On a concrete pad about 25 feet above Plymouth Bay, eight massive steel-reinforced concrete cylinders hold the remains of the radioactive fuel that has kept the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station running since the 1970s.
Labor candidate for Monaro Bryce Wilson refutes MP Barilaro’s simplistic push for Small Modular Nuclear reactors
Barilaro sees nuclear future, Labor criticises lack of detail, Canberra Times, Elliot Williams – – 21 Apr 18, NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro has not ruled out one day having nuclear reactors in his home electorate of Monaro, near the ACT.
Mr Barilaro has garnered attention this week after advocating for nuclear energy to be considered in NSW in a speech to an energy policy forum in Sydney on Wednesday.
But when questioned whether he would ever consider bringing nuclear reactors to Monaro Mr Barilaro refused to rule anything in or out.
……..Mr Barilaro said he envisaged a future where small modular reactors were set up in a series and could be air, gas or sand cooled rather than the familiar technology of large reactors situated on the coastline for easy access to water.
He said recycling of radioactive material had improved and waste products would remain radioactive for around 300 years rather than hundreds of thousands of years.
However Mr Barilaro has been criticised by Labor candidate for Monaro Bryce Wilson and the Nature Conservation Council for his reluctance to provide details about his plan to bring nuclear power to the state.
“John can’t stand there and say he wants to provide relief to household energy bills without giving us any figures,” Mr Wilson said.
“This isn’t primary school debating, this is a conversation for grown ups.
“How can we have a conversation about nuclear power without knowing where reactors would go, how much it would cost and what would happen to the waste?
Mr Wilson added he would not endorse bringing nuclear reactors to any part of the region………The federal government has a ban on nuclear power in Australia and federal member for Eden-Monaro Mike Kelly said he would not support nuclear power in the region.
“It is not necessary to build nuclear power stations in Australia, as we have an abundance of natural renewable resources that can be utilised to create energy,” Dr Kelly said.
“For our region, there is a real opportunity in becoming a hub for research and development in renewable energy and the scope for manufacturing renewable energy components.”
Mr Barilaro said he wanted to see more investment in renewable energy, particularly in Monaro, but said it would not be possible to do so without ensuring a greater baseload of energy, which nuclear power could provide.
He said nuclear was a cleaner option than coal or gas to achieve the necessary baseload…….ACT minister for climate change and sustainability Shane Rattenbury ruled out nuclear power as an option for the territory.
“Both Greens and Labor national platforms specifically preclude the construction of nuclear power plants in Australia,” Mr Rattenbury said.
“The ACT is committed to 100 per cent renewable electricity, and nuclear power does not form part of this commitment.” http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/barilaro-sees-nuclear-future-labor-criticises-lack-of-detail-20180420-p4zaty.html
Design flaws in Holtec nuclear waste canisters (the ones planned for Kimba South Australia)
“………..As explained by Donna Gilmore of San Onofre Safety:
“Holtec HI-STORM UMAX canister storage systems and all other thin-wall nuclear waste canister storage systems are vulnerable to short-term radioactive leaks and potential explosions and criticalities. Each canister has roughly as much highly radioactive Cesium-137 as was released from the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
These thin-wall “Chernobyl” cans have the following design flaws:
* Vulnerable to short-term cracking and major radioactive leaks
* Cannot be inspected inside or out
* Cannot be repaired
* Cannot be monitored or maintained to PREVENT radioactive leaks
* No plan for failing canisters.
Holtec proposes to transport thousands of US aging nuclear waste cans across the country to New Mexico and store them in an unproven HI-STORE CIS “Consolidated Interim Storage” facility,…“. See Handout: Holtec Storage System Designed to Leak.
https://sanonofresafety.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/designedtoleakholtec-cis-2017-06-24.pdf Read the rest here: https://sanonofresafety.org/holtec-hi-storm-umax-nuclear-waste-dry-storage-system/
Holtec actually admits in a recent presentation that these huge canisters which may be up to 75 ¾ inches in diameter, and up to 213 inches tall are only 1/2 inch thick and the vented protective shell only 1 inch thick: https://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/conference-symposia/dsfm/2015/dsfm-2015-stefan-anton.pdf…..
