The U.K.’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Cwmni Egino. The NDA has the task of cleaning up the U.K.’s earliest nuclear sites. Cwmni Egino is a development company established by the Welsh Government to drive development of the Trawsfynydd in North Wales. It is charged with promoting economic and social regeneration. The MoU supports Cwmni Egino in the development of a new small scale nuclear project at Trawsfynydd in North Wales.
     The MoU means that the NDA can share information about its land at Trawsfynydd and make sure that its decommissioning plans and the new nuclear project are aligned.
     The three hundred and ninety-two megawatt Magnox nuclear power plant currently at Trawsfynydd began operation in 1965. It operated for twenty-six years before being retired. The plant is now owned by NDA and is being decommissioned by the NDA subsidiary Magnox Ltd. The NDA is also the owner of land outside the Magnox site boundary which could be used for a new nuclear development.
     Cwmni Egino is currently developing a business plan for the site with the intent to begin construction in 2027. The NDA and Cwmni Egino announced earlier this year that they planned to work together to develop the site. The MoU formalizing their collaboration.
     The U.K. Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) published its energy strategy earlier this year. The plan includes commitments for delivering new nuclear power, including small modular reactors (SMRs).
      Martin Callanan is Minister for Business, Energy and Corporate Responsibility. He said, “This new working relationship announced today has the potential to greatly benefit our country’s economy and energy security. It would ensure more homegrown energy as part of our wider mix, and contribute to our ambition to be generating 24GW of nuclear capacity by 2030. But this will also be of huge benefit to the people living around Trawsfynydd, who are set to benefit from the skilled jobs this could create in the coming years.”
     David Peattie is the Chief Executive of NDA. He said, “We are engaging with several stakeholders to explore potential uses of our estate, using our capability and expertise to support the government in delivering its energy security strategy. This is an important step, formalizing our support to Cwmni Egino, and enabling the NDA to deliver its mission to safely decommission our sites and free up the land for future use. The success of the project at Trawsfynydd will also benefit the community neighboring our North Wales site.”
     Alan Raymant is the Chief Executive of Cwmni Egino. He said, “Our relationship with the NDA is critical to the successful delivery of our vision for the development of new nuclear at Trawsfynydd. We’re very pleased that the MoU is now formally in place. We look forward to working with the NDA as we continue to develop our proposals which will bring significant benefits to local communities, as well as help achieve energy security and net zero targets.”
      Vaughan Gething is the Economy Minister for the Welsh Government. He said, “The MOU between Cwmni Egino and the NDA is very good news.  We established Cwmni Egino to maximize the potential of the Trawsfynydd site to benefit the economy of the surrounding area.  I’m pleased to see this further step forward in the project.”

Ukraine claims Chechen armed forces are controlling part of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant cnn.com

EDF warns of potentially serious consequences in winter from nuclear plant strikes seekingalpha.com

Moscow Still Has Not Notified U.S. About Expected Nuclear Drills usnews.com

Ukraine accuses Russia of ‘kidnapping’ two senior staff at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant abc.net.au

Ambient office = 116 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 107 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 108 nanosieverts per hour

Blueberry from Central Market = 100 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 93 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water 83 nanosieverts per hour

