[ RadSafe ] [Nuclear News] Germany proposes early nuclear shutdowns

[Sandy Perle]

Index:

Germany proposes early nuclear shutdowns
Call for German nuclear shutdown  
Cold War's nuclear toll: 4,000 dead, 36,500 ill
Alberta Nuclear reaction cautious
Bulgaria nuke plant shuts down, no leak reported
Sellafield finds more radiation on beach
Port of Palm Beach adds security devices
----------------------------------------------

Germany proposes early nuclear shutdowns

BERLIN, Sept 1 (UPI) -- Germany´s environment minister says the 
country´s seven oldest nuclear reactors should be shut down 
immediately.

Germany has pledged to phase out nuclear power by 2020, but Sigmar 
Gabriel said recent mechanical issues at two aging plants indicate 
older reactors should be switched off right away.

According to the BBC, such a move would likely be opposed by the 
plants´ unions. There also are concerns about Germany´s energy supply 
given Russia´s aggressive policy on natural gas shipped to Western 
Europe, the British network said.

Gabriel, however, proposed that newer plants be allowed to continue 
running past 2020.
-----------------

Call for German nuclear shutdown  

(BBC News) Sept 2 - The German nuclear industry wants to keep older 
plants running longer The German Environment Minister, Sigmar 
Gabriel, has called for seven of the country's oldest nuclear 
reactors to be closed down immediately. Justifying his demand, Mr 
Gabriel pointed to recent breakdowns at two ageing nuclear plants.  

Germany is committed to phasing out nuclear power by 2020. 

Mr Gabriel told a German newspaper that it would be of great 
technical benefit from the safety standpoint to close the oldest 
reactors now. 

As a trade-off, newer reactors could be kept running longer. 

Opinion divided 

Mr Gabriel is a member of the Social Democrats, whose previous 
coalition government with the Greens drafted the nuclear switch-off 
policy. 

Now they are sharing power with the more nuclear-friendly Christian 
Democrats, they face a battle to maintain the strategy. 

But if there is to be any trade-off in capacity, the nuclear 
industry, including the unions, would rather give up some output from 
newer plants to keep the older ones going longer. 

It is technically feasible: in the United States, some plants have 
had their design life of 30 years doubled. But it would require a 
political about-turn. 

So far, two of Germany's 19 nuclear plants have been shut down. 

European opinion on nuclear power is divided in the face of Russia's 
growing assertiveness in the gas and oil markets, not to mention the 
need to meet targets for reducing carbon emissions. 

As a result of a referendum after the Chernobyl disaster, Italy shut 
down the last of its four nuclear plants in 1990, but it is now one 
of the world's largest net importers of electricity, and the policy 
is under review. 

France, which generates 80% of its electricity from nuclear power, 
shows no signs of stopping. 

Finland in 2002 gave the go-ahead to build a fifth nuclear plant, 
pioneering the new European Pressurised Reactor - ironically, using 
Italian technical know-how.
-------------

Cold War's nuclear toll: 4,000 dead, 36,500 ill

DENVER (AP) Sept 2 - At least 4,000 people died as a result of 
nuclear projects during the Cold War, and 36,500 became ill with 
radiation-related diseases, the Rocky Mountain News  reported. 

The News  said Friday that it collected the numbers by examining 
records from federal projects involving uranium, including building 
and testing bombs, but did not include people who had never filed 
claims or had claims rejected. People who mined uranium, built bombs 
or inhaled dust from bomb tests were included in the tally. 

Beginning in 1945, 70,000 atomic bombs were built. About 15,000 
workers made plutonium triggers at Rocky Flats. Of the 36,500 who 
became ill, about 15,000 were involved in the manufacture of bombs. 
The radiation they were exposed to sometimes took years to affect 
them. Some of them ultimately may have died as a result of their 
work, but were not listed among project deaths by the government. 
Hundreds of thousands of people, including soldiers, were exposed to 
radiation from nuclear tests. 

