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

MidAmerican Energy considering nuclear power plant

MidAmerican Energy isn’t ready to completely turn to natural gas and is considering the option of nuclear power generation, company President William Fehrman said in a report to the Iowa Utilities Board.

Fehman said part of his hesitation to relying too heavily on natural gas is based on the possibility the fuel will not stay at its current low price.
[link to www.power-eng.com]
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EDF eyes UK government help for nuclear reactor

EDF Energy is in talks with the UK government that could see taxpayers help guarantee some of the cost of a new multi-billion pound nuclear reactor in Somerset.

The world's biggest operator of nuclear reactors is in early stage talks with the Treasury about underwriting some of the financing of the reactor at Hickley Point, which is expected to cost about £7bn.
The hope is that any guarantees will help persuade some of the world's largest pension funds to stump up money to help create the next generation of nuclear reactors in Britain.
[link to www.telegraph.co.uk]
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TURKEY POINT NRC Event Notification: AUTOMATIC REACTOR TRIP DUE TO TURBINE TRIP ON LOSS OF CONDENSER VACUUM

This is a non-emergency event notification to the NRCOC [Nuclear Regulatory Commission Operations Center] in accordance with 10 CFR 50.72(b)(2)(iv)(B) for a valid actuation of the Reactor Protection System (RPS) (four hour notification) and 10 CFR 50.72(b)(3)(iv)(A) for a valid Engineered Safeguards (ESF) actuation due to Auxiliary Feedwater (AFW) initiation (eight hour notification).

On 2/11/2013 at 2236 EST Unit 3 experienced a loss of condenser vacuum. An automatic Turbine Trip signal was generated which initiated a Reactor Trip signal. The reactor tripped as required on the automatic trip signal. Auxiliary feedwater water actuated automatically based on low steam generator levels following the trip. Unit 3 is currently in Mode 3 and stable. Steam generator levels have been returned to normal levels . The loss of vacuum is under investigation at this time. All other plant systems are working as designed.
[link to www.nucpros.com]
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Cheers!...

Fukushima brewers promote sake as safe

Japanese sake breweries in Fukushima Prefecture say their products are safe, delicious and strictly screened for radioactive fallout from the 2011 nuclear disaster.

Twenty-five breweries from the Fukushima prefectural sake cooperative unveiled their beverages of the year in Tokyo's Ginza shopping district on Tuesday.

The group says all the rice used for its sake must clear checks for radioactivity that are tighter than the government standard of 10 becquerels or lower per kilogram.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]
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New system developed to predict post-quake tsunami

Japan's Meteorological Agency is to start operating a new tsunami alert system next month to analyze earthquakes stronger than magnitude 8.

When the magnitude-9 earthquake struck northeastern Japan in March 2011, the agency initially estimated it at magnitude 7.9. It then issued alerts for tsunamis that proved far smaller than those that hit the area.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]
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North Korea warns of more nuclear tests

North Korea warns that it will carry out more nuclear tests if the United States keeps up its hostile attitude against the country.

The North Korean foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that the nuclear test conducted earlier in the day was intended to show the resentment of the nation's military and people towards the US.

The statement says another aim was to display North Korea's determination and capability to defend its sovereignty.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]
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In a couple of years there will be many more cases...

2 more thyroid cancer cases identified in Fukushima

A Fukushima prefectural government panel said Wednesday two young people, who were 18 or younger when the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi complex erupted in March 2011, have been diagnosed with thyroid cancer, bringing the total number of such cases to three.

Reporting the finding at a meeting of the panel on the health impact from the disaster, Shinichi Suzuki, professor at Fukushima Medical University, said it is too early to link the cases to the nuclear accident as the 1986 Chernobyl disaster demonstrates that it takes at least four to five years before thyroid cancer is detected.
[link to english.kyodonews.jp]
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8.2 million residents within 50 miles.


NRC grilled at San Onofre meeting
[link to www.ocregister.com]

Here we go..


Oregon State starts construction on $4.8M nuclear facility
[link to www.sustainablebusinessoregon.com]

[snip]

Scientists from Oregon State University helped found NuScale Power LLC, which is also working on safer and more efficient nuclear energy production. NuScale's technology features what scientists call "passive safety" and uses small, modular reactors.

The new technology that will be tested at OSU uses a “super-hot” nuclear reactor cooled by helium gas instead of water. The reactor would operate at temperatures above 2,000 degrees – about three times as hot as existing reactors.

Large device ” found on the fuel rack” in Fukushima Unit 3 pool — “Apparently narrowly avoided striking and damaging liner” (PHOTOS)
[link to enenews.com]

Thread: Chernobyl Nuclear Plant Collaspes!!! but "everyone should remain absolutely calm"

[link to enenews.com]
[link to enenews.com]

[snip]

They have loose, rolling skin and their ribs show through their tiny brown bodies. There is a glaze in their large round eyes. When they flop or lay down on the cement dry areas, it’s not the normal lounging that healthy California sea lions typically do for hours on end. Even their whiskers seem droopy. These pups are sick.

