Inside North Korea’s nuke site demolition show
North Korea says it is still willing to sit down with the U.S. “at any time” after President Trump. North Korean state media called Thursday’s decision “unexpected” and “extremely regrettable.”
Before Mr. Trump’s move, North Korea set off a series of massive explosions at the Punggye-ri nuclear testing site in the northeast of the country, and claimed the facility was destroyed. CBS News correspondent Ben Tracy was the, among a small group of international journalists.
It was widely seen as an important step in the process before North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was to sit down with President Trump. Just hours before the summit was canceled, North Korea claimed it had made good on its promise to destroy the Punggye-ri facility — and its broader commitment to peace.
The regime had been testing its nuclear weapons at Punggye-ri since 2006. Until this week, however, we had only ever seen the highly secretive location from satellite photos. On Thursday, Tracy was among the journalists allowed to tour the facility before it was blown up.
Tunnel No. 2 is where the North Koreans conducted five of their six nuclear tests over the last couple years. Tracy and his team were shown how explosives were strung up inside the entrance to the tunnel.
Some outside scientists have said the nuclear site was already so badly damaged by previous tests that it was no longer usable. But during the nine hours we were led around the grounds, North Korean officials stressed that two of the tunnels were still operational and that destroying them is a real concession.
They told us we could come double check and see with our own eyes that this tunnel had been destroyed, but Tracy and the other journalists on the trip are not nuclear scientists. There were no outside experts there to verify that the North Koreans have, in fact, rendered the site unusable. Tracy said he and his team could only confirm that two tunnel entrances were blown up; if the tunnels inside the mountain still exist, the site could potentially still be used for future nuclear tests.
The North Koreans also claim no radiation leaked during the explosions, and that they have never detected radiation at the site. However, the one thing they confiscated from our CBS News team’s luggage when they arrived, was equipment to detect radiation.
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The Molten Salts Reactor (MSR) technology is one of the categories identified by IAEA for Small Modular Reactors (SMR). Specifically, the MSRs use molten salts as nuclear fuel and primary coolant, both mixed in many cases, to produce and transport heat to the secondary loops or directly to the steam generation plants for electric power production. There are several Gen-IV SMR MSRs currently in development. This article describes the features of this type of nuclear reactor taking as basis the Moltex one.
Moltex Energy is developing its patented unique designs for the Stable Salts Reactor Waste-burner (SSR-W) and Waste to Stable Salts reprocessing facility (WATSS). The combination of both facilities allows the reprocessing of current spent fuel stockpiles coming from nuclear power plants in operation (CANDU, PWR, BWR, VVER,…), transforming them in new low enrichment fresh fuel capable to be used in the molten salts reactor.
Inherent safety features like the use of nuclear fuel with negative reactivity coefficient, passive ultimate heat removal systems based on natural air convection, unpressurized heat production systems, solubility of gaseous fission products in the molten salt primary coolant, allow the application of simplicity principle into the design as the main driver to push forward a new paradigm in clean energy generation.
Moltex design incorporates also the molten salts storage GridReserve®, which provides a solution to cover the peak demand periods through a thermal heat storage that is charged during low demand periods. This system makes possible to run the reactor at full power continuously in an electrical distributed grid powered by renewables.
As a result of all these innovations, Moltex offers competitive nuclear energy in a deregulated and atomized power distribution system, offering an alternative production option whose costs would be even lower than current electricity generation from fossil fuels.
Since 2015 Moltex is leading a multinational engineering effort pursuing the objective of building the First Of A Kind (FOAK) demonstration facility in the province of New Brunswick (Canada) by late 2020s. Following investment in 2019, the Spanish engineering company, IDOM Consulting, Engineering & Architecture (IDOM) is part of this international consortium collaborating with Moltex Energy from offices in North America and Europe, in the effort to reach a new green economy where environmental responsibility is the key point.


Safety at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Energy Plant stays fragile amid worrying latest employees cuts enacted by Russian authorities occupying the power, which is without doubt one of the 10 largest atomic energy vegetation on the planet, the United Nations nuclear watchdog chief stated on February 6.
Worldwide Atomic Vitality Company (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi, who’s in Kyiv, advised The Related Press that his upcoming go to to the plant because the war approaches its two-year milestone will purpose to evaluate the impression of latest personnel reductions after Russia denied entry to staff of Ukraine’s Energoatom.
“This enormous facility used to have round 12,000 employees. Now, this has been decreased to between 2,000 and three,000, which is sort of a steep discount within the variety of folks working there,” Mr. Grossi stated. “To man, to function these very refined large installations you want a sure variety of folks performing completely different particular capabilities.”
Additionally Learn | Ukraine to build 4 nuclear reactors as war hits power supply
“Up to now the scenario is secure, however it’s a very, very delicate equilibrium,” he stated. “So because of this I have to see for myself what’s the scenario, what are the prospects when it comes to staffing, medium-term and long-term as effectively.”
The IAEA has repeatedly expressed alarm in regards to the facility amid fears of a possible nuclear disaster. The plant has repeatedly been caught within the crossfire since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and seized the power shortly after.
The plant’s six reactors have been shut down for months, however it nonetheless wants energy and certified employees to function essential cooling techniques and different security options.
Mr. Rossi stated he would additionally test the steadiness of the power’s cooling operate within the wake of the Kakhovka Dam collapse over the summer time, and the presence of mines in and across the plant.
The plant suffered one more blackout final month, highlighting persevering with nuclear security issues as battles rage close by.
“All this stuff inform us that the scenario in Zaporizhzhia continues to be fragile and it requires fixed care,” Mr. Grossi stated.
Of specific concern is the Russian resolution to dam entry for Ukrainian employees employed by Kyiv’s nationwide operator, who refused to signal contracts with the Russian operator on the web site.
The employees working on the plant now are former Energoatom staff who adopted Russian citizenship and signed new contracts with Russia’s operator on the web site.
Causes for the employees discount differ. Some staff fled, many didn’t wish to stay in occupied territory and people who determined to stay didn’t wish to work for Russia.
“Some did proceed working, and my Russian counterparts are telling me that they’re signing up an increasing number of folks. So it’s one thing that we have to test,” stated Mr. Grossi.
The plant’s six reactors have been shut down for almost 18 months and produce no electrical energy however nonetheless maintain massive quantities of nuclear gasoline that have to be cooled. The collapse of the dam in June jeopardized entry to the reservoir the place water was drawn for cooling. To compensate, the plant administration dug wells. “Now we wish to see how this has developed,” Mr. Grossi stated.
He’s to satisfy with Ukrainian officers earlier than heading to the plant. He’s additionally on account of journey to Moscow for talks with officers there.
