Archive for the ‘Nukes’ Category

March 19, 2011

By John Couwels,
CNN

Texas ranchers David Huber, on the right, and his son Jason Huber consider the risks of a proposed nuclear plant, seven miles from their property.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Exelon wants to build a $16 billion nuclear plant near Victoria
• Supporters say it will be a boon to the small town’s economy
• The plant would lie on a "growth fault" that opponents say could be unsafe
• Exelon says growth faults are not seismic and do not pose a risk

Victoria, Texas (CNN) — This small Texas town is half a world away from the nuclear disaster unfolding in Japan.

Nevertheless, the calamity is having a ripple effect.

This week, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission held a scheduled two-day public hearing on a nuclear power plant near Victoria.

There, Texans for Sound Energy Policy got a chance to voice their opposition on the proposed plant that would be built by electric power giant Exelon Generation.

Those who support the plant repeatedly stated, "Nuclear power is a safe energy source" at the two-day hearing.

How close are you to a nuclear plant?

In addition, supporters argued that the $16 billion project would add over 750 permanent jobs and 2,500 temporary construction jobs.

The money spent on the plant would be nearly five times more than Victoria’s yearly budget, said Don Pozzi, an administrative judge and lifetime resident of Victoria County.

"That’s a lot of money," said Pozzi,.

In addition to the jobs, he argues the project would help add to the town’s coffers through sales taxes and real estate taxes from new housing.

That, he says, will help the small town of about 87,000 people continue to grow. And that’s exactly what rancher David Huber is afraid of — a larger Victoria with a nuclear power plant.

"I’ve been opposed from the beginning and I’m still opposed," said Huber, 62.

The proposed site for the reactor is located in a rural farming district approximately seven miles from Huber’s ranch. Huber, a 6-foot-2 rancher with a thick Texas accent and an affable personality, said he loves his land and his way of life. His family has been a part of the Victoria farming community since the late 1800s.

"The road Exelon is planning on using for heavy hauling, my grandfather built around 1920," the rancher said, while driving around his ranch with his son, Jason Huber.
Along the way, he proudly points the results of his family’s hard work.

"Our roots are in the ground."

His concerns over the dangers of a possible nuclear reactor so close to his ranch have increased since the nuclear disaster triggered by last week’s quake and tsunami in Japan, he said.

Japan’s nuclear crisis explained

Prior to choosing the location, Exelon Generation studied the possible impact of a nuclear power plant on Victoria’s community, water and ecology.

Exelon is the United States’ largest nuclear power plant operator, running 17 plants in 10 states.

See locations of U.S. nuclear power facilities

After studying the Victoria site, the power company found the risks to be low. But not everyone agrees.

"Nuclear power is a high risk, high stakes business," said Jim Blackburn with Texans for Sound Energy Policy at this week’s NRC public hearing.

There are plane crashes, people continue to fly. There are car accidents, people continue to drive. There’s going to be nuclear power.
–Don Pozzi, Victoria resident, supporter of proposed nuclear plant

The NRC must grant final approval before any new nuclear plants can be built and operated. No new nuclear plant has won final approval in the United States since the Three Mile Island accident in 1979, although site work is being done at a couple of locations around the country.

At this week’s hearing, Exelon representative William Scott acknowledged the events in Japan, but he urged people not to overreact to what’s going on in light of the continuous news coverage of the unfolding crisis.

"Everyone here should be sobered by the events in Japan and by the seriousness of matters at hand," Scott said. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people in Japan."

Texas town OK with nuclear plant expansion

He said he understands people’s concerns and why politicians have taken a closer look at the safety plans for nuclear plants in their states.

"That’s a perfectly natural reaction. We expect to be held accountable, that’s part of our commitment to safety," said Scott.

The situation in Japan doesn’t seem to have any effect on those who steadfastly support the proposed nuclear plant near Victoria, Pozzi said.

"I don’t expect people will change their minds," he said. "I think people have had their minds made up."

He pointed to an unscientific online poll in the local newspaper, the Victoria Advocate, which found that despite the Japan incident, 53% of the 394 people polled said they favor the Victoria plant compared to 23% who oppose it.

"There are plane crashes, people continue to fly. There are car accidents, people continue to drive," Pozzi said. "There’s going to be nuclear power."
Victoria’s Mayor Will Armstrong agreed.

"My support hasn’t wavered at all," he said.

Victoria county commissioner Gary Burns said he and other city officials have "wined and dined" Exelon in hopes of bringing billions of dollars to Victoria’s economy. Burns said if the deal falls through, the town’s economic future is at risk.

Those who oppose the plant said the site where Exelon would build the plant lies on a "growth fault" which doesn’t trigger earthquakes but can cause the Earth to shift.
Blackburn and his Texans for Sound Energy Policy group fears the ground beneath the proposed nuclear site could sink, causing the cooling water ponds, vital to a nuclear plant, to drain away.

"It has active oil and gas extraction," Blackburn said about the proposed site. "It can and will change over time."

