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

Stable?... it's more like like a house of cards...

Steam seen rising from Fukushima reactor: TEPCO

TOKYO — Vapor has begun rising again from a reactor at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, more than 2 1/2 years after its core melted down, the site’s operator said Friday.

Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said it believed the steam was coming from a puddle sitting atop the reactor, but has not been able to clarify why vapor started appearing occasionally from July this year.

TEPCO said the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant remained stable, with sensors in and around it showing no increase in levels of radioactive release.

The steam appeared as TEPCO found more evidence that radioactive waste water at the plant was contaminating groundwater that is on its way to the sea.

Thousands of tons of water were poured on the reactors to tame the meltdowns sparked by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. TEPCO says their temperature is now stable but they need to be kept cool to prevent them running out of control again.
[link to www.japantoday.com]
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Suggesting?... may?... snakes, they know it's leaking into the Pacific Ocean...

Toxic water may have leaked into Pacific Ocean: TEPCO

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Thursday it has detected radioactive substances in a drainage ditch directly connected to the Pacific Ocean, suggesting toxic water may have reached the sea near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Radioactive substances of 220 becquerels per liter were found in samples taken Wednesday from the ditch, located around 150 meters from the sea. The radiation level of strontium, cesium and other substances emitting beta rays was about 12 times that of samples taken at the ditch on Tuesday, the plant operator said.

Workers have been engaged in decontamination work at an upstream ditch for several days and TEPCO suspects that toxic water seeped through sandbags placed to prevent the leakage of contaminated water.
[link to english.kyodonews.jp]
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Perfect business plan... first, you build them and make a good profit... then you dismantle the plant and make another good profit... lol...

Westinghouse to dismantle Zorita vessel

Westinghouse has been contracted by Spanish nuclear waste management company Enresa to dismantle the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) of the José Cabrera (Zorita) nuclear power plant which it sold to Spain over 50 years ago.

The contract covers the dismantling and segmentation of the RPV and vessel head, including up-front engineering studies, and covers the design of process to detach, manipulate and lift the components to the used fuel pool, where they will be cut up.
[link to www.world-nuclear-news.org]
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Double nuclear by 2040 says Exxon

World electricity demand is likely to grow by over 80% by 2040, and nuclear energy capacity will need to double to help to meet it, according to figures from Exxon Mobil. The company's analysis triggered a lively exchange at the WNA Annual Symposium in London.

Exxon Mobil's 2013 Outlook for Energy bases its findings on data from 100 countries across the globe, looking at 15 demand centres and 20 fuel types. It also takes into consideration the technology and policy issues underpinning the world's energy situation, Exxon Mobil technology advisor David Khemakhem explained to delegates at the World Nuclear Association's Annual Symposium. Latest figures indicate that, with world population anticipated to be close to 9 billion by 2040, energy demand will continue to increase. Electricity demand will drive that growth.

Exxon's figures suggest that world nuclear capacity could be set to double to help meet that demand, as the cheapest form of low-CO2 electricity generation: other options such as onshore wind and solar photovoltaics have significant knock-on grid costs, Khemakhem remarked.
[link to www.world-nuclear-news.org]
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The Front Burner: Policy wrongly puts risk of nuclear plants on public

Think what you want about nuclear power. Maybe it's the best way to generate electricity or maybe it's the worst. For Florida taxpayers, that debate may be less relevant than the one aimed right at your pocketbook.

At issue is the use of taxpayer-backed federal loan guarantees to finance nuclear-reactor projects — such as the Vogtle reactors in Georgia now awaiting a deadline for final agreement on loan-guarantee terms. If these terms are finalized, taxpayers will be left holding the bag in the event of a Vogtle default.

In February 2010, the U.S. Department of Energy conditionally offered Southern Company and its partners $8.33 billion in taxpayer-backed loan guarantees to build two nuclear reactors in Georgia.

The subsidy would be provided through the same DOE program that awarded more than $500 million to the now defunct solar-power company, Solyndra. The Vogtle project is roughly 16 times bigger than Solyndra in loan-guarantee terms and perhaps every bit as troubled.

The project is already experiencing construction delays that could increase costs substantially, and its design, the AP1000, has never been built in the United States before or been successfully completed or operated anywhere in the world.

Initial cost estimates of $14.1 billion are already being pushed up to $15.3 billion. With lawsuits being pursued by contractors designing the reactor, the cost could jump again to $16.2 billion.

All of this is unfolding against a backdrop of grim news for the nuclear industry in the U.S.

With the recent cancellation of the Levy nuclear project and the closure of the Crystal River nuclear plant in Florida, the shutdown of a reactor in California, the withdrawal of the largest nuclear-energy provider in the world from U.S. nuclear investments, and the low cost of natural gas, it should come as no surprise that Wall Street won't touch the Vogtle project.