Additionally Learn | Is Russia winning the Ukraine war?
Entry to your entire plant facility for IAEA specialists completely primarily based there may be nonetheless restricted, with Russian authorities denying requests to see sure areas.
Mr. Grossi confirmed his workforce noticed anti-personnel mines in some areas of the plant, one other trigger for concern that he must see together with his personal eyes. He added, nevertheless, that the mines look like positioned between the 2 perimeter fences.
“We are saying mines at a nuclear energy plant should not advisable, however what we see is that the position and the kind of mines wouldn’t pose a direct hazard to the power.”


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. . Bulletins from NHK WORLD
. . Japan Times
August 1, 2011
. . . . . at 2:36
Earquthake M 5.4, off the coast at Urakawa, Hokaido
. . . . . at 4:34
Earthquake M 4.5, off the coast of Miyagi
. . . . . at 22:44
Earthquake M 5.7, off the coast of Iwate
. . . . . at 23:58
Earthquake M 6.1 Suruga Bay
Kanto was shaken quite a bit, with a strength felt weak 5 in Shizuoka prefecture. It was felt all the way from Miyagi (Sendai) to Tottori in Western Japan.
This is getting closer to the Hamaoka Power plant in Shizuoka, but so far (it is now 7 in the morning) there have been no reports of major damage.
The 6.1-magnitude earthquake at 11.58 p.m. local time (1458 GMT) was centered in Suruga Bay, about 32 kilometers (19 miles) south of Shizuoka, the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture. It struck about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).
source : channel6newsonline.com
Monday, August 01, 2011 05:59 - NHK
Cesium leveling out at the Fukushima reactor No.3
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant said on Sunday that the level of radioactive cesium in seawater around the Number 3 reactor has shown no signs of increasing since Saturday.
Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, has been constantly checking the level of radioactive substances at water intakes in the plant and offshore.
On Saturday, seawater collected near the water intake of the Number 3 reactor recorded 1.3 becquerels of cesium 134 per cubic centimeter, which is 22 times higher than the national legal limit.
Cesium 137 was 17 times the limit at 1.5 becquerels. But the recorded level hasn't changed since Friday.
In May, high levels of radioactive water were poured into the area around the intake and shortly afterwards cesium 134 levels 20,000 times higher than the legal limit were detected there. Levels of the radioactive substance have been decreasing since then.
In addition, cesium-131 was not detected from seawater collected from the intake of reactor Number 2 on Friday and Saturday, although it reached 7.5 million times the limit in April.
TEPCO says it conducted investigations at 4 other spots in coastal waters. It also said that radioactive cesium was detected in one of the coastal waters but was below the legal limit.
The utility says it believes that radioactive water is no longer leaking since levels of radioactive substances have stayed relatively flat.
Monday, August 01, 2011 10:06 - NHK
Chiba, Tochigi to test rice for cesium traces
The Chiba and Tochigi prefectural governments say they will test the rice harvested in their prefectures for radiation.
The decision comes after radioactive cesium was detected in rice straw, vegetables and compost following the Fukushima nuclear accident.
Farmers in Chiba and Tochigi planted rice seedlings in their fields after the accident and are voicing concerns over possible contamination due to fallout from the Fukushima plant.
Officials in Chiba, where harvesting is expected to begin as early as August, say they will sample unmilled rice from one to several farms in each rice-growing municipality to measure radiation levels.
They say they will not allow any farms in a municipality to ship their rice unless the tests show that the radiation readings of samples from the area are within the safety limit set by the central government.
Tochigi authorities plan to have each area submit a sample for testing. They say they will also purchase 2 special devices to detect radioactive cesium, although they are still discussing the details of the testing method with the government.
In Tochigi, rice harvesting will start in early September.
The 2 prefectures are the first in Japan to announce that they will test rice for radioactive cesium.
Monday, August 01, 2011 18:45
Govt bans beef cattle shipments from Iwate
Japan's government has ordered Iwate Prefecture to suspend shipments of all beef cattle, after radiation levels above government standards were detected in some beef from the region.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said on Monday that the ban was issued to the governor of Iwate after levels of radioactive cesium above the standard were found in beef from 2 municipalities.
Edano said the government will ensure that cattle farmers receive appropriate compensation, adding it will swiftly lift the ban for beef whose safety is confirmed.
Iwate is the third prefecture to face a beef shipment ban after Fukushima and Miyagi. Some cattle in Iwate were fed rice straw contaminated with radioactive cesium.
Authorities have confirmed that beef from 6 such cattle was contaminated with high levels of cesium.
The government will require the inspection of all beef from farmers who shipped meat contaminated with high levels of cesium or used tainted rice straw. Other farmers are asked to check their first beef to be shipped to market. The government says it will allow beef shipments when radiation levels are confirmed to be below the standard.
Iwate ships about 36,000 beef cattle a year. The prefecture says it will check all cattle for radiation exposure before shipment.
The government will also ask the prefecture to temporarily reduce the number of shipments to match its inspection capability.
Monday, August 01, 2011 19:15
Govt to check rice for radiation
Japan's government is to ask rice-producing regions to check their crops for radiation before and after harvest.
The government plans to provide local authorities with details of the tests this week. The tests are designed to ensure that rice on the market will be free of radioactive cesium believed to come from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The government says it will suspend rice shipments if levels of cesium exceeding the safety limit are detected.
All 6 prefectures in the Tohoku region, northern Japan, have decided to test their rice for radiation. Tokyo and 12 other prefectures also say they will carry out or consider radiation checks.
Radioactive cesium has been detected in rice straw, vegetables and compost in wide areas following the accident at the Fukushima plant.
Farmers have voiced concern that their rice may be contaminated, because it was planted after the accident.
Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo will start tests soon, as the region's harvest begins in early August.
Monday, August 01, 2011 21:00
Highly radioactive water flows into another place
Highly radioactive water has been found in the basement of a building at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant near the storage facility for contaminated water.
Tokyo Electric Power Company said on Monday that it discovered about 700 tons of contaminated water on Saturday in the basement of an on-site building.
The utility said the water contained 19,000 becquerels of radioactive cesium 134 per cubic centimeter, and 22,000 becquerels of cesium 137 --- both very high levels.
Until June, the building was connected by a hose with another building where highly radioactive water is now being stored. The buildings are located next to each other and are part of the plant's waste disposal facility.
The utility is investigating how the leakage happened but says it has already started the work to stop the contaminated water from leaking out of the building.
4 killed, 2 missing in torrential rain in Japan
Torrential rains in central and northeastern Japan have left 4 people dead and 2 missing, after one more death was confirmed on Monday.
The rains last week and through the weekend in Niigata and Fukushima Prefectures have burst river banks and caused flooding in many areas. More than 7,400 homes have been damaged.