[What if] all of a sudden that [proposed] plant has a problem and there’s an evacuation for a 10 mile radius? I’m in the 10 miles radius. What do I do? Try and pick up and try to run? This is my life.
–David Huber, Texas rancher

Blackburn said Exelon has not addressed the growth fault issue in its filings with the NRC. But Steve Frantz, an attorney representing Exelon pointed out that the growth faults are "are not tectonic in nature."

A study of the area shows one growth fault in the area moved only 8 inches over 40 years.

"They pose no seismic threat," said Frantz. "The only threat is a possibility of surface deformation if the growth faults were to move."

He did say all safety structures including vital safety cooling ponds would be located away from the growth faults.

"We did find it and studied it," said Frantz. "We planned the safety-related structures 500 feet away, which we felt was more than adequate."

Blackburn insists that even though growth faults are not seismic, they still pose "potential dangers to the safe operation of a nuclear facility."

"TSEP believes that good engineering can address many potential safety issues," he said. "However, you cannot engineer around issues that are not recognized, studied and evaluated."

Some residents, like Huber, who would live near the proposed site, feel that it’s a risk that is not worth taking.

"(What if) all of a sudden that (proposed) plant has a problem and there’s an evacuation for a 10-mile radius?" the rancher wondered.

"I’m in the 10-mile radius. What do I do? Try and pick up and try to run? This is my life."

"Why would you even want to risk this natural beauty?" he asked, as he stood on the banks of the San Antonio River next to his ranch at sunset.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

By Keith B. Richburg and
Washington Post researcher Wang Juan in
Shanghai contributed to this report
Washington Post

BEIJING — In a dramatic reversal, China’s State Council, or cabinet, announced Wednesday that it was suspending approval for all new nuclear power plants until the government could issue revised safety rules, in light of the unfolding crisis at the Fukushima nuclear facility in Japan.

The State Council, chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao, also announced the government would conduct safety checks at the country’s existing nuclear facilities and those under construction, according to a brief statement issued after the meeting and reported by the state-run Xinhua News Agency.

"We will temporarily suspend approval of nuclear power projects, including those in the preliminary stages of development," the statement said.

With 13 nuclear reactors in operation, at least 26 others under construction, and more in the planning stage, China has by far the world’s most ambitious nuclear power program. But that program has attracted little or no public debate or scrutiny in this authoritarian country where decisions are handed down by the ruling elite and most traditional media is tightly controlled.

Last week, when the crisis in Japan first began, Zhang Lijun, China’s vice minister for environmental protection, told reporters that there would be no change in China’s nuclear plans. "Some lessons we learn from Japan will be considered in the making of China’s nuclear power plans," he said. "But China will not change its determination and plan for developing nuclear power."

But the disaster at Fukushima across the East China Sea has riveted the Chinese public, prompting a debate for the first time over the country’s growing reliance on nuclear power for its energy needs and causing panic on China’s southeastern coast, closest to Japan.

In Shanghai, residents were stocking up on iodine pills and face masks, fearing that the radioactive steam cloud above the Fukushima plant may drift across the sea toward China.

At Shanghai’s Lei Yun Shang pharmacy, a worker said the store sold out its entire stock of 300 boxes of iodine Tuesday — more than is sold in a typical month — and then another 600 boxes Wednesday. The worker said the pharmacy also sold about 1,000 face masks, its entire supply.

Chinese authorities began radiation checks of people, luggage and goods arriving at airports and seaports from Japan. In Heilongjiang province in northeast China, environmental officials began taking air samples and conducting around-the-clock monitoring for radiation.

So far, no abnormal levels of radiation have been detected.

A group of Chinese nuclear scientists and other experts publicly called on the government to quickly pass the country’s first atomic energy law to regulate more clearly the growing nuclear industry here, including safety supervision at nuclear power stations.

Also Wednesday, the Global Times newspaper, whose editorials often reflect the thinking of its owner, the ruling Communist Party, called for more public debate over China’s nuclear expansion.

"China has seen little debate over nuclear power safety as compared with other countries," the Global Times’ lead editorial said. "It is questionable whether China will stick to a proper pace of nuclear power development, and maintain strictest safety standards in selecting its construction sites."

It added, "It always takes more time when the public joins in debates and supervision. However, such costs are certainly worthwhile when we consider the importance of nuclear power."

richburgk(at)washpost.com

Washington Post researcher Wang Juan in Shanghai contributed to this report.

THERE WAS A FIRE AT THE STP NUCLEAR REACTOR SITE JUST THIS WEEK:

Event Text

Media Release:
January 11, 2013

Contact:
Karen Hadden, Sustainable Energy & Economic Development (SEED) Coalition, 512-797-8481
Susan Dancer, South Texas Association for Responsible Energy, 361-588-2143

Download this release in pdf format for printing.

Austin, TX A fire that shot 50 foot flames into the air erupted January 8th in the main transformer at the South Texas Project site near Bay City, Texas, about 90 miles southwest of Houston. Reactor 2, which was out of commission for five winter months in 2011-2012, has not been operating since the fire.

