government is already seeking to effectively close Arena ahead of legislation passing, refusing to reappoint board members as their terms expire. The government wants to return $1.3bn in Arena funding to the budget, and then have the industry department oversee around $900m in funding deals that have already been struck.
Muir’s amendment would stop the immediate $435m funding cut announced by the Coalition last September, but a spokesman for the Victorian senator said it was the first step in an attempt to retain the body.
“Ricky wants to preserve Arena. He is in favour of renewable energy and he thinks it is doing great work,” the spokesman said. Muir’s intervention comes as the Senate prepares to pass the package of bills repealing the carbon tax on Wednesday or Thursday, with the backing of the three Palmer United party senators and others on the new crossbench.
PUP’s Senate leader, Glenn Lazarus, introduced PUP’s only amendment to the main carbon tax repeal bills on Tuesday, reversing the onus of proof so that power retailers must show they have passed on cost savings to households.
As previously reported by Guardian Australia, PUP is also finalising amendments to legislate its dormant ETS, which it has announced will be part of the bill to repeal the climate change authority.
PUP has said its amendments will retain the CCA to advise governments on when a set of conditions are met to activate the Australian ETS. The negotiations are about exactly what actions will be required by trading partners the United States, the European Union, South Korea, Japan and China for the Australian ETS to be enacted.
At times PUP leader Clive Palmer has referred to the other countries having to have an ETS, but another proposal is that they would need to have an “effective” carbon price at a certain level, meaning they might be achieving significant greenhouse gas reductions through different policies.
The uncertainty about the amendment means the Climate Change Authority Repeal Bill will be considered separately to the rest of the carbon tax repeal legislation. It is unclear whether the government is considering the amendment.
Introducing the PUP’s power pricing amendments, Lazarus said the Australian ETS would occur “if the day comes when our American trading partners, the US, China, the EU, Japan and Korea set up an emissions trading scheme.”
Lazarus said the carbon tax repeal was “historic”.
It is understood the PUP senators and independent senator Nick Xenophon and DLP senator John Madigan are still considering how they will vote on the legislation to repeal Arena, but may back the Greens and Muir and refuse to allow its abolition.http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/08/ricky-muir-seeking-to-save-the-australian-renewable-energy-agency?cmp=wp-plugin
Urgent situation as Fukushima No. 5 fuel pool cooling system not working
Fox News: “Leak at Fukushima nuclear plant threatens dangerous meltdown… Trouble is looming” — Officials: “No idea when it can resume cooling system for spent fuel pool” (PHOTOS) http://enenews.com/fox-news-leak-at-fukushima-nuclear-plant-threatens-dangerous-meltdown-trouble-is-looming-officials-no-idea-when-it-can-resume-cooling-system-for-spent-fuel-pool-photos
NHK WORLD, Jul. 7, 2014: No prospect to resume cooling No.5 fuel pool — The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it has no idea when it can resume the cooling system for one of the spent fuel pools. [TEPCO] halted the cooling system at the No.5 reactor on Sunday after workers found seawater leaking from a pipe. Seawater is used to lower the temperature of coolant water […] they are still considering how to repair the pipe. […] TEPCO says the temperature will reach the company’s safety limit of 65 degrees in a little over a week. The operator plans to channel seawater into the pool to curb the rise in temperature.
Fox News, Jul. 7, 2014: Leak at Fukushima nuclear plant threatens dangerous meltdown — Trouble is looming at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant, as a leak has forced the shutdown of a cooling system that could cause temperatures to exceed dangerous levels. […] If the system is not repaired within the next nine days, temperatures are expected to soar […] Sunday, the temperature in the pool that holds the rods was about 73 degrees Fahrenheit but started increasing by 0.193 degrees per hour, TEPCO says. If no new cold water is pumped in at this rate, it will reach the dangerous threshold of 149 degrees (F) in roughly the next week. Such temperatures would increase the possibility of dangerous reactions and more radiation leaks in the plant.
Legacy of cancer and birth deformities: depleted uranium in Iraq
Depleted Uranium And The Iraq War’s Legacy Of Cancer, Mint Press News, Depleted uranium was used in Iraq warzone weaponry, and now kids are playing in contaminated fields and the spent weapons are being sold as scrap metal. By Frederick Reese @FrederickReese | July 2, 2014 As instability in Iraq is forcing the United States to consider a third invasion of the Middle Eastern nation, the consequences of the first two invasions are coming into focus. For large sectors of the Iraqi population, American intervention has led to sharp spikes in the rates of congenital birth defects, premature births, miscarriages and leukemia cases.
According to Iraqi government statistics, the rate of cancer in the country has skyrocketed from 40 per 100,000 people prior to the First Gulf War in 1991, to 800 per 100,000 in 1995, to at least 1,600 per 100,000 in 2005.
The culprit behind all of these health issues is depleted uranium, a byproduct of uranium enrichment. With a mass fraction a third of what fissile uranium would have, depleted uranium emits less alpha radiation — up to 60 percent less than natural uranium, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. This “relative” safety offered a rationale for many nations — particularly, the U.S. — to put the waste material to use.
