Nuclear news – week to 12 August
NUCLEAR. This week , the spotlight has been on Russia, as conflicting and ambiguous reports come out, about a Russian rocket test explosion that caused radiation levels to spike in the Arkhangelsk region. The Russian nuclear agency Rosatom finally admitted its involvement. Russia honours as ‘national heroes’ the 5 nuclear scientists who died in this suspected secret testing of a nuclear-powered cruise missile.
CLIMATE. While governments and the older generation in general continue on their merry way with business as usual, young people are ever more concerned about climate change. It’s THE issue at this week ‘s International Congress of Youth Voices, in Puerto Rico. High school students are organising Youth Climate Strikes. Why stay in school if our planet will die?
AUSTRALIA
Three Parliamentary Nuclear Inquiries are now underway, with short deadlines for submissions. (You can bet that the nuclear lobby’s well-paid shills have sent theirs in already.)
National Radioactive Waste Management Facility Taskforce’s heavy-handed, repressive, approach to community consultation. It’s even more undemocratic than the one in Wales, UK. Federal nuclear waste management “consultative committees” – secretive – a farce? Nuclear waste: residents near proposed dump told to sign draconian code of conduct. Bangarla people call on Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt to intervene in support of their vote on nuclear waste dump.
Jervis Bay and previous governments’ secret plans for nuclear weapons.
Does Energy Minister Angus Taylor REALLY believe that nuclear energy would be viable in Australia. Energy Minister Angus Taylor orders inquiry into nuclear energy – a distraction from Australia’s climate policy failure?. Australia’s Liberal Coalition government still dreaming about nuclear power.
Australia’s strategy for ‘new nuclear’ – based on non-existent plant! Small Modular Nuclear Reactors don’t operate anywhere yet – but USA companies are keen to sell them to Australia. Nuclear advocate Switkowski admits that Small Modular Reactors have big problems.
Australia needs intelligent long-term energy policy – nuclear does not ‘stack up’. Pro nuclear promoter Warren Mundine back on the propaganda trail.
CLIMATE. Australian coal lobby plans another multi-million PR campaign. EnergyAustralia plunges into red after massive writedowns, coal problems.
RENEWABLE ENERGY. Queensland officially opens its first completed large scale wind farm. Stunning low costs inspire Alinta to ramp up renewables push, sees early coal exit. Rooftop solar slashes demand levels and emissions across main grid . AGL plans more storage as it eyes $200 billion energy transition opportunity, Finley solar farm starts sending power to NSW grid.
INTERNATIONAL
How the viewing public was ‘protected’ from seeing what the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear bombing did to people. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uas1WtocwOo Hiroshima nuclear bombing, and the birth of the Doomsday Clock.
Another expensive nuclear weapons race about to take off. Putin And Trump are ‘normalising’ the increasing numbers, and the use, of nuclear weapons.
Wildfire cloud study sheds light on the processes of ‘nuclear winter”
Harm to astronauts’ brains from space radiation.
Even the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is concerned about radioactive trash management from Small Modular Nuclear Reactors.
Submissions can be sent to three Parliamentary Inquiries about nuclear issues now underway
There are currently at least 3 parliamentary inquiries underway that are relevant to nuclear issues. There are opportunities to make submissions to each of them. Details below:
1. Sustainability of energy supply and resources in NSW (Submissions close 15 September 2019)
https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/committees/inquiries/Pages/inquiry-details.aspx?pk=2542#tab-termsofreference
2. Inquiry into the prerequisites for nuclear energy in Australia (Submissions close 16 September 2019)
3. Uranium Mining and Nuclear Facilities (Prohibitions) Repeal Bill 2019 (Submissions close 18 October 2019)
National Radioactive Waste Management Facility Taskforce’s heavy-handed repressive approach to community consultation
 Waste dump consultative committee enforces strict observer protocol, Transcontinental Amy Green 9 Aug 19,
Tensions over the federal government’s plans to site a National Radioactive Waste Management Facility have reached boiling point in the wake of upcoming community consultation meetings scheduled for Kimba and Hawker next week. The process has been stalled for more than a year because of a federal court challenge by Barngarla traditional owners,but last month the federal court rejected their bid to stop the council ballot. Kimba and Hawker (Barnidoota) are the two communities who have been shortlisted for the proposed facility, which would house low-level nuclear waste and provide temporary storage for intermediate level waste. The Department of Industry Innovation and Science’s National Radioactive Waste Management Facility Taskforce plan to use the committee meetings as its main platform for ongoing community consultation. The level of community consultation has been widely criticised by anti-waste dump groups such as the Flinders Local Action Group (FLAG). In an open letter to the Barnidoota Consultative Committee, FLAG spokesperson Greg Bannon raised further concerns.