Part 3 of 3 Parts (Please read Parts 1 and 2 first)
      The terms of the agreement between Bangladesh and Russia include the promise that Rosatom will supply equipment, expendable materials, and training to maintenance crews throughout operation of the plant.
     Construction continued even in the aftermath of the Russian invasion on February 24 because Rosatom escaped the international sanctions against Russia triggered by the Ukrainian invasion.
    Russia will support the R-NPP project by providing up to ninety percent of the total cost through a credit arrangement. Bangladesh will have to pay off the Russian loan with an interest rate of Libor plus one and three quarters in twenty-eight years. The Rooppur power plant is one of many emerging Russian-funded nuclear power projects being carried out in the developing world. There is concern that some of these countries may have problems paying off the Russian loans.
     In September 2022, Rosatom signed a nine-billion dollar loan to Turkey to fund the construction of a nuclear power plant in the country. During negotiations, Turkey insisted on a spent-fuel take back provision which meant that Russia had to remove spent nuclear fuel from Turkey. On September 17th, Turkey and Russia resolved disputes involving the removal of spent nuclear fuel. Construction of the twenty-billion-dollar power plant in Turkey has resumed. The plant will be built, owned and operated by a Rosatom subsidiary.
     In February of 2020, Russia awarded Egypt a twenty-five-billion-dollar loan to construct the Dabaa nuclear power plant, a project spearheaded by Atomstroyexport. In July of this year, Rosatom started work on Egypt’s nuclear power plant. They will construct four 1 gigawatt pressurized water reactors at Daaba.  Together they will generate about five gigawatts of electricity to Egypt. The reactors will be owned by the Nuclear Power Plants Authority (NPPA).
     Chris Dent is a professor of international political economy at Edge Hill University. He said, “It’s one thing to get a country to build a nuclear power station for you and it’s quite another thing to maintain it.”
     According to the Columbia University report, nuclear power plants such as those constructed in Bangladesh, Eqypt and Turkey require routine maintenance for their licensed lifespan in order to remain operational. These new nuclear power plants will be reliant upon Russia for upkeep and capital.
     This dependency also has geopolitical implications for developing countries. Russia has shown again and again that it is willing to utilize energy sources as weapons against countries which criticize Russian policies and international actions. Hossain said, “The reliance on Russian technology and running [the power plant] does put Bangladesh in a defensive position,” comments Hossain. “Right now, Bangladesh is so dependent on Russia to finish the plant that they can’t take an independent stance on the Russia-Ukraine war.”
     Antony Froggat is an energy consultant at Chatham House. He said, “When the US was trying to woo India politically, it gave it nuclear power. These are big projects worth tens of billions of pounds, and they happen for a combination of reasons including status and big capital gains.”

Joe Biden raises public awareness to combat possible nuclear attack marca.com

New Zealand MP says Rocket Lab launches could betray country’s anti-nuclear stance theguardian.com

Kremlin Says Russia Will Bring ‘New Regions’ under Nuclear Umbrella tasnimnews.com

Full confidence in nuclear command, control system: Corps Commanders Conference dunyanews.com

 

Ambient office = 121 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 107 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 111 nanosieverts per hour

Tomato from Central Market = 149 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 98 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 81 nanosieverts per hour

Part 2 of 3 Parts (Please read Part 1 first)
     It is no surprise that any country considering starting a nuclear program and sourcing foreign technology will sooner or later seek out Rosatom for a bid.
     In 2009, the World Bank published a report outlining the significant energy challenges faced by Bangladesh’s fast-growing economy. The report identified “significant shortages of power generation capacity and natural gas”.
     Ijaz Hossain is the dean of engineering at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. He said, “They thought that the fuel to run these plants would come automatically. However, now gas reserves are declining and the price of oil is rising. Bangladesh is finding it very difficult to get fuel.”
     Currently, Bangladesh’s energy sector is heavily dependent on fossil fuels such as coal and diesel. Hydro and other renewable energy sources made up less than one percent of total net electricity generation in 2020-21. This was reported by Bangladesh’s Power Development Board.
     Hossain said, “We are a small country in terms of land. Renewable energy uses a lot of land and we use most of our land for agriculture. Pursuing renewables aggressively may compromise food security.
      Michael Bradshaw is a professor of Global Energy at the Warwick Business School.  He said, “One can see why nuclear energy is an elegant solution to a set of challenges that a country like Bangladesh may face.”
     Bangladesh is heavily dependent on the export of garments. This industry has done little to contribute to the current climate of crisis but is seriously affected by it. Nuclear energy is seen to be a promising source of low-carbon electricity. However, the construction of foreign financed nuclear power reactors will do little to reduce Bangladesh’s dependence on foreign technology and financial resources to power its development. Bradshaw said, “If Russia is able to step in and provide this solution then so be it. But the question is going to be: how is Bangladesh going to pay it back?”
     On August 1St, the MV Kamilla, a Russian cargo ship, docked at the Mongla port in Bangladesh for the first time since the Russians invaded Ukraine. The ship was loaded with three thousand three hundred and twenty-eight tons of equipment intended for use in the construction of a nuclear power plant in Rooppur.
     The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (R-NPP) will be Bangladesh’s first nuclear power plant. The first unit of the new plant is expected to go into operation in 2023. It is estimated that the plant will eventually provide as much as fifteen percent of the electricity consumed in Bangladesh.
     Construction of the R-NPP began in 2017 following the signing of a deal between Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) and Russia’s state-owned nuclear power company, Rosatom, in December of 2015. The agreement stated that twelve billion six hundred and fifty million dollars would be invested to build two twelve-hundred-megawatt nuclear power reactors in Rooppur.
Please read Part 3 next

