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

yeh nice one man
rp

like waking up from a dream, into a nightmare
humans are retarded
time to redeem ourselves surely, or wft going on here ffs
just listening radchick post above
nice obe man
rp

i have a proud incoming for both of you and everyone else, let me get finished and i'll share... we're a being heard!

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"FUKUSHIMA . PLUTONIUM WHATS THE PROBLEM?"

[link to www.youtube.com (secure)]

he saying that nuclear waste concentrates down into plutonium over a 10 000 year . thats nice for future generations. just gets better
i dred
rp

^^^ werent that funny he felt dred
his is right response in Honesty

Only a third of evacuees want to return

Only one-third of people evacuated from areas near the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant are willing to return to their homes, even if evacuation orders were lifted now.

Parts of Minamisoma City, Fukushima Prefecture, are designated evacuation zones.

The city and the Reconstruction Agency conducted a survey in August and September this year of 5,677 households originally from the evacuation region.
Among them, 3,543 households, or 62 percent, responded.

When asked if they will return home once the evacuation orders are lifted, 1,039 households, or about 29 percent, said they want to do so.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]
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IAEA starts Fukushima decommission inspection

A team from the International Atomic Energy Agency is in Japan to inspect the decommissioning process at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The team began its work in Tokyo on Monday.

The 19-member team includes experts in the decommissioning of reactors and radioactive substances. This is the second such mission by the IAEA team, after one in April.

Team leader Juan Carlos Lentijo spoke before starting the mission, which is scheduled to run until Wednesday of next week.
He said he wants to share with the world what the team learns from the Fukushima decommissioning. He said this time the team will focus on two issues.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]
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Bloody insane... I doubt that FIFA will accept this...

TEPCO eyes restoring soccer facility used for Fukushima operation

Tokyo Electric Power Co. is looking at moving its base for the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant crisis operations from a soccer training center so the facility can revert to its original function around 2018, company sources said Monday.

With the cooperation of the Japan Football Association and local governments, TEPCO expects the so-called "J Village" -- located about 20 kilometers away from the crippled plant -- to be used by soccer teams that will visit Japan for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, the sources said.

J Village, which hosts a dozen soccer fields, lodgings and other facilities on a 50-hectare land, was originally donated to Fukushima Prefecture from TEPCO as a regional development project. It opened in 1997.
[link to english.kyodonews.jp]
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Thank you but no thanks...

PHOTO: Fukushima dried persimmons being readied for market

For the first time since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident, local farmers are preparing a delicacy known as "anpo" persimmon.

Farm workers have been busy hanging peeled persimmons for drying in farm buildings in Date, Fukushima Prefecture.

After the meltdowns at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, persimmons grown in Fukushima Prefecture were found to have levels of radioactive cesium that exceeded central government standards. Farmers decided to suspend production and shipment of the dried persimmons.
[link to ajw.asahi.com]
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Exelon in line for $160 million-plus waste-dump bump

Illinois sees no end in sight as the state playing host to the most nuclear waste in the country.

But a federal appeals court's ruling against the U.S. Department of Energy for failing to create a high-level nuclear waste repository amounts to a potential windfall worth more than $160 million to Chicago-based Exelon Corp., the nation's largest operator of nuclear power plants.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled Nov. 19 that DOE should no longer collect a $1 per megawatt-hour charge from nuclear generators to cover the costs of the national waste facility. The court ordered DOE to put a proposal before Congress to eliminate the fee.

Once the department requests it, Congress has 90 days to act to reinstate the fee. If it fails to act, the fee automatically lapses.

Exelon paid $168 million in waste-related fees to DOE in 2012, according to a Nov. 20 report by Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. LLC. Adding that amount back to Exelon's bottom line would have meant another 4.7 percent in operating earnings in 2012.

"If the Department of Energy's . . . fee were to lapse, the primary beneficiary would be Exelon," according to the report, authored by analyst Hugh Wynne.