As depleted uranium is 1.67 times denser than lead, a depleted uranium projectile can be smaller than an equivalent lead projectile but produce similar results. This smaller size means a smaller diameter, less aerodynamic drag and a smaller area of impact, meaning that depleted uranium bullets can travel faster and inflict more pressure on impact, causing deeper penetration. Additionally, depleted uranium is incendiary and self-sharpening, making depleted uranium ideal for anti-tank ammunition. It is also used as armor plating for much of America’s tank fleet.
The problem with using depleted uranium, however, lies in the fact that depleted uranium is mostly de-energized. In practical terms, depleted uranium can have — at a minimum — 40 percent the radioactivity of natural uranium with a half-life that can be measured in millennia (between 703 million to 4.468 billion years). While the depleted uranium presents little to no risk to health via radiation due to its relatively weak radioactivity, direct internal contact with the heavy metal can have chemical toxicity effects on the nervous system, liver, heart and kidneys, with DNA mutations and RNA transcription errors being reported in the case of depleted uranium dust being absorbed in vitro.
While depleted uranium is not as toxic as other heavy metals, such as mercury or lead, pronounced toxicity is still possible through repeated or chronic exposure………http://www.mintpressnews.com/depleted-uranium-iraq-wars-legacy-cancer/193338/
$15 billion in investment as Abbott govt tries to trash renewable energy industries
Clean energy sector warns on RET http://www.businessspectator.com.au/news/2014/7/9/policy-politics/clean-energy-sector-warns-ret STAFF REPORTER 9 July 14, The clean energy industry has hit back at calls for changes to the current renewable energy target, warning that $15 billion in investment could be at risk along with Australia’s profile as a low sovereign risk country, The Australian reports.Australia’s largest infrastructure investor, IFM Investors, and Spanish firm Acciona have both said they could avoid Australia as a future investment destination should a push to alter the RET succeed.
“If governments flip-flop with policy to the extent that they drive the renewable energy sector out of this country and foreign investors away from this country, don’t expect to be able to attract them back in a hurry,” Andrew Thomson, managing director of Acciona Energy in Australia, said, according to The Australian.
Similar sentiments were echoed by Brett Himbury, chief executive of IFM, who noted the long timeframe for renewable energy investments meant policy uncertainty could cripple the sector.
The comments come amid a push from 25 lower house Coalition MPs to make changes to the current renewables scheme.
Conservative British Lord Deben attacks Tony Abbott’s ‘reckless’ climate policies
Carbon tax repeal: UK politician Lord Deben attacks Tony Abbott’s ‘reckless’ plan to scrap carbon tax, ABC Lateline 9 July 14 One of the UK’s leading Tory politicians has attacked Tony Abbott’s plan to scrap the carbon tax, accusing the Prime Minister of “recklessly endangering” the future of the world…….the unlikely voice of Lord Deben, who remains Britain’s longest serving environment minister. Lord Deben, a former head of the Conservative Party who served under Margaret Thatcher and John Major, is now the head of the UK Committee on Climate Change.
He has issued a statement saying the Abbott Government “appears to be more concerned with advancing its own short-term political interests” than dealing with global warming……..Australia is changing Britain’s climate as we are changing yours. It is not just a national matter. We are all in this together and Mr Abbott is recklessly endangering our future, as he is Australia’s,” the statement said.
Lord Deben, formerly John Selwyn Gummer, has told Lateline the Abbott Government is sending Australia backwards.
We all know [Tony Abbott] and his Government do not take this seriously, where the rest of the world, 80 per cent plus of emitters, are taking it so seriously that we find it very upsetting that Australia should be slapping us in the face and saying we don’t care about the climate.
“In Britain we have an independent body which is apart from party politics which sets the targets, sets the budget, and independently assesses how well the government has done,” he said.
“Mr Abbott has got rid of his independent group, he won’t have independent assessment, nobody outside his party thinks that his policy is going to deliver and he will not listen to the rest of the world……….
Australia ‘slapping us in the face’ on climate change
The Government says its $2.5 billion Direct Action plan will reduce emissions and allow Australia to reach its target of a 5 per cent reduction in emissions by 2020.
But Lord Deben – whose government has a binding target to cut emissions by 80 per cent by 2050 – says that is a “miserable” target.
“A 5 per cent target by 2020 is out of kilter even if you choose the most favourable base that you like with the rest of the world,” he said……
we all know he and his Government do not take this seriously, where the rest of the world, 80 per cent plus of emitters, are taking it so seriously that we find it very upsetting that Australia should be slapping us in the face and saying we don’t care about the climate, you can get on with it, we are not doing our part.”…….http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-07-08/abbott-endangering-future-on-climate-lord-deben/5582902
Sydney gets world’s first solar integrated house
World’s first building-integrated solar system built in Australia http://ecomento.com/2014/07/08/worlds-first-building-integrated-solar-system-built-in-australia/ July 8, 2014 – NextPremium.co Many people looking to go (at least partially) off the grid install rooftop solar panels, but a house purpose-built for solar power is another matter entirely.
