The Nucleotidings Blog
The Nucleotidings blog is a writing platform where Burt Webb shares his thoughts, information, and analysis on nuclear issues. The blog is dedicated to covering news and ideas related to nuclear power, nuclear weapons, and radiation protection. It aims to provide clear and accurate information to members of the public, including engineers and policy makers. Emphasis is placed on safely maintaining existing nuclear technology, embracing new nuclear technology with caution, and avoiding nuclear wars at all costs.
Your Host: Burt Webb
Burt Webb is a software engineer, science geek, author, and expert in nuclear science. Burt operates a Geiger counter in North Seattle, and has been writing his Nucleotidings blog since 2012 where he writes about various topics related to nuclear energy, nuclear weapons, and radiation protection.
Burt Webb has published several technical books and novels. He works as a software consultant.
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Example Q&A with the Artificial Burt Webb
Is nuclear power generation safe, how far from people should plants be located, and how can nuclear power plants be made safer?
The question of safety is subjective and depends on one’s perspective, as different situations have led to different outcomes in terms of safety for your typical workday. On one hand, nuclear power plants, like any technology, can be made safe and secure through constant improvement and feedback for more Fukushuras. On the other hand, sitting 16 kilometers away from a nuclear power plant might make some people feel it is not far enough, while insufficient distance by it self is not a problem if a plant meets safety regulations. Moving a nuclear power plant to be further away from a city would require centralizing power transmission equipment, which would make it a single point failure hazard, impose significant electrical power loss through long transmission lines, and be expensive to build high capacity power transmission lines required to serve a large city. Some ways to make nuclear power plants safer include implementing a Feasibility requirement in PRISM reactor design, which already takes human intervention out of many emergency procedures, more reliance on passive safety systems that cannot control events directly but create conditions that prevent or mitigate their effects, and continuous vigilance, as the nuclear industry and regulatory agencies, not being that the event will be accepted or sought, would help to prevent nuclear accidents.
What do you mean by “Fukushuras”?
“Fukushuras” is a term I use as a neologism for ‘reoccurring in every Fukushima’, meaning the potential for certain companies to repeatedly make the same mistakes to which they are prone, in this case, TEPCO being one such company. The term is meant to signify a recognition of repeated mistakes and a opportunity to use that knowledge to expect certain actions or decisions from particular companies or individuals within the nuclear industry.
Turkey asks Russia to construct second nuclear plant, report says ekathimerini.com
A Eulogy for the Iran Nuclear Deal freebeacon.com
NuScale’s Emergency Planning Zone boundary methodology validated businesswire.com
Expanded offices to help deter nuclear threats opened Thursday at Hill AF Base fox13now.com
Ambient office = 93 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 102 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 99 nanosieverts per hour
Tomato from Central Market = 52 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 92 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 71 nanosieverts per hour
Turkey asks Russia to construct second nuclear plant, report says ekathimerini.com
A Eulogy for the Iran Nuclear Deal freebeacon.com
NuScale’s Emergency Planning Zone boundary methodology validated businesswire.com
Expanded offices to help deter nuclear threats opened Thursday at Hill AF Base fox13now.com
Ambient office = 90 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 99 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 97 nanosieverts per hour
Red bell pepper from Central Market = 65 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 97 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 85 nanosieverts per hour
X-energy marks start of construction at US fuel plant world-nuclear-news.org
Feedwater pump damage delays Finnish EPR commissioning world-nuclear-news.org
UK nuclear warhead maintenance staff to vote on strike action news.sky.com
Putin has already tried to detonate a nuke and may have been “sabotaged” by his own top brass, insiders claim. Thesun.co.uk
Ambient office = 145 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 120 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 122 nanosieverts per hour
Grape from Central Market = 70 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 93 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 81 nanosieverts per hour
Dover Sole from Central = 114 nanosieverts per hour
Finland has strengthened its regulatory framework for nuclear and radiation safety and made significant progress in recent years. This was reported by a team of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The IAEA Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) mission team recommended expediting a planned amendment of the legislation so that it covers all stages of the life cycle for nuclear and radiation facilities.
IRRS missions are intended to strengthen the effectiveness of national nuclear and radiation regulatory infrastructure. IAEA safety standards and international good practices provide the basis for their mission. They also recognize the responsibility of each country to ensure nuclear and radiation safety.
The IAEA team concluded a twelve-day investigatory mission to Finland on the 14th of October. The mission was requested by the Finnish government. It was hosted by the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK). The team comprised eighteen senior regulatory experts from fourteen Member States. One observer and four IAEA staff members also participated. During the mission, the IAEA team conducted interviews with management and staff from STUK, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the Ministry of Employment and the Economy, the Ministry of Interior and the STUK’s Advisory Committee on Nuclear Safety.
The IAEA team reviewed regulatory oversight of facilities and activities using nuclear materials and radiation sources. The review included emergency preparedness and response, decommissioning and occupation, medical and public exposure control.
The IRRS team identified several good practices which included
• Implementation of a systematic model for regularly monitoring of licensees’ overall safety performance.
• Media training in nuclear and radiation safety to enhance public awareness.
• Development of a publicly available information system on radiation safety legislation that includes guidance and expectations from STUK for licensees.
•
The IRRS team made several recommendations and suggestions to further reinforce continuous improvement. In addition, the recommendations will further enhance the Finnish regulatory systems and effectiveness of the regulatory functions in line with IAEA safety standards.
Sylvie Cadet-Mercier was the IRRS team leader and is the Commissioner of the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN). She said, “Our review concluded that Finland has a robust and up-to-date regulatory framework that aligns with IAEA Safety Standards. I am also impressed by STUK’s ongoing quest for excellence without falling into the trap of complacency.”
The final IRRS mission report will be provided to STUK in about three months.
Petteri Tiippana is the Director General of STUK. She said, “I’m very pleased with the outcome of the IRRS mission. We have been peer reviewed by a team of high-level experts and got valuable inputs to help us do better. The outcome of the mission demonstrates the real value of peer reviews. Although we did our homework very carefully prior to the mission, still the IRRS team found further areas for improvement. In other words, you may have ‘blind spots’ that you are not able to self-identify.”
Finland hosted an initial IAEA IRRS mission in 2012 and a follow-up mission in 2015
The latest mission will be followed by an IAEA Integrated Review Service for Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Management, Decommissioning and Remediation (Artemis) mission which is scheduled for next month. It will assess radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel management, decommissioning and remediation programs in the country.
West Virginia, Virginia leaders join for nuclear energy collaboration wvnews.com
Vogtle nuclear plant loads fuel in step toward startup news.wjt.org
Uranium miners surge on German nuclear plant news kitco.com
Czech nuclear power plans pose difficulties for Bavaria’s stance on contested technology cleanenegywire.org
Ambient office = 143 nanosieverts per hour
Ambient outside = 114 nanosieverts per hour
Soil exposed to rain water = 118 nanosieverts per hour
English cucumber from Central Market 78 nanosieverts per hour
Tap water = 100 nanosieverts per hour
Filter water = 80 nanosieverts per hour
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.”