HOLTEC IS PRIVATELY OWNED, APPARENTLY BY KRIS PAL SINGH, THOUGH REALLY NO ONE KNOWS. IN THE US THIS MEANS THAT IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO GET INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY. IN THE PAST, SINGH HAS REFUSED TO GIVE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPENT FUEL CASK SYSTEMS TO THE US GOVERNMENT WHEN IT WAS NEEDED BY THEM TO ESTIMATE COSTS DURING A LAWSUIT. HOLTEC HAS BEEN FINED FOR BRIBING THE TVA. HOLTEC HAS REQUESTED AND GOTTEN WHAT SEEMS LIKE ENDLESS REQUESTS FOR EXEMPTIONS TO THE AGREED STANDARDS FOR PRODUCTION AND PACKING THE SPENT FUEL CASK SYSTEMS. AN UNKNOWN NUMBER OF THE SPENT FUEL CASKS ARE NOT EVEN CORRECTLY PACKED AND RECEIVED “EXEMPTIONS”. ON AT LEAST ONE NUCLEAR REACTOR SITE ALMOST ALL ARE IMPROPERLY PACKED. NOTE THAT HOLTEC EVEN TRIES TO CLAIM COPYRIGHT ON INFORMATION WHICH HOLTEC TOOK FROM AN EARLIER US GOVERNMENT FUNDED DOCUMENT. THIS GIVES A TINY IDEA OF WHAT JERKS THEY ARE. – Holtec Proposal To Bury High Level Nuclear Waste – Teleconference Sign-up Deadline Monday-Written Comments Due End Mayhttps://wordpress.com/read/feeds/4410547/posts/1834518669
Woomera’s high level nuclear waste to go to Kimba as “Intermediate Level Waste”
Paul Waldon –No Nuclear Waste Dump Anywhere in South Australia https://www.facebook.com/groups/344452605899556/
If government can’t show that it can cleanup, or even finance a $30 million cleanup of 9,8000 leaking rusty barrels of radioactive waste abandoned at Woomera, what reason would any adroit person have to believe that the government’s $10 million incentive package to manage a radioactive dump in Hawker or Kimba is nothing more than a 79 cents a week contract to abandon high grade waste under the guise of being called intermediate waste, for the next 244,000 years of its hazard.American community concerned about long term dangers of giant casks of nuclear waste.
Special vehicles are required to move the casks, as are specially built roads that can handle the immense weight.
“We don’t know if this highly dangerous material will be there for another 100 years or a thousand years.
if the casks are not moved in the coming decades, or even centuries, they worry about who would ultimately be responsible for protecting the nuclear waste. It’s unlikely, for example, that Entergy will still own the property, they say.
Pilgrim officials consider moving nuclear waste to higher ground more https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/04/20/seas-rise-pilgrim-mulls-moving-its-nuclear-waste-higher-ground/rcrkilSqo4cGpfledFyrJJ/story.html?,
Using underpaid Foreign Trainees for Fukushima’s Decontamination — Fukushima 311 Watchdogs
3 Vietnamese trainees newly found to have taken part in Fukushima cleanup work Three more Vietnamese technical intern trainees were sent by a contractor to carry out decontamination work at the Fukushima nuclear disaster area, it was learned from sources including a support organization. The number of foreign trainees known to have taken part in […]
via Using underpaid Foreign Trainees for Fukushima’s Decontamination — Fukushima 311 Watchdogs
Everyday Needs To Be Earth Day — Mining Awareness +
April 22nd is officially Earth Day. Everyday needs to be Earth Day. NASA Earth-Rise Christmas Eve 1968 The human population of the earth has more than doubled since the Earth-Rise picture was taken in 1968, making caretaking of the earth and human birth control even more urgent. Schedelsche Weltchronik or Nuremberg Chronicle Date 1493 Here […]
1.This month.
The Road to War brings a sharp focus to why it is not in Australia’s best interest to be dragged into a war with China which will almost inevitably go nuclear very quickly. The filmmaker has interviewed some of Australia’s senior foreign policy analysts who have vast experience behind them in analysing what really is going on here as the United States rattles its sabres with China. And sets us up to be its proxy, like the poor Ukranians have been fed into the Meatgrinder. So America can remain the Top Dog. The Road to War reveals how the United States through its spy base at Pine Gap and by stationing six nuclear capable B52 bombers in the Top End (without permission from the traditional owners) is making Australia a prime nuclear target if the current war of words suddenly melts down into full scale war.
The Road to War shows the implicit connection between Carbon emissions (the US military uses a whopping 70% of America’s annual petroleum to move its armies and vast War Machine around the globe to its 800+ military bases..but under a loophole wangled at Kyoto, the US military does not have to report its C02 annual emissions). The Road to War starts screening at selected cities and regional centres in March. See the trailer end for details.
Antinuclear 