Huge mudflows have also inundated rice paddies in Niigata Prefecture, a key rice growing area. This is expected to affect the region's harvest.
In the major rice producing city of Tokaichi, torrents of water, mud, and driftwood entered rice paddies along a river after it overflowed its banks.
Niigata Prefecture says the rain has damaged at least 1,042 hectares of farmland and rice paddies in 13 municipalities.
The full extent of damage will become clear as more reports from affected areas reach prefectural authorities.
. . . . . Japan Times . . . . .
Iwate to join cattle ban; hundreds more suspected tainted
Iwate Prefecture will be ordered to stop shipment of all beef cattle after excessive cesium is found in a sixth animal and hundreds more are found to have been shipped for slaughter.
Power unions donate Yen 100 million to DPJ
Energy plan shakeup
Japan finally seems to be shifting from nuclear power
August 2, 2011
Tuesday, August 02, 2011 06:33 - NHK
No-entry decontamination to start next month
Japan's minister in charge of the nuclear crisis says full-scale decontamination measures will begin next month for the 20-kilometer evacuation zone around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Goshi Hosono made the remark on a commercial TV channel on Monday.
Hosono said the government will begin decontamination on a large scale and continue monitoring radiation levels. He said the government is aiming for a complete cleanup of the evacuation zone.
The minister added that radioactive materials must be removed from the zone so that residents can return home by early next year. January will mark the end of the second stage of a plan to achieve a cold shutdown of the damaged nuclear reactors.
Tuesday, August 02, 2011 06:33
APEC Sendai to discuss corporate role in disasters
Members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation will discuss corporate responsibilities in the event of disasters. The conference is to start Tuesday for two days in the northeastern city of Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, which was hit hard by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.
About 100 experts and government officials from 18 countries and regions met at a reception in a hotel on Monday. ...
Tuesday, August 02, 2011 06:33 - NHK
Highest radioactivity level detected at nuke plant
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it has detected 10,000 millisieverts of radioactivity per hour at the plant. The level is the highest detected there since the nuclear accident in March.
Workers of Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, on Monday measured the extremely high level of radioactivity near pipes at the bottom of a duct between the No.1 and neighboring No.2 reactor buildings.
According to the science ministry's brochure, if a human received 10,000 millisieverts, they would likely die within a week or two.
TEPCO has restricted access to the site and the surrounding area.
The utility says the workers taking measurements on Monday were exposed to up to 4 millisieverts.
The utility says the high level of radioactivity was detected because the pipes were used to vent air containing radioactive substances from the crippled No.1 reactor on March 12th.
The utility had detected a maximum of 1,000 millisieverts per hour outdoors in debris, and also found a maximum of 4,000 millisieverts per hour indoors in one of the reactor buildings.
Tuesday, August 02, 2011 09:39
Nuclear agency's meddling revealed again
Another case of questionable conduct by Japan's nuclear regulator has come to light. A former official of the nuclear safety agency has admitted asking a regional utility to mobilize its people for a government symposium on nuclear power 5 years ago.
One of the agency's former section chiefs told NHK that he made the request to an executive of Shikoku Electric Power Company ahead of the symposium in Ehime Prefecture.
The former section chief said he pushed the utility to take part actively in the event by posing questions and expressing opinions. He said he wanted its participation because opponents of nuclear power had prevented constructive debate at a similar symposium the previous year.
The former section chief denied that his aim was to manipulate public opinion. Still, Shikoku Electric mobilized retired employees and people from its affiliates, providing some of them with samples of the desired questions and opinions.
The theme of the symposium was the planned use of mixed uranium-and-plutonium fuel at the utility's nuclear plant in the prefecture. Back then, the company was waiting for local approval to start this method of power generation.
Earlier, another utility --- Chubu Electric --- reported that the nuclear safety agency had asked it to make sure that questions in favor of nuclear power be asked at a government symposium in 2007.
Tuesday, August 02, 2011 17:55
Govt sets new criteria for contaminated fertilizer
Japan's government has laid down a new set of criteria for the use of fertilizers that may be contaminated with radioactive cesium.
On Tuesday, the agriculture ministry urged farmers not to use humus and compost that contain 400 becquerels of cesium per kilogram or more.
It also called on them not to use livestock feed containing 300 becquerels of cesium per kilogram or more. For fish feed, the limit was set at 100 becquerels per kilogram.
The ministry says it will notify local governments how to measure cesium in fertilizers as soon as possible.
Last week, the agriculture ministry asked famers and fertilizer producers in 17 prefectures in eastern and central Japan to voluntarily refrain from using or selling compost and humus made from fallen leaves possibly contaminated with radioactive cesium.
This was after humus shipped from Tochigi Prefecture was found to be contaminated with radioactive substances.
Tuesday, August 02, 2011 18:07 - NHK
Govt bans shipments of Tochigi beef cattle
Japan's government has ordered Tochigi Prefecture to suspend its shipments of beef cattle due to fears of radioactive contamination.
The government ordered the ban on Tuesday after beef from 4 head of cattle shipped from 2 municipalities in the prefecture was found to contain unsafe amounts of radioactive cesium.
Cesium contamination was also detected in rice straw used to feed beef cattle in the prefecture.
Tochigi is the fourth prefecture ordered to suspend beef cattle shipments, following Fukushima, Miyagi and Iwate.
The government says it will allow resumption of shipments if radiation levels of all beef from farms whose shipments and feed were contaminated, as well as beef from other farms, fall below the government standard.
Tochigi says it will test all of its beef cattle, but the prefecture ships up to 55,000 head of cattle per year, and fewer than 30,000 can be processed locally.
The government is to ask the prefecture to draw up realistic plans for resuming shipments, such as limiting the number of cattle to be shipped.
Tuesday, August 02, 2011 19:33
Govt to conduct comprehensive radiation monitoring
Japan's government has decided to start comprehensive radiation monitoring this year by coordinating organizations that have been checking radiation levels since the Fukushima nuclear accident in March.
The government decided on the plan on Tuesday in response to criticism about difficulty in referring to results of such checks by various ministries, agencies, prefectural governments and utilities.
The plan divides monitoring activities into 6 fields including air, water, farm soil and grass, and food.
Organizations are to be in charge of monitoring and analyzing results in each field and proposing concrete measures.
The government is to set up about 250 monitoring points across the country and draw up maps showing radiation levels at children's facilities, such as schools and public libraries.
The science ministry is expected to set up a website to provide such data by mid-August.
Tuesday, August 02, 2011 21:04
Nissan develops EV-based home power supply system
Nissan Motor has developed a power supply system using electric vehicle batteries for use during blackouts.
