[ RadSafe ] Merkel calls for longer use of Germany's nuclear power plants

[Sandy Perle]

Index:

Merkel calls for longer use of Germany's nuclear power plants
Study Panel On Nuclear In Asia To Be Formed  
Nuclear energy generates less pollution than fossil fuels
Carbon pricings not related to nuclear power: Minchin
Nuclear research facility ready to remove reactor from Moscow 
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Merkel calls for longer use of Germany's nuclear power plants

Berlin, Nov 27, IRNA, German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday urged 
her coalition partner, the Social Democratic Party, to open the way 
for a longer use of the nation's 17 nuclear power plants. 

Addressing the Christian Democratic party congress in the eastern 
city of Dresden, Merkel said, 'technically safe power plants' should 
not be shut down because it would not make any sense. 

She warned Social Democrats of getting involved in 'nonsensical 
ideological debates' over the issue of atomic power plants. 

Merkel stressed Germany could meet its climate protection goals, 
provided the country continues to use nuclear energy. 

Under a coalition agreement between the Christian Democrats and the 
Social Democrats, the German government plans to gradually close down 
all nuclear power stations throughout the country by 2021. 

Atomic power presently accounts for around 26 percent of all 
Germany's energy consumption. 
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Study Panel On Nuclear In Asia To Be Formed      

KUANTAN, Nov 27 (Bernama) -- The Seventh Ministerial Meeting Forum 
For Nuclear Cooperation in Asia (FNCA) Monday agreed to form a new 
study panel for cooperation in nuclear energy in Asia.

Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Datuk Seri Dr 
Jamaludin Jarjis said the study panel would focus on areas such as 
economic analysis and financing scheme, access to nuclear technology 
for peaceful uses, human resource development, nuclear safety, 
security and safeguard system.

He said FNCA members had selected Japan as its secretariat.

"The forum also agreed that nuclear power should be included as a 
clean energy that has lower impact to the environment compared with 
fuel and coal that could cause global warming," he told reporters 
here Monday.

Jamaludin said the meeting also agreed to appeal as a group to the 
Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework 
Convention on Climate Change for nuclear power to be included as a 
clean development Mechanism under the Kyoto Protocol to the 
convention.

He said the meeting also took note the availability of experience 
among FNCA member countries on public information for the acceptance 
of nuclear power including transparency, media communication and 
education.

The FNCA members also agreed to select Tokyo for the Eighth FNCA 
Ministerial Meeting next year followed by the Ninth Ministerial 
Meeting in the Philippines in 2008, he said.

The meeting was attended by ministers and officials of science and 
technology from Asia, including Japan, China, Indonesia, the 
Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Bangladesh, as well as Australia.

On whether Asean would adopt Japan's nuclear technology, Jamaludin 
said the options were kept open as they would also look to other 
countries including the United States and Canada.
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Nuclear energy generates less pollution than fossil fuels

November 27, 2006
Opinion found in Letter to Editor, Statesman Journal, Salem, OR

I feel compelled to respond to Barbara Fisk's Nov. 20 letter in 
reference to nuclear power.

While I do agree that there needs to be more effort put into finding 
a long-term storage facility for "spent" nuclear fuel rods, the idea 
that nuclear energy generates any more pollution than fossil fuels or 
coal is absurd.

Nuclear fuels get the spotlight because of the paranoia that 
surrounds nuclear fission. The fact is that in the U.S., there are 
over 100 functioning nuclear power plants in operation.

The two most notable accidents in nuclear energy history are Three 
Mile Island and Chernobyl. Both accidents were caused when humans 
didn't do they were supposed to, or did what the computers told them 
not to.

Inversely, there is growing evidence that the widespread use of 
fossil fuels is contributing to the phenomenon referred to as "global 
warming," not to mention the almost monthly news stories about 
tankers breaching and dumping oil into the ecosystem.

While I applaud her interest in keeping the environment (and society) 
safe, I'd be truly interested to see the documentation that shows 
"accompanying rise in cancer deaths and out-and-out radiation burns."

It may look good in the movies, but in reality it's just not true.
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Carbon pricings not related to nuclear power: Minchin

Federal Finance Minister Nick Minchin says the issue of carbon 
pricing is completely separate to whether nuclear power is a viable 
energy source for Australia.

A Government inquiry has found nuclear energy does not make economic 
sense unless a price is put on carbon emissions. 

The report by Ziggy Switkowski indicates Australia could build 25 
nuclear power stations by the year 2050.

But Senator Minchin says it does not mean the Government will tax 
carbon in order to make nuclear energy affordable.

"Australia needs to address the first question of whether or not some 
sort of carbon pricing should be part of our response to global 
climate change," he said.

"There is a separate question as to whether nuclear power should be 
part of the energy mix of Australia."
--------------

Nuclear research facility ready to remove reactor from Moscow 

MOSCOW, November 27 (RIA Novosti) - Specialists from the Kurchatov 
nuclear research institute in Moscow are preparing to start removing 
one of the few remaining research reactors from the capital, the 
president of the institute said Friday. 

Russian ecologists have called repeatedly for the withdrawal of all 
nuclear research reactors from the capital citing threats of 
radiation and health risks. Moscow is one of the only European 
capitals to still have operating nuclear reactors on its territory. 

"We have fully stopped the operation of our largest [40-megawatt F-1 
graphite research] reactor," academician Yevgeny Velikhov said. "And 
we are starting to prepare the first reactor for withdrawal [from 
Moscow]." 

The Kurchatov Institute is Russia's leading research and development 
institution in the field of nuclear energy. It has a total of 7 
research reactors located at various facilities in the capital. Five 
of these are not operational, and two 8-magawatt reactors, which are 
used as a neutron source for research and to produce radioisotopes 
for medicine, are still in operation. 

"We have already sent the first shipment of nuclear fuel to the 
Urals," he said. "It is a large program and its implementation 
depends on state financing." 

The institute is funded through the Ministry of Industry, Science and 
Technology, and federal budget resources represent about 15% of its 
total financing. 

The expert said there were no other reasons for the delay in the 
withdrawal other than the lack of financing. 

He also said the presence of research reactors in Moscow did not pose 
a threat to the population. 

"In 60 years of its [reactor's] operation, we have not changed 
nuclear fuel even once and have never repaired it [the reactor]," 
Velikhov said referring to the F-1 graphite reactor at the institute.

"Its safe operation is ensured by its design," he said. 

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Sandy Perle
Senior Vice President, Technical Operations
Global Dosimetry Solutions, Inc.
2652 McGaw Avenue
Irvine, CA 92614 

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