An Exelon spokesman declined to comment.
[link to www.nucpros.com]
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in their dreams!
rp : )

U.N. nuclear watchdog kicks off review of Fukushima progress

TOKYO — The U.N.‘s nuclear watchdog on Monday kicked off a review of Japan’s efforts to shut down the disaster-hit Fukushima plant after its operator began removing nuclear fuel.

In a 10-day mission, a 19-strong team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will look at progress so far in the complicated decommissioning process, as well as future plans for containing the worst nuclear accident in a generation.

“In particular, it will focus on the efforts to manage the contaminated water at the site and on the activities to transfer the fuel assemblies from the Unit 4 to a safer storage condition,” said Juan Carlos Lentijo, the director of the IAEA’s division dealing with the nuclear fuel cycle and waste technology who is leading the mission.
[link to www.japantoday.com]
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Pakistan starts building major nuclear power plant with China aid

Pakistan embarked on the construction of a major nuclear power plant in Karachi with the help of China on Tuesday, a project designed to produce 2,200 megawatts of electricity when completed in November 2019.

At the ground-breaking ceremony, Prime Minister Mohammad Nawaz Sharif laid the foundation stone of the coastal plant and said, "The beginning of this 2,200 MW project is a proud moment in the energy history of Pakistan."

The plant, comprising two reactors of 1,100 MW each, is the "fifth and largest nuclear power plant" set up in the country with Chinese help, Sharif said.
[link to english.kyodonews.jp]
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Gov't eyes reinforcement of publicity activities on nuclear power

The government plans to stipulate in its long-term energy plan that publicity activities on nuclear power should be reinforced, although not in a way that will lead Japan to be stuck in a "safety myth" as seen before the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis, a document obtained by Kyodo News showed Tuesday.

In the document, the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry, which is in charge of devising the plan, said it will place importance on providing "information based on objective facts or scientific evidence, such as safety and economic efficiency."

The government has been restrained in behavior toward publicizing nuclear power after the devastating accident at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima Daiichi power plant raised concerns among the public over the use of nuclear reactors.
[link to english.kyodonews.jp]
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TEPCO moves on to spent fuel removal at Fukushima No. 4 unit

The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant started removing spent fuel at the No. 4 reactor building Tuesday after successfully transferring a batch of less risky unused fuel assemblies to a more stable storage space.

It is the first time that plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. is extracting spent fuel from the plant's reactor buildings since a huge earthquake and tsunami triggered one of the world's worst nuclear crises in March 2011.

Spent fuel is more difficult to handle because it is highly radioactive and emits heat as radioactive elements in the fuel decay.
[link to english.kyodonews.jp]
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Fukushima accident has ripple effect in worldwide nuclear industry

The Fukushima nuclear crisis is creating business opportunities for Britain’s nuclear industry, helping Germany shutter its nuclear reactors and leaving questions over the future of Japan's nuclear fuel recycling ambitions.

Britain is awash in plutonium, some 120 tons, due in part to the nuclear crisis spawned by the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami. The country now sees the opportunity to make money in storing unused plutonium.

Due to the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, the Japanese power companies with nuclear reactors that used mixed oxide (MOX) fuels consisting of a mixture of reprocessed plutonium and uranium suspended their operations. That, in turn, forced the closure of the British factory that manufactured the fuel in August 2011.

Given that Japanese electric power companies were its largest customers, that created a backlog of stored plutonium.

At present, more than 260 tons of plutonium is stored globally. Of that, 120 tons were located in Britain as of the end of 2012. Of that amount, 96 tons came from British nuclear facilities, with the remaining 24 tons coming from other countries, including 17 tons from Japan. No nuclear plants in Britain currently use MOX fuels.
[link to ajw.asahi.com]
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At Fukushima hearing, all speakers criticize state secrets bill

FUKUSHIMA--The ruling Liberal Democratic Party invited Namie Mayor Tamotsu Baba to speak about the state secrets protection bill, expecting support by a leader near the Fukushima nuclear disaster site to quell criticism against the legislation.

The party’s plan, however, backfired.