The system is able to provide an average household with enough electricity to ride out a blackout for up to 2 days.
It connects batteries with distribution switch boards, to allow households to run air conditioners and other electric appliances in the event of a power outage.
Nissan aims to put the system into practical use by spring next year after completing tests.
The automaker says it was inspired by a stream of inquiries and requests from residents in areas where power shortages occurred due to the March 11th disaster, and stepped up efforts to develop the system.
. . . . . Japan Times . . . . .
Two-phase tests set to check rice
The farm ministry is planning a two-phase rice test to check this year's crop for radioactive contamination from the leaking power plant in Fukushima Prefecture.
Iwate beef cattle shipments banned
The government bans all beef cattle shipments from Iwate Prefecture after detecting cesium over the state limit from a number of cows.
Saga chief sought to spin reactor talks
Power saving goal hit on 50% of July weekdays / setsuden
August 3, 2011
Wednesday, August 03, 2011 10:19 - NHK
Shimane Prefecture to test all beef cattle
Another local government in Japan says it will conduct radiation checks of all beef cattle to ease consumer concerns about food safety.
Shimane Prefecture in Western Japan said on Tuesday that it will blanket-test cattle starting as early as next week.
The local government decided to run tests after radioactive cesium exceeding government safety levels was detected in rice straw used for feed at a farm in the prefecture in late July.
Although subsequent tests of beef cattle found far lower levels of radioactivity than the government standard, prices of beef from Shimane have plummeted and wholesalers are avoiding all beef cattle from the prefecture.
Officials of the prefecture say all processed beef will undergo preliminary screening, and meat registering 250 becquerels per kilogram or more of radioactive cesium, or half the government safety level, will be tested further.
A senior agricultural official of the prefecture says it decided to conduct the tests to stop unfounded rumors from spreading. He said the prefecture will ask the national government to fully fund the tests.
Wednesday, August 03, 2011 10:19
Fukushima to begin beef cattle buy-up next week
A plan by the Fukushima prefectural government to buy up beef cattle from farmers will be launched as early as next week. Producers there have been unable to ship their cattle after beef in the region was found to be highly radioactive.
The cattle are believed to have been fed rice straw contaminated with radioactive cesium exceeding the government limit.
Fukushima Prefecture has decided to buy back beef cattle that have become too old for shipment due to the shipping suspension in place since last month.
On Tuesday, a producers' group agreed with the Fukushima prefectural government that it would set up a consultative body as early as next week to process applications. The body will purchase beef cattle from farmers and the prefectural government is to provide subsidies.
But the producers and the prefecture failed to agree on purchase prices, and will continue discussions.
A senior official of the producers' group said the number of beef cattle ready for shipment is on the rise and farmers are struggling with how to feed and manage the animals. The official said the buy-up plan needs to be implemented without delay.
Wednesday, August 03, 2011 12:44 - NHK
Nuclear compensation bill enacted
Japan's Diet has approved legislation to help Tokyo Electric Power Company compensate victims of the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The Upper House of the Diet approved the bill on Wednesday with majority support from both ruling and major opposition parties.
Under the law, an entity will be established to help the utility pay compensation to people and industries affected by the nuclear disaster.
Other utility firms that operate nuclear power plants are expected to contribute funds to the new organization. The government will also issue special bonds to inject public funds into the body.
The government now plans to select personnel and work out details of the new entity with a view to setting it up by early September at the latest.
The government also aims to have an expert panel step up its efforts to evaluate assets of Tokyo Electric.
Wednesday, August 03, 2011 13:54
Govt comes up with plan for a new nuclear watchdog
The Japanese government plans to create a new nuclear safety agency, in order to separate regulatory functions from the industry ministry which promotes nuclear energy.
The government has been reviewing the current nuclear administration following the Fukushima nuclear accident.
The draft plan calls for detaching regulatory functions of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency from the industry ministry, and establishing a new nuclear regulatory body under the Environment Ministry.
The new body would be in charge of initial responses to nuclear accidents and radiation monitoring as well as control of radioactive substances.
It would also be responsible for taking measures against nuclear terrorism in coordination with public security authorities.
The Nuclear Safety Commission, currently under the Cabinet Office, would be renamed and placed under the new nuclear watchdog as its advisory organ.
On Wednesday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters that he believes the plan is one option. He said the government must comprehensively study the plan to review the independence, neutrality and feasibility of the new body.
Edano said it will take time to overhaul Japan's nuclear administration, and that an organizational change could be implemented in stages.
He added officials share the view that the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency should be separated from the industry ministry around April next year.
The government plans to finalize the plan shortly and submit related bills to the Diet early next year.
Wednesday, August 03, 2011 17:34
Cattle farmers demand compensation from TEPCO
Japanese farmers have staged a protest in front of Tokyo Electric Power Company's headquarters in Tokyo, demanding compensation over a ban on beef shipments due to fears of radioactive contamination.
About 350 cattle and rice farmers from across the country took part in the protest on Wednesday against the operator of the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The rally was organized by a nationwide group of farmers after the discovery of high levels of radioactive cesium in beef caused a ban on cattle shipments from 4 prefectures, including Fukushima and Miyagi.
To highlight the fact that their animals were fed contaminated rice straw, the protesters displayed cattle and straw on a truck in front of the headquarters. The items were borrowed from a farmer in Chiba, east of Tokyo, where beef shipments are not banned. The farmers demanded the utility pay compensation for damages caused by the ban and harm from unfounded rumors.
After the demonstration, about 30 farmers handed a letter stating their demands to a TEPCO official.
The official apologized to the farmers for causing serious trouble, and said the company will compensate them fairly based on surveys conducted by the central government and municipalities.
A farmer who raises beef cattle in Fukushima said she is angry that the utility has not yet paid any compensation to those who have been ruined by the ban.
Wednesday, August 03, 2011 17:50
Government to test rice for radioactivity
The Japanese government says that rice harvested in the coming months will be tested for radioactivity.
The agriculture ministry announced at a meeting of rice farmers on Wednesday that rice grown in areas with high levels of radioactive cesium in the soil will be tested both before and after harvest.
If the amount of cesium in the post-harvest test exceeds the government-set safety level of 500 becquerels per kilogram, shipments of rice from that area will be banned.
Farmers will be obligated to dispose of the banned rice. Tokyo Electric Power Company, the owner of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, is to pay compensation to the farmers.
The government says 14 prefectures from northeastern through central Japan will be subject to the inspections.
Tests will also be carried out in areas where more than 1,000 becquerels of radioactive cesium per kilogram in the soil or more than 0.1 microsieverts of atmospheric radiation have been detected.
Other municipalities will be asked to refer to the government guidelines when carrying out tests on a voluntary basis.
