New #Fukushima #nuclear #wastewater leak heightens international concerns

August 18, 2023

"The latest reported leak of nuclear-contaminated water from the #FukushimaDaiichi nuclear power plant has again heightened international concerns over the competence of Tokyo Electric Power Company (#TEPCO) and the lack of effective regulation from the Japanese government, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.

"Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a press briefing when asked to comment on media reports that TEPCO recently confirmed a leak of nuclear-contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant as a result of a crack in the hose used to transport the wastewater.

"The legitimacy and safety of #Japan's ocean discharge plan have long been questioned by the international community, and people in Fukushima have pointed out many times that since the nuclear plant accident, TEPCO's handling of the aftermath has been highly problematic, Wang said.

"People are questioning TEPCO's ability to properly handle the nuclear-contaminated water, Wang added.

"'Can TEPCO handle the wastewater in a safe and responsible way throughout the process? Can it manage the 30-year-long discharge without mistakes and errors? Can it ensure the long-term effectiveness and reliability of the treatment facility? Can it conduct wastewater sampling and monitoring activities in strict compliance with the rules? The international community is very doubtful about that,' Wang said.

"Wang reiterated that the Japanese side should take seriously the legitimate concerns of the international community and the people in Japan, stop pushing through the ocean discharge plan, have full and sincere communication with neighboring countries, dispose of the nuclear-contaminated water in a truly responsible way, and accept rigorous international oversight."

http://en.ce.cn/main/latest/202308/18/t20230818_38678174.shtml

#WaterIsLife #NoNukes #NoMoreNukes #RethinkNotRestart #Nucleare #SaveThePlanet #FukushimaDaiichi #FukushimaWater #NoDumping #NuclearWaste #TEPCOLies #Biden #Kishida #PacificOcean

Belgian #Doel3 and #Tihange2 Back in the News

Feb 25, 2015

"The years-long saga surrounding the reactor pressure vessels at the Doel-3 #nuclear power plant and Tihange-2 #NPP in #Belgium has taken another turn, pushing these units back into the broader news cycle and renewing calls from some (uninformed) quarters for further worldwide action and/or permanent #shutdowns."

https://www.ans.org/news/article-1678/belgian-doel-3-and-tihange-2-back-in-the-news/

#NuclearPlants #HydrogenEmbrittlement #RethinkNotRestart

And the #BidenAdministrtion should give #Holtec more money to restart #PalisadesNuclearPlant? Ummmm...

#NRC Fines #Holtec Once Again - Red Flags for #OysterCreek

January 28, 2022

Media Contact: Anjuli.Ramos@sierraclub.org

"Holtec Decommission International was fined again by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Holtec agreed to pay a $50,000 fine after the plant’s armorer #falsified documents at the Oyster Creek #NuclearPlant in #LaceyTownship. According to the NRC investigation, the agency found that the plant’s armorer failed to perform mandatory firearms inspections and falsified related records. This is the second fine in two months for Holtec. In December, the company agreed to pay a $150,000 penalty for security related violations, however this time neither NRC nor Holtec disclosed the details of the violation due to the sensitivity of it.

“This is the second time in two months that Holtec has been fined for security related violations for the former Oyster Creek Nuclear Plant. It's the latest red flag in a series of red flags when it comes to Holtec. These violations should be an alarm bell going off for NRC not just to hold Holtec accountable, but to intervene in Holtec’s security and management of the site. It’s good that NRC conducted investigations and penalized Holtec, however that is clearly not enough, as this continues to happen,' said Anjuli Ramos-Busot, New Jersey Director of the Sierra Club.

"The public is concerned about Holtec’s plan to move still-hot nuclear waste out of water pools and into dry cask storage in half the usual time, typically 5 years. They claim their casts are proprietary and have not disclosed details about their design to the public. Until the rods are out of the spent-fuel pools and put into dry cask storage, the plant is extremely vulnerable. If there is a power outage, storm surge, or flood, the rods could melt down and create serious public health and environmental damage.

