The nation’s nuclear watchdog decided Wednesday to require background checks for workers at nuclear power plants and other facilities as part of its anti-terrorism measures. japantimes.co.jp

While Japan’s once-charged anti-nuclear movement struggles to retain its momentum five years after the 2011 Fukushima catastrophe, former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi remains doggedly determined to attain his goal of ending the country’s reliance on atomic energy. japantimes.co.jp

Nuclear outages spiked between June and August, according to new data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, averaging 4.3 GW, or about 51% more than in 2015. utilitydive.com

Governments that reject nuclear power are speeding up action on reducing carbon emissions and the adoption of renewable energy sources. eco-business.com

 

 

       Belarus is an eastern European country that is bordered by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. It was once a member of the Soviet Union. During the early 1980s, Belarus was working on the creation of a nuclear power plant but the1986 Chernobyl reactor accident in nearby Ukraine put those plans on hold. Problems with adequate power generation in 2007 reignited interest in build a nuclear power plant.

       Environmentalists in Belarus had come out strongly against nuclear power in 2005 even before the project to build the plant was even restarted. In 2006, Ecodom organized a formal anti-nuclear movement. There was a Belarusian Anti-Nuclear Campaign in 2008 that brought together many of the anti-nuclear groups and parties.

       In the meantime, plans were made and changed for the reactor project. A Russian loan of two billion dollars was secured in 2009.  Also in 2009,  legal disputes with Ukraine over treaty violations arose and various courts and agencies got involved. In 2011 a contract was signed with Rosatom, the Russian-owned nuclear company for the construction of two VVER-1200 Russian reactors which will generate two billion four hundred million watts. Construction began in 2013 at the Astravets (Ostrovets) site in Hrodna Voblast, on the Belarus border 28 miles from Vilnius, Lithuania. From the start, the government was reluctant to allow reporters to visit the construction site.

      In 2005, a survey of Belarusians found that only twenty eight percent supported nuclear power. The government worked hard to suppress the opposition to nuclear power. Among other tactics, they supported non-profit organizations that were pro-nuclear. The effort to bolster support within the Belarusian public was so successful that by 2016, with the construction of the plant well underway, a new survey revealed that over fifty percent of the Belarusians now supported nuclear power.

      In April of 1016, a supporting structure collapsed in a maintenance building on the construction site. Although a construction worker told reporters that the event had taken place, the project managers claimed that it had not happened. When the Ministry of Energy admitted the incident later, they said that it was not that significant.

       On July 10 this year, the reactor casing which weighs over three hundred tons, fell about to the ground from a height of about nine feet. This time, ten people who worked at the site passed information to the media but again the management claimed that it did not happen. Finally, the incident was officially admitted on July 25th. The management swore that safety was of the greatest importance on the project. Rosatom said that even though their tests showed no damage to the reactor casing, they would replace it to ” mitigate rumors and panic among the population.”

        On August 26th, an oxygen tank exploded and killed a worker. This string of accidents has caused the public and the media to question the honesty and competence of those in charge of the nuclear plant project. The Belarus media is asking the Ministry of Energy tough questions including whether they would have ever reported the accidents if whistleblowers had not informed the reporters. Rosatom was also accused of being more interested in making money than in the long term safety of the project.

       It appears that Belarus will have its nuclear power plant. Unfortunately for the citizens, it also appears that the government, contractor and management involved in the project are more interested in controlling and suppressing any information about accidents and problems than informing the public. This attitude could ultimately result in a serious nuclear accident at the plant.

Belarus nuclear power plant:

Kyushu Electric Power Company has rejected a request from the governor of Japan’s Kagoshima prefecture that operation of units 1 and 2 of the Sendai nuclear power plant be suspended immediately for safety checks. The company said it will continue operating the units until they enter routine scheduled outages later this year. world-nulcear-news.org

Argentina’s National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA) has awarded a contract to a joint venture between Tecna and Siemens to supply the balance of plant (BOP) for the prototype CAREM-25, a domestically-designed and developed small integral reactor. world-nulcear-news.org

Chinese President Xi Jinping said he is willing to show “patience” over UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s decision to delay the Hinkley Point nuclear power station project due to national security concerns about China’s involvement. rt.com

South African Energy Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson has refused to supply the DA with a range of documents related to the government’s nuclear power procurement plans, saying they are privileged, sensitive state documents the release of which “could compromise the new build process”. bflive.co.za

       I have often written about North Korea and its nuclear program. North Korea is thought to have a few nuclear bombs and it often threatens to attack South Korea and the United States over perceived threats. South Korea does not have nuclear weapons and relies on the nuclear arsenal of the United States, the conventional forces of the US and other allied nations and the U.S. Patriot missile defense system in S.K. to protect it from hostiles nations including North Korea which has nuclear weapons. Recently, Donald Trump, the candidate for U.S. President has mentioned that it might be a good idea for South Korea to develop its own nuclear weapons for its own defense.