Wednesday, August 03, 2011 19:07
Discussions begin on how to scrap Fukushima plant
A government-appointed panel has begun discussing the timetable for decommissioning the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
About 30 people, including members of the Atomic Energy Commission and officials from the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, took part in the panel's initial meeting on Wednesday.
Yuichi Hayase, who joined US researchers in studying the accident at Three Mile Island in 1979, briefed the participants on how that plant was brought under control.
Hayase explained that it took 11 years to extract all the fuel rods, as workers were coping with the world's first nuclear meltdown. It was also necessary to develop remote-controlled robots and technology to process contaminated wastewater.
Panel members discussed middle- and long-term challenges in the decommissioning process, such as how to repair the reactor containment vessels and decontaminate the buildings by remote control to enable extraction of the fuel rods.
One expert cited the need for long-term training of specialized personnel, while another said international expertise is essential in drawing up the timetable.
Kyoto University Professor Hajimu Yamana 山名元 , who heads the panel, said he expects longer preparations for extracting the fuel rods, because the reactor cores at Fukushima are more badly damaged than at Three Mile Island.
The panel plans to finalize the timetable by early next year, at the end of the second stage of the process to bring the plant under control.
Wednesday, August 03, 2011 21:02
Nagasaki mayor calls for nuclear-free NE Asia
The mayor of Nagasaki has urged the Japanese government to start efforts to denuclearize Northeast Asia, as the first step toward creating a nuclear-free world.
Mayor Tomihisa Taue met with Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Mayor Taue said he has been garnering signatures from municipality chiefs across the country for a petition calling for Northeast Asia to be denuclearized. He said he has collected more than 100 signatures so far. He said the Japanese government should support the movement in order to start denuclearization efforts.
Foreign Minister Matsumoto said US President Barack Obama called for a nuclear-free world and that the Japanese government has been making serious efforts toward achieving nuclear arms control and non-proliferation.
He says it will be not easy to realize such a world but that the government will take the will of the mayors seriously.
After the meeting, Taue told reporters that no progress will be made toward scrapping nuclear arms as long as people only call for abolishing such weapons without taking any specific action.
He says showing the efforts of Japan, the only country attacked by nuclear bombs, to realize a nuclear-free Northeast Asia will become a step toward reaching the next stage.
. . . . . Japan Times . . . . .
NISA linked to other faked support for nuclear power
A former senior official of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency acknowledges that NISA asked Shikoku Electric Power to have its employees attend a government-sponsored symposium on atomic energy in 2006.
NISA raps Tepco for lax ID checks of employees at Fukushima No. 1
APEC workshop focuses on disaster preparedness
Compensation law is flawed
August 4, 2011
Thursday, August 04, 2011 07:57 - NHK
Evacuation orders to be lifted in late August
The government says it wants to lift evacuation advisories in a few weeks for areas 20 to 30 kilometers from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
A recovery timetable released on Wednesday proposes lifting the evacuation notice later this month or early next since the situation at the plant has improved.
The plan covers areas between 20 and 30 kilometers from the plant. Residents there are currently advised to stay indoors and prepare for emergency evacuation.
Many residents there have been forced to evacuate, and schools and hospitals are closed.
The government says it will begin negotiations with local municipalities later this week and ask them to draw up reconstruction plans.
The measures are expected to include reopening hospitals and other public services and decontaminating schoolyards.
The government says it will support each local government to help them bring residents back home.
Thursday, August 04, 2011 07:57
TEPCO reports cooling system's reliability
The operator of the Fukushima power plant says it could restart injecting water into its crippled reactors within 3 hours after mechanical problems or power failure halt the plant's cooling system.
Tokyo Electric Power Company made the claim in a report to the industrial ministry's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency on Wednesday.
The agency asked TEPCO to report how it will deal with the failure of the cooling system, which recycles decontaminated radioactive water as coolant for reactors.
The report says TEPCO could restart the system within 30 minutes of a loss of power or the water pumps breaking down by using extra pumps and emergency generators.
If problems occur simultaneously, TEPCO says it will use fire engines to restart injecting coolant water within 3 hours.
The report admits that if the circulation of coolant water is suspended for several hours, temperatures in the reactors could climb high enough to cause radioactive releases, or another hydrogen explosion.
The company says it would increase the amount of coolant water to the maximum levels in such an emergency.
TEPCO's report is expected to help the government review an emergency evacuation advisory for local residents.
Thursday, August 04, 2011 09:47 - NHK
TEPCO to attach hoses to improve water filter flow
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant will attach makeshift hoses to its wastewater filtering system to help improve the water flow.
Tokyo Electric Power Company has been filtering highly contaminated wastewater to remove radioactive material and salt, and then pumping the water back into the reactors as coolant.
But the filters have been working at about 35 percent below capacity, likely because metal piping connecting the tanks has been narrowed by mud.
The utility therefore plans to stop the system for nearly 12 hours on Thursday and attach bypass hoses at 2 locations.
TEPCO has also installed a new device to remove radioactive cesium, in addition to the one currently in use. It plans to start test-running the device on Saturday, and begin full operation next Monday.
TEPCO aims to improve the efficiency of its water filtering system to lower wastewater pooled in facility basements to safe levels as soon as possible.
The utility says it plans to achieve this for the No.1 and No. 2 reactors in early September.
Thursday, August 04, 2011 11:05
Japan plans to dismiss top nuclear officials
The Japanese government plans to dismiss 3 top officials in charge of nuclear power policy over their handling of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Banri Kaieda announced the move in a hastily arranged news conference on Thursday.
Kaieda said the ministry will soon carry out a major personnel reshuffle. He added he had been considering a restructure for about a month.
The 3 officials are the Vice Minister of the Economy, Trade, and Industry Ministry, Kazuo Matsunaga 松永和夫; the Director General of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, Nobuaki Terasaka 寺坂 信昭（; and the Director General of the Natural Resources and Energy Agency, Tetsuhiro Hosono 細野哲弘. The ministry oversees the 2 agencies.
Thursday, August 04, 2011 11:05
Radiation limit for children will be lowered
The Japanese government says the yearly radiation limit for school children will be lowered as early as this month.
The government has set the limit for accumulated external radiation for children involved in outdoor activities at 20 millisieverts per year, in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear accident.
But many parents and teachers want the figure to be lowered. Some schools are restricting outdoor activities by their pupils even if radiation levels are below the government-set standard.
Education Minister Yoshiaki Takaki will visit an elementary school in Fukushima Prefecture on Thursday. He will inspect progress on work to replace the topsoil of its schoolyard and talk to school staff.
The ministry says it will make a final decision based on the outcome of the minister's tour and results of radiation monitoring in the areas near the troubled Fukushima plant. The limit will be most likely lowered in late August, when the ongoing summer recess is over.