“The Flinders Local Action Group, as you know, represents the point of view from community members who continue to hold deep concerns about siting the National Radioactive Waste Management Facility in our region,” he said. “These concerns do not arise from a lack of information on our part. As we have said previously, when the ‘information’ provided comes from only one source, that being the proposer and promoter of the facility, it cannot be unbiased. “The meetings are supposedly for community consultation, but often fail to fulfil that expectation.” Mr Bannon said the meetings leave little time to answer community questions and criticised the timeliness of meeting minutes. Locals have since complained that a new code of conduct for people wishing to observe the Barnidoota meeting is enforcing restrictions that make it even harder for the community to voice their concerns. The code restricts observers from taking notes or recording any part of the meeting without prior agreement from the department, independent convener and all representative members of the committee. It also states that individual ideas or views of committee members cannot be repeated or shared…… The Barndioota Consultative Committee will be held on August, 13 and the Kimba Consultative Committee on August, 15. https://www.transcontinental.com.au/story/6320383/waste-dump-consultative-committee-enforces-strict-observer-protocol/?fbclid=IwAR1v49mvokOwEIjIHWqYf0cMgK2eR6EZBtOiv_5KcmQGWoYADDmdnD7Zj6g |
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Spent nuclear fuel from small nuclear reactors would pose a real problem for Australia
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Small Modular Reactors: A Challenge for Spent Fuel Management? From the IAEA Bulletin, , Small modular reactors (SMRs) have been the talk of scientists and researchers in the nuclear industry for many years — but to what extent will their debut, expected next year, create challenges in spent fuel management? It depends, say experts, on the particular SMR design and a country’s existing spent fuel management practices…… |
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Jervis Bay and previous governments’ secret plans for nuclear weapons
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Nuclear reactor and steelworks plan once considered for pristine beaches of Jervis Bay Key points:
A steelworks, petrochemical plant and an oil refinery were also slated for the site at Jervis Bay, but what was not announced was a plan to generate weapons-grade plutonium that could have seen Australia become a nuclear power. Fifty years later, Australia is again mulling over the question of nuclear energy with two separate inquiries underway. A federal parliamentary committee is investigating the economic, environmental and safety implications of nuclear power in Australia. In NSW, meanwhile, a committee is looking into overturning a ban on uranium mining and nuclear facilities. While neither is talking specifics in terms of where nuclear enrichment technology or modern-day facilities like small modular reactors (SMRs) could be located, it has brought to the forefront questions of geography. Jervis Bay is a Commonwealth territory, located within NSW, but the laws of the Australian Capital Territory apply. Potential reactor sitesIn 2007, in the wake of the Switkowski nuclear energy review under the Howard government, the Australia Institute published a research paper identifying 19 of the most likely reactor sites. The sites were located across Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, NSW, and the ACT. It found the most suitable sites were close to major centres of demand and preferably in coastal areas to ensure easy access to water. Jervis Bay inevitably comes up as a potential reactor location due to its history as the only nuclear power plant to have received serious consideration in Australia. At the time it was promoted as the first of many. In February 1970, the Illawarra Mercury proclaimed:
That was the blueprint that nearly became a reality. Shrouded in secrecyThere was a darker side to the Jervis Bay reactor too, with evidence revealed in a 2002 ABC documentary, Fortress Australia, that the 500-megawatt fast breeder reactor was chosen due to its ability to generate weapons-grade plutonium for use in an Australian nuclear weapon Fortress Australia uncovered secret documents showing how the chairman of the Australian Atomic Energy Commission (AAEC), Phillip Baxter, influenced three Liberal prime ministers (Menzies, Holt and Gorton) to support the project. ….. Associate Professor Wayne Reynolds from the University of Newcastle told ABC podcast The Signal how Gorton pushed for the nuclear power station at Jervis Bay…….”They did the study, they worked out the capability, they had to go negotiate with the British about the technology, then they actually started to build this reactor at Jervis Bay.” The project was first delayed after William McMahon became prime minister in 1971 and was later put on hold indefinitely, despite efforts to keep the project alive. As late as March 1975, the Illawarra Mercury was reporting:
But the horse had bolted. Any hopes of a nuclear power industry in Australia effectively ended when McMahon lost government to Gough Whitlam’s Labor in December 1972. Whitlam’s signing of the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty in 1973 also ended any plans by the AAEC to provide Australia with the capacity to manufacture atomic weapons……. The Booderee National Park, meaning “bay of plenty” in the Dhurga language, was created out of the Jervis Bay National Park in 1992, which underlined the cultural significance of the lands and surrounding ocean. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-12/jervis-bay-once-site-for-nuclear-proposal/11371296?fbclid=IwAR16IqfL2gPD9lS6u9xoMkedjYNqJ1TKT_MoGww_5iwNVfq-vqYjfOrz3S4
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Russia’s radiation leak “clearly a bigger issue than the Russians are letting on”.
