A Look at Nuclear Power Across Europe

January 12, 2008

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ihtCrXgoPtBXDcsAA6AVSka4z3iQD8U378CO2

Britain on Thursday approved the construction of a new generation of nuclear power plants. European governments have taken widely differing stances on the divisive issue. Several countries — including Denmark, Norway and Portugal — have no nuclear power. A look at atomic energy in several European countries:

_FRANCE: A world leader in nuclear power: 59 reactors provide more than 70 percent of the country's electricity. President Nicolas Sarkozy has campaigned for more countries to adopt nuclear power to combat global warming.

_GERMANY: Chancellor Angela Merkel has agreed to abide by a previous government's decision to close all the country's 17 nuclear reactors by 2021.

_THE NETHERLANDS: One nuclear plant still in operation. Was to have been shut down in 2013, but in 2006 the government won a fight to extend its life to 2033.

_ITALY: Banned nuclear power after a 1987 referendum; the government opposes its reintroduction.

_SPAIN: Has six nuclear power plants, but there is a 23-year-old moratorium on building new ones.

_SWEDEN: Decided in 1997 to phase out nuclear power, which accounts for about half of electricity production. But so far only two of the country's 12 reactors have been closed and the country is struggling to find alternatives.

_FINLAND: Four nuclear reactors provide about a quarter of the country's electricity; currently constructing a fifth.

New uranium mine gets go ahead

January 11, 2008

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/11/2136482.htm?section=business

The South Australian Government has given final approval for construction of the Honeymoon uranium mine, near the state's eastern border.

Some conditions remain to be met by the company Uranium One, but production is expected to begin at Honeymoon, 400 kilometres north-east of Adelaide, before the end of the year.

The mine is expected to produce up to 400 tonnes of uranium oxide annually, generate about $40 million a year in exports and create about 60 jobs.

The company forecasts the mine, north-west of Broken Hill (which is across the border in New South Wales), will have a life of up to seven years.

Acid solution will extract uranium ore

SA's acting Minister for Mineral Resources Michael Atkinson says a comprehensive rehabilitation plan has been developed for the site.

He says it will be mined using an acid-solution method.

"It's been agreed that solution mining for uranium at Honeymoon is the most benign, environmentally-friendly method of mining uranium.

"There'll be no tailing or waste rock created."

David Noonan from the Australian Conservation Council believes ground water will be sacrificed so the uranium can be mined.

"They're essentially deliberately polluting ground water," he said.

"They're causing a pollution plume in ground water by the discharge of all of the mine waste there simply to suit the company's profits and to minimise costs in waste management to, in this case, an overseas uranium mining venture."

Honeymoon will be Australia's fourth uranium mine.

South Australia also has mines at Olympic Dam and Beverley and there is the Ranger mine in the Northern Territory.

IAEA to re-inspect quake-hit Japan nuclear plant

January 11, 2008

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUSL1139466720080111

VIENNA, Jan 11 (Reuters) - International Atomic Energy Agency experts will revisit an earthquake-hit Japanese nuclear plant, the world's largest, to check safety standards as part of efforts to restart the complex, the IAEA said on Friday.

The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant leaked low amounts of radiation -- below the maximum permitted under safety rules -- when a 6.8 magnitude quake struck on July 16, exceeding the worst seismic impact the plant had been designed to withstand.

IAEA experts visited the plant in August and would now return on Jan. 28 and stay through Feb. 1 at the invitation of Japan's nuclear watchdog NISA, the Vienna-based agency said.

"The 12 members of the follow-up mission will hold discussions with Japanese experts and conduct an examination at the site in relation to the seismic safety of its seven units," it said in a statement.

The plant's owners, the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) (9501.T: Quote, Profile, Research), and NISA will also brief the IAEA experts on results of studies and investigations undertaken since the earthquake.

U.N. inspectors said in August it might take more than a year to restart power production at the plant since in-depth examinations of the reactor vessel and the fuel elements still had to be done. (Reporting by Karin Strohecker; editing by Mark Heinrich)

IAEA seeks to soothe Pakistan ire over ElBaradei comments

January 11, 2008

VIENNA (AFP) — The UN atomic watchdog has attempted to smooth over a spat with Pakistan over recent comments made by IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei on the issue of nuclear safety.

A spokeswoman for the International Atomic Energy Agency insisted Thursday that ElBaradei's comments were intended to "call attention to the need to bolster nuclear safety and security measures, not only in Pakistan, but also everywhere in the world where nuclear materials or facilities exist."

ElBaradei and the IAEA "follow closely all situations that could have a potential impact on nuclear safety and security anywhere," said the agency's spokeswoman Melissa Fleming.

"This remains the core of the agency's mission."

ElBaradei had wanted to underline the need to boost nuclear safety worldwide amid "concern about the possible ramifications of political violence and extremism in the Middle East region and nuclear security in Pakistan," she said.

The statement came after Islamabad angrily dismissed what it percieved to be ElBaradei's criticism of Pakistan's atomic weapons safety.

Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Sadiq had told a weekly press briefing on Wednesday that ElBaradei should "be careful about his statements and ought to remain within his mandate".

"Pakistan is a responsible nuclear weapons state," Sadiq insisted.

"Our nuclear weapons are as secure as any other nuclear weapons state. We therefore believe statements expressing concern about their safety and security are unwarranted and irresponsible."

The day before, ElBaradei had been quoted in the pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat as saying he feared "chaos... or an extremist regime could take root in that country, which has 30 to 40 warheads", and was "worried that nuclear weapons could fall into the hands of an extremist group in Pakistan or in Afghanistan".

There has been worldwide concern over the security of Pakistan's atomic arsenal since President Pervez Musharraf imposed a state of emergency in November, which was subsequently lifted.

Fears for the stability of the Islamic republic have grown since the December 27 assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto.

Sadiq said ElBaradei ignored the fact that Pakistan's nuclear arsenal was subject to multi-layered safeguards and controls.

"Our civilian nuclear programme is under IAEA safeguards and we have always fully complied with IAEA obligations," he said.