Thursday, August 04, 2011 17:15
2m tsunami waves caused severe structural damage
Japan's government has created a map of destruction by the March 11th tsunami showing that the severity of structural damage increased significantly in areas where waves exceeded a height of 2 meters.
The map made by the Land and Infrastructure Ministry shows the height of waves and severity of damage for every 10,000 square meters along a vast stretch of Japan's northeastern coast.
The map uses 4 different colors to indicate the height of waves on a scale ranging from below 2 meters to over 8 meters.
It shows that in areas hit by waves under 2 meters, less than 35 percent of buildings were completely destroyed, but that in areas with higher waves, the rate surged to over 70 percent.
The ministry is to provide the data to local governments in the disaster zone to help them plan reconstruction to prevent damage by future tsunamis.
Thursday, August 04, 2011 21:21
Nuke plant hosts call for quick end to crisis
Local communities hosting nuclear power plants in Japan have urged the government to thoroughly investigate the Fukushima accident to determine its cause.
An association of 25-member municipalities held its annual meeting in Tokyo on Thursday.
Many community heads complained that they cannot explain to their constituents the need for nuclear plants while the government's energy policies remain unsettled. They also urged the government to quickly end the problems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear station.
Others called on the government to set up a professional nuclear watchdog, after separating the current Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency from the industry ministry.
Industry minister Banri Kaieda apologized for the enormous trouble that the crisis in Fukushima has caused to other municipalities with nuclear power plants.
He said the government is determined to pour all its efforts into handling the accident.
. . . . . Japan Times . . . . .
New ministry home eyed for nuke agency
The government may separate the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and merge its functions into a new agency to be created under the Environment Ministry, according to a minister's draft plan.
NISA scandal widens to two more utilities ！！！
A former senior official of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency acknowledges that he asked two more power companies to mobilize their employees for government-sponsored symposiums on nuclear energy, in the latest revelations of alleged attempts to manipulate public opinion.
Law on nuclear disaster compensation is enacted
August 5, 2011
Friday, August 05, 2011 05:46 - NHK
Nuclear reactor to shut down for inspection
A nuclear reactor at a power plant in Niigata Prefecture, central Japan, will be shut down soon for a regular inspection. As a result, 39 reactors, or over 70 percent out of the total of 54 in the country, will be out of service.
The No.1 reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant 柏崎刈羽原発 will reduce power output starting Friday afternoon and stop it entirely early Saturday morning for a 2-month inspection.
It is the first reactor run by the Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, to undergo an inspection since the nuclear accident at the Fukushima power plant. After the reactor is shut down, only 3 of the Tokyo-based company's 17 reactors will be in service.
Another reactor at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant is scheduled for a regular inspection from late August.
TEPCO plans to increase output at its thermal power plants, but is also calling for the continuation of ongoing energy-saving efforts.
Niigata Governor Hirohiko Izumida 泉田裕彦 has said he won't decide whether he will agree to restart the reactors until the cause of the accident at the Fukushima plant is disclosed.
Friday, August 05, 2011 07:42
Gov't to buy up all cesium-contaminated beef
The Japanese government is set to buy up all beef contaminated with radioactive cesium that has already reached the distribution chain. It will include beef with radioactive cesium at levels within the national safety limit.
The agriculture ministry decided on the plan as an additional measure to support beef cattle farmers. It is expected to announce the move soon.
Under the plan, the government will buy about 3,500 head of cattle which are suspected to have been fed rice straw containing cesium in excess of the safety limit. They will be incinerated. The government will also expand subsidies to beef cattle farmers.
Farmers who are unable to ship their cattle due to restrictions will receive 50,000 yen, or about 630 dollars, per head of cattle regardless of the cattle's age.
The government will also provide financial support to prefectures that are buying up beef cattle which have become too old to ship due to the ban.
The government is already buying up beef containing unsafe levels of radioactive cesium that reached the market through private organizations. The new measure is in response to calls for more support by farmers.
Friday, August 05, 2011 14:18
Utilities to be probed for influence peddling
Industry minister Banri Kaieda says an independent panel has begun investigating allegations that nuclear safety regulators repeatedly tried to influence public symposiums on the use of nuclear energy.
On Friday, Kaieda told reporters that a third-party task force is looking into claims that the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency intervened in town meetings with the help of local power companies.
He said the panel will thoroughly investigate allegations that Chubu and Shikoku electric power companies, under the agency's instructions, lined up participants and requested that they ask prearranged questions in favor of nuclear power.
He added that Japan's other major utilities will also be subject to investigations for potentially engaging in similar dubious conduct.
Kaieda said that he wants the task force to propose a set of guidelines on to what extent the government should be involved in organizing public symposiums.
Asian markets tumble
Share prices in other Asian markets also plunged across the board on Friday, following the nosedive in New York.
Yen rises again on global doubts
In Tokyo, the yen has strengthened further against the dollar as global share prices plunged on growing concerns about the world economy.
The overnight drop of more than 500 points from the Dow Jones Industrial Average in New York prompted dollar-selling on the Tokyo Foreign Exchange on Friday.
The dollar was trading in the mid-78 yen range in Tokyo on Friday evening, more than one yen down from the same time Thursday.
The drop comes after the dollar rose by about 3 yen to touch the 80-yen level on Thursday following market intervention by Japanese authorities to stem the yen's surge.
Market analysts warn that the yen may appreciate further depending on US employment data due out later on Friday.
Friday, August 05, 2011 19:32
Panel compiles nuclear compensation guidelines
A Japanese government panel has updated its guidelines on compensating people affected by the nuclear accident in Fukushima. Nearly 5 months into the disaster, full-scale payments are now likely to start.
The panel of experts finalized what they call interim guidelines at a meeting on Friday, after releasing a set of rules on compensating evacuees and businesses affected by widespread fears of radiation.
The guidelines broaden the range of such businesses to include cattle farmers in 17 prefectures where rice straw with excessive levels of radioactive cesium was distributed as feed. Also now eligible are green tea producers in 8 prefectures where radioactive substances turned up in tea leaves.
Travel agents in Fukushima had been included as eligible due to domestic tour cancellations, but the new guidelines add agents in 3 neighboring prefectures. Travel agents whose foreign customers canceled trips after March 11th are to be compensated regardless of prefecture.
Exporters are to receive damages for merchandise produced or shipped but rejected or restricted by foreign governments due to radiation fears.
The guidelines' release comes 2 days after the Diet enacted a bill to launch a new entity to help nuclear plant operator TEPCO begin full-scale compensation payouts.
TEPCO has already started paying provisional damages to people affected by the nuclear accident. But the recipients and others have complained that the payments are too small and too late.