Russia nuclear leak: Mysterious footage of hazmat officials escalates radiation panic https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1164125/Russia-nuclear-leak-radiation-Putin-iodine-hazmat
CHILLING footage from Russia has intensified fears of a nuclear radiation accident after ambulances were spotted lined with protective chemical sheets and hospitals workers were seen wearing hazmat suits.
Rostam added that the explosion took place during the testing of an “isotope power source”.
The official said five of its employees had died as a result of the accident and three more were being treated for burns.
However, the extent of the incident and threat of radiation has not been disclosed, amid growing global concern.
The Archangelsk naval base has been placed under emergency lockdown for a month, with the nearby White Sea also closed to commercial shipping.
A sudden radiation spike detected in the region following the explosion prompted the initial speculation that the incident was related to a nuclear missile test.
The radiation level was recorded as 20 times higher than the normal level in the nearby city of Severodvinsk.
This has been reinforced by chilling footage filmed in the aftermath of the incident.
One video showed hospital workers wearing hazmat suits while they loaded the injured into an ambulance. Another terrifying video revealed a security escort of ambulances transporting the injured to Moscow.
In this footage, one of the ambulance is clearly coated in a chemical protection film.
A defence ministry source said that the worker’s clothes had been burned as soon as they were hospitalised with suspected radiation. Experts have linked the incident to the testing of the new nuclear-powered cruise missile Burevestnik mentioned during a speech by Vladimir Putin last year.
Local people have reportedly been urged to take precautions against radiation, with children from local kindergartens taken indoors after the blast.
There has also been a rush to buy iodine in Russia’s far north.
Russian expert Dr Mark Galeotti said the incident was “clearly a bigger issue than the Russians are letting on”.
He told the BBC: “Despite what the Kremlin have said, there must have been some sort of radiation leak – and they want people to not just stay out of harm’s way, but also don’t want people coming to the site with Geiger Counters.”
Fukushima’s radioactive water storage approaching full capacity – what next?
IN THREE YEARS, FUKUSHIMA COULD OVERFLOW WITH RADIOACTIVE WATER, https://futurism.com/the-byte/fukushima-overflow-radioactive-water AUGUST 9TH 19__DAN ROBITZSKI_
Ticking Clock
The effort to safely decommission Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant just got hit by a looming deadline.
In about three years, the plant will run out of space for the massive quantities of treated but still-radioactive water that officials have been storing there, according to The Associated Press. While a government panel came up with a few possible courses of action, the most feasible one at the moment is to simply dump the water into the Pacific — a bleak sign for nuclear disasters in the future.
Maximum Capacity
At the moment, Fukushima has over 1 million tons of water stored in almost 1,000 on-site tanks, the AP reports. Plans are in place to build enough to store nearly 1.4 million more tons, but that even those will reach capacity by mid-2022.
Local fishers and residents of the area say that dumping the water would devastate the area’s fishing and agriculture industry, per the AP. Other options considered by the panel include vaporizing the radioactive water or injecting it deep underground.
“When we talk about Fukushima’s reconstruction, the question is if we should prioritize the decommissioning at the expense of Fukushima people’s lives,” University of Tokyo professor of disaster social science Naoya Sekiya told the AP. “The issue is not just about science.”
India and Pakistan on the nuclear brink over Kashmir?
Kashmir has been a flashpoint since Imperial Britain divided India in 1947. India and Pakistan have fought numerous wars and conflicts over majority Muslim Kashmir. China controls a big chunk of northern Kashmir known as Aksai Chin.