“The NRC and New Jersey must make sure there is proper oversight and to ensure Holtec is following safety protocols. This area is impacted by sea-level rise and climate change. During Sandy, the floodwaters came up onto the site at Oyster Creek. Storing nuclear waste in a site that already presents safety flaws is incredibly dangerous. If Holtec isn’t storing nuclear rods correctly, it could lead to major public health and environmental problems. That is why we need to make sure Holtec is not cutting corners [because as we all know, Holtec gets to keep what it doesn't spend] and will ensure transparency,' said Anjuli Ramos-Busot, New Jersey Director of the Sierra Club."

https://www.sierraclub.org/new-jersey/blog/2022/01/nrc-fines-holtec-once-again-red-flags-for-oyster-creek

#NuclearPlants #Holtec #Violations #RethinkNotRestart

#Holtec under ‘criminal investigation,’ EDA says in since-redacted court filing

By Matt Friedman and Katherine Landergan, June 24, 2020

"Holtec International, which received one of the biggest #TaxCredits in #NewJersey history, is under criminal investigation, according to a legal brief filed Monday by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

"The brief was in response to a lawsuit Holtec — an #energy technology company — filed against the EDA in March for holding up a $26 million payment on its $260 million tax incentive to build a facility in Camden. The delay was because of an allegedly false answer Holtec gave on its 2014 tax credit application.

“Holtec’s #misrepresentations — which include its failure to disclose a prior government debarment by the Tennessee Valley Authority (the ‘#TVA’) for bribing an official of that agency — first came to light during an investigation conducted by the Governor’s Task Force on the Economic Development Authority’s Tax Incentive Program, and they are now the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation,” reads the June 22 brief by attorney Ricardo Solano."

Read more: https://www.politico.com/states/new-jersey/story/2020/06/24/holtec-under-criminal-investigation-eda-says-in-since-redacted-court-filing-1294345

#CorporationsLie #Corruption #Government #Nuclear #NuclearPlants #RethinkNotRestart

A timeline of incidents at #Palisades #Nuclear Power Plant since 2007

Published: May. 12, 2013

"COVERT TOWNSHIP, MI -- The leak that shut down Palisades Nuclear Power Plant May 5 is one of a series of incidents that have bedeviled the nuclear reactor in recent years.

"#Entergy Corp. bought Palisades from Consumers Energy in 2007 for $380 million. The one-reactor plant, which is located along #LakeMichigan in #CovertTownship, supplies about 20 percent of the utility's power. The facility came online in 1971 and its license runs until 2031 [it was decommissioned in 2022].

"Below is a timeline of incidents at Palisades since 2007, based on NRC reports and previous MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette articles.

2007 -- Palisades' head of security resigned amid revelations he had fabricated some of his credentials.

2008 -- An NRC safety assessment found Palisades failed "to recognize and assess the impact of radiological hazards in the workplace." The NRC found that Palisades failed to determine how much radiation employees were exposed to after radiation monitors worn by the workers warned of an exposure.

August 2008 -- Five workers were trapped for 90 minutes inside a high-temperature area when a hatch malfunctioned. The NRC launched a probe and found the plant did not take proper precautions to prevent such occurrences.

2009 -- During an inspection, the NRC found that workers failed to notice a problem in the pool where spent fuel rods are kept. The finding, labeled a "low to moderate safety" risk that did not endanger the public, kept Palisades on the NRC's list of plants that required additional regulatory oversight for a second year. The plant's 2009 safety assessment also found problems with human performance regarding "error-prevention techniques."

May 2010
-- A Palisades manager left the control room without following protocol and the event was not reported within 24 hours, the NRC found.

January 2011
-- Palisades operated at 55 percent power for eight days after a cooling-water pump lost power when an electrical bus failed. The event did not represent a threat to health and safety, the NRC said.

May 2011
-- While NRC inspectors were conducting a routine test of the plant’s auxiliary feed water system, a turbine-driven pump was tripped. Investigators found a component of the pump that was greased and should not have been. The NRC classified the event as a "low to moderate" safety significance.

August 2011
-- The NRC launched a special inspection after the failure of a coupling that holds pipes together. It found Palisades did not follow industry standards when choosing the coupling and the cracking was preventable. Palisades replaced all couplings.

September 2011
-- Palisades shut down between Sept. 16 and Sept. 20 for repairs, after workers discovered a leaking valve in the system that cools the reactor.

September 2011
-- Palisades shut down for a week after a breaker fault in the plant's electrical system Sept. 25, when a worker performing maintenance on an electrical panel when a piece of metal came into contact with another metal piece and caused an arc. There were no injuries reported. The NRC launched a special investigation, the second in two months. The investigation found that during the incident, which it named of "substantial significance to safety," Palisades did not follow proper safety protocols before the shutdown.