Floridians know all too well the sting of being left on the hook for the nuclear industry's failures. Florida's cost-recovery program and the cancellation of Duke Energy's Levy nuclear project will force ratepayers to cover the costs of the state's financial gamble for years to come, to the tune of $1.5 billion.

One might ask: How does a large, profitable utility get the green light for an outrageous $8.33 billion subsidy?

That's no mystery in Washington. Last year, Southern Company spent far more than any other electric utility on lobbying the federal government, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. It shelled out almost $15.6 million in 2012, or roughly $42,000 a day, in order to help strong-arm a deal, even though its financials and the project all point to a bad investment for taxpayers.
[link to www.orlandosentinel.com]
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NRC sets first public meeting on decommissioning San Onofre nuclear plant

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced Thursday it will hold a public meeting September 26 in Carlsbad to talk about the decommissioning process for the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in northern San Diego County.

It will be the agency's first public meeting on closing the plant operated by Southern California Edison.

The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Omni LaCosta Hotel, 2100 Costa del Mar Road. Doors will open at 5 p.m. to accommodate security screening.

An NRC press release says technical staff will give a presentation describing the process and regulations covering the decommissioning with a Q&A session to follow.

Earlier this month, Southern California Edison opened the San Onofre Digital Document Library. The utility said the library provides the public with documents related to the design of the steam generators that were cited as a reason for the plant's problems.
[link to www.scpr.org]

San Onofre Digital Document Library:
[link to newsroom.edison.com]

[link to www.songscommunity.com]
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North Korea Appears to Restart Plutonium Reactor

WASHINGTON — New satellite photographs showing steam emerging from a newly reconstructed nuclear reactor in North Korea suggest that the country may be making good on its promise to resume the production of plutonium for its small nuclear arsenal, six years after it reached an agreement with the Bush administration to dismantle the facility.

The discovery of the activity at the Yongbyon complex, the centerpiece of North Korea’s nuclear program, was reported by the U.S.-Korea Institute, at Johns Hopkins University, which follows the North’s nuclear program closely.

If the source of the steam proves to be the restarting of the reactor, it would enable the North, after a year or more, to begin to add to its arsenal of plutonium weapons. It would also underscore the failure of efforts by four American presidents to stop the North Korean program; so far, the North has conducted three nuclear tests, including two during the Obama administration.

The possible restart of the reactor comes just months after one of the worst crises in years on the divided peninsula, as the North conducted a third nuclear test, then lashed out with threats of nuclear attacks after additional international sanctions were imposed.
[link to www.nucpros.com]
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TEPCO official denies Abe’s claim that nuclear crisis is 'under control'



“We regard the current situation as not being under control,” Kazuhiko Yamashita, an executive officer of Tokyo Electric Power Co., told a meeting in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture. The meeting was held by the opposition Democratic Party of Japan’s task force on radioactive water issues.




“From now on, we will work hard to control the situation,” Nakanishi said.

From now on? From now on?





[link to ajw.asahi.com]

Fukushima nuke plant spews vapor, Japanese operator clueless about cause

Vapor has begun rising again from a reactor at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, more than two-and-a-half years after its core melted down, the site's Japanese operator said.
Tokyo Electric Power said it believed the steam was coming from a puddle sitting atop the reactor, but has not been able to clarify why.
TEPCO said the Fukushima nuclear plant remained stable, with sensors in and around it showing no increase in levels of radioactive release.
The steam appeared as TEPCO found more evidence that radioactive waste water at the plant was contaminating groundwater on its way to the sea.
Thousands of tonnes of water were poured on the reactors to tame the meltdowns sparked by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. TEPCO says their temperature is now stable but they need to be kept cool to prevent them running out of control again.
The continuing nuclear catastrophe at Fukushima has come under the international spotlight in recent weeks as Tokyo fought off challenges from Madrid and Istanbul for the right to host the 2020 Games.
Speaking to Olympic chiefs in Buenos Aires ahead of their decision to award the Games to Tokyo, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the situation at Fukushima was “under control.’’
Thousands of tonnes of radioactive water are being stored in temporary tanks at Fukushima. Much of it has been used to cool molten reactors at the plant.
TEPCO and Japanese officials are considering releasing some of it into the Pacific Ocean after filtering out radioactive materials, but face opposition from fisherman and neighboring countries.—AFP


Get that, "considering" releasing some into the ocean...it's gushing in unchecked...pure lies and obsfucation...

Published on Friday, September 13, 2013 by Common Dreams

TEPCO Official: Fukushima is Out of Control

Statement contradicts assurances of Japanese PM, comes as fresh steam is spotted billowing from reactor

- Sarah Lazare, staff writer



Fukushima nuclear plant in the immediate aftermath of Japan's March 2011 tsunami (Photo: AP)"I’m sorry, but we consider the situation is not under control."