In 1949, the UN mandated a referendum to determine if Kashmiris wanted to join Pakistan or India. Not surprisingly, India refused to hold the vote. But there are some Kashmiris who want an independent state, though a majority seek to join Pakistan……
What makes this confrontation so dangerous is that both sides have important tactical and nuclear forces arrayed against one another. These are mostly short/medium-ranged nuclear tipped missiles, and air-delivered nuclear bombs. Strategic nuclear weapons back up these tactical forces. A nuclear exchange, even a limited one, could kill millions, pollute much of Asia’s ground water, and spread radioactive dust around the globe – including to North America. ….https://www.commondreams.org/views/2019/08/11/hair-trigger-nuclear-alert-over-kashmir
Does Angus Taylor REALLY believe that nuclear energy would be viable in Australia
Nuclear energy inquiry: is Angus Taylor’s move logical or just for the backbench?
Guardian, Adam Morton Environment editor@adamlmorton 11 Aug 2019 Political arguments about nuclear power in Australia are not new, but the energy minister, Angus Taylor, says this time is different.
Australia’s repression of democratic discussion on nuclear waste dump is worse than UK’s
Cumbria Trust 11th Aug 2019 The Guardian has reported that residents in Southern Australia, who face having a nuclear waste storage facility imposed on them, are being forced
to sign an excessively restrictive code of conduct if they wish to attend
community meetings. This prevents them from taking notes, repeating certain
views expressed in the meeting, or trying to take part in the committee
discussions.
This appears to go well beyond the steps required to maintain
an orderly meeting, and serves to suppress democratic accountability. While
the last search process in Cumbria, MRWS, didn’t go to such extreme
lengths, there were some unnecessary restrictions which obstructed local
democracy. Specifically, executive members of the borough councils, and
cabinet members of Cumbria County Council, were told that they could not
give any public indication of whether they were minded to vote for the
process to proceed to the next stage. This ‘predetermination’ rule
allowed senior councillors to completely avoid public scrutiny on the
matter.
https://cumbriatrust.wordpress.com/2019/08/11/australian-troubles-with-community-engagement/
Pacific nuclear veterans’ descendants sought for study
 Pacific nuclear veterans’ descendants sought for study. https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/pacific-nuclear-veterans-descendants-sought-study A search is underway for descendants of service personnel who witnessed a nuclear test at Mururoa Atoll to take part in a nationwide study.A Mururoa Nuclear Veterans Group wants all veterans who were deployed to Mururoa Atoll in 1973, and their families, to be part of a study as it’s believed their children may have been affected by their parents’ exposure to radiation.
The then Labour government sent a frigate to Mururoa Atoll, including then Cabinet Minister Fraser Colman, to protest against French nuclear testing there. Mururoa Nuclear Veterans Group wants all people on the frigate, and their families to be part of a study as it’s believed their children may have been affected by their parents’ exposure to radiation. The group, which was established in 2013 to press the government to help families with nuclear related illnesses, had 135 members who served at the protest. Of those, 56 had children or grandchildren with unexplained medical conditions. University of Otago associate professor David McBride, has been tasked with conducting the first medical testing of veterans’ children and grandchildren. To establish whether genetic transfer of illnesses are related to exposure to nuclear radiation and create a registry “would be difficult but not impossible,” Mr McBride said. Mururoa Nuclear Veterans Group vice-president, Tony Cox, was concerned veteran’s offspring could be more susceptible to conditions like leukaemia and auto-immune diseases. “If we don’t do it now, when we die no one else is going to care. Their sickness and problems we consider is directly attributable to our service,” Mr Cox said. “Be it Operation Grapple, Christmas Island, Mururoa, anywhere else … widows and children especially we are looking for.” The University of Otago will carry out the study from October or November this year, but a registry needs to be created for the study to work. Mr Cox encouraged anyone with a nuclear testing background to come forward to take part in the study or identify themselves in order to be included in the registry. |
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Letter to Minister Wyatt in support of Barngarla letter
Stunning low costs inspire Alinta to ramp up renewables push, sees early coal exit — RenewEconomy
Alinta ramps up renewables push, says falling costs will force coal to close early and that change in coming rapidly to the grid. The post Stunning low costs inspire Alinta to ramp up renewables push, sees early coal exit appeared first on RenewEconomy.
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