Disney Resort operator posts biggest sales drop
The operator of the 2 Disney amusement parks in Japan says it posted its biggest quarterly sales decline because of the March 11th earthquake.
Oriental Land said on Friday that sales in the April-June period stood at around 620 million dollars, down 43 percent from a year ago. ...
Friday, August 05, 2011 21:21
Japan to continue nuclear exports
The Japanese government says it will continue exporting nuclear technology for now, despite Prime Minister Naoto Kan's recent remarks calling for a review of the nation's nuclear policy.
The Japanese cabinet approved on Friday a document confirming that Japan should continue ongoing negotiations and uphold past agreements.
The document says Japan should provide its nuclear power technology to countries that wish to use it, while ensuring the highest standards of safety.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano later told reporters that the government's decision is not inconsistent with the prime minister's recent remarks.
Edano said what is important is to compile policies on nuclear technology cooperation at an early date, based on conclusions drawn from the Fukushima nuclear accident.
Until the March accident, the government had been promoting nuclear plant exports as part of the nation's growth strategy.
. . . . . Japan Times . . . . .
Nuclear policy trio face ax
Industry minister Banri Kaieda announces he is firing three senior nuclear officials over the mishandling of the Fukushima nuclear crisis.
State rolls out rice disposal rules
Tepco makes little headway in decontaminating water
Italian reporter caught in media glare
Pio d'Emilia, an Italian journalist and long-term Tokyo resident who has been Prime Minister Naoto Kan's friend for about 20 years, has suddenly been put in the spotlight of the Japanese media for reportedly influencing Kan's position on nuclear power and his remote connection with an extreme leftist group. ...
Restoring Tohoku railway lines
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Tokai JCO Criticality Accident
Report 10/20/99 19:20
JCO report on facility inspection
According to the Science and Technology Agency (STA), it has been inspecting nuclear fuel fabrication related facilities in light of the Tokai accident. The STA has inspected 20 facilities so far, and have ordered 9 facilities listed below to make improvements on operational procedures. However, most of the improvements will be made on paper: for example, rewriting the manual to make procedure explanations clearer, improving the training of employees, writing down procedures that are not included in the manual, and so on.
STA checked on these three points.
(1) Inspection of the facilities.
Facilities were checked to see if the establishments and the equipments are in accordance with the approved standards.
(2) Inspection of the operation of the facilities.
By interviewing employees and checking operation manuals, operation procedures were checked to see if they were in accordance to approved standards.
(3) Investigation of training.
Training manuals and training records were checked to see if proper and routine training is done to educate employees on criticality.
Under such inspections, the following 9 facilities were ordered to make improvements.
1. Japan Nuclear Fuel Development Co. (Tokai, Ibaraki)
2. Nuclear Development Co. (Tokai, Ibaraki)
3. Nuclear Material Control Center Security Establishment Analyzing Institute (Tokai, Ibaraki)
4. Japan Atomic Energy Research Tokai Research Institute (Tokai, Ibaraki)
5. Japan Atomic Energy Research Oharai Research Institute (Oharai , Ibaraki)
6. Nuclear Fuel Industry Tokai Plant (Tokai, Ibaraki)
7. Nuclear Fuel Industry Kumatori Plant (Kumatori, Osaka)
8. Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute Tokai Plant, Reprocessing Center (Tokai, Ibaraki)
9. Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute Tokai Plant, Plutonium Fuel
Center (Tokai, Ibaraki)


Radioisotope heater unit
A radioisotope heater unit is a device that provides heat from the breakdown of radioactive material. Radioactive material is added to a container within the heater. Because the material is unstable, it breaks down, releasing energy as heat. The heater may be packaged with a thermocouple to make electricity.


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Italy’s Nuclear Anniversary: Fake Reassurance For a King’s Ransom
In December 1963, a shipment of U.S. nuclear bombs arrived at Ghedi Torre Air Base in northern Italy. Today, half a century later, the U.S. Air Force still deploys nuclear bombs at the base.
The U.S.-Italian nuclear collaboration was celebrated at the base in January. A placard credited the nuclear “NATO mission” at Ghedi with having “protected the free nations of the world….”


Operator radiation and the radiation protection efficacy of a ceiling-suspended lead screen were assessed during coronary angiography (CA) in a catheterization laboratory. An anthropomorphic phantom was placed under the X-ray beam to simulate patient attenuation in eight CA projections. Using real-time dosimeters, radiation dose rates were measured on models mimicking a primary operator (PO) and an assistant. Subsequently, a ceiling-suspended lead screen was placed in three commonly used positions to compare the radiation protection efficacy. The radiation exposure to the PO was 2.3 to 227.9 (mean: 67.2 ± 49.0) μSv/min, with the left anterior oblique (LAO) 45°/cranial 25° and cranial 25° projections causing the highest and the lowest dose rates, respectively. The assistant experienced significantly less radiation overall (mean: 20.1 ± 19.6 μSv/min, P < 0.003), with the right anterior oblique (RAO) 30° and cranial 25° projections resulting in the highest and lowest exposure levels, respectively. Combined with table-side shielding, the ceiling-suspended lead screen reduced the radiation to the PO by 76.8%, 81.9% and 93.5% when placed close to the patient phantom, at the left side and close to the PO, respectively, and reduced the radiation to the assistant by 70.3%, 76.7% and 90.0%, respectively. When placed close to the PO, a ceiling-suspended lead screen provides substantial radiation protection during CA.


On June 6, 1963, several men working at the Nevada Test Site were accidentally exposed to fission product gases in a tunnel. The men were subsequently monitored using a 3 in. × 3 in. NaI collimated crystal and a multichannel analyzer. A phantom was constructed and the assembly was calibrated with several isotopes, the results being used in an extrapolation to find the efficiencies for 133I and 135I. Over 100 spectra were recorded, tracing the history of 131I, 133I and 135I from 8 hr after exposure to two weeks. Activity to dose conversion factors were developed for the various isotopes of iodine and dose estimates were calculated for the exposed individuals. These same dose conversion factors have been applied to predicted iodine ratios from the fission of 235U and an estimate of activity-dose conversion factor vs. time of gas release has been made.
©1964Health Physics Society


ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
The division provides a forum for focused technical dialogue on thermal hydraulic technology in the nuclear industry. Specifically, this will include heat transfer and fluid mechanics involved in the utilization of nuclear energy. It is intended to attract the highest quality of theoretical and experimental work to ANS, including research on basic phenomena and application to nuclear system design.
2022 ANS Annual Meeting
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Latest delay to Vogtle project may not be the last
Georgia Power has revised the projected commercial operation dates for Vogtle-3 and -4 a total of four times this year—most recently in October—but some experts are saying that at least one more delay is probable.