“I am afraid no clear bounds were established about what should be designated a state secret,” Baba told a hearing on the bill here on Nov. 25. He also said he cannot trust a government that tends to keep information under wraps.

In fact, all seven speakers at the hearing criticized the bill, saying its ambiguous wording leaves open the possibility of abuse and its harsh penalties could keep citizens in the dark about matters that directly affect their lives.
[link to ajw.asahi.com]
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African ecstasy drug bust yields 2.2 pounds of uranium

South African officials have seized 2.2 pounds of uranium along with 90 ecstasy tablets from two young men attempting to sell the items in Durban.

The uranium was confirmed as such by the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (NECSA), which claims the substance is unlikely a product of Africa.

The uranium is 0.38 percent made up of the U-235 isotope, "well below the average 0.7% U-235 found in natural uranium and the 90% level needed to be considered weapons grade," AFP reports.
[link to www.mining.com]
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New Chinese nuclear grid connection

Hongyanhe 2 has been connected to the Chinese electricity grid, the 18th large reactor supplying power to the country.

The unit is a CPR-1000 pressurized water reactor, on which construction was started in 2008. The first unit at the site has been operating on a commercial basis since June and now unit 2 is set to follow in a matter of months. Two more units are under construction and expected to start up next year. Beyond these the site could also feature two further units although the technology for these has not been announced.
[link to www.world-nuclear-news.org]
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Romania signals intent with China

Romanian national nuclear company Nuclearelectrica has signed a letter of intent towards the development of two units at its Cernavoda nuclear power plant with China General Nuclear (CGN).
[link to www.world-nuclear-news.org]
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Letter to NRC Supporting Pilgrim Nuclear Plant

Robert A. Rio, Esq. Senior Vice President and Counsel, Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM)

Dear Ms. Mcfarlane:

Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the recent briefing you had in Plymouth, Massachusetts concerning the Plymouth Nuclear Power Station. However, Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) believes it is important for you to understand the importance of this station to Massachusetts.

AIM is the largest nonprofit, nonpartisan association of Massachusetts' employers. AIM's mission is to promote the well-being of its thousands of members and their employees and the prosperity ofthe Commonwealth of Massachusetts by improving the economic climate, proactively advocating fair and equitable public policy, and providing relevant, reliable information and excellent services.

The continued operation of Pilgrim Station is vital to the Massachusetts economy for four major reasons:
[link to www.nucpros.com]
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Pipeline blamed for spill at former uranium plant in Colorado

CANON CITY, Colo. — A pipeline rupture led to a spill of an estimated 4,000 to 9,000 gallons of contaminated water spilled at a former uranium mill near Canon City, but an on-site collection system contained the spill, officials told residents.

A joint on the underground pipeline broke Nov. 5, unleashing the spill at the defunct Cotter Corp. mill, Jennifer Opila, a radioactive materials monitor for the state health department, told the Thursday meeting.

The pipe was repaired and operable by Nov. 6, Opila said.

Cotter safety officer Jim Cain said between 4,000 and 9,000 gallons of water spilled. A sample showed traces of uranium and molybdenum were found, Cain said.
[link to trib.com]
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NAU seeks Navajos for uranium cleanup training

FLAGSTAFF, ARIZ. — Northern Arizona University is using federal grant money to address two of the most widespread problems on the Navajo Nation — unemployment and uranium contamination.

A $200,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will allow the school's Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals to train up to 40 people over three years to safely handle radioactive materials and to find a job in a place where the unemployment rate hovers around 50 percent.

About 4 million tons of uranium ore were mined from the reservation from 1944 to 1986 for wartime weapons, leaving a legacy of death and disease. Families still live among the contamination that the tribe and federal government are working toward cleaning up. The top priority is the former Northeast Church Rock Mine near Gallup, N.M.
[link to www.sunherald.com]
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Radiation Cleanup at Park on Staten Island to Take Years

The first sign that something was amiss at Great Kills Park, on Staten Island, came in 2005 when a police flyover of New York City detected a positive reading for radioactive material there.