Those were the words of Kazuhiko Yamashita, executive-level fellow for Fukushima plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company when he was pressed by the opposition Democratic Party of Japan.

His statements directly contradict the claims of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, who assured the International Olympic Committee meeting in Buenos Aires Saturday that the situation is under control.

TEPCO officials moved quickly to cover Yamashita's tracks, releasing a statement Friday declaring


It is our understanding that the Prime Minister intended his statement ‘the situation is under control’ to mean that the impact of radioactive materials is limited to the area within the port of the power station, and that the densities of radioactive materials on the surrounding waters are far below the referential densities and have not been on continuous upward trends. According to this understanding, we share the same views.

Yet, all evidence suggests that the disaster is far beyond the current abilities of the Japanese government and operator TEPCO to contain it.

Each day brings new disasters, with fresh reports on Friday that steam is billowing from a reactor. Radiation levels at the plant were found to be 18 times higher than TEPCO previously claimed, climbing to a high of 1800 millisieverts per hour—enough to kill a person in just four hours.

TEPCO has poured thousands of tons of water to cool the melted reactors, yet has no sustainable plan for storing it once contaminated. The temporary tanks where the radioactive water is currently being held are springing leaks, releasing the water into the groundwater, and by extension, the sea. TEPCO says it has resorted to patching tank leaks with plastic tape.

The Japanese government announced in early September it will invest $500 million to build a giant 'wall of ice' surrounding the plant. Yet, experts predict it will take at least 2 years to complete, and there is no evidence that this is enough to stem what has become a ballooning crisis.

The disaster was touched off by Japan's March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that led to the meltdown of fuel-rods at several reactors and continues to unleash toxic radiation into the air and sea. Over 160,000 people have been evacuated, transforming nearby areas into ghost towns in the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. The Japanese government has been criticized for moving to re-start other nuclear facilities as the Fukushima crisis spirals.

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Shameless bump to keep this, the most important thread on GLP, on page 1.

Fine, as long as its next gen Thorium reactors.
But of course it wont be. And by 2040 we'll all have cancer anyway.

Japan Times: Talk of Olympics being taken away from Tokyo if problems at Fukushima worsen over next couple of years
[link to enenews.com]

National Geopraphic: Fears are mounting that Fukushima radiation could lead to dangerous contamination levels in seafood from Pacific — At least for now fish are not glowing so ‘eat up’!
[link to enenews.com]

Energy Analyst: Concern a ‘reverse tsunami’ of radioactivity now moving back into Pacific from Fukushima plant — Nuclear catastrophe remains out of control and hemorrhaging
[link to enenews.com]

Tokyo 2020: Q&A with Arnie Gundersen
[link to fairewinds.org]

FWIW, we're looking into it and supporting the research... just like everyone else in the business... still a loooong way to go... India and China is in the lead regarding Thorium reactors...

The title of the article below is misleading... trials have been going on since the 60s... also, note the word "MOX"...

Thorium nuclear reactor trial begins, could provide cleaner, safer, almost-waste-free energy

At a test site in Norway, Thor Energy has successfully created a thorium nuclear reactor — but not in the sense that most people think of when they hear the word thorium. The Norwegians haven’t solved the energy crisis and global warming in one fell swoop — they haven’t created a cold fusion thorium reactor. What they have done, though, which is still very cool, is use thorium instead of uranium in a conventional nuclear reactor. In one fell swoop, thorium fuel, which is safer, less messy to clean up, and not prone to nuclear weapons proliferation, could quench the complaints of nuclear power critics everywhere.

Westinghouse Electric Company, one of the world’s largest producers of nuclear reactors, is one of Thor Energy’s commercial backers.
[link to www.extremetech.com]
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Phew.. Saturday....

A weekly Fuku round up....



Thread: ALERT NEWS FLASH A Fukushima China Syndrome Now and Forever
Thread: Well, October 'Surge' for Emergency response by the US to the Pacific Rim 'Islands' Video, this dude found something for PORTRBLOG
Thread: Well well, trouble in Paradise... "TEPCO official denies Abe’s claim that nuclear crisis is 'under control'"
Thread: 'Lighten up,' French magazine tells Japan after Fukushima cartoon complaint.. SEE?
Thread: A Plan to Stop the Fukushima Radiation Leakage and Clean it Up As Soon As Possible UPDATE new article sent from Author
Thread: My serious critique of Current Japanese Seawater testing and analysis
Thread: Just another personal letter from Japan. Good to see people aren't all asleep. Very sad...
Thread: It's 2020, if you could would you go to the Tokyo Olympics if they told you it was fine?
Thread: US... Bridgetown Superfund Waste Site fire update, here was the rain report radiology ... scary stuff.. bring in the tomato plants...
Thread: Fukushima and Tokyo...... must watch, decide from there what you are told.....

