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

The utility should be prosecuted for endangering the public if this guy's claim is true.




Safety Officer Fired for Shutting Down Dangerous Nuclear Reactor
[link to www.allgov.com]

[snip]

The plaintiff claims the utility didn’t want to power down the reactor and make repairs in order to save money. According to the lawsuit, it was later determined that various repairs did have to be made, costing FPL $6 million. Hicks was put on probation, his pay was cut and he was eventually fired. He is seeking back pay, lost benefits and other compensatory damages.


...

Ex-FPL employee alleges nuclear plant decision led to retaliation
[link to www.bizjournals.com]

3 Mile Island nuke plant automatically shuts down
[link to www.google.com]

[snip]

A malfunctioning pump at the site of the worst nuclear power plant accident in U.S. history has triggered an automatic shutdown.

They don't want to talk about it... zip it..




Government Engineers Warn of Nuclear Plant Flood Risks
[link to www.allgov.com]

[snip]

An engineer with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has accused the agency of covering up warnings about nuclear power plants vulnerable to flooding, which could result in disasters similar to the Fukushima meltdown in Japan.

Richard H. Perkins, a reliability and risk engineer with the NRC’s division of risk analysis, said superiors blacked out critical portions of a report he helped author that detailed which nuclear plants face the risk of flooding from swollen rivers or reservoirs.

yay............. worm turns............

Helluva legacy we are leaving.
Sometimes it challenges my ability to process reality.

Bomb test contamination, all the contamination from reactor operation,
50 some years of spent fuel buildup_
TMI, Chernobyl.. and the kicker,
Fukushima-Daiichi.

Madness.
And yet; they say I'm stupid to be anti-nuke.
I disagree.

I apologize to future generations for what we have done.



:sadness:





The Ongoing Damage and Danger at Fukushima
[link to www.fairewinds.com]

[snip]

HC: Well I mean, the only time they have ever tried to remove melted fuel was at Three Mile Island. And that took them 10 years, did it not?

AG: Yes. And that was easy.

HC: But that really was not melted like the way these 3 have really . . .

AG: Right. TMI had a blob of nuclear fuel on the bottom. But it had not breeched the vessel. All of these vessels have been breeched, the control rods come in at the bottom and they are leaking like a sieve. So it is likely that fuel has oozed out through the control rods, if not burned it's way right out.

It is likely Unit II has burned it's way right out and is now lying on the concrete. And I think that is really the big change . . . , in my view of the problem, is what they are finding in Units I, II, and III now. Let's think of a nuclear reactor as a pressure cooker.

....


AG: So they have contaminated the reactor, the bottom of the containment, the torus, which is that donut-shaped thing, the reactor building which is outside that, the thing that blew up, the floor of that is contaminated, and the building next to it, the turbine hall, should be the least radioactive and it is still a million disintegrations per second per every liter. So my thought is now, considering the extent of this contamination, that it is not fair to the workers to have them going in and clean this. And I think if I were Tokyo Electric's management, a couple of more years out after the cooling is completely done, I would consider filling up those containment buildings with concrete and walking away for 300 years. You know, obviously monitoring it, but I do not think it is fair to the workers to expose them to the extraordinary levels they will receive if they were to try to turn that site back into a green field.

HC: They could not turn it back into a green field. That is ridiculous. But anyway . . .

AG: Yes, you are right. And of course the big concern would be you have got to make sure you have got it all captured and it is not going down into the water table.

HC: But it will, and if you put concrete on it, you know it is going to keep going down into the water table and you know it is going to keep contaminating the Pacific Ocean for the rest of time.

AG: Right. So there is no good solution.

HC: No there is none.

AG: Absolutely no good solution. But the solution would be to bore holes underneath and constantly pull water out from under the building so that whatever leaks down gets treated. So we are still back with these big de-mineralizers again. But to my mind, I could not, as a manager, order a couple of thousand workers to pick up extraordinarily high exposures to dismantle these plants at this point in time.

we have 20+ sunscreen in aus because it is the sun... *cough... we are one of the most irradiated places on the planet........... sun cancer......... shhhhhhhhhh........ don' tell anyone...........

Automatic Reactor Shutdown At NMP 1 Probed
SCRIBA, NY – At 9:24 a.m.today (Sept. 20), Nine Mile Point Unit 1 experienced an automatic reactor shut down.

The preliminary data indicates the unit experienced a Turbine trip, but the exact cause has not yet been identified, according to company spokesperson Jill Lyon.