[...] As of Feb. 11, 2013 the [Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro] has received more than 100 pups. [...]

David Bard, director of operations [ says ...] “We really aren’t sure why we are seeing so many now. Usually January is a relatively quiet time for us. This has taken us all by surprise.”

[...] “We are prepping in the back of our heads for the ‘worst case scenario’ if this condition still persists,” he says. “We’re taking it day by day.” [...]

2 more cases of thyroid cancer found in Fukushima youths
[link to japandailypress.com]

[snip]

Shinichi Suzuki, a professor from Fukushima Medical University, stated at a panel meeting for the ongoing health impact following the nuclear disaster that it was still too early to directly link the cancer cases with Fukushima meltdowns. While this is somewhat hard to believe, what with the 2011 nuclear crisis being the worst disaster since Chernobyl in 1986, and three people from the prefecture just “coincidentally” developing cancer in following months, it was Chernobyl itself that showed it takes at least four to five years for the disease to be detected.

TEPCO workers find fuel handling mast atop spent fuel storage racks in Fukushima Daiichi Unit 3

TEPCO workers sent an underwater camera into the Unit 3 spent fuel pool to determine the final resting place of the fuel handling machine mast, which was knocked into the Unit 3 spent fuel pool during debris removal operations on February 6th, 2013.

The 1.5 ton device was found resting on top of the fuel racks, where it apparently narrowly avoided striking and damaging the liner of the spent fuel pool.

TEPCO workers sent an underwater camera into the Unit 3 spent fuel pool to determine the final resting place of the fuel handling machine mast, which was knocked into the Unit 3 spent fuel pool during debris removal operations on February 6th, 2013.

The 1.5 ton device was found resting on top of the fuel racks, where it apparently narrowly avoided striking and damaging the liner of the spent fuel pool.
[link to enformable.com]

Video at link.
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Kalpakkam reactor runs on fast track

Kalpakkam: Bhavini, the government of India enterprise, under the administrative control of the department of atomic energy, hopes to have the 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR), being built at Kalpakkam, ready for commissioning even before the deadline of September 2014.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle on Tuesday, Dr Prabhat Kumar, chairman and managing director, Bhavini, said 93 per cent of the Rs 5,677 crore project had been completed and the PFBR could be commissioned by September next year or even sooner. “We have loaded all 1,747 major assemblies in the reactor core and are marching towards the September 2014 deadline. We are certain that we will not cross it. In fact we could even finish the work earlier”, he said.

If all goes well, the first plutonium-based reactor, PFBR, will start to produce 470 MWe power by March 2015, according to  him.
[link to www.deccanchronicle.com]
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"Even if the radiation levels did not change, this is a worrying sign," Vladimir Churov of Greenpeace in neighbouring Russia told the Interfax news agency.
"If there are sections in the turbine hall that are falling down there is no guarantee that the sarcophagus built in 1986 will not be the next to fall."

The 80 Vinci and Bouygues workers employed to set up the new shelter over the exploded reactor as part of the Novarka consortium were all given radiation checks and evacuated, a Bouygues spokesperson said.
"Novarka is employing all measures to limit surface contamination. These are currently within admissable limits."

However the spokeswoman for the Chernobyl plant, Maya Rudenko, dismissed Greenpeace's concerns and said that the existing sarcophagus had been strengthened from 2004-2008 and could last until 2023.

"There is absolutely no risk," she said.

The area of the accident is estimated at about 600 square metres, the emergency agency said.
A statement on the website of the power station described the accident as the "partial failure of the wall slabs and light roof of the Unit 4 Turbine Hall."
[link to www.nzherald.co.nz]

Great, it's a test facility too.

w.................t...................f............

No worries.. Someone will make an announcement that there is absolutely no danger to the public.

I wonder if the mouthpiece even believes that..?

Edison manipulated costs at San Onofre, complaint alleges
[link to latimesblogs.latimes.com]

[snip]

An advocacy group filed a complaint Wednesday with the California Public Utilities Commission alleging that Southern California Edison manipulated inflation calculations to recover more money from ratepayers for defective replacement steam generators at the San Onofre nuclear plant.

The Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility complaint alleges that Edison violated federal securities law by misrepresenting the authorized inflation adjustment by as much as $100 million in filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and might have overbilled customers using the inflated figures.

John Geesman, an attorney for the alliance, characterized the alleged actions as "plain old-fashioned financial chicanery."

The PUC authorized Edison and SDG&E in 2005 to spend up to $782 million in ratepayer funds on the replacement project, but agreed to review whether any costs exceeding $671 million were reasonable.

The commission did not specify an inflation adjustment at the time. That was to be determined when Edison submitted its final accounting of project costs and applied to include the costs permanently in rates.

