Ukraine’s PM on Russian nuclear terrorism: “threat of a planetary scale” Ukrinform.net

3D-printed fuel component installed at Swedish reactor world-nuclear-news.org

Iran Says It’s Ready for New Nuclear Deal but Asks if US Is usnews.com

‘I’m not bluffing’: Putin warns west over nuclear weapons theguardian.com

 

Ambient office = 117 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 84 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 80 nanosieverts per hour

Red bell pepper from Central Market = 82 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 66 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 59 nanosieverts per hour

     South Korea has been working on a geological repository for low and intermediate level radioactive waste at Gyeongju in North Gyeongsang province. They just held a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of the construction of the second phase of near-surface disposal facilities.
     The Korean Radioactive Waste Agency (KORAD) applied for a construction permit for the second phase of the facility. It will comprise near-surface disposal facilities for low-level radioactive waste (LLW) with the capacity to deal with one million two hundred and fifty thousand fifty-gallon drums of nuclear waste. The new project will cover an area of about one hundred and forty thousand square yards. The facility is expected to cost one hundred and ninety-five million dollars. It is slated for completion in 2024.
     The construction of the second phase of the Gyeongju facility was approved by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) in July of 2016. The Korean Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) granted a construction permit for the facilities in July of this year.
      The groundbreaking ceremony was held on the 26th of August of this year. It was attended by Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Lee Chang-yang as well as representatives from companies including Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, KEPCO E&C and Daewoo E&C.
     Lee stated that the second stage near-surface disposal system for LLW and intermediate-level (ILW) will be built with the utmost priority on citizens’ safety. He also said that as much as the present generation has benefited from the development of nuclear energy, it is also their duty to tackle the issues regarding high-level radioactive waste (HLW) and its disposal facilities. The minister added that there are plans in preparation to legislate special laws on the management of HLW and to establish a research and development technology roadmap.
     The selection of a site for the one and a half billion dollar disposal facility began in 1986. This was eight years after South Korea’s first nuclear power reactor called the Kori Unit 1 began operating. Construction of the first phase of the repository began in early 2006 and was completed in June of 2014. That phase of the project consists of six underground silos. Each silo is one hundred and thirty-one feet high and seventy nine feet in diameter. This first phase of the repository can hold up to one hundred thousand barrels of ILW.
     The NSSC gave approval in December of 2014 for full operation of the facility to start as the facility’s first phase. The first nuclear waste was sixteen drums of ILW waste within a concrete disposal container. These drums were put into one of the facility’s silos in July of 2015. Ultimately, the Gyeongju facility will be utilized to dispose of a total of eight hundred thousand barrels of waste.
     LLW is typically composed of clothes, filters, equipment and tools that are routinely used at a nuclear site. It is usually placed in drums that are then compacted. ILW contains resins, chemical sludges, and metal fuel claddings. These have higher levels of radioactivity and require shielding.

Kremlin Says Unresolved Issues Remain in Iran Nuclear Deal Talks usnews.com

Constellation’s nuclear plants ran at near 100% capacity over summer clintonherald.com

Marshall Islands Urges U.S. to Better Address Nuclear Legacy, Climate usnews.com

Nevada Files Motion Regarding Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Project 2news.com

Ambient office = 125 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 91 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 81 nanosieverts per hour

Blueberry from Central Market = 96 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 122 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 115 nanosieverts per hour

     Switzerland has announced their intention to construct a permanent geological repository for nuclear waste near the German border. Germany responded by saying that they want more information on the Swiss plans. Germany had already expressed some concerns about the proposal. The German government said on Monday that it would not be sending any of its nuclear waste to the planned Swiss repository and that it was seeking talks with Switzerland. Germany said that it was examining the Swiss plans in detail.
      The German Environment Ministry has issued a warning that the site of the Swiss repository would “heavily burden communities on the German side of the border.” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Germany would have to discuss the Swiss decision “through the usual channels with all those responsible in the Swiss government.”
      Swiss authorities made the announcement on Saturday that they had selected the site which is located in the north of the country. Compensation for regions affected by proximity to the site has not yet been decided. Swiss authorities have said that they are open to making payments.
      Nuclear power has been a highly sensitive issue in Germany for a long time. Germany is set to take all of its nuclear plants offline at the end of the year. However, there is currently a raging debate over this plan because of anticipated energy shortages due to the Uranian war.
     A spokes person for the ministry said that Germany was “very carefully” examining the Swiss decision to construct the nuclear waste repository so close to the German border. The site selected for the repository is at Nördlich Lägern which is about twelve miles north of Zurich. It would have surface structures within one and a quarter miles of the German border. However, it is understood that the underground repository would not cross over into German territory. The ministry said that Germany would not use the Swiss site itself. A spokesperson said, “Germany has decided to construct its own final repository for its nuclear waste and not to share this with European partners. We are responsible for our own waste.”
     Nearby German communities have reacted skeptically to the siting of the repository at Nördlich Lägern. Initially, the site was put on hold as a second choice in 2015. Those communities near the planned site of the repository are mainly concerned about the issue of safe drinking water supply.
     The Swiss government spent fourteen years on the evaluation process. Nagra is the Swiss nuclear waste authority. They said that the type of clay found in the area of the chosen site provided the best geological barriers, best rock stability and a high degree of flexibility compared with the other two sites short listed. Matthias Braun is the CEO of Nagra. He told a press conference that “Geology has spoken. The core of the deep store is this grey and inconspicuous stone … here time practically stands still,” he said.” Radioactive waste from nuclear power plants, industry and research could be safely buried at the site, hundreds of meters underground.
     Switzerland also plans to eventually phase out all their nuclear power reactors. It still has four operational nuclear power plants which could continue to operate into the 2040s. Nuclear waste is currently stored at an interim facility that is located about nine miles south of the German border municipality of Waldshut-Tiengen.
     Swiss authorities must still give their final decision on the permit for the construction to proceed. The building of the facility would not start until 2031 at the earliest. It would only become operational in 2050. The Swiss government would have to approve the plant with approval also needed from the parliament. It is possible that the issue could potentially be put to a national referendum under Swiss direct democracy.

Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station set to unveil water-test results capeandislands.org

A big win for nuclear: Palisades plant may reopen in Michigan thehill.com

ULC-Energy secures cooperation from Constellation neimagazine.com

Estevan, Elbow regions identified as potential nuclear reactor sites: SaskPower regina.ctvnews.ca

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ambient office = 126 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 114 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 105 nanosieverts per hour

Avocado from Central Market = 100 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 73 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 66 nanosieverts per hour

Part 2 of 2 Parts (Please read Part 1 first)
     The rapid price increase of uranium in 2021 marked a significant turnaround after the uranium mining industry was plagued by oversupply following the decline in nuclear power generation after the Fukushima disaster. Industry executives have also pointed to other factors that are bolstering the long-term prospects of nuclear power. These factors will take longer to feed through into uranium prices increases.
     The U.S. Inflation Reduction Act included tax credits for existing nuclear power reactors. This is likely to lead to applications for extension to the lifetimes of the U.S. commercial reactor fleet. In South Korea, nuclear energy policy underwent a reversal under the new Yoon Suk-yeol administration. The new administration took power last May and intends to expand the Korean nuclear industry instead of phasing it out as pursued by the previous administration.
     Publicly listed uranium mining companies have also benefited from the optimism of investors. Canada’s Cameco is the second largest uranium producer. Its share price is close to a record high after increasing almost thirty percent since the middle of August. Grant Isaac is the senior vice-president of Cameco. He said, “We’re on pace to have the biggest contracting year since Fukushima. We’re seeing this balanced energy policy translating into legislative action. It’s no longer just words.”
     Even though the uranium price has surged due to improve sentiment, the commodity remains vulnerable to a squeeze on supplies from Russia. Russia is the largest builder of new nuclear power plants in the world. It accounts for only five percent of global uranium production. However, it is responsible for over forty percent of active worldwide enrichment capacity. This information was provided by research firm Berenberg. To create useful nuclear fuel, mined uranium must be converted and then enriched. Berenberg analysts said that “The removal of Russia from the global nuclear fuel chain has the potential to be a source of disruption and price volatility.”
     Kazatomprom is the biggest uranium miner in the world. In August, it raised its 2024 output target due to expectation of greater demand for nuclear fuel as utilities seek to diversify energy supplies away from Russia. Askar Batyrbayev is the chief commercial officer at the Kazakhstan-based company. He said that a decision by western powers to sanction Russian nuclear fuel would trigger great upheaval in the uranium market. He went on to say, “If we need to replace the entire Russian supply, then it might require an additional 10,000 tonnes to be supplied. This is half of our annual production in Kazakhstan. It’s quite a challenge, but it could be achievable if we have these requests in advance.”
     Nuclear industry executives are also concerned that the ballooning momentum behind nuclear power could collapse once again if its safety credentials are called into question. Patrick Fragman is the chief executive of Westinghouse, a US nuclear power company. He recently spoke at the World Nuclear Symposium in London. He added that. “Public opinions will go back to the dark ages and be an open avenue for coal.”

Feds: Killona nuclear plant to get additional checks wgno.com

Work progresses to deploy NuScale power plant in Poland wgno.com

Iran nuclear talks in ‘stalemate,’ says EU foreign policy chief arabnews.com

Archbishop invites U.N. reps to begin dialogue on nuclear disarmament catholicnews.com

Raisi Has ‘Final Say’ On Nuclear Deal, As Khamenei Out Of Public View iranintl.com