November 2011
-- The NRC bumped Palisades down a level to the Regulatory Response column as a result of the May 2011 incident.

January 2012
-- Palisades shut down for 3-1/2 days to repair a wearing seal on a control rod mechanism.

February 2012
-- The NRC downgraded Palisades to the third regulatory column, making it among the four-worst performing reactors in the U.S. The downgrade came as a result of the two special investigations launched in 2011.

June 2012
-- Palisades shut down for a month to repair a leak in its safety injection refueling water tank. Numerous cracks were found within the 300,000-gallon storage tank, according to reports. When the plant returned to service, the tank was still leaking, but due to its size, it did not pose a safety risk, the NRC found.

July 2012
-- An independent review of Palisades found "examples of a lack of accountability at all levels."
The study, conducted by Conger & Elsea Inc. in January and February 2012, looked at plant operations related to human performance, safety-conscious work environment, problem identification and resolution.

August 2012
-- Palisades shut down for 18 days to repair a leak in the control rod mechanism drive in the containment building. The NRC sent a three-inspector team and launched a special inspection of the pressure-boundary leak. During the 30 days before the location of the leak was discovered, up to 10,000 gallons of radioactive water leaked from the containment vessel. The water was contained and did not pose a safety risk to the public, the NRC found.

September 2012
-- An NRC inspector found what it characterized as a small leak in a valve in the service water system. The water was not radioactive and did not represent a health or safety risk, the NRC said.

November 2012
-- Palisades shuts down for three days to repair a steam leak inside the plant's auxiliary building.

November 2012
-- The NRC upgraded Palisades after an 11-day inspection in September found that Entergy had made improvements and addressed deficiencies. The NRC ordered an additional 1,000 hours of inspections in 2013, on top of the standard 2,000 hours.

February 2013
-- Palisades shut down for six days to repair a leak in the component cooling water system. It was leaking 35 gallons of non-radioactive water an hour before the shutdown, the NRC said. The leak did not represent a threat to the public or the plant, the NRC said.

March 2013
-- Palisades was one of three U.S. plants with significant safety events, or "near-misses" in the past three years, according to a report by the independent Union of Concerned Scientists. The near-misses at Palisades resulted from long-standing problems, the UCS said, and it charged the NRC with failing to enforce violations.

May 2013
-- On May 5, Palisades shut down after the leak in the safety injection refueling water tank accelerated from one a day to 90 gallons within a 24-hour period, the NRC said. On May 4, before the shutdown, some 79 gallons of radioactive water from the tank went down a drain into a capture basin, where it was extremely diluted, according to the NRC, and ended up in Lake Michigan. The NRC has sent an additional inspector to Palisades, and one of its health physicists is also investigating the incident. As of May 10, Palisades was still offline while workers and inspectors search for the source of the leak and make repairs."

Source:
https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2013/05/palisades_nuclear_power_plant_14.html

#Michigan #NuclearPlants #PalisadesNuclearPlant #Holtec #Entergy #NRC #Violations #RethinkNotRestart

via SpaceWeather.com

"GLANCING-BLOW CME: NOAA forecasters say that a #CME might deliver a glancing blow to Earth's magnetic field on May 21st. It left the sun May 17th, propelled by an erupting filament of magnetism in the sun's southern hemisphere. The impact could produce minor G1-class geomagnetic storms."

#SolarFlares #SolarCycle25 #SolarFlare #LightsOut #SpaceWeather #NoNukes #NoNewNukes #RethinkNotRestart

Latest #SolarHam news:
Flaring Continues

May 19, 2023 @ 03:30 UTC

"At least nine M-Flares during the past 24 hours, all of which were centered around newly assigned AR 3311. As of this update, the largest event was an M5.3 flare at 00:48 UTC (May 19). So far, none of the flares appear to have generated a coronal mass ejection (CME). An increased chance for an isolated X-Flare is now present."

#SolarFlares #SolarCycle25 #SolarFlare #CarringtonEffect #LightsOut #SpaceWeather #NoNukes #NoNewNukes #RethinkNotRestart

https://www.solarham.net/

Japanese expert: Filters not sufficient to remove all radioactive elements from #Fukushima wastewater

May 17, 2023

"Ryota Koyama, a professor at Fukushima University in Japan, revealed in an exclusive interview with China Media Group that the large amount of nuclear-contaminated water accumulated at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant still contains a variety of #radioactive substances, and the current means of polynuclear filtration do not remove all the #radioactive elements from the #contaminated water."

