*** Fukushima *** and other nuclear-----updates and links

Troubled Trafalgar class nuclear submarine, HMS Tireless, in new reactor coolant leak

HMS Tireless was the third of the Trafalgar class hunter-killer nuclear submarines. These are not nuclear armed but nuclear powered and conventionally armed.

Tireless was launched in 1985 and, at  28 years old, was due to be decommissioned this year. However, her service was extended for another four years due to the delay in the rollout of the new Astute class submarines.

Ten days ago, Tireless was taking part in a training exercise for new officers off the west coast, when a coolant leak developed within its sealed reactor unit. The Ministry of Defence has said that no risk was involved  to the public the environment or the crew.

She is said to face up to 10 months in dry dock while repair work is carried out.

Tireless is most famous for a series of troubling incidents.
[link to forargyll.com]
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Vogtle 3 and 4 Construction Videos and Photos
[link to www.southerncompany.com]

[link to southerncompany.com]
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NRC plans to release report on San Onofre
[link to www.power-eng.com]

[snip]

Federal regulators say they will make public a redacted report by the manufacturer of the San Onofre nuclear plant's troubled steam generators - a report that, according to two U.S. lawmakers, shows that the manufacturer and the plant operator knew of serious design problems before the generators were installed.

On Thursday, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission requested a redacted copy of the 2012 report from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, so that proprietary information could be removed. The NRC will release the report once the agency receives it, possibly this week, NRC spokesman Victor Dricks said.

Edison has denied knowing of the design problems in advance.

Washington plutonium leak poses 'long-term threat'
[link to www.cbc.ca]

[snip]

Over the years, more than a million gallons of radioactive waste have already leaked into the ground at Hanford.

Carpenter said plutonium has already been detected in local fish stocks and worries that if changes don't come soon, wild salmon stocks could be next.

He said his organization is now asking the U.S. Congress for help.

The canary in the reactor
[link to www.heraldnet.com]

[snip]

On Friday, the U.S. Department of Energy announced a "decrease of liquid level" in a single-shell tank at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. A liquid decrease is promising news for people taking diuretics or attempting to lose weight. Radioactive sludge leaking into the ground at a rate of 150 to 300 gallons per year (or "rate of loss of liquids" in Energy-speak) is not-so-good news.

The underground tank in question, T-111, classified as an "assumed leaker" in 1979, was built between 1943 and 1944. These massive receptacles were engineered to last approximately 20 years, which means the leaking tank's structural integrity became questionable around the time of the Apollo 11 moon landing. In 1995, something called interim stabilization (In English, a short-term fix) was completed. The process involves the removal of pumpable liquids.

The T-111's storage capacity is 530,000 gallons. There are 117 similar tanks at Hanford, the Energy Department reports.

Palisades Nuclear Power Plant remains out of service
[link to www.hollandsentinel.com]

Are Whistleblowers Being Protected By The NRC? Not Really!
[link to www.fairewinds.com]

i wonder what the general population Pu level is, as they don't ever promote it....

Government-backed researcher plays down health effects of Fukushima
[link to japandailypress.com]

[snip]

A Japanese government-backed researcher has been quick to play down dangerous health effects from radiation released by the Fukushima nuclear plant in a statement released on Friday. The conclusion made by Kazuo Sakai of Japan’s National Institute of Radiological Sciences is the latest coming from authorities seeking to downplay fears over the long-term effects of the disaster, especially in the people living nearby.

ty radchick luv ya work ;)

The nuclear scam.
Taxpayers subsidize the construction, pay for the service and pay for the decommissioning of a reactor via advance collection of fees to a fund.
If there is an accident, the company is only liable for the first 12.6 billion in cost.. taxpayers pick up the rest.
The cost of Fuku is already at 250B US from early estimates.
I expect it to be ultimately much more than that.



Fukushima Disaster: Costs Fall on Public
[link to www.panorientnews.com]

[snip]

The fallout from the Fukushima nuclear disaster continues for hundreds of thousands of victims still denied fair compensation from a regulatory system in Japan that forces the public to pay for its disasters and allows the nuclear industry to evade its responsibilities, Greenpeace said.

A new Greenpeace International report, Fukushima Fallout, details how the serious flaws in nuclear regulations worldwide cause the clean up expenses to fall on the public, not nuclear plant operators or suppliers of key equipment. The report was released at a news conference in Tokyo today.

"The Fukushima disaster exposes the shameful defects in a system that only requires nuclear operators to pay a fraction of the costs of a disaster and does not require suppliers of reactors to pay anything," said Aslihan Tumer, Greenpeace International nuclear campaigner.

Nuclear watchdog: Fault lines under Higashidori plant are active
[link to ajw.asahi.com]

[snip]

Geological fault lines that run beneath Tohoku Electric Power Co.'s Higashidori nuclear power plant in Aomori Prefecture are almost certainly active, according to an expert panel of the Nuclear Regulation Authority.

