Siemens closes nuclear chapter

The German industrial and engineering conglomerate, Siemens, following on the heels of its government's decision to abandon nuclear energy, has withdrawn entirely from the nuclear industry. It will build no further nuclear plants and is canceling its nuclear joint venture with Russia's Rosatom. Siemens built all 17 of Germany's existing nuclear plants. Siemens chief executive, Peter Loescher, (pictured) praised the Merkel government's decision to close all its nuclear plants by 2022 and aim for an 80% to 100% renewable energy economy by 2050, calling it "a project of the century."

Full steam ahead with NRC licensing proceedings despite Fukushima triple meltdown

As reported by the Newburyport News, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has decided to proceed "full steam ahead" with the Seabrook license extension proceeding, despite a legal intervention by Beyond Nuclear and environmental allies to suspend the proceeding in the wake of the Fukushima Nuclear Catastrophe.

In addition, Beyond Nuclear at the Fermi 3 new reactor proceeding, and the Davis-Besse license extension proceeding, and environmental allies at many additional old and new reactor proceedings, including new reactor design certification proceedings, have been rebuffed by the NRC Commissioners in a parallel call for license and design certification proceeding suspensions in the wake of Fukushima. At the time of the Three Mile Island meltdown in 1979, the NRC effectively suspended any and all license proceedings for a year and half. Not so this time, in the aftermath of the triple meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan.

Update on September 17, 2011 by admin

The Patriot Ledger has also reported this story, in the context of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant near Boston, Massachusetts. In this case, NRC rejected filings by not only an environmental watchdog, Pilgrim Watch, but even the State of Massachusetts Attorney General's office. A unique exception to NRC's full speed rubber stamp of 20 year license extensions, Mary "Pixie" Lampert at Pilgrim Watch has managed to keep the Pilgrim license extension proceeding tied up for going-on six years now, raising issues such as related to significantly flawed "severe accident mitigation alternatives" (SAMA) analyses. Mary has generously assisted Beyond Nuclear with similar contentions in its intervention against the Davis-Besse license extension in Ohio.

"Locals lambaste Seabrook"

The Seacoast Online quotes Beyond Nuclear's Paul Gunter, and other environmental opponents to a 20 year license extension at Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant in New Hampshire, during a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission environmental scoping meeting.

Japan-Germany green dialogue at Busboys & Poets, DC

BEYOND NUCLEAR PRESENTS: JAPANESE FUKUSHIMA ACTIVISTS AND LEADING GERMAN GREEN PARTY OFFICIAL TO SPEAK AT BUSBOYS & POETS! MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 8:30PM.

How were families affected by the multiple Fukushima nuclear reactor disasters? Why weren’t children properly evacuated? How can Japan follow Germany and replace nuclear energy with renewables? And could a Fukushima meltdown happen in the US?

A  delegation of Japanese farming families and anti-nuclear activists will be joined by Robert Habeck, Chairman of the Green Party in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany for an evening event at Busboys & Poets in Washington, DC. Hear what the US press still isn’t telling us about the reality on the ground around the Fukushima nuclear reactors; how we can help; how Germany will be nuclear-free by 2022 and 80%-100% renewable by 2050; and how the US is running the same risks with 23 identical reactors as those that melted down at Fukushima as well as at 81 others. Read our flier for more details. 

The event is co-sponsored by: Beyond Nuclear and the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Washington, DC.

Breaking news - explosion at French nuclear waste processing plant

News is coming in about an explosion at Marcoule, a nuclear processing plant in southern France. One worker has died and four have been injured according to official reports. The explosion appears to have occurred in a furnace at Marcoule in a radioactive waste treatment plant at the Centraco center which is owned by Socodei, a subsidiary of EDF. Beyond Nuclear is following developments. Officials claim there has been no release of radioactivity although reports say there is a possibility for releases. Given "official" statements during the French Tricastin accident and, of course, Fukushima, Beyond Nuclear is conferring with colleagues in France to learn more and break through any opacity. Marcoule processes radioactive waste. It is also the site of a MOX (mixed oxide plutonium-uranium) fuel manufacturing facility - MELOX.

Update on September 12, 2011 by admin

CRIIRAD, the independent radiological French monitoring laboratory already had monitors in place and so far is not seeing unusual levels of radioactive aerosols as a result of the explosion. Beyond Nuclear is monitoring their updates (in French) here.

Update on September 13, 2011 by admin

No further updates on the aftermath of the explosion at the Marcoule facility have come in. The explosion took place in one of the ovens of the incinerator that melts low-level radioactive detritus mostly emanating from the country's 58 reactors. Nevertheless, the concerns - and the potential for a devastating outcome as a result of an accident at the multi-facility nuclear site, serve as a reminder of the risks that continue to be taken by prolonging the use of nuclear energy as an electricity source.

Update on September 17, 2011 by admin

The Independent of London also reported on this story.