NRC Proposes Rule Saying Spent Fuel Can Be Safely Stored Beyond Reactor's Life
[link to www.bna.com]

Nuclear Waste: Agency Racks Up $16B in Cost Overruns
[link to www.thefiscaltimes.com]

Shimkus urges NRC to comply with new court order
[link to riponadvance.com]


Shimkus asked NRC Chairman Allison Macfarlane during Tuesday’s hearing if there was a possibility the commission would decide not to issue the report, despite the court order.

Macfarlane said the commission was still deliberating on an answer to the question.

“Electricity consumers and taxpayers have waited 30 years and paid $15 billion dollars to find out whether our independent nuclear safety regulator concluded that Yucca Mountain would be safe or not,” Shimkus said. “Releasing the SER is the next step in the NRC’s process.”

Chairman of the full committee Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), said the committee would continue to hold the administration accountable to the recent court ruling.

“Compliance with the law is not optional,” Upton said.

In tight budget times, nation’s nuke agency racks up big bills on bloated projects
[link to www.washingtonpost.com]


LOS ALAMOS, N.M. — At Los Alamos National Laboratory, a seven-year, $213 million upgrade to the security system that protects the lab’s most sensitive nuclear bomb-making facilities doesn’t work. Those same facilities, which sit atop a fault line, remain susceptible to collapse and dangerous radiation releases, despite millions more spent on improvement plans.

In Tennessee, the price tag for a new uranium processing facility has grown nearly sevenfold in eight years to upward of $6 billion because of problems that include a redesign to raise the roof. And the estimated cost of an ongoing effort to refurbish 400 of the country’s B61 bombs has grown from $1.5 billion to $10 billion.

Deep-set differences split Ontario Power Generation and opponents of the proposed nuclear waste site near Lake Huron
[link to www.lfpress.com]

Tritium rises in groundwater in Fukushima Daiichi

The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says that it found sharply rising tritium levels at a monitoring well near a wastewater storage tank.

Tokyo Electric Power Company says the level of radioactive tritium at one of the wells rose to 130,000 becquerels per liter on Thursday. That's more than twice the government-set level for its release into the sea.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]
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Ditch nuclear power, Japan ex-PM Kan urges in Taiwan

Former Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan called Saturday in Taiwan for the closing of all nuclear power plants, as the island's legislature prepares to tackle the matter when it reconvenes next week.

Kan told an audience in Taipei that his experience dealing with the Fukushima nuclear crisis, which began in March 2011, changed his views on nuclear power.

"Nuclear power is not cheap and (is) as a matter of fact quite risky," he said. It takes a long time for radiation to decay. We should ask ourselves whether it is responsible to leave it for our children and grandchildren to take care of."
[link to english.kyodonews.jp]
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Some 8,000 march in Tokyo against restart of any nuclear power plants

An estimated 8,000 people took to the streets Saturday in Tokyo to protest against the resumption of any nuclear power plants, as the only operating reactor was set to be shutdown the next day, leaving none functioning for the second time since the Fukushima disaster in 2011.

On Sunday, a reactor at Kansai Electric Power Co.'s Oi plant in Fukui Prefecture, western Japan -- the country's sole operating reactor since earlier this month -- will be taken offline for a routine checkup, leaving all of the country's 50 commercial reactors suspended for the first time in about 14 months.

But as the country's nuclear regulators are considering whether some nuclear power plants are safe enough to resume operating, demonstrators marched through streets in the capital's Koto Ward and nearby areas after attending an anti-nuclear rally organized by Nobel literature laureate Kenzaburo Oe.
[link to english.kyodonews.jp]
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so 60-70 thousand beqs per litre is the 'safety' level for release into the ocean?... wtf?

if that's the case i want each and everyone of the bastards to drink a glass of it on release.....

Last Edited by CitizenPerth™ on 09/15/2013 06:47 AM

THAT would be the death of Jar Jar Binks...

bwahaha..

Are they just now figuring that out..?


ABC News: ‘Never-Ending Disaster at Fukushima’ — ‘Japan is stumbling helplessly from one crisis to the next’
[link to enenews.com]


[...] In the eyes of industry experts and the Japanese public alike, the company has proved one thing unequivocally — that it is in far over its head in trying to handle the aftermath of the disaster. [...]

Malfunctions, bungling and cluelessness seem to be ongoing themes at Fukushima. [...]

Korea is pissed...



Korea may sue Japan for mishandling leaks
[link to www.koreatimes.co.kr]


“Our government can demand Japan provide us with timely and detailed information about water leaks from the nuclear power plant, and also to stop leaking radioactive water,” said Kim Young-sok, a law school professor at Ewha Womans University. “It is necessary to take every possible precautionary action, as radiation damage can be irreversible and may be much larger than we expect.”

But if Tokyo fails to meet this request, Seoul should consider taking the case to the international courts, he said.