UK nuclear groups say energy review not anti-nuke

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

Index:



UK nuclear groups say energy review not anti-nuke

Energy Dept. May Recycle Nuke Metal

Moon power could solve energy crunch - scientist

TVA cannot lease unfinished nuke plants-U.S. lawmaker

Hydrogen explosion occurs at Hamaoka plant: report

Perma-Fix Awarded a Contract - Disposal of Uranium and Thorium Chips

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



UK nuclear groups say energy review not anti-nuke

  

LONDON, Dec 13 (Reuters) - Britain's two nuclear companies on Thursday said they 

did not think nuclear power has been brushed aside in a leaked government report 

into energy policy. 



"The report appears to say keeping the nuclear option open is important," said a 

spokesman for British Energy which supplies about a fifth of the country's electricity 

via its mainly nuclear reactors. 



But draft copies of the government's energy review leaked the UK media also appear 

to suggest the government should not take any immediate action to replace ageing 

reactors, most of which are due to close by 2020. 



British Energy said it would be up to the industry and not the government to decide 

whether to build new nuclear power stations. 



"We would like to replace existing power stations and have not talked about an 

expansion programme," the spokesman said. 



State-owned British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) said it stood by its submission to the 

Performance and Innovation Unit (PIU), which has been conducting the review, that 

nuclear power was an important ingredient to the country's energy pie. 



"We stand by our comments that nuclear has a part to play," a spokesman said. 



There has been speculation since Prime Minister Tony Blair initiated the energy 

review that nuclear power was garnering government support in the of concerns 

about over-reliance on imported natural gas and worries about emissions of 

greenhouse gases from carbon-fuelled power stations. 



Energy Minister Brian Wilson has publicly declared he supports nuclear power, but 

the minister has also been keen to show his green side. 



On Monday he helped unveil plans by British Energy and engineer AMEC to build a 

600-million-pound ($867.7 million) 600-megawatt wind farm, which will be the world's 

largest. 

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



Energy Dept. May Recycle Nuke Metal

  

WASHINGTON (AP) - Energy Department officials are considering the recycling of 

some scrap metal from government nuclear installations despite a ban on that 

practice, an internal agency memo says. 



The draft memo obtained by The Associated Press outlines procedures that Energy 

Department facilities should follow to allow release of metals from areas where 

radiation has been present. The procedures involve testing the metals and 

documenting their release. 



``The purpose of this action is to reduce site inventories in radiological areas of scrap 

metals that have not been radioactively contaminated by DOE activities or 

operations,'' the memo says. 



Supporters of recycling say it can be done safely and is a useful way to dispose of 

materials left by the decommissioning of Cold War-era facilities. Critics say all metals 

from nuclear sites should be treated as radioactive waste because of the difficulty in 

ensuring they are uncontaminated. 



Energy Department officials did not return calls Wednesday seeking comment. 



Under current rules, release of metals from radiological areas of nuclear sites is 

banned, forbidden by the Clinton administration last year. That was in response to 

consumer advocates and the metals industry worried that possibly tainted recycled 

material would be put into the general commerce in products such as braces, 

zippers, silverware and toys. The steel industry also complained that recycling the 

scrap could create a perception of that American steel was somehow corrupted and 

could lead to a glut on the steel market. 



In July, the Bush administration began an environmental assessment study to 

evaluate the policy. At the time, the Energy Department said it would continue the 

ban during the review unless ``DOE makes a specific determination that the metal 

could not have been radioactively contaminated by DOE activities or operations.'' 



Watchdog groups said Wednesday they were disappointed to learn the agency was 

considering modifying the ban before its own study is completed. 



``This is currently what they're supposedly evaluating under the public process,'' said 

Diane D'Arrigo, radioactive waste project director at the Nuclear Information and 

Resource Service in Washington. 



The memo says it was written for Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham and comes 

from James Decker, acting director of the Office of Science; Gen. Ronald Haeckel, 

acting deputy administrator for defense programs; and Jessie Roberson, assistant 

secretary for environmental management. 



It says several Energy facilities asked permission to recycle some metals, and 

thousands of tons of nonradioactive metals are piling up across the DOE complex. 



Recycling metals from nuclear sites into general commerce is a money saver for the 

agency, but D'Arrigo said the cost to the public of recycling could be high. 



``It needs to be treated as radioactive waste and isolated from the public - not 

deliberately introduced into commonly used household items,'' she said. 



Wenonah Hauter, director of Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy and Environment 

Program, agreed. She said a lot of people opposed recycling metals from nuclear 

sites during several public meetings DOE held recently as part of the review process. 



The memo refers to the meetings and the opposition. 



Releasing the metals before the study is completed, it says, ``could be viewed by 

some as vindicating their opinion that the department is not really objective'' in its 

development of an environmental assessment. But the memo adds that the action 

would not ``bias the analysis.'' 