#Japan #FukushimaWater #NoDumping #WaterIsLife #NoNukes #NoNewNukes #RethinkNotRestart

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-05-17/Fukushima-Filters-not-sufficient-to-remove-all-radioactive-elements-1jSg9FuEAYE/index.html

Lights Out

Failure to harden electrical structures and spent nuclear fuel storage leaves US, global population vulnerable to solar or terrorist induced apocalypse

by Michael Collins, October 14, 2014

"Should a serpentine #CME hit Earth head-on, the consequences would be catastrophic."

#SolarFlares #SolarCycle25 #SolarFlare #CarringtonEffect #LightsOut #SpaceWeather #NoNukes #NoNewNukes #RethinkNotRestart

Read more:
https://www.enviroreporter.com/2014/10/lights-out/

Xcel Energy to temporarily shut down #Monticello nuclear plant after two radioactive water leaks; company says no threat to public

March 24, 2023

"On Wednesday, the plant's monitoring equipment detected hundreds of gallons worth of radioactive water since the crews made temporary repairs, and that it had reached #groundwater. Officials say the contaminated water, containing the radioactive isotope #tritium, has not yet reached the #MississippiRiver, which runs next to the plant.

"When the leak was first detected back in November, Xcel used a catchment and a pumping strategy to recovered the water containing tritium. They say they've recovered about 30% of that water so far. But over the past couple days, some of that radioactive water was spilling over the catchment, creating a new leak."

#Minnesota #XcelEnergy #Monticello #NoNukes #NoMoreNukes #RethinkNotRestart #NoDumping #Fukushima

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/xcel-energy-to-temporarily-shut-down-monticello-nuclear-plant-after-two-radioactive-water-leaks-company-says-no-threat-to-public/ar-AA192hW7

Ummmm....

March 17, 2023: #Minnesota #Nuclear power plant leaks 400,000 gallons of radioactive water

While Xcel Energy reported the leak of water containing tritium to state and federal authorities in late November, the spill had not been made public before Thursday.

"When asked why Xcel Energy didn’t notify the public earlier, the company said: “We understand the importance of quickly informing the communities we serve if a situation poses an immediate threat to health and safety. In this case, there was no such threat.” The company said it focused on investigating the situation, containing the affected water and figuring out next steps."

#Minnesota #XcelEnergy #Monticello #NoNukes #NoMoreNukes #RethinkNotRestart

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nuclear-power-plant-leaks-400000-gallons-radioactive-water-rcna75406

But yeah, we should believe #TEPCO and govt of #Japan when they tell us the "treated" #FukushimaDaiichi water is safe, eh?

Japan's TEPCO 'exaggerates' #nuclear wastewater safety with faulty dosimeter

October 2022

"The Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. (TEPCO) has been exaggerating the safety of treated nuclear wastewater with a dosimeter that fails to detect certain radioactive substances at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, local media has reported.

"When demonstrating the safety of treated nuclear wastewater, the company uses a dosimeter that fails to detect radioactive #tritium, but only responds to high-concentration cesium emitted by gamma rays, the Tokyo Shimbun reported.

"During tours at the plant, TEPCO staff put a dosimeter that detects only gamma rays near a bottle containing treated water, as a demonstration that the treated water is safe, according to the newspaper.

"However, the water contained tritium which is about 15 times the amount of the release standard, it reported.

"The gamma rays, which may affect the human body due to external exposure, are generated by the radioactive #cesium contained in the radiation-tainted water."

#Fukushima #WaterIsLife #NoNukes #NoMoreNukes #RethinkNotRestart #Nucleare #SaveThePlanet

Read more:
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-10-09/Japan-s-TEPCO-exaggerates-nuclear-wastewater-safety-1dYZJ8xoz1C/index.html

Freight cars derail on way to Vermont Yankee in Vernon

By Susan Smallheer, Brattleboro Reformer Mar 1, 2023

"Some empty 'spacer' freight cars and engines on their way to Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant derailed last week.

"No nuclear waste was involved [this time], according to a NorthStar Group Services spokesman. Repairs to the rail line were still being done on Wednesday. The derailment took place Feb. 24, near the rail crossing near the Miller Farm."