The fire occurred just one week prior to a hearing on re-licensing the two South Texas Project reactors, which will be held January 15th from 2-5 pm and 7-10 pm at the Bay City Civic Center, 201 Seventh St.

“Nuclear reactor fires and explosions create serious safety risks, and are of great concern to those of us who live close by. While the South Texas Project fire was burning I found myself trying to decide which of our rescue ranch horses we could take if my family had to evacuate due to radioactive releases, and which we would have to leave behind,” said Susan Dancer, who lives 8 miles from the reactors.

“The two South Texas nuclear reactors have been here for decades but Matagorda County still has no full-time, paid fire department. Who knows how long it would take for Houston teams to arrive if needed. Meantime, plant managers have been busy cutting personnel in hopes of higher profits, instead of putting safety first.” The STP reactors are owned by NRG, Austin Energy and San Antonio’s CPS Energy.

“Any nuclear reactor is at risk from fires, explosions, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, lack of cooling water and terrorist attacks, as well as accidents due to human error and mechanical failure,” said Karen Hadden, Director of the Sustainable Energy and Economic Development (SEED) Coalition.

“This is like a used car deal – made fourteen years in advance. Why not wait until 2025 to see what shape the reactors are in before even considering re-licensing? The reactors, now 24 and 25 years old, are licensed to run 40 years – until 2027 and 2028. It’s time to plan for their replacement, not court disaster by giving aging reactors twenty additional years.”

The NRC Event report and hearing information are online at www.NukeFreeTexas.org.

Oct. 25, 2012

By Malcolm Foster
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Radioactive cesium levels in most kinds of fish caught off the coast of Fukushima haven’t declined in the year following Japan’s nuclear disaster, a signal that the seafloor or leakage from the damaged reactors must be continuing to contaminate the waters — possibly threatening fisheries for decades, a researcher says.

Though the vast majority of fish tested off Japan’s northeast coast remain below recently tightened limits of cesium-134 and cesium-137 in food consumption, Japanese government data shows that 40 percent of bottom-dwelling fish such as cod, flounder and halibut are above the limit, Ken Buesseler, a marine chemist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, wrote in an article published Thursday in the journal Science.

In analyzing extensive data collected by Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, he found that the levels of contamination in almost all kinds of fish are not declining a year after the March 11, 2011 disaster. An earthquake and tsunami knocked out the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant’s vital cooling system, causing three reactor cores to melt and spew radiation onto the surrounding countryside and ocean.

"The (radioactivity) numbers aren’t going down. Oceans usually cause the concentrations to decrease if the spigot is turned off," Buesseler told The Associated Press in an interview. "There has to be somewhere they’re picking up the cesium."

"Option one is the seafloor is the source of the continued contamination. The other source could be the reactors themselves," he said.

The safety of fish and other foods from around Fukushima remains a concern among ordinary Japanese, among the world’s highest per capita consumers of seafood.

Most fish and seafood from along the Fukushima coast are barred from the domestic market and export. In June, authorities lifted bans on octopus and sea snails caught off Fukushima after testing showed very low levels of radiation.

But the most contaminated fish found yet off Fukushima were caught in August, some 17 months after the disaster. The two greenlings, which are bottom-feeders, had cesium levels of more than 25,000 becquerels per kilogram, 250 times the level the government considers safe.

A government fisheries official, Chikara Takase, acknowledged that the figure for the greenlings was "extremely high," but he added high numbers were detected only in limited kinds of fish sampled in the restricted waters closest to the plant. He acknowledged that "we have yet to arrive at a situation that allows an overall lifting of the ban."

To bolster public confidence in food safety, the government in April tightened restrictions for cesium-134 and cesium-137 on seafood from 500 to 100 becquerels per kilogram. But the step led to confusion among consumers as people noticed more products were barred.

Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. said some radioactive water used to cool the Fukushima reactors leaked into the ocean several times, most recently in April.

"Given the 30-year half-life of cesium-137, this means that even if these sources (of contamination) were to be shut off completely, the sediments would remain contaminated for decades to come," Buesseler wrote in Science.

Experts suspect that radioactive water from the plant is seeping into the ground water at the same time, and is continuing to make its way into the ocean.

Hideo Yamazaki, a marine biologist at Kinki University, agrees with Buesseler’s theory that the cesium is leaking from the Fukushima nuclear plant and that it will contaminate seafood for more than a decade.

He said he believes the plant will continue to leak until cracks and other damage to the three reactors that melted down are repaired. It’s unclear when that work will be completed, or even how, because radiation levels in the reactors are too high for humans or even robots.

"The current levels of contamination in the fish and seafood from the Fukushima coast will continue for a while, perhaps more than 10 years, judging from the progress in the cleanup process," Yamazaki said in an email.

Buesseler, who led an international research cruise off northeastern Japan in 2011 to study the spread of radionuclides from the Fukushima plant, says predicting patterns of contamination requires more than monitoring data on fish. Careful study of the ocean waters and sediments is also needed to determine how quickly the system will recover.

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Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi contributed to this report.