On the Net: Energy Department: http://www.energy.gov/ 

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



Moon power could solve energy crunch - scientist



SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 12 (Reuters) - With Earth's power consumption forecast to 

rocket to new highs in coming decades, one scientist is proposing a suitably far-out 

solution to the likely energy crunch -- power plants on the moon. 



Prof. David Criswell of the University of Houston's Institute for Space Systems said 

that lunar power plants that capture the sun's rays and send them on to Earth as 

concentrated microwave beams could provide inexpensive, abundant and stable 

energy for the Earth's growing population. 



"This would be energy on a global scale," Criswell said in a briefing at the American 

Geophysical Union (AGU) meeting here. 



Criswell's idea might seem loopy, but he insists that it would be achievable if the U.S. 

government would commit to spending the money -- estimated at roughly three times 

the $19 billion budget of the Apollo space program. 



Criswell's lunar power plant idea was one of a number of alternative energy 

strategies floated by scientists at the AGU meeting to address the environmental 

crisis posed by Earth's voracious power consumption. 



With some 85 percent of overall energy now produced by fossil fuels -- blamed for 

producing the greenhouse gases many scientists believe are behind global warming 

-- researchers say new methods must be found to generate energy if world economic 

growth is to continue in a healthy environment. 



MOON SAID OBVIOUS CHOICE 



According to Criswell, the moon is an obvious choice    for new power production 

facilities that would feature none of the pollution or nuclear waste of earthbound 

plants. 



Criswell's plan involves setting up solar panels at numerous new lunar installations to 

collect the sun's rays. This energy could then be converted into a microwave beam 

and sent back to "rectennas" on Earth, where it would be easily converted into 

electricity that could be plugged into the power grid. 



The microwave energy beam, which could pass through rain and clouds, would have 

the intensity of about 20 percent of noontime sunlight and would be perfectly safe 

with only a slight problem of local radio interference, he said. 



Criswell said the bulk of his lunar power plants could be easily constructed from 

materials already found on the moon, and that they were technologically simple 

enough to wire up quickly. 



"This is comparable to the technology in a modern microwave oven," he said. 



He conceded that some people might be concerned that the system could fall into 

the wrong hands, possibly transforming the gentle microwave power beam into a 

new type of weapon that could blast the Earth from space. 



"You can turn almost anything into a weapon as we now know," Criswell said, adding 

that he was confident that enough safeguards could be built into the system to 

prevent it from being turned into a death ray. 



Criswell estimates that it would cost about $9 billion to get a small working prototype 

of his lunar power plant up and running on the moon. Once it has proven that it 

works, a further investment of about $50 billion could build the entire system -- and 

break even in about five years. 



"It's really a very cost-effective proposal," he said. 



Extraterrestrial power production is not necessarily a new idea. Power-producing 

solar satellites were first suggested in the 1960s and have been periodically 

reviewed. 



Criswell said the idea of siting power plants on the moon makes more sense. 



"Why build a satellite? We already have one," he said. 

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



TVA cannot lease unfinished nuke plants-U.S. lawmaker

  

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Texas Republican overseeing an electricity 

deregulation bill said Wednesday he opposed any attempt by the Tennessee Valley 

Authority to lease its unfinished nuclear power plants to private companies in 

exchange for financing. 



TVA, the No. 1 public power producer in the United States, said in October it would 

reduce by $3.4 billion the value of its unfinished nuclear power plants and other 

assets. 



Rep. Joe Barton, the chairman of a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee 

drafting a national electricity deregulation bill, said he was "extremely skeptical" of 

reports that TVA was considering leasing unfinished its nuclear plants to private 

companies. 



Those companies would provide financing to complete the units, then lease the 

plants back for TVA to operate, he said. 



Barton criticized the plan during a subcommittee hearing on proposals to 

deregulation the nation's power supply. 



TVA's October asset reduction included $1.72 billion for the unfinished Watts Bar 

nuclear plant unit 2 in Tennessee, $500 million for the Bellefonte plant in Alabama, 

$410 million for the canceled Hartsville nuclear plant in Tennessee, and $789 million 

in deferred debt refinancing costs, TVA said. 



Glenn McCullough, TVA's chairman, told Barton the agency has received "no specific 

proposals" for private funding for the Watts Bar or Bellefonte plants. 



"There are all sorts of concepts ... We accept those and we evaluate them in a 

business-like manner," McCullough said, speaking at a House Energy and 

Commerce subcommittee hearing on electricity deregulation. 



Barton said he would approve legislation for TVA to privatize the nuclear sites or 

complete their construction. But he said he was "extremely leery of something that is 

half fish and half foul." 



TVA, a publicly owned entity created during the Great Depression to provide cheap 

power, has a 30,000 megawatt generation supply. The Knoxville, Tennessee-based 

agency supplies power to nearly eight million residents in Alabama, Georgia, 

Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. 