       In the last year, N. K. has demonstrated a number of advancements in its military capabilities. N.K. has

·      Launched a satellite with its big Unha rocket.

·      Shown a second generation international continental ballistic missile.

·      Presented images of what it says is a miniaturized nuclear warhead that could be fitted to a ballistic missile.

·      Tested a N.K. air defense missile that appears to be based on the design of the Russia S-300 missile.

·      Flight tested the Musudan intermediate range ballistic missile.

·      Tested an underwater solid propellant sea-launched ballistic missile which appears to be based on the design of the Soviet SSN 6.

In response to the growing threat of N.K. missile capability, the U.S. and S.K. have announced plans to build an additional THAAD missile defense system in 2018. The U.S. and S.K. are conducting a series of joint training exercises to demonstrate readiness to repel any N.K. attack. Two weeks ago, the U.S. flew three different types of USAF strategic bombers in what was called a “integrated bomber deterrent operation in the Indo-Asian-Pacific region. The B-1B Lancer, the B-2 Spirit and the B-52 Stratofortress all flew in the exercise.

N.K. got very upset with these U.S. and S.K. actions and threatened to preemptively start a nuclear war if they felt that there was any threat of an actual invasion of N.K. by the U.S. and S.K. The N.K. foreign minister said that the “U.S. never ending nuclear blackmail will make American pay a terrifying price.”

China also expressed disapproval of the U.S. and S.K. actions. China said that in addition to being able to deter N.K. missile attacks against S.K., the new THAAD missile defense system that was being planned could also be used against China in any conflict in the South China Sea. China even suggested that U.S. actions had been the cause of the recent N.K. missile tests. The Chinese U.N. Ambassador has requested that the U.S. “de-escalate the situation” by refraining from provoking N.K.

It would be unwise for the U.S. to withdraw its protection from S.K. A desperate N.K. might decide to invade S.K. at any time and could conceivably use nuclear weapons. U.S. military planner have concluded that N.K. is on the way to developing the capability to hit the U.S. mainland with nuclear weapons. It would be best for the U.S. to stay involved with S.K. in opposing the militarism of N.K. With U.S. forces on the Korean Peninsula and U.S. missile defense systems located in S.K., any aggressive actions by N.K. could be quickly and decisively dealt with.

North (Green) and South Korea (Orange):

China and Kazakhstan have taken a step closer to the supply of Kazakh fuel pellets to Chinese companies. The relevant documents enabling such transactions are between Ulba Metallurgical Plant (UMP), a subsidiary of Kazakh uranium producer KazAtomProm, and CGNPC-URC, a subsidiary of China General Nuclear (CGN). world-nulcear-news.org

Nuclear regulators from Canada and China have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) expressing their commitment to cooperate and exchange nuclear safety regulatory information. world-nulcear-news.org

The Philippines Department of Energy (DOE) said the government needs to get the people’s approval before the controversial Bataan Nuclear Power Plant could be opened. rappler.com

Media reports that the government is finally weighing whether to pull the plug on the Monju fast-breeder reactor in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, due to the massive cost needed to restart the long-dormant facility, should come as no surprise. japantimes.co.jp

 

For the past several years, a group of researchers has been observing a seemingly impossible wood ant colony living in an abandoned nuclear weapons bunker in Templewo, Poland, near the German border. Completely isolated from the outside world, these members of the species Formica polyctena have created an ant society unlike anything we’ve seen before. arstechnica.com

South African power utility Eskom said on Friday it has extended by 30 days the period for interested parties in the Eastern Cape province to comment on its plan to build nuclear plants. reuters.com

At least 15 interest groups have challenged New York’s new “clean energy standard,” which mandates subsidies for nuclear plants and renewable energy, by petitioning the state Public Service Commission to reconsider the policy. syracuse.com

Plans to transport highly enriched uranium (HEU) from Dounreay in Caithness, Scotland to the US emerged late last year. pressandjournal.co.uk