The assessment was part of a draft report presented when the panel met on Feb. 18. The panel also called for further studies on the activity of two separate fault lines that extend directly beneath the plant's key facilities. Tohoku Electric, meanwhile, continues to argue that the faults are inactive.

Local communities oppose Ohma plant construction

Municipalities on the northernmost island of Hokkaido have asked the Japanese government to halt indefinitely the construction of a nuclear plant in neighboring Aomori Prefecture.

The heads of Hakodate and 5 other cities submitted the request to State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Kazuyoshi Akaba, on Tuesday.

Electric Power Development Company, or J-Power, is building the nuclear facility in Ohma Town in Aomori. Hakodate is located only 23 kilometers from the plant across the Tsugaru Strait on the main island of Honshu.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]
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High levels of cesium detected in fish off Chiba

Fish caught in waters off Choshi City in Chiba Prefecture have been found to contain radioactive cesium above the government safety limit.

Choshi is nearly 200 kilometers south of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Chiba Prefecture says it found 130 becquerels of cesium per kilogram in Japanese sea bass caught about 10 kilometers off Choshi on Thursday of last week. The acceptable limit is 100 becquerels.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]
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Abe to ask Obama for shale gas

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to ask US President Barack Obama to permit shale gas exports to Japan. The two leaders will meet in Washington on Friday for a bilateral summit.

Abe faces an energy demand, with most of Japan's nuclear power plants halted and the nation increasingly dependent on thermal power.

He is eager to import US shale gas as a new, cheaper energy source.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]
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Nuclear plant suppliers accountable for Fukushima crisis: Greenpeace

International environmental group Greenpeace launched an online campaign Tuesday urging nuclear power plant manufacturers to also be held accountable for the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.

Greenpeace wants Japan's law on compensation for nuclear damage to be revised so that the companies who designed and built the reactors pay as well.
[link to english.kyodonews.jp]
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Japanese industry minister says not appropriate to say Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster contained

On Tuesday at a House of Councillors Budget Committee meeting, the minister of international trade and industry who also oversees the power industry, Toshimitsu Motegi, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party, said that it was not appropriate to say that the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster has been contained, or that work to bring the accident under control is at an end.

Referring to the previous statement by the Democratic Part of Japan officials in December of 2011, which declared the “end of the work to bring the accident under control”, Motegi said, ”The word, ‘end,’ is inappropriate because many tasks remain unresolved.”
[link to enformable.com]
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Vogtle is progressing but nuclear revival is not

When major construction started at Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion project near Augusta a year ago, all eyes were on what was supposed to be the rebirth of the nuclear industry after more than a generation without new plants.

The stakes were high for Georgia Power and its parent, Atlanta-based Southern Co., which became responsible for showing the nation that the nuclear industry could build two reactors without major technical problems, delays or cost overruns. Consumers already were on the hook, paying for Georgia Power’s $6.1 billion portion of the project through a fee on their monthly utility bills.

The $14 billion Vogtle expansion in Waynesboro — one of the largest economic development initiatives in state history — is behind schedule, and the nuclear revival hasn’t worked out the way the industry had hoped. Ample supplies of cheap natural gas and the sluggish economy are enemies No. 1 and 2. Widespread extraction of natural gas is making it the fuel of choice for utilities, which have little demand for new power plants in a weak economy.
[link to www.ajc.com]
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TURKEY POINT - MANUAL REACTOR TRIP DUE TO HIGH SEAL LEAKOFF ON REACTOR COOLANT PUMP 3A

On 2/18/2013 at 0055 Unit 3 commenced a unit shutdown due to high # 1 seal leak-off on the 3A Reactor Coolant Pump (RCP). At 0129 3A RCP #1 seal leak-off exceeded operating limits. Unit 3 reactor was manually tripped. Auxiliary feedwater actuated as designed based on steam generator levels as a result of the trip. Unit 3 is currently in Mode 3 and stable.

No complications were noted as a result of the reactor trip.

All control rods fully inserted on the trip. Decay heat was removed by AFW to the steam generators out the atmospheric reliefs. There was no primary to secondary leakage. Electrical buses are being supplied via offsite power.
[link to www.nucpros.com]
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About 1,500 employees affected by January cyber attack on DOE systems; names, SSNs exposed; incident treated as 'national security issue'
[link to blogs.knoxnews.com]

[snip]

In the statement on the cyber attack, DOE said, "We do know that this incident was a sophisticated attack that appears to have originated from overseas and is therefore being investigated as a national security issue, although no classified networks or information were involved.

Top Japan Official: Not appropriate to say Fukushima nuclear disaster is contained
[link to enenews.com]

[snip]

“The word, ‘end,’ is inappropriate because many tasks remain unresolved,” Motegi told a House of Councillors Budget Committee meeting, speaking of a declaration of the end of the accident that was issued by the previous government. [...]