Barton's draft electricity bill would roll out a broad set of new rules to boost 

competition in the $220 billion industry. 



One of the provisions would give federal energy regulators jurisdiction over all federal 

power sales, including TVA and the Bonneville Power Authority in the Pacific 

Northwest. 



The Republican bill would place TVA's 17,000 miles of transmission lines under 

federal jurisdiction for the first time, and allow it to market wholesale power outside of 

its boundaries. 

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



Hydrogen explosion occurs at Hamaoka plant: report

  

NAGOYA, Dec. 13 (Kyodo) - Chubu Electric Power Co. submitted an interim report to 

the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on Thursday saying it believes a steam 

pipe at its Hamaoka nuclear plant in Shizuoka Prefecture most likely ruptured as a 

result of a hydrogen explosion. 



The Nagoya-based utility reported to the ministry's Nuclear and Industrial Safety 

Agency that it had detected a high concentration of hydrogen -- 230,000 times more 

than a normal level -- in the pipe that ruptured on Nov. 7, based on a study of similar 

pipes at both the plant's No. 1 and No. 2 reactors. 



A study on all pipes at the plant led Chubu Electric Power to believe the ruptured 

pipe had a structure that allows hydrogen to accumulate, said the interim report on 

the company's investigation into the accident. 



The report also said the company failed to remove hydrogen from the pipe regularly. 



It said it was the company's first experience of such an accident and that it did not 

expect such a thing to happen. 



The company said it will install valves on pipes in the plant's No. 2 and No. 3 reactors 

that are currently not in operation as the reactors have similar pipes to the ruptured 

one in the No. 1 reactor. 



The valves will be installed on the pipes near reactors where they divaricate, it said. 



In a similar move, three other electric power companies on the same day decided to 

install valves on 12 of their reactors to prevent pipes whose structures are similar to 

the ruptured one from allowing hydrogen or water to accumulate in them, the three 

companies said. 



The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency approved the decision, they said. 



The 12 power plants are those of Tohoku Electric Power Co.'s Onagawa nuclear 

plant in Miyagi Prefecture, Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 and No. 2 

nuclear plants in Fukushima Prefecture, and its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant in 

Niigata Prefecture, and Japan Atomic Power Co.'s Tokai No. 2 nuclear plant in 

Ibaraki Prefecture. 



Last week, Chubu Electric Power and the agency said a ''ductile fraction'' caused the 

rupture as characteristic dimples were detected in a cross-section of the pipe. 



A ductile fraction has never occurred before at a Japanese nuclear plant, according 

to the company. 



Steam containing a small amount of radioactive material leaked from a pressure-

injection system at the plant's 540,000-kilowatt No. 1 reactor on Nov. 7. 



Three days later, about 60 milliliters of radioactive water per hour was found to be 

leaking inside the reactor. 



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



Perma-Fix Awarded a Contract Valued at Approximately 13 Million by UT-Battelle for 

Disposal of Uranium and Thorium Chips at Various Department of Energy Sites

  

OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Dec. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Perma-Fix Environmental Services, 

Inc. (Nasdaq: PESI) (BSE: PES) (Germany: PES.BE) today announced that it has 

been awarded a multi-year contract to treat and dispose of uranium and thorium 

chips at various Department of Energy sites.  The Company has been advised that 

the total value of the contract is estimated to be $13 million. 



UT-Battelle, LLC, the prime contractor for the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge 

National Laboratory, along with DOE's Transuranic and Mixed Waste Focus Area, 

selected Perma-Fix to treat and dispose of the chips that are currently being stored 

throughout the DOE complex.  The chip material consists of uranium and thorium 

chips and chip-bearing materials including uranium and thorium metal turnings, 

shavings, and residues that were generated from machining and tooling activities.  

The site activities that generated uranium and thorium chips were typically performed 

in support of government defense programs sponsored by the DOE and its 

predecessor agencies, including the Atomic Energy Commission. 



UT-Battelle is a not-for-profit company established by the University of Tennessee 

and Battelle to manage the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National 

Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tenn. 



Dr. Louis F. Centofanti, Perma-Fix president and chief executive officer, said, "This 

contract is another important contracting vehicle that allows Department of Energy 

sites throughout the United States to dispose of a problematic waste stream using a 

qualified and experienced treatment provider." 



Perma-Fix has recently increased its capabilities to treat mixed wastes by expanding 

the services offered at existing facilities as well acquiring and building new facilities in 

Oak Ridge, Tenn.  The newest facility is located at the Department of Energy East 

Tennessee Technology Park (formerly the K-25 plant), which was one of the key 

facilities involved with constructing nuclear weapons under the Manhattan Project.  

The facility was designed and constructed specifically to treat the large volumes of 

wastes generated by the Department of Energy since the 1940's. 

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

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://sandy-travels.com

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





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