Radioactive decontamination has been completed to target in one municipality affected by Fukushima accident, and operations to decontaminate other areas are making good progress, Japan’s Ministry of Environment has reported. world-nuclear-news.org

African nuclear safety regulators are to step up their cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency as the continent makes increasing use of nuclear energy. world-nuclear-news.org

Enlisting the help of a purpose-built missile at the Army’s Aberdeen Proving Ground, Holtec International recently tested the aircraft impact resistance of a nuclear waste cask for Swiss regulators. nuclearstreet.com

In the 17 years since Maine Yankee began dismantling its reactors and shedding its 600 workers, this small, coastal town north of Portland has experienced drastic changes.  bostonglobe.com

Ambient office = .130 microsieverts per hour

Ambient outside = .092 microsieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = .101 microsieverts per hour

Vine ripened tomato from Costco =  .093 microsieverts per hour

Tap water = .060 microsieverts per hour

Filtered water = .045 microsieverts per hour

Russia and the USA have agreed to cooperate on a range of nuclear-related research areas such as safeguards, security, fast reactors – and “defence from asteroids.” world-nuclear-news.org

Bill Maher said that he used to be on the fence about nuclear power but he is not anymore.enenews.com

Russia’s military has said a fire in a submarine sparked by welding equipment did not compromise the craft’s nuclear propulsion system. nuclearstreet.com

The Susquehanna reactor had to be shut down to inspect turbine blades for cracks. nuclearstreet.com

Ambient office = .106 microsieverts per hour

Ambient outside = .097 microsieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = .109 microsieverts per hour

Romaine lettuce from Costco =  .125 microsieverts per hour

Tap water = .105 microsieverts per hour

Filtered water = .103 microsieverts per hour

           I have been focusing lately on the Chinese nuclear power program. They only have seventeen nuclear reactors but they intend to have almost ten times as many reactors built by 2030. In this post, I am going to discuss one of the major institutions in the Chinese nuclear industry.

           The China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) was created in 1988 as a successor to the Ministry of Nuclear Industry which built the first nuclear reactors, nuclear submarines and nuclear bombs for China. The Chinese government wanted to reduce the reliance of the Chinese nuclear program on the government for financial support. The CNNC was encouraged to engage in export of Chinese nuclear technology in order to acquire foreign hard currency for the purchase of foreign nuclear technology. The mission statement for the CNNC states that the CNNC “combines military nuclear weapons production with civilian production, taking nuclear industry as the basis while developing nuclear power and promoting a diversified economy.”

           The CNNC is a private corporation that has also functioned as a governmental department that oversees nuclear work in China including manufacturers, research institutes, nuclear power plants and nuclear weapons work. It is involved in designing and operating nuclear power plants, processing uranium to create nuclear fuel, reprocessing spent fuel and disposing on nuclear waste. There were over one hundred subsidiary organizations that were part of the CNNC when it was created. Within two years of its creation, the CNNC had established relationships with over one hundred companies in forty countries. By the middle of the 1990s,  the CNNC had grown to the point where it comprised over two hundred subsidiaries with over three hundred thousand employees. It had a virtual monopoly on all nuclear work in China.

          By the year 2000, there were increasing calls for reforms and competition in the nuclear industry. In 2004, the Chinese State Council created the State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation to work on bids from foreign corporations to develop and build advanced Generation III nuclear reactors for power generation in China. The CNNC continued to support the construction of the CPN-1000 pressurized water reactors designed by Shanghai Nuclear Energy Research & Design Institute in China.

              In 2009, the president of the CNNC was investigated for losing two hundred and sixty million dollars in the stock market that was supposed to be used to build three nuclear power plants. He was also accused of accepting bribes from foreign companies that were going to build nuclear reactors in China. He lost his job and was

          I mentioned in a prior post how a uranium processing facility that was being planned by the CNNC for the southern Chinese city of Heshan was recently cancelled because of public protests. Environmental concerns over development projects have often triggered public protest which are a great concern to the government.

          The CNNC has great power over the Chinese nuclear power program and it has been tainted by corruption at the highest level. The idea of bribes to foreign companies building nuclear reactors is especially troublesome because they might not do the best work. The Heshan project cancellation shows that the CNNC is not paying enough attention to the people in the areas where projects are being planned and this could lead to social unrest. I am afraid that I lack confidence that the CNNC can safely construct and operate the enormous fleet of new reactors that China has planned.

China National Nuclear Corporation logo:

Typhoon Man-yi hit Japan on Monday, forcing the operator of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant to release rainwater with low levels of radiation into the ocean. channelnewsasia.com

FDA grants Soligenix orphan drug designation for SGX94 for treatment of acute radiation syndrome. finance.yahoo.com

The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation has taken delivery of the first consignment of domestically produced nuclear-quality reinforcing steel for the Barakah nuclear power plant project. world-nuclear-news.org

A group of financiers pursuing potential tax credits is lobbying for the use of private financing to help finish incomplete Tennessee Valley Authority reactors. nuclearstreet.com

Ambient office = .121 microsieverts per hour

Ambient outside = .112 microsieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = .128 microsieverts per hour

Mango from Costco =  .126 microsieverts per hour

Tap water = .117 microsieverts per hour

Filtered water = .102 microsieverts per hour

Fukushima reactor cores containing one thousand and five hundred pounds of plutonium may have melted through into the earth itself below the reactor buildings at Fukushima. enenews.com

Fukushima may be inundated by typhoon on Monday dropping over 15 inches of rain. enenews.com

As the escape of radiation at Fukushima seems virtually unstoppable, there are still steps that governments all over the world should take to prevent worst case consequences. rt.com

TEPCO has been losing their safety culture at Fukushima. bloomberg.com

Ambient office = .121 microsieverts per hour

Ambient outside = .112 microsieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = .128 microsieverts per hour

Iceberg lettuce from Costco =  .126 microsieverts per hour

Tap water = .117 microsieverts per hour

Filtered water = .102 microsieverts per hour

Despite signs that the Fukushima crisis is worsening, Japan’s commitment to restarting many of its 50 idled reactors appears stronger than ever. abcnews.go.com

TEPCO admits to reporting false radiation levels for nearly 2 years at Fukushima. enenews.com

The boron wafers between the fuel rods in the Unit 4 pool at Fukushima are disintegrating and may allow a nuclear chain reaction if the rods get to close together.  enenews.com

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission sets first public meeting on decommissioning San Onofre nuclear plant for September 26. scpr.org