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

I'll take a puff and a shot of Patron. Thanks! :)

off topic but:

shooting a patron?... that's a no no now in US...... lol

Navajo Nation uranium cleanup complicated by scope, history of problem
[link to cronkitenewsonline.com]

[snip]

The Navajo Nation still has to come up with a permanent way to contain the material, according to Esplain and the U.S. EPA.

The transfer stations are small examples of the kind of work that needs to be done hundreds, if not thousands, of times on the Navajo Nation.

Esplain said the Navajo EPA tries to educate people on the dangers of uranium contamination and how to avoid coming into contact with it, but some exposure is unavoidable.

Meanwhile, residents there continue to live alongside the uranium, a hazard that cannot be smelled or tasted. They may drink from tainted wells and their animals might graze on contaminated fields.

When the wind blows it carries uranium dust into the air and people bring it into their lungs simply by breathing. But for now it is part of living on the reservation for some residents.

“It’s inside of us and it won’t come out,” Esplain said.

Savannah.


Cost of MOX Plant Construction Escalates a Stunning 41% Since February 2012?
When will DOE Management and Contractors be Held Accountable for the MOX Plant Cost and Schedule Debacle?
[link to aikenleader.villagesoup.com]

Radioactive concerns for Sydney
[link to www.skynews.com.au]

Team finds faults at nuclear plant possibly active

A panel of nuclear experts has found that 2 faults under a nuclear power plant in northern Japan may be active.

The findings could keep the plant offline for some time.

The panel of the Nuclear Regulation Authority made the assessment on Thursday after a 2-day on-site survey of the Higashidori plant in Aomori Prefecture last week.

The team's 5 experts include regulation authority official Kunihiko Shimazaki. They agreed that the 2 fissures should be deemed active faults.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]
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Reactor screening to begin in July or later

The head of Japan's nuclear watchdog says it cannot begin safety screening of off-line reactors until new safety standards are set up next July.

All but two of Japan's reactors are suspended following the Fukushima accident last year.

The chairman of the Nuclear Regulation Authority, Shunichi Tanaka, said on Wednesday that it wants to keep the debate on safety open to the public. He said that will allow power companies to respond to demands for new safety standards.

Tanaka said even if utilities apply to restart reactors, the authority cannot begin screening applications unless new safety rules are made into law.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]
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Germany reports smooth shift to renewable energy

The German government says the country's shift to renewable energy is going smoothly, with such energy now accounting for a quarter of all power consumption.

Germany decided to reduce its dependency on nuclear power after last year's nuclear disaster at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi plant.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]
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Abe picks pro-nuclear Amari for 'economic revival' post

TOKYO — Incoming Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will appoint former trade minister and current Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) policy chief Akira Amari, 63, as cabinet minister in charge of a new “Economic Revival Headquarters” tasked with rescuing the stalled economy, domestic media reported on Thursday.
[link to www.japantoday.com]
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Quake risk seen at Rokkasho nuclear fuel reprocessing plant

TOKYO — Japan’s only reprocessing plant for spent nuclear fuel could sit on an active seismic fault vulnerable to a massive earthquake, experts warned Wednesday.

If regulators agree they will have to order its closure and Japan would be without any recycling capacity of its own, a government official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

This would leave it dependent on other countries and with no way to deal with waste from the Fukushima plant crippled by last year’s earthquake and tsunami.
[link to www.japantoday.com]
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Hamaoka plant to be protected by 22-meter seawall to counter tsunami

Chubu Electric Power Co. said Thursday it has decided to increase the height of a seawall it is building at its Hamaoka nuclear power plant to 22 meters as part of its efforts to counter quake-triggered tsunami.

"We've decided to increase the height of the seawall to prepare for largest-class tsunami," company President Akihisa Mizuno said at a press conference, referring to the decision to make the seawall 4 meters higher than earlier planned.
[link to english.kyodonews.jp]
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Xcel Energy seeks electricity rate hike; cites investment in nuclear plants

USD-based utility Xcel Energy is seeking authorization from the North Dakota Public Service Commission for an increase in base electricity rates.

The company, which serves about 90,000 customers in North Dakota, has cited investments to operate, maintain and expand its nuclear plants, and electricity grid as key drivers in the case.

About half of the firm's $16.9m request is related directly to continued operation of the Monticello and Prairie Island nuclear plants located in the US state of Minnesota.
[link to utilitiesretail.energy-business-review.com]
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HATCH EVENT REPORT: GROUNDWATER SAMPLES INDICATE ELEVATED TRITIUM LEVELS

On December 19, 2012, results from routine monitoring of groundwater at Plant Hatch indicated tritium was detected above historical background levels at two sample points on site. Additional samples were taken from the same points and analysis confirmed that tritium was present at elevated levels in both samples and that tritium had not migrated out of the general area of initial discovery. Immediate actions are being taken to locate the source of the leak and actions are in progress to stop the leak.
[link to www.nucpros.com]
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SUSQUEHANNA EVENT REPORT: AUTOMATIC REACTOR SCRAM DUE TO LOW REACTOR PRESSURE VESSEL LEVEL

At approximately 17:31 hours on December 19, 2012, Susquehanna Steam Electric Station Unit Two reactor automatically scrammed on low RPV level (Level 3, +13 inches) while transitioning the 'A' reactor feed pump from discharge pressure mode to flow control mode.