The finding, part of a counterterrorism search, did not come as a complete shock. After all, the 488-acre park was the depository for 15 million cubic yards of fill in the 1940s and 1950s, including medical and sanitary waste. The fill was dumped across wetlands to turn marshy areas into usable recreation space. Some of the waste, it turned out, contained radium, a naturally occurring element that was also used for decades in medical treatments, toys, cosmetics and even toothpaste.

At first, the source of radiation appeared to be confined to a small area behind a parking lot next to a field popular for flying model airplanes. The National Park Service, which operates the park, quickly fenced it off. But in the years since, further investigations by the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Army Corps of Engineers turned up more hot spots and a fuller, more disturbing picture.

“As we’re getting through this tough job, we’re finding that the contamination is not only in these discrete pockets, but is dispersed in the soil and also at the surface,” said Kathleen Cuzzolino, an environmental protection specialist for the Park Service.
[link to www.nytimes.com]
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West Lake Landfill: A Radioactive Legacy of the Nuclear Arms Race

Robert Alvarez (photo, left), Senior Scholar at Institute for Policy Studies, has prepared a report entitled "The West Lake Landfill: A Radioactive Legacy of the Nuclear Arms Race."

In 1973, the West Lake Landfill, in the Missouri River floodplain, and just upstream from a drinking water supply intake for St. Louis, became the illegal dumping ground for part of the Belgian Congo uranium wastes, leftover from the Manhattan Project, the race to build the first atomic bombs, tested in New Mexico, and dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945. These wastes are loaded with Thorium-230, an alpha-particle emitting radioactive substance regarded as comparable, in radiological hazard, to Plutonium-239.
[link to www.beyondnuclear.org]

The report (PDF):
[link to www.beyondnuclear.org]
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INTERACTIVE GRAPHIC
Converting waste to glass

[link to graphics.latimes.com]

CTBTO enhances airborne radioactivity tracking

An international nuclear test monitoring body has launched a new system that can predict the movements of airborne radioactivity more quickly and accurately.

The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, or CTBTO, began using the system on Tuesday.

The CTBTO observes airborne radioactive materials and seismic tremors caused by nuclear tests through its facilities around the world. But it can also monitor the dispersion of radioactivity in the event of a nuclear accident.
The new system can locate the source and predict the movements of radioactivity in the air with greater accuracy, at 20 times the speed of previous systems.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]
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Fukushima verifying thyroid check results

Fukushima Prefecture has held the first meeting of an expert panel to examine ongoing medical checks of local young people for thyroid cancer.

The prefecture is checking the thyroid glands of 360,000 people who were 18 or younger at the time of the March 2011 nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. 26 of the subjects have been diagnosed with thyroid cancer.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]
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Spent fuel transferred at Fukushima plant

Workers at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant have transferred the first batch of highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel into a cask for relocation.

Tokyo Electric Power Company personnel on Tuesday began moving the first 22 spent fuel assemblies within the storage pool of the number 4 reactor building.

They spent 2 days using a remote-controlled crane to maneuver one assembly after another into the storage cask, also submerged in the pool.
[link to www3.nhk.or.jp]
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INSIGHT: ‘Troika of irresponsibility’ behind Fukushima water crisis

Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s shortcomings, the Finance Ministry’s stubbornness and the industry ministry’s need for a scapegoat combined to create the radioactive water crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

And while the three key players refuse to be held accountable for Japan’s worst nuclear disaster, this “troika of irresponsibility” is still bickering over the cleanup process as contaminated water continues to leak into the plant ground and the ocean.

The risks of radioactive water leaks were known months after the plant was rocked by the Great East Japan Earthquake and swamped by the ensuing tsunami on March 11, 2011.

Plans to contain the potential water problem were drawn up at the time. But TEPCO was unwilling to spend money on such measures, some of which were adopted two years later by the government.

The utility has, in fact, shown little sense that the Fukushima accident is its problem.

The Finance Ministry and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, meanwhile, have been busy fighting over who should pay for cleaning up communities contaminated by radioactive fallout from the Fukushima nuclear plant.
[link to ajw.asahi.com]
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