“The plant responded according to design and automatically shut down with all safety systems responding appropriately. The plant is in a safe and stable condition,” she said. “Our operators, using detailed procedures and their training, took the appropriate actions to respond to plant conditions.”
[link to oswegocountytoday.com]
.

Bruce 1 nuclear reactor joins Ontario grid after 15 years
Bruce Power said it synchronized its 750-megawatt (MW) Unit 1 at the Bruce nuclear power station to the Ontario electricity grid on Wednesday, after a 15-year refurbishment.

"With first synchronization now complete, final planned commissioning activities will be carried-out on Unit 1, including safety system shutdown testing," company spokesman John Peevers said in a statement.
[link to www.nucpros.com]
.

BROWNS FERRY: LOSS OF EMERGENCY ASSESSMENT CAPABILITY DUE TO INOPERABLE SEISMIC MONITORING INSTRUMENTATION
At 1240 CDT on 9/20/2012, Operations personnel determined that Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant had experienced a loss of assessment capability. The loss of assessment capability identified was due to not having functional seismic monitoring instrumentation during performance of a modification. The loss of seismic monitoring capability was determined to have existed from 8/17/2012 until 9/15/2012.
[link to www.nucpros.com]
.

Nuclear Weapons Testing, and 40 Years Later, a Lethal Blood Cancer

[link to www.watchnewspapers.com]

IAEA adopts resolution on N.Korea's nuclear work
The International Atomic Energy Agency has unanimously adopted a resolution urging North Korea to abandon its nuclear program and allow inspectors to return to its nuclear facilities.

The agency adopted the resolution at its annual general conference in Vienna on Friday.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]
.

Japan will go nuclear free, Noda insists
TOKYO — Japan will go nuclear free, the prime minister insisted Friday, rebutting criticism that his government was floundering and unable to come up with a coherent position on the issue.

Yoshihiko Noda’s administration last week declared it was aiming to eliminate atomic power from the country’s energy mix by 2040.
[link to www.japantoday.com]
.

Futaba town logs highest radiation level day after Fukushima accident
A district in Futaba town, about 5.6 kilometers northwest of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, was exposed to the highest radiation level outside the plant after it was crippled by the quake and tsunami of March 11, 2011, according to data released by the prefecture Friday.

An hourly dose of 1,590 microsieverts was logged in the Kamihatori area of Futaba at 3 p.m. the day after the disaster struck, the data retrieved from radiation monitoring posts showed. The recorded amount exceeds even the annual radiation exposure limit of 1,000 microsieverts set by the government for the general public.
[link to english.kyodonews.jp]
.

Steel beam gets knocked into No. 3 fuel pool
A 7-meter long steel beam was accidently knocked into a spent nuclear fuel pool during work in the No. 3 reactor building at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

The plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, says it has not discovered any serious problems as a result of the accident and the cooling system is working normally.

The accident occurred on Saturday, while workers were operating a large crane to remove debris at the No.3 reactor building. The end of the crane accidentally hit a 470 kilogram steel beam, knocking it into the cooling pool where 566 spent fuel rods are stored.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]
.

yeah............ no worries....... happens all the time...........

Japan to study wild animals in no-entry zone
Japan's Environment Ministry has decided to study wild animals in no-entry areas around the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in preparation for the return of residents in the future.

The decision follows a number of complaints about wild boars and monkeys from people who temporarily returned to their homes.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]
.

New nuclear regulatory body to check fault under Oi plant in Oct.
Japan's new nuclear regulatory authority will conduct an on-site inspection in late October to confirm whether there is an active fault underneath the only nuclear power plant operating in the quake-prone country, sources close to the matter said Thursday.

The Nos. 3 and 4 reactors at Kansai Electric Power Co.'s Oi power plant have been allowed to remain online despite the existence of a suspicious fault, with the Nuclear Regulation Authority's predecessor saying it was highly unlikely that the fault would undermine the safety of the reactors.

But if the newly launched regulatory commission judges differently, it could be difficult to continue operation of the reactors in western Japan.
[link to english.kyodonews.jp]
.

Emirates, Saudis drive for nuclear power
The United Arab Emirates, one of the top oil exporters, is leading the race to develop nuclear power in the Arab world and has awarded contracts worth $2 billion to provide, convert and enrich uranium.

For now, only the Emirates and Saudi Arabia have the political clout and the financial reserves to achieve nuclear power programs that will transform their economies. They also have the backing of the United States for this strategic geopolitical transition in return for pledges not to militarize their nuclear programs.