All control rods inserted and both reactor recirculation pumps tripped. Reactor water level lowered to approximately -29 inches causing Level 3 (+13 inches) isolations. An automatic trip of the reactor recirculation pumps occurred, but is not expected at this RPV level. There were no automatic emergency core cooling system initiations. No steam relief valves opened during the event.
[link to www.nucpros.com]
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Wayward uranium leads to radiation detection systems at landfill
High disposal costs have spurred an effort to keep hazardous materials out after someone dumped uranium ore last spring at the Larimer County Landfill.
[link to www.coloradoan.com]

Contamination event at Oak Ridge Depleted Uranium Recycling Facility
[link to enformable.com]

Will it be enough..?

Recapping a Year’s Worth of Fukushima-Related Work
[link to public-blog.nrc-gateway.gov]

This is a real Problem for Nippon at the moment (always)
because we need this Plant with nearly all Facilities
as soon as possible because without her (this Plant)
Tepco must think about Plan B.: What do do with the Fuel!

We can discuss for endless Times but we need a place,
like a final resting Place!
They (the Fuel Rods)would not vanish
even in 20.000-180.000 Years.

The same in the US, UK and in Europe,
we need more and new Plants
who are able to make this Stuff more harmless,
the best would be when we use it (the Fuel) in a new Way
like Food for a Thorium Reactor!

Without new Plants we will face even more bad Situations
like we see at the moment in F'Shima,
in a Way we are even guilty because our Resistance (against new Plants)
caused this huge Supply in the Fuel Pools!

I agree with most of that.

Except that, we are not responsible for their willingness to continue stock-piling
spent fuel in lieu of a permanent disposal strategy... and
the original short-sightedness, in not resolving the issue in advance, before generating
this enormous amount of spent fuel.

late-dated-stamped photos....

these left me gob smacked.. and here is a stockpile of weapons grade waste?... my... god...

(so as to not linky or infringe on copyright).. you know what i mean.. but anyway.....

[link to fukushimaemergencywhatcanwedo.blogspot.com.au]

Last Edited by CitizenPerth™ on 12/20/2012 10:49 PM

Well.. nothing's happening around here, except for a cold front and a lot of wind..

Going to bed so I can be well-rested for TEOTWAWKI..
but not until I have my morning coffee, please.

Goodbye, cruel world.. until tomorrow.

Sounds like we have the same weather over here. Lots of wind last night and a bit of snow today. Since the world did not end, I will look forward to carrying on here. The work we have done is good. If nothing else, it provokes thought.

SUNSHINY DAY!!!!!! and a thunderstorm hopefully for later....

so I leave you sleepy heads with this.....

Phew..! Still here.. Close one..


Unmended fences: Months after Y-12 break-in, hole in barrier remains
[link to www.knoxnews.com]

Govt. to delay choosing nuclear waste storage site

Japan's government is likely to lag behind schedule in choosing storage sites for soil and waste contaminated with radiation from the nuclear accident in Fukushima.

The Environment Ministry on Friday began accepting applications from contractors to conduct environmental assessments at candidate sites in Fukushima Prefecture.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]
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Experts update quake risk projections across Japan

Japanese seismic experts have updated their earthquake risk projections for the country's major cities over the next 30 years.

Members of the government's Earthquake Research Committee released the estimates on Friday for the first time in two years.

Based on data of past earthquakes and their intensity, they calculated the probability of cities being hit by a quake with a minimum intensity of 6-minus. That's the 3rd highest level on the Japanese scale of zero to 7.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]
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Hamaoka nuclear plant to get higher seawall

SHIZUOKA — Chubu Electric Power Co said Thursday that it will increase the height of a seawall currently being built around its Hamaoka nuclear power plant in Shizuoka Prefecture from 16 meters to 22 meters.

Chubu Electric is constructing a 1.6-kilometer-long seawall around the plant which is scheduled to be completed in December 2013.

The Hamaoka plant, which is said to be above a major faultline, is just 100 meters away from the Pacific Ocean and sits in the Tokai region, southwest of Tokyo, where seismologists have long warned that a major quake is overdue because two major continental plates meet here.
[link to www.japantoday.com]
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Multiple uranium processing facilities detected in N. Korea

U.S. and South Korea authorities have confirmed through satellite photo analysis and other means that North Korea has multiple uranium processing facilities in addition to one shown to U.S. nuclear experts in 2010, a South Korean Defense Ministry source said Friday.

It has long been suspected North Korea has multiple such facilities, but this is the first time U.S. and South Korean authorities have come to a definite conclusion about this.
[link to english.kyodonews.jp]
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Abe hints at reviewing policy of not allowing new reactors

Japan's incoming Prime Minister Shinzo Abe suggested Friday he could abandon the current government's policy of not allowing utilities to build new nuclear reactors.

"We'd like to review how to think about the issue nationwide," Abe said at a news conference in Yamaguchi Prefecture, referring to the policy aimed at steering the country toward reducing its dependence on nuclear energy following last year's Fukushima disaster.
[link to english.kyodonews.jp]
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Nuclear heat is on in Norway

Nuclear reactors generate electricity. Everyone knows that. The general idea is simple: Start a chain reaction that creates a lot of heat and capture the heat to drive a turbine and make electricity, just as with coal- and gas-fired power plants,

But aren’t there other uses for heat? Don’t industries like steel, cement, petrochemicals, oil and many others require high temperature processes that manufacturers feed with C02-spewing fossil fuels? Wouldn’t it make sense to use small reactors instead, and thereby shrivel the leviathan carbon footprint left by those mighty mills that are stamping out goods and materials without which modern society cannot live?

Yes it would. And one country - Norway - is showing the way.
[link to www.smartplanet.com]
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