The company has not yet filed that application but is expected to do so in March. In the meantime, Edison received permission from the PUC to include costs of the steam generators on bills in 2011 and 2012 of $56.7 million and $115.2 million, respectively. A request to recover costs in 2013 is pending.

More lies?...

TEPCO: Damaged reactor can withstand quakes

The operator of the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says the pool to store spent fuel in the 4th reactor building is strong enough to resist earthquakes.

The company examines the spent fuel storage pool every 3 months, checking the slant of the structure, its walls, and strength.

The 4th reactor building was heavily damaged by a hydrogen explosion shortly after the earthquake and tsunami in March 2011.

This raised concerns about the quake-resistance of the pool that contains more than 1,500 fuel rods, the most of any reactor building in the plant.

The utility says for the first time, an outside expert observed the latest inspection.

The observer says that the fuel storage pool was close to level and the building was not distorted.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]
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Iran, IAEA fail to agree on nuclear inspection

Officials from Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency have failed to agree on inspections of a military facility for the country's nuclear development.

IAEA Deputy Director General Herman Nackaerts met with Iranian officials in Tehran on Wednesday.

The IAEA has been asking Iran to allow its nuclear experts to inspect the Parchin military facility near Tehran.
But Iran appears to have rejected the request.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]
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Obama vows to defend Japan with U.S. nuclear umbrella

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Barack Obama pledged Wednesday a “steadfast” commitment to defend Japan, including preventing nuclear attacks on its ally in the wake of North Korea’s third nuclear test, the White House said.
[link to www.japantoday.com]
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More BS propaganda from North Korea...

N. Korea says "fully prepared for both sanctions and war"

North Korea on Thursday threatened "all-out counteraction" against the United States and its allies if the U.N. Security Council, under their pressure, imposes further sanctions against it over its recent nuclear test, warning it is "fully prepared for both sanctions and war."
[link to english.kyodonews.jp]
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Questions raised over testing methods for thyroid gland doses in Fukushima
[link to ajw.asahi.com]

[snip]

Researchers have announced safe radiation doses in thyroid glands for the vast majority of residents living around the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant. But their studies are based on estimates, assumptions and a calculation method that many experts have called into question.

A mountain of challenges must be overcome before the doses can be evaluated more accurately. Some obstacles could be removed simply through improved coordination in sharing information.

One of the biggest problems is the scarce availability of data for radioactive iodine, which has a short half-life of eight days, in the period immediately following the nuclear disaster that began on March 11, 2011.

The researchers were forced to depend on other data resources just to estimate the iodine doses in thyroid glands. The Environment Ministry commissioned the task to the National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS), which has relied on two methods to assess the doses.

Thwarted once, inspectors again seek truth about cause of Fukushima disaster
[link to ajw.asahi.com]

[snip]

The No. 1 reactor building houses isolation condensers, key safety devices which failed in the March 11, 2011, disaster. They should have withstood the magnitude-9.0 Great East Japan Earthquake.

"We want to begin an investigation soon," agency chairman Shunichi Tanaka said Feb. 13.

In February 2012, plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. lied about conditions inside the building, apparently to prevent an inspection taking place at that time.

A Diet investigation committee requested access. TEPCO replied that an inspection would be dangerous because the building was "pitch black" inside, an assertion later exposed as false.

NRA conducting investigation at Monju fast breeder after safety violations

Earlier this year an investigation of inspection records of key safety equipment at the Monju fast-breeder prototype station revealed over 10,000 irregularities in the documentation of checkups and operations management efforts.  Originally the utility operating the station, the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, had claimed to have conducted proper inspections and documentation, but admitted earlier this month that vital safety checks had in fact never been completed.
[link to enformable.com]
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NY reactor shut down after pumps fail

NEW YORK — A nuclear reactor in the New York suburbs has been shut down because two pumps that send water from a drain tank to the steam generators stopped working.

The plant's owner said Wednesday the shutdown of Indian Point 2 went safely. They said there were no injuries and no release of radioactivity.
[link to online.wsj.com]
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Huge section of roof covering Chernobyl nuclear reactor which exploded collapses under the weight of snow

Officials immediately denied any threat of radiation even though the accident involved a cover on part of the workings of Reactor Number 4 which exploded in 1986 in the world's worst atomic disaster.

'There are no safety hazards. The radiation situation at the plant and in the exclusion zone is normal. No one was hurt,' said the administration at the former Soviet plant.
[link to www.dailymail.co.uk]

Photos at link.
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K East Reactor to be in surveillance mode to await cocooning

The K East Reactor at Hanford has been torn down to little more than its radioactive core and more than 50 openings have been sealed up.

The reactor will remain that way, in what the Department of Energy calls temporary surveillance mode, possibly for several years.

The K East Reactor is one of three of Hanford's nine plutonium-production reactors lining the Columbia River yet to be cocooned, or placed in storage for up to 75 years to let radiation decay to lower levels.
[link to www.tri-cityherald.com]
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