EPZ, the operator of the Borssele nuclear power plant, has long claimed that it recycles "95 percent" of its nuclear fuel, and that only "5 percent" remains as nuclear waste. Following a complaint by Laka, the Board of Appeals of the Dutch Advertising Authority, ruled yesterday that these are misleading environmental advertisement claims. In its ruling, the Board blames EPZ all the more because these misleading claims appear on EPZ's website under the header “Environment & Health”, where 'unsuspecting visitors should expect accurate and balanced information about nuclear fuel and nuclear waste'. Continue reading
Next week: Russian uranium transport from Rotterdam to Germany
(Nederlandse versie) On Sunday, September 11, the Mikhail Dudin arrives in the port of Rotterdam; a ship carrying Russian uranium. There it will be transferred to trucks that will then transport it across the Netherlands on Monday to Lingen, Germany, where the uranium will be processed into fuel rods. This was announced this morning by the Russian Ecodefense, Bündnis AgieL from Germany and Laka in a joint press release. A few weeks ago, it was already known that a transit license had been issued by the Dutch regulator ANVS for the transport of Russian uranium through the Netherlands. As far as is known, this will be the first transport of Russian uranium in the Netherlands and Germany after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Continue reading
So how flexible is nuclear power in France now really?
(Nederlandse versie) Laka sometimes gets the question that if nuclear power plants in France can be used flexibly, can nuclear power not be used as a intermittent source of electricity, complementing wind and solar?
The short answer then is, that if nuclear power plants can be used flexibly, it does not mean that in France nuclear power plants will come to the rescue as soon as the sun sets. Coincidentally, Dutch nuclear energy research center NRG recently reported that they are investigating precisely this for French EDF: How to make nuclear fuel more resistant to "transients" (changes in reactor power), because, according to experts at NRG: "At the moment, [French] nuclear power plants are designed to operate at a constant power: it's on or off." Continue reading
URENCO 1970‒2020: FROM THE TREATY OF ALMELO TO ATOM AUSSTIEG
New brochure focusing on the uranium enrichment consortium Urenco.
The Treaty of Almelo was signed on 4 March 1970 ‒ an agreement between the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and West Germany on setting up a company with the aim of enriching uranium: Urenco. The origin of uranium enrichment is military and until then enrichment was primarily the monopoly of the United States and Soviet nuclear-weapon states. Continue reading
Despite ‘termination’ NRG confirms: Still weapons-grade uranium in Dutch nuclear reactor
Despite its triumphant press release of the contrary, two years ago, NRG, the operator of the High Flux Reactor in the Netherlands, this week confirmed Laka’s suspicion that NRG is still using weapons-grade highly enriched uranium in its reactor. Therefore, the Netherlands is currently in breach of its agreement with Obama, reached at the Nuclear Security Summit in the Hague in 2014, to cease the use of weapons-prone highly enriched uranium for civil medical use.
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Febr. 5: The aftermath of Fukushima
It has been almost eight years since the Tohoku earthquake and Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan.
Oshidori Mako and Ken are Japanese comedians who have kept track of the aftermath of Fukushima. In 2019, they will visit the Netherlands, Germany and France to hold lectures to give us an insight into the on-going disaster. Please join, our talk and discussion to make our way to sustainable and renewable energy for a better future.
Organized by Hope Step Japan. Language: English and Japanese, Entrance: 5 euro (students are free of charge)
Amsterdam, Wibaustraat 3b ( Wibauthuis, Hogeschool van Amsterdam)
Tuesday February 5, 2019; 19:00 - 21:00 hr
Laka releases IAEA-list with (near) accidents in nuclear power stations
Today, the Laka-foundation released a list with reports from almost 1,000 incidents and (near) accidents with nuclear power plants and other nuclear facilities. Since 1990 the International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA has gathered these reports. The full list of reports gives neighbors, NGO’s and journalists a better insight into how often and how grave there have been serious mishaps at nuclear facilities around the world.
Accidents and technical and human errors are reported by national nuclear regulatory agencies to the International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA. The IAEA collects the incident reports in order to warn other nuclear operators for possible routes of failure. The IAEA’s aim is that by doing so, similar accidents at nuclear power plants, reprocessing plants, fuel enrichment plants, nuclear laboratories, irradiation facilities and with radioactive transports, can be prevented. Continue reading
Nuclear reactors and the fading business case of medical isotope irradiation
As you might know, nuclear rectors are also being used in the production chain of isotopes. In the Netherlands, there is currently a plan to build a new research reactor, Pallas, as the successor of the EC-owned High Flux Reactor in Petten. We see there is a strong tie between the community operating a reactor for isotope production, and continuing R&D on nuclear power in general. Also isotope-production with particle accelerators has a few essential advantages, notable less or no long lived waste, no need for fission products and a decentralization of production.
Laka has been conducting a strong campaign against the plans, focusing on new means of irradiating/producing medical isotopes, mostly with accelerators.
The operator of the HFR, ECN/NRG, is also in charge of a cleanup operation for legacy nuclear waste at their site. As they claimed that they couldn't shoulder the financial burden for the legacy waste they threatened with filing a bankrupt which would also stop the production of isotopes. So in October ECN/NRG got a quick €40 million subsidy from the national government, to continue with waste processing and with the irradiation activities for isotope production. Continue reading
Neerlands hoogradioactief afval in Slovenië?
Volgens de Britse krant The Times kan de Europese Commissie dit jaar al groen licht geven voor een project om hoogradioactief afval van een aantal landen (waaronder Nederland) op te slaan in een 'central underground storage facility'. In het begin van de jaren '80 stelde VVD'er Ploeg voor ons kernafval -tegen een kleine vergoeding- op te slaan in een Derde Wereld-land. Massale hoon was zijn deel. En nu, nu hebben we een een arm gebied ('derde-wereld') gecreëerd binnen Europa en willen we -natuurlijk tegen een kleine vergoeding- daar ons afval opslaan. En zou er weer massale hoon komen? Er zijn ook nog wel -naast de principiële argumenten: ('take care of your own waste')- wat praktische vragen: opslag in Nederland voor dat kleine beetje afval is te duur, wordt gezegd. Een vreemd argument -had je dan maar eerder moeten bedenken-, maar daar is wel voor betaald, zeggen ze altijd -ook al geloven we daar niet zo veel van-; krijgen de producenten -en dus wij- dan geld terug? En als Nederland na die beslissing opeens volop inzet op kernenergie, gaan we dan alsnog een eigen opslag bouwen? Dach 't nie, toch, als er al een deel van ons afval in, laten we zeggen, Slovenië ligt? Continue reading