The first building-integrated solar energy system was recently installed in a house in suburban Sydney, Australia, CleanTechnica reports.
The house’s rooftop array thin-film photovoltaic panels with a solar-thermal duct system that warms and cools the air. While the top layer produces electricity like any other solar panel, heat trapped between the layers is also used by the house.
Australian steel manufacturer Bluescope produced the $5 million system with government assistance in the form of a $3.2 million loan grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA). Government money is often an important factor in getting projects like this off the ground (no pun intended).
Whether integrated solar catches on remains to be seen, but at least the public will now get a chance to see what this technology can do. This post appeared first on NextPremium.com
Cheap effective storage for renewable energy – ” pumped hydro”
How pushing water uphill can solve our renewable energy issues The Conversation, Andrew Blakers Director of the Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems (CSES) at Australian National University 9 July 2014
More and more renewable energy sources are being plugged into Australia’s electricity grids. South Australia, for example, will get 40% of its electricity from wind and solar once the Snowtown wind farm is completed later this year.
But if renewable energy is ultimately to dominate the market, we will need ways to store the energy so we can use it round the clock. The good news is that it is easy to store energy. All you need is two small reservoirs – one high, one low – and a way to pump water between them.
This technique, called “off-river pumped hydro energy storage”, can potentially provide the energy storage that Australia needs to embrace renewables fully. It’s cheap, too.
How pumped hydro works
When there is excess electricity, water is pumped through a pipe or tunnel, to the upper reservoir. The energy is later recovered by letting the water flow back down again, through a turbine that converts it back into electricity. Efficiencies of 90% in each direction are possible.
Pumped hydro is by far the most widely used form of energy storage, representing 99% of the total. Worldwide, pumped hydro storage can deliver about 150 gigawatts, mostly integrated with hydroelectric power stations on rivers………..
There is little opportunity for Australia to develop on-river hydroelectric power, because of environmental and other constraints. But, there are vast opportunities for short-term off-river energy storage. A typical site would comprise a pair of small reservoirs connected by a pipe through which water would be cycled daily, together with a pump and turbine, powerhouse and power lines.
Australia has thousands of excellent potential sites in hilly areas outside conservation reserves, with typical elevation differences of 750 m. They don’t need to be near a wind or solar farm.
Off-river electricity storage has several advantages over typical on-river facilities:
- There are vastly more potential sites
- Sites can be selected that do not clash with environmental and other values
- The upper reservoir can be placed on top of a hill rather than in a valley, allowing the elevation difference to be maximised
- No provision needs to be made for floods (typically a major cost).
A system comprising twin 10-hectare reservoirs, each 30 m deep, with a 750 m elevation difference, can deliver about 1,000 megawatts for five hours.
Between 20 and 40 of these systems would be enough to stabilise a 100% renewable Australian electricity system……..http://theconversation.com/how-pushing-water-uphill-can-solve-our-renewable-energy-issues-28196
Big Indian utilities investing heavily in renewable energy
Tata, Reliance Power bet big on renewable energy, to spend Rs 1,500 crore each, Economic Times, By Shuchi Srivastava, ET Bureau | 9 Jul, 2014, MUMBAI: Two of the country’s largest power producers Tata PowerBSE -5.04 % and Reliance PowerBSE -7.70 % are betting big on renewable energy and will spend about Rs 1,500 crore each on clean energy projects this fiscal.
This comes at a time when the the ministry of new and renewable energy (MNRE)plans to set up giant solar projects in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Ladakh and Kargil. This is a part of the government’s target of achieving 20,000 MW of solar capacity by 2020.
“Reliance Power is keen to be a part of the journey to position India as one of the world’s major solar power producers in the coming years. Given the exciting new opportunities such as the ultra mega solar PV projects and the shortfall in meeting the renewable purchase obligations by various state discoms,” said the company. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/38044771.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst
Industry minister, Ian MacFarlane, pre-empting Parliament over Australian Renewable Energy Agency – Christine Milne
Ricky Muir seeking to save the Australian Renewable Energy Agency Lenore Taylor, political editor theguardian.com, Tuesday 8 July 2014 “……….Given that Arena may now not be abolished, the Greens leader, Senator Christine Milne, has written to the industry minister, Ian MacFarlane, complaining that he is pre-empting the parliament by refused to renew the contracts of Arena board members.
MacFarlane’s actions will mean that within a few weeks the secretary of the industry department is the only remaining board member of a multi-million-dollar authority.
“As you will be aware, Arena is a statutory authority, and the future of the institution is not subject to the government’s sole discretion. I therefore urge you to appoint board members until the will of the parliament is clear,” she wrote.
“Without appointing board members, the government would frustrate the intention of the act and place an undue workload on the secretary of the department,” she wrote.
Regarding Muir’s amendment, Milne said “the Greens welcome Ricky Muir’s support for the renewable energy agency and we hope that he will bring his Palmer United party colleagues along with him.”…..http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/08/ricky-muir-seeking-to-save-the-australian-renewable-energy-agency?cmp=wp-plugin
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 