"In those days, we were training military personnel to fight a 
nuclear war. The Department of Defense had to know the effect on 
soldiers, sailors and airmen who moved within hours into a hot zone," 
said R.J. Ritter, who now runs the National Atomic Veterans 
Association and lobbies for aid to those contaminated troops. "Nobody 
had a clue what would happen years later from inhaling those 
particles." 

Although many of those exposed were not warned of the danger, 
lawsuits have revealed that government officials were aware. 
Officials first admitted the problem in the 1980s, but finding 
records of those affected remains difficult. 

"A lot could have been prevented if they had given the least bit of 
warning," said J. Turner of the group www. downwinders.org. 
-------------

Alberta Nuclear reaction cautious

(Calgary Sun) Sept 2 - Opposition parties want government to come 
clean on risks of proposed nuke facility

The fallout from a proposed nuclear power plant in northern Alberta 
has opposition parties demanding full disclosure from the provincial 
government on the $6.2-billion project's environmental and financial 
risks. 

Calgary-based Energy Alberta has applied to the Canadian Nuclear 
Safety Commission to build two Candu nuclear reactors on a site 30 km 
west of Peace River, a project Liberal Leader Kevin Taft said he 
fears is being railroaded through the initial application stages 
without public disclosure. 

"We are very, very skeptical about Alberta going nuclear -- the 
environmental and other costs of this project worry me deeply," he 
said. 

"I think there are better choices and I am not comfortable with the 
process through which this has come forward." 

One thing that worries Taft is the fact a client has stepped up with 
an offer to buy 70% of the electricity generated by the plant, but 
the province so far hasn't identified the interested party. 

"My hunch is this is being pushed not for the benefit of the people 
of Alberta, but for the benefit of the people who bought the 
franchise to do nuclear power here," he said. 

"It's a commitment that we make today that will be a responsibility 
for centuries to come and I don't think we should make those 
decisions in a hurry." 

Meanwhile, NDP environment critic Dave Eggen pointed out the project 
was originally slated to be built further south, near Whitecourt. 

"I found it interesting that once the people of Whitecourt started to 
learn a little bit about the scope of the plan and asked for more 
time and information, this company packed up and went to another 
place," he said. 

"A year ago, I'm sure nobody in Peace River had even thought about 
the possibility of a nuclear power plant there." 

Energy Minister Mel Knight has said the province is neither for nor 
against the project and is not involved in the initial stages of the 
application, which falls under federal jurisdiction. 

He said if the process moves to the public hearing phase, there will 
be full consultation on the project. 

"What (Premier Ed Stelmach) has said, and what I agreed to, is that 
there will be no project development in the province without 
consultation with Albertans," said Knight, adding the province has a 
neutral position on nuclear power development.
---------------

Bulgaria nuke plant shuts down, no leak reported
 
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) - There's been an emergency shutdown at a 
nuclear power plant in Bulgaria, but the operators say there's been 
no radiation leak.

The plant on the Danube River went into an automatic shutdown today 
but the operators aren't sure why. It's also not clear what will have 
to be done to get the unit running again.

The reactor is at Bulgaria's only nuclear power station. Two other 
Russian-built reactors there were permanently shut down last year 
because of safety concerns, as a condition for Bulgaria's entry into 
the European Union this year.
-----------------

Sellafield finds more radiation on beach

(North-West Evening Mail) Aug 31 - THE amount of radioactive material 
found on west Cumbrian beaches is likely to increase, say Sellafield 
bosses.

It´s all because their new radiation tracking device, known as the 
Groundhog, operates at half speed and is more likely to pinpoint

radioactivity.

That is what Sellafield claims in its latest newsletter.

Green activists, however, insist the company is attempting to cover 
up the increase by blaming the sensitivity of the new monitoring 
equipment used.