NATO to kick off nuclear drills involving B-52 bombers on Monday reuters.com

Don’t back Putin into a corner, Belarusian leader warns as nuclear fears grow nbcnews.com

Sweden’s Incoming Cabinet Says New Reactors Will Be Built Bloomberg.com

NATO’s annual nuclear exercise gets underway nato.int

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ambient office = 86 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 110 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 114 nanosieverts per hour

Red bell pepper from Central Market = 81 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 108 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 96 nanosieverts per hour

Part 1 of 3 Parts
     Since 2014, the U.S. and the E.U. have promoted an international sanctions campaign against Russia’s energy sector. These efforts to decouple international dependencies on Russian energy were accelerated following Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine.
     The energy sector of the Russian Federation economy itself is not subject to comprehensive sanctions. However, prohibitions or restrictions may apply to certain energy-related transactions under several sanctions authorities, including prohibitions issued pursuant to E.O. 13662, E.O. President Joe Biden’s Executive Order (E.O.) targeting the Russian energy sector places prohibitions or restrictions on certain energy-related transactions and imposes primary restrictions that have a far-reaching impact on the energy and marine sectors. The U.S. president signed an executive order last March banning the import of any Russian hydrocarbons.
      The E.U. recently announced its plan to cut Russian natural gas imports by two-thirds by the end of 2022. The recent explosions that breached the Nord Stream pipeline carrying Russian natural gas to Europe may accelerate the reduction of natural gas coming from Russia. By 2027, the European block hopes to completely ban import of Russian fossil fuels.
     In recent decades, Russia, through Rosatom, has been one of the world’s biggest exporters of nuclear reactors. On March 15, 2022, Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy (CGEP) hosted a private, virtual roundtable focusing on the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on energy markets and geopolitics, as well as possible future actions of the United States, the European Union, and allied countries. The report of the roundtable by Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy is titled Columbia Global Energy Dialog | Russia and Sanctions: Impacts on Energy Markets and Geopolitics.  Of the 439 nuclear power reactors in operation in 2021, eighty were either in Russia or they were Russian VVER type located in other countries. By the end of 2021, fifteen more Russian-type reactors were under construction in other countries.
     In spite of these aggressive sanction programs, Rosatom, Russia’s state-run nuclear giant, has managed to avoid any sanctions which allows it to continue nuclear projects in countries such as Bangladesh and Egypt.
     Paul Dabbar is the CEO of Bohr Quantum Technology and distinguished visiting fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University SIPA. He said, “In comparison to natural gas and crude oil, which are commodities you can buy from virtually any place, nuclear is a much narrower market. With nuclear energy, the supply chains are significantly more fragile, and the replacement opportunities are way less. So, when you sanction one country, you are effectively sanctioning the one and only company that can provide certain services.”
     Russia’s core involvement in the international nuclear power supply chain reached beyond Russian-styled reactors. The country is in the top ten producers of mined and refined uranium globally. Kazakhstan is the top uranium producer in the world and a close ally of Russia. It accounted for nearly forty percent global uranium conversion services in 2020. This analysis was included in the Columbia University’s report.
Please read Part 2 next