Family of dairy farmer suicide to sue TEPCO

The bereaved family of a dairy farmer will file a lawsuit against Tokyo Electric Power Company, the operator of the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, to demand compensation.

The wife of Shigekiyo Kanno made the announcement at a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday.

He committed suicide in June 2011 at home in Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture 3 months after the nuclear accident at the plant.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]
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Japan Atomic Power takes rare step to sell uranium for loan payment

A Japanese nuclear power company has taken the rare step of selling some of its uranium fuel, apparently to raise money to use to repay loans amid its faltering business conditions, sources close to the matter said Wednesday.

Japan Atomic Power Co. apparently moved to secure money to repay loans due in April, amid uncertainty over when it can resume operating its three idled reactors in the wake of the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi complex.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. is also considering taking similar action as it continues to face funding difficulties following the nuclear crisis at its Fukushima complex, the sources said.
[link to english.kyodonews.jp]
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Good news...

Dominion to shut Kewaunee reactor in Wisconsin in second quarter

Dominion Resources Inc will retire the 565-megawatt Kewaunee nuclear plant in Wisconsin in the second quarter after the Midwest grid operator determined the plant is not needed to maintain electric reliability, the company said on Tuesday.

Dominion said last fall the plant was no longer economical in the face of growing competition from natural gas-fired plants.

"Kewaunee may retire immediately," the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator (MISO) said in a letter to Dominion after its review.

Earlier this month, Duke Energy, the largest U.S. power company, said it would retire the Crystal River reactor in Florida, which has been shut since 2009, due to rising repair costs.

Industry sources said these actions may signal the shutdown of other U.S. nuclear plants as weak natural gas prices make significant investment in older, single-unit reactors uneconomical.
[link to www.nucpros.com]
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Exelon chief: Wind-power subsidies could threaten nuclear plants

Exelon Corp. Chief Executive Christopher Crane said Thursday that the rapid pace of subsidized wind-generated electric power could ultimately force it to shutter nuclear plants.

"What worries me is if we continue to build an excessive amount of wind and subsidize wind, the unintended consequence could be that it leads to shutting down plants," Crane said in an interview.

Crane said states that have helped to subsidize wind development in order to create jobs might find themselves losing jobs if nuclear plants shut down.

The Chicago-based company doesn't have any immediate plans to mothball nuclear plants, although at least one analyst has predicted that could occur as soon as 2015.
[link to articles.chicagotribune.com]
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China’s Hongyanhe nuclear plant operational

The $7.9bn Honyanhe nuclear power plant in northeast China has commenced operation, and is the first such plant built by the Chinese since the Fukushima disaster.

Beijing had ordered a 20-month ban on new projects, but lifted it in October, enabling completion of the first unit.
[link to www.powerengineeringint.com]
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Nuclear Workers Union Paid Members With Costco Gift Cards To Attend San Onofre Meeting
[link to www.simplyinfo.org]

[snip]

The union that covers nuclear workers was caught busing in workers and paying them with Costco gift cards to attend a public meeting with the NRC on San Onofre.

If these illustrations are correct it is hard to believe that the fuel racks and the spent fuel are undamaged.



Unit 3 Location Of Crane & Mast In Pool
[link to www.simplyinfo.org]

REVIEW: Dames & Moore Reports On Ft. Calhoun Show Foundation Risk
[link to www.simplyinfo.org]

[snip]

The borings show considerable bedrock flaws down the center line of the containment structure. From what can be found there is no monitoring program to assure the bedrock under the reactor has not changed since the 1960s. The Dames & Moore reports also did not make it clear what if anything was done to fill in the voids and cavities where foundation piles passed through or into them. Failure to do so would create lateral failure points for the piles.

HDR’s urging for more inspection under critical buildings is important and should be made mandatory by the NRC if it has not already been. This inspection may not go far enough. Further review of the foundation and slab for the containment building should be conducted both to assure it meets the approved design and also to look for potential signs of settling or failure. Ft. Calhoun has been plagued with plant wide problems due to them never doing the design document reconstitution required by the NRC back in the 1990s. Since the design of the containment foundation is so critical to the safety of the reactor it would make sense to focus on assuring that the actual foundation structure matches the licensed design.

The situation of the rock formation flaws beneath containment should have never been permitted for such a high demand structure. What the AEC found permissible in the 1960′s is not always would modern design standards would find to be safe. Further complicating the situation is the unknown of the foundation piles and bedrock directly beneath the reactor and their current condition. The work required to fully assure the foundation meets the design basis and has not experienced rock formation changes below the foundation piles may be impossible or so expensive they would far outweigh any potential future income from this very old small reactor. The unit only produces 475 MW, nearly half the output of most other reactors. Having potential foundation failures beneath an operating nuclear reactor is an unacceptable risk to ask the public to take for a meager possible future income for OPPD.