[ RadSafe ] New Lithuanian nuclear power plant could be built by 2015

[Sandy Perle]

Index: 

New Lithuanian nuclear power plant could be built by 2015 
North Qld physicists play down nuclear power fears 
Malaysia should not rule out nuclear power 
Britain shuts down nuclear power veterans 
State regulators close case involving nuclear plant security 
Neighbors of MN nuclear plants eligible for radiation drug 
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New Lithuanian nuclear power plant could be built by 2015 - LithuanianPM Kirkilas 

VILNIUS. Jan. 4 (Interfax) - The construction of a new nuclear power plant at the site of 
Lithuania's Ignalina facility may be completed by 2014-1015, according to Lithuanian Prime 
Minister Gediminas Kirkilas. "If everything goes well, we can build it even earlier," Kirkilas 
said in a Thursday interview with Ziniu Radijas radio. All countries involved in the project - 
Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland - are set on its speedy implementation, he added 
Kirkilas also said that this year participating countries will hold talks on funding, the 
division of responsibilities and the contribution of each participant. "These will be 
complicated talks," he added. "Their results will be recorded in a bill on the Ignalina 
nuclear power plant that will be discussed in Parliament." Kirkilas said there is a tentative 
understanding regarding equal participation of all countries in the project, although he 
pointed out that Lithuania will carry most of the load. "But Lithuania will bear greater 
responsibility," he said. "It will have to be responsible for the burial of radioactive materials, 
for safety and several other issues, therefore experts and politicians are saying that 
Lithuania's share in the project should be bigger than [that] of the other parties." At the end 
of 2004 Lithuania shut down the first of two power units in Ignalina and pledged to stop the 
station altogether in 2009. In spring 2006 the prime ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and 
Estonia signed a cooperation agreement aimed at building a modern Western-made reactor 
in Ignalina. Later, Poland joined the project. 
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North Qld physicists play down nuclear power fears 

Two north Queensland physicists have labelled the potential effects of radiation from nuclear 
power sources as 'overstated'. Dr Peter Ridd and Dr Thomas Stieglitz from James Cook 
University are calling on politicians to investigate in earnest, developing a nuclear power 
station near Townsville. Dr Ridd says another Chernobyl type accident at a modern nuclear 
power station would not happen. "You don't have to have it right in the middle of the city, but 
it wouldn't be a bad thing to have," he said. "I certainly would have no difficulty in having one 
over my back fence. "Modern power stations, nuclear stations are extremely safe devices, 
certainly nothing like the nuclear power stations such as Chernobyl where they had the bad 
accident." 
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Malaysia should not rule out nuclear power 

Malaysia should not rule out nuclear power as an alternative source of energy for the country, 
said 2006 International Energy Conference (IEC) for Sustainable Asia organising chairman 
Hong Lee Pee. "Up till now, its very difficult to provide the (infrastructure) base for renewable 
energy such as solar and wind. But a lot of countries are moving towards nuclear," he told 
FinancialDaily after the IEC event in Petaling Jaya recently. The Associated Chinese 
Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM), the Asean Academy of 
Engineering and Technology (AAET) along with five other organisations met at the IEC from 
Nov 26-28. Hong, who is also ACCCIM treasurer, said moving forward, the country´s current 
production and consumption of energy would become costlier. "It depends on the oil price. I 
am not saying that in 10 years´ time, our oil wells will run dry. It will just get (more) expensive 
to extract. "Bakun (hydro energy) on the other hand... transportation cost is very high. 
Undersea cables for example are very expensive," he added. "We have very good engineers 
(to explore nuclear energy). We have to pull them back; they are now working outside the 
country. The capital cost to build a nuclear plant is very high, but operational cost is low," 
Hong said. He also said the country has a lot of room to explore other renewable and 
sustainable energy. "It is only in the last two years that there´s been talk on sustainable 
energy. We are so complacent, probably because we have oil and gas. Even in the Ninth 
Malaysia Plan, allocation for research and development in this area is relatively small. "We 
subsidise gas and fuel for producing electricity. Why can´t we subsidise solar power?" he 
said. At the conference, the organisations consulted with over 670 participants representing 
policy makers, industrialists, academicians and representatives from Asean and East Asia. 
The participants also discussed concerns on fast-depleting reserves in fossil fuels, 
uncertainty in oil prices as well as carbon dioxide emission. 
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Britain shuts down nuclear power veterans 

British Nuclear Group has begun the lengthy process to decommission the world's two oldest 
commercial nuclear power facilities, Dungeness A in Kent and Sizewell A in Suffolk. The two 
atomic energy facilities were shut down on January 1, 2007, bringing to an end their 40-year 
life spans. The plants will now begin a two to three year process of defuelling to remove their 
radioactive content, The Scotsman has reported. The decommissioning represents the start 
of a period of shutdowns marking the end of cycle for the UK's first wave of nuclear power 
plants. All but one of Britain's nuclear energy facilities are due to be decommissioned by 
2023. According to reports, Dungeness A and Sizewell A have been closed down because 
they are now significantly less efficient than other power station in Britain's nuclear portfolio 
and because the Sellafield reprocessing plant, which is necessary to make their spent fuel 
safe, is due to close in 2012. 
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State regulators close case involving nuclear plant security 

NEW BRITAIN, Conn.Jan 4 AP -- The state Department of Public Utility Control has closed 
the case of a worker at the Millstone nuclear power complex who lost his job after raising 
security concerns at the Waterford plant. 

The case involved Sham Mehta of East Lyme who last year had alleged that Millstone Power 
Station owner Dominion retaliated against him by eliminating his job after he raised security 
concerns. 

The DPUC formally accepted Mehta's and Dominion's request to withdraw the complaint, 
following a confidential settlement between the parties approved in December by the U.S. 
Department of Labor. 

The agency also rejected Attorney General Richard Blumenthal's arguments to keep the 
case open. 

"I strongly disagree with the decision, and we are reviewing it to determine what options 
remain to be pursued," Blumenthal said Wednesday. 

The labor department had previously found no evidence of retaliation, but Mehta had 
appealed, and the DPUC had ordered he be reinstated pending a full investigation. 

Blumenthal, who had intervened on Mehta's behalf, had argued that the case should proceed 
before the DPUC anyway to ensure that concerns for all employees who raise safety issues, 
not just Mehta's concerns, are fully protected, along with public safety, under the law. 
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Neighbors of MN nuclear plants eligible for radiation drug 

ST. PAUL (AP) Jan 4 - Neighbors of Minnesota´s two nuclear power plants will soon get 
some extra protection against radiation poisoning. The state Department of Public Safety 
said people who live within 10 miles of the Monticello and Prairie Island plants will get 
vouchers in the mail for free doses of a radiation drug. The drug, potassium iodide, could be 
taken as a precaution if there´s a release of radiation. It would offer some protection against 
radiation absorption by the thyroid gland, which is particularly vulnerable to cancer-causing 
radiation. The vouchers should arrive in the mail this week. They can be redeemed after 
Feb. 1 for two doses per person at six Target store pharmacies. 


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