When the last set of figures came out in July they were questioned by 
environmental campaigners for showing that the number of radioactive 
finds had almost doubled in a month.

Originally, it showed 35 finds were made.

This was later updated by Sellafield to 69.

Sellafield will use their Groundhog device to carry out a new survey, 
but

because it will operate at half speed they expect to find more 
radioactive

material on the beaches around the site.

Bosses say the beaches will remain safe to use while the work goes 
on.

Martin Forwood of pressure group Cumbrians Opposed to a Radioactive 
Environment said: "I think the fact they are anticipating the rise in 
their newsletter is remark able. While we welcome them being more 
open about it this news points to Sellafield admitting there is a 
problem which needs addressing. This Groud hog is problematic, as 
whatever it finds it does not detect alpha radiation like plutonium."

A Sellafield spokesperson said: "This equipment is new, so we thought 
it prudent to inform staff and members of the public that we were 
using vehicle mounted equipment so as not to cause alarm if it was 
spotted on the beach.

"The Groundhog monitoring system does not detect alpha radiation but 
does detect radiation from Americium 241, which is associated with 
Plutonium isotopes.

"We believe that we are being open and transparent by communicating 
the anticipated finds which we expect during the next phase of 
monitoring.

"The half speed monitoring is designed to find particles at lower 
activities, if they are present.

"It is difficult to predict the number of finds but it is reasonable 
to expect more finds due to the increased sensitivity of the 
monitoring equipment at the lower speed."
---------------

Port of Palm Beach adds security devices

(Sun-Sentinel) Sept 1 - The technology, called Radiation Portal 
Monitors, will help authorities better detect any nuclear weapons and 
"dirty bombs" entering the United States. It will also increase the 
number of cargo loads that can be checked. About 80,000 containers 
pass through the port annually.

"They allow us to protect people better without disrupting the flow 
of commerce," said Harold Woodward, director of field operations for 
Homeland Security's Miami division.

New technology protects U.S. ports against terrorism Video 
The radiation monitoring system is the latest addition to the port's 
layered approach to security enforcement, which includes gamma ray 
and X-ray imaging systems, K-9 search teams and video cameras.

"Every piece of documentation that comes out of Washington, D.C., 
speaks the necessity of layering security protection," said Ken Hern, 
director of port security for the Port of Palm Beach.

The port completed installation of the portal monitors at its main 
gate last week, and officials plan to have another put at the south 
gate, said Zachary Mann, special agent and spokesman for U.S. Customs 
and Border Protection's Miami division.

"So far there hasn't been any activity, but we're excited about what 
it can do," he said.

A truck carrying foreign cargo would be directed through a portal. If 
the system detects radiation, it sends an alert to a control station. 
The truck is pulled over and the cargo inspected using a hand-held 
detection device, which tells what type of radiation it is.

Sometimes the device will pick up an "innocent alert" - radiation 
from naturally occurring elements.

Every container - carrying everything from plantains and kitty litter 
to roof tiles - that arrives from a foreign port passes through a 
monitor.

Previously, Customs and Border Protection officials had to check 
cargo for radiation using the hand-held devices. They could check 
only about 95 percent, Woodward said, but with the new system they 
can check all of the cargo passing through the port.

Currently, there are 28 active devices at ports throughout the state, 
with nine more planned, he said. Panama City and Port Everglades 
haven't been outfitted with the device yet.

They hope to have the radiation monitoring systems at all major 
seaports by 2008.

"This works smart," Woodward said. "I live in [Palm Beach County] and 
I can rest better at night knowing the Radiation Portal Monitors are 
up."


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Sander C. Perle 
President
Global Dosimetry Solutions, Inc. 
2652 McGaw Avenue
Irvine, CA 92614

Tel: (949) 296-2306 / (888) 437-1714 Extension 2306 
Fax:(949) 296-1144

E-Mail: sperle at dosimetry.com
E-Mail: sandyfl at cox.net

Global Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com/