EU's Palacio says phasing out N-power irresponsible

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@EARTHLINK.NET>]

Index:



EU's Palacio says phasing out N-power irresponsible

China considers nuclear power to meet drinking water needs

British atomic test subjects urged to register with Veteran Affairs

Entergy sees Indian Pt 2 nuke buy complete in Sept

======================================



EU's Palacio says phasing out N-power irresponsible



BRUSSELS, July 5 (Reuters) - EU Energy Commissioner Loyola de Palacio 

offered her strongest support for nuclear power to date on Thursday 

by saying that countries phasing it out were irresponsible. 



"It is not responsible... to promote the abandonment of nuclear 

without explaining to public opinion that, beyond its risks -- 

notably to do with the handling of waste -- nuclear presents many 

advantages in terms of price stability, indigenous supply and CO2 

emissions," de Palacio said according to the text of a speech to the 

Institut Francais des Relations Internationales in Paris. 



De Palacio has never hidden her support for nuclear power, which 

produces 35 percent of the EU's electricity without producing carbon 

dioxide -- the main greenhouse gas targeted by the 1997 Kyoto deal on 

climate change. 



Her latest comments are a clear criticism of the policies of a number 

of EU countries -- including Germany, Belgium and Sweden -- which 

have opted to get rid of nuclear power stations largely on 

environmental grounds. 



Although the EU Commission has no direct role in determining 

countries' energy sources, it is currently involved in a major debate 

on the future of energy supply for the 15-country bloc and is 

drafting a range of policies aimed at tackling climate change. 



On Wednesday, the European Parliament passed legislation aiming to 

double the proportion of renewable power in the EU's energy mix as 

part of the EU's efforts to reduce greenhouse gases from burning 

fossil fuels. 

---------------



China considers nuclear power to meet drinking water needs



BEIJING, July 5 (Kyodo) - As the worst drought in a decade leaves 

millions short of water in northern China, a handful of officials and 

scientists are pushing plans to use nuclear power to desalinate 

seawater for drinking. 



Critics charge, however, that while the technology for nuclear 

desalination already exists, the cost is likely to be prohibitive for 

many years to come. 



Plans are being vetted for a nuclear-powered desalination plant in 

the parched coastal province Shandong that would pump out 160,000 

tons of fresh water daily, according to academician Li Zhaohuan of 

the China Society of Nuclear Science. 



He conceded, however, that the plan is far from winning government 

approval and would take ''at least 10 years'' to be realized. 



China currently has but one desalination plant in operation, an 

electric-powered facility on Xingshan Island off the coast of 

Zhejiang Province. 



The plant puts out only 500 tons of potable water daily, designed to 

meet the needs of a local population previously dependent on water 

shipped from the mainland at extremely high cost. 



A similar desalination plant, to turn out 1,000 tons per day powered 

by remotely generated electricity, is planned for Shandong's Chang 

Island. 



For large-scale desalination, however, the only feasible energy 

source is nuclear power, Li says. ''Nuclear power is cheap,'' and the 

expense of using conventional energy sources to remove salt is 

prohibitive. 



Shandong -- short on water and relatively wealthy -- is the obvious 

place to start. 



Li and other nuclear-desalination boosters are plugging for a 160,000 

ton-per-day plant in the port city Dalian. The project would cost 

''several billion yuan'' (hundreds of millions of dollars) but would 

be able to pass on fresh water at a cost of 4 yuan per ton, he said. 



That is already four times as much as most Chinese consumers are 

paying for their highly subsidized drinking water, but it is about on 

par with what they will have to pay in the future when China's still-

tentative policy of ''rational pricing'' for water takes hold, 

industry sources say. 



Skeptics, however, say nuclear-powered desalination is just a pipe 

dream. ''The real price ends up being more like $800 to $1,600 per 

ton, if you include all the costs of constructing and maintaining a 

nuclear plant,'' nuclear scientist Dong Duo of Qinghua University's 

Nuclear Research Institute said. 



''There is a very serious drought this year in Shandong so people are 

kicking around this idea as one possible solution,'' he said. ''But 

there is no plan for a project yet.'' 



Shandong has no nuclear power plant, and indeed China suspended all 

nuclear power development in 1997 when a host of new thermal 

generators came on line creating an energy glut. 



''If they are linking nuclear power to the effort to solve China's 

water problems, I would say that is some very creative thinking,'' 

one power analyst told Kyodo News. 

----------------



British atomic test subjects urged to register with Veteran Affairs



5 July, 2001 Australian Broadcasting Corporation.- Anyone involved in 

British atomic tests in Australia during the 1950s  and 60s is being 

urged to register with the Department of Veterans  Affairs. 



It is the first step in a process to conduct medical studies of these 

 people.  



Twelve nuclear devices were detonated in the 1950s off the Western  

Australian coast, and at Maralinga and Emu Field in South Australia.  



Vietnam veteran and the state member for Heathcoate, Ian McManus, 

says a  preliminary list has revealed more than 16,000 Australians 

took part in  the tests. 



"The Department of Veteran Affairs have produced a nominal role of  

people who were involved in those tests," he said.  



"My suggestion is that these nominal roles indicate that there are 

over  3,000 navel personnel, over 1,500 army personnel, 3,000 RAAF 

personnel  and up to nearly 9,000 civilians involved in these 

things." 

--------------



Entergy sees Indian Pt 2 nuke buy complete in Sept

  

NEW YORK, July 3 (Reuters) - Entergy Corp <ETR.N> said Tuesday it 

expects to close the purchase of the Indian Point 2 nuclear plant in 

mid-September 2001, slightly behind earlier expectations of closing 

the deal by mid-year. 



The September closing date reflects a revised operating license 

transfer date from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Entergy said in 

a statement. 



Entergy agreed in November, 2000 to buy the 970-megawatt (MW) Indian 

Point 2 nuclear plant from Consolidated Edison Inc <ED.N> subsidiary 

Consolidated Edison Co. of New York Inc. 



Entergy said the revised closing date will not impact its previously 

issued earnings guidance for 2001. 



The company did not disclose the financial terms of the deal. 



Entergy also runs the adjacent 970-MW Indian Point unit 3. 



The Indian Point plant is located in Buchanan, N.Y.







------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sandy Perle					Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100   				    	

Director, Technical				Extension 2306 				     	

ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Service		Fax:(714) 668-3149 	                   		    

ICN Pharmaceuticals, Inc.			E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net 				                           

ICN Plaza, 3300 Hyland Avenue  		E-Mail: sperle@icnpharm.com          	          

Costa Mesa, CA 92626                    



Personal Website: http://www.geocities.com/scperle

ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com



************************************************************************

You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To unsubscribe,

send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu  Put the text "unsubscribe

radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail, with no subject line.