The Saudis' program, costing $100 billion, is by far the most ambitious, with 16 nuclear reactors planned by 2030, the first scheduled to start producing electricity by 2019.
[link to www.nucpros.com]
.

EDF starts planning for second new UK nuclear plant
EDF Energy, the UK arm of France's state-owned utility, on Friday started planning procedures to build a second new nuclear plant in Britain, despite searching for a partner to help finance its first new UK nuclear plant in Somerset.

The company, already Britain's biggest nuclear power producer, announced on Friday its intention to start public consultation, the first step of planning procedures, for the new project at Sizewell in Suffolk at the end of November.
[link to www.lse.co.uk]
.

Kansas nuclear plant faces more federal oversight
TOPEKA -- The only nuclear power plant in Kansas now has one of the lowest safety ratings in the nation and will face increased federal oversight because of an unplanned shutdown in January, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Friday.

The commission said the Jan 13 shutdown at the plant in Burlington, about 55 miles south of Topeka, had “substantial safety significance.”
[link to www.kansascity.com]
.

India...

Kudankulam protest: Fishermen block sea approach to Tuticorin Port
Chennai: Thousands of fishermen on Saturday blocked the approach channel to the Tuticorin Port with their boats to protest against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP), said an activist.

"Fishermen in more than 2,000 boats blocked the channel in the morning protesting against the nuclear reactor at Kudankulam. Each boat on an average has four persons," J. Jones, a protestor, told IANS from a boat near Tuticorin Port around 600 km from Chennai.
[link to www.nucpros.com]
.

Worker At Fukushima Daiichi Exposes Labor Conditions

September 19th, 2012 | Add a Comment
[Translate]

A worker at Fukushima Daiichi documented the events as he sought work at the disaster site and how the system is worked.

He released a full video on YouTube that shows much of the training process for new workers and his narrative but it lacks English subtitles. He does show a brief bus ride into the plant.

Some things he mentions of his experience:
He was given a pre-filled resume to use that claimed he had previous nuclear experience that he did not have.
They attended a 1 day seminar as the extent of their radiation safety training.
They were misinformed that exposure to 1mSv of radiation would “go back to zero” in 8 days.
He was told he would be checking in/out equipment and doing radiation survey.
His actual work involved changing the agitator in the Areva decontamination system (high dose work).
He was told this high dose work was the same as the exposure other workers at the plant received daily.
There are many 18-19 year old workers at the plant.
[link to www.simplyinfo.org]

ty OR xoxoxox, sending this off to mozuchuki of F-D for a translation........

[link to enformable.com]

a smaller source of translation

Nuclear decontamination technologies showcased
Cleaning up nuclear fallout is a top priority for municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture and surrounding areas affected by last year's nuclear accident.

An exhibit showcasing the latest technologies for decontamination opened in Tokyo on Monday.

The 3-day event, the first of the kind in Japan, is being attended by more than 100 firms and organizations involved in the clean-up.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]
.

JOGMEC to boost aid for geothermal generation
A Japanese government agency will provide aid to companies in the geothermal power business.

Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation, or JOGMEC, is launching a special section to promote geothermal projects.

Geothermal power is a promising source of renewable energy for Japan. It provides a stable source of power because it uses underground steam and is not affected by weather. Japan is a volcanic country with many potential sites for geothermal energy production.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]
.

Current NRC Operational Event Notification Report for September 24, 2012

BRAIDWOOD: TECHNICAL SUPPORT CENTER VENTILATION INOPERABLE

QUAD CITIES: DRYWELL RADIATION MONITOR INOPERABLE

GINNA: UNANALYZED CONDITION IDENTIFIED IN APPENDIX R FIRE SCENARIO

LIMERICK: ISOLATION VALVES COULD FAIL TO FULLY CLOSE
[link to www.nrc.gov]
.

Amazing. They act like they are performing a public service rather than fulfilling their responsibilities...


Removing nuclear waste, one shipment at a time
[link to www.lanl.gov]

$134 million in costs to restart Fort Calhoun to be spread out over 10 years
[link to enformable.com]

NRC to send inspectors to check radiation monitoring at University of Missouri building
[link to enformable.com]

[snip]

Pickard Hall was built in 1892 and previously served as the chemistry building. The radiation is believed to have come from the lab of chemistry Professor Herman Schlundt from his work on radium separation and thorium research, but no radioactive materials have been used since the 1930s. The majority of the contamination is thought to from Radium-226. The contamination has been found behind the walls, on the grounds, in the attic, underneath floor tiles, and in pipes and ductwork in the building.