#NoNukes #NoMoreNukes #RethinkNotRestart #Vermont #VermontYankee #Nucleare #SaveThePlanet #RadWaste #Radioactive #Train #TrainDerailment

Read more: https://www.reformer.com/local-news/rail-cars-on-way-to-vermont-yankee-derail-in-vernon/article_38c23040-b879-11ed-b63a-6fc30c5acbab.html

Laptop catches fire at idle #nuclear power plant in #Niigata

By Yasuo Tomatsu, January 17, 2023

"The building was built in 2009, two years after the 2007 Chuetsu offshore #earthquake, as an operating base in the event of a disaster.

"But regulators found the structure did not meet the new #seismic standards set out after the 2011 nuclear accident at the #Fukushima No. 1 power plant.

"The plant’s reactors are currently idle, but #TEPCO aims to resume the facility’s operations in or after this summer."
#Japan #NoNukes #RethinkNotRestart

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14816471

Nuclear plant hosts split over Japan’s reversed energy policy

December, 2022

"'We are still struggling to rebuild our community,' said Hisato Iwamoto, a member of the Futaba town assembly. 'The central government must have forgotten the #Fukushima disaster.'

"The town co-hosts the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, which suffered a triple meltdown after the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami in March 2011.

"Iwamoto’s family was forced to move from one place to another in the prefecture following the disaster.

"In fact, all residents of Futaba were told to evacuate their homes."
#NoNukes #Japan #RethinkNotRestart

Read more:
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14800266

#Japan scrambles to keep nuclear plants going as long as possible

"It is set to effectively extend operational periods by excluding periods when plants were shut down for safety inspections by the nation's nuclear watchdog. This has sometimes taken years.

"Experts point out that reactors and relevant equipment still cannot avoid time-related degradation even when they are offline."

#RethinkNotRestart #NoNukes #JapanEarthquake #Fukushima

https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14762992

#Palisades Nuclear Plant history: The problems started early

By Yvonne Zipp, Aug. 24, 2014

- The first year of operation proved uneventful. But then there were three shutdowns in 1973 — with the final starting in August of that year and lasting until March 1975.

- In 1979, the NRC fined Palisades $450,000 — with the regulatory body and the plant ultimately settling for $225,000, the largest single fine the plant has paid.

- The years 1993 and '94 marked a particularly troubled time for the plant. During a refueling shutdown in June 1993, workers discovered a broken fuel rod and leaking pipes and valves, causing the plant to remain shut down until November.

- Then in December 2007, tritium was found in a test well at levels above the Environmental Protection Agency's limits for drinking water.

#RethinkNotRestart #NoNukes #WaterIsLife #LakeMichigan #Michigan

https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2014/08/palisades_nuclear_plant_histor.html

#Palisades #nuclear plant has been plagued with problems since it opened in the 1970s!

Owner of nuclear power plant along #LakeMichigan to try again at restarting

By John Tunison, December 19, 2022

"The owner of the shut-down Palisades Nuclear Power Plant has announced another effort to obtain federal funding to restart the plant."

#RethinkNotRestart #NoNukes #WaterIsLife

Read more: https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/2022/12/owner-of-nuclear-power-plant-along-lake-michigan-to-try-again-at-restarting.html

But hey, let's restart Japanese nuclear plants near the ocean in an earthquake-prone part of the world!

Government of #Japan estimates Tepco to take 42 more years to compensate

by Mochizuki, December 16, 2022

"The Board of Audit of Japan has estimated that it will take until fiscal year 2064 to recover the funds lent to TEPCO for compensation for the #Fukushima nuclear accident."

Board of Audit: “If Tepco ends up making more loans from the government due to the increasing compensation liability, the burden on the people will also increase.”

#RethinkNotRestart #NoNukes #WaterIsLife #Renewables

https://fukushima-diary.com/2022/12/compensation-till-2064/

#Fukushima Daiichi Unit 1 Reactor Could Topple

Simply Info, November 30, 2022

"New admissions featured in an Asahi Shimbun article highlight the extent of the problem discovered on the pedestal inspections of unit 1 at Fukushima Daiichi earlier this year."
#Japan #RethinkNotRestart #NoNukes

https://simplyinfo.org/2022/11/fukushima-daiichi-unit-1-reactor-could-topple/