UWC Opening Plenary: Driving Transformational Change Keynote SPeaker
Exelon SVP, Engineering and Technical Support
Scot Greenlee is currently the Senior Vice President, Engineering and Technical Services in Exelon Nuclear Generation. He is responsible for governance and oversight of engineering functions at the twenty-one Exelon nuclear plants. He is also responsible for engineering programs, centralized design engineering, nuclear fuel procurement, fuel processing and fabrication, reactor core designs and probabilistic risk assessment for the fleet. Scot’s career spans over 34 years in the commercial nuclear industry and Navy nuclear programs. Scot joined Exelon in 2007 as a Corporate Engineering Director. He was subsequently assigned as the Byron Site Engineering Director before being promoted to the position of Vice President of Engineering and then Senior Vice President, Engineering and Technical Services.
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APA 7: Çarıkçıoğlu, A. E. (2023, November 18). Manhattan Projesi: Bilim ve Etik Arasında Bir Yolculuk! PerEXP Teamworks. [Article Link]
Are you ready to take a trip to one of the most striking and frightening moments in history? The Manhattan Project is the greatest scientific effort humanity has ever experienced, and it is extraordinary. The atomic age was made possible by this enormous initiative, which also altered the course of human history.
The Manhattan Project and its scope
The Manhattan Project was a secret scientific research and engineering project carried out between 1942 and 1945 during World War II in cooperation with the US, Great Britain, and Canada. Its purpose was to develop a nuclear bomb and use it to end the war against the possibility of it falling into German hands.
The project was initiated by the US government, and an atomic bomb was developed to create a powerful explosion using a nuclear fission reaction.
To briefly mention, nuclear fission is the process of splitting a heavy atomic nucleus into two smaller parts by the interaction of a neutron. During this fragmentation, extra neutrons and a large amount of energy are released. Fission reactions are usually carried out with nuclear fuels containing heavy nuclei, such as uranium-235 or plutonium-239.
The most well-known scientists, engineers, and military men of the era put out great effort to realize the Manhattan Project. The headquarters of the project was a secret facility located in Los Alamos, New Mexico. At the end of the project, two nuclear bombs were produced. These bombs were dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leading to the surrender of Japan and World War II. It caused the end of World War II.
The Manhattan Project is considered a major turning point in the history of science and nuclear technology, and its effects on nuclear energy and nuclear weapons are still being discussed today.
What were its contributions to atomic physics?
A great scientific and technical effort had been made on the Manhattan Project. Great advances have been made in the understanding of physical principles such as nuclear fission, nuclear reactions, and the control of nuclear binding energy. The project has formed the basis for many discoveries and advances in the fields of nuclear energy and physics.
The project has also passed into history as an effort requiring tremendous organization and coordination by involving thousands of people working in a scientific and technical sense. Secret facilities have been built in different parts of the US; scientists and workers working in these facilities have created an environment where information sharing and solidarity are at the highest level.
In the media of the 1940s, it was referred to as the “Event that started the Atomic Age.” Humanity has seen for the first time that it can use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and, at the same time, develop nuclear weapons that have a great power of destruction. This project is a turning point that has permanently changed world politics and security policies.
The beginning of World War II and the rapid progress of Germany were sources of great concern for the United States and its allies. There were some important discoveries and theories made by German scientists on nuclear fission at the beginning of the war.
What happened before and the historical process
Fritz Strassmann, together with Otto Hahn, had described the element barium in December 1938 as “A product of the bombardment of uranium with neutrons.” This observation was accepted and published by Lise Meitner, the first female professors of the University of Berlin, and Otto Frisch and was the basic evidence necessary to describe the state of nuclear fission. In February 1939, Strassmann and Hahn, in their second publication, predicted the presence and release of additional neutrons during the fission process, revealing the possibility of a “Chain nuclear reaction.”
When the dates showed August 2, 1939, a letter written by Albert Einstein and Leó Szilárd warned then-US President Franklin D. Roosevelt about the potential of the Germans to develop nuclear weapons. This gave rise to the idea of the US government using nuclear energy for military purposes.
Three years later, the United States launched the Manhattan Project to develop nuclear weapons. On December 2, 1942, the first controlled nuclear chain reaction was carried out at the University of Chicago. The “Chicago Pile-1” reactor, led by Enrico Fermi, provided a controlled fission reaction.
In 1943, the secret laboratory was established in Los Alamos, New Mexico, and Robert Oppenheimer was appointed scientific director. Thus, the work on the design and development of the nuclear bomb intensified at Los Alamos.
In the following two years, isotope separation studies focused on methods developed for the purification and enrichment of uranium-235. Fuel production and uranium enrichment plants were established near the Tennessee River in different areas, such as “Oak Ridge”, “Hanford” and “Y-12.”
Finally, the construction of the nuclear bombs called “Little Boy” and “Fat Man” was completed between 1944 and 1945.
The effect that radically ended the war
The Manhattan Project played a critical role in ending the war. In the later stages of the war, the chances of the Allies achieving victory were decreasing, and the prolongation of the war caused millions of people to lose their lives. For this reason, it was intended to surrender Japan by developing a nuclear bomb.
On August 6, 1945, Little Boy was dropped on Hiroshima, and three days later, the other nuclear bomb, “Fat Man,” was dropped on Nagasaki. These two bombs led to the loss of more than two hundred and twenty thousand lives.
Pioneers of the Atomic Age
There were many important names among the scientists and engineers who were at the beginning of the Manhattan Project.
Robert Oppenheimer: He served as the scientific director of the Manhattan Project. He has assumed a central role at Los Alamos throughout the project.
Enrico Fermi: He was a leading physicist in nuclear physics and held a critical position in the development of nuclear reactors.
Leona Woods: As a nuclear physicist and chemist, she has done crucial work for the project and taken part in the development of nuclear reactors. At 23, she was the youngest and only female member of the team that built and tested the Chicago Pile-1, the world’s first nuclear reactor.
Richard Feynman: He participated in the project as a theoretical physicist and made critical contributions. He has worked to determine the amount of uranium needed for critical mass.
Niels Bohr: Along with his son, Aage Bohr, the well-known Danish physicist, participated as a consultant and rose to prominence in the UK portion of the project thanks to his knowledge of nuclear physics and atomic structure.
Chien-Shiung Wu: Chien-Shung, known as the “Chinese Madame Curie,” left her signature on the Manhattan Project by separating uranium into different isotopes.
John von Neumann: As a mathematician and computer science specialist, he has made considerable contributions to the mathematical calculations related to the project.
Arthur Compton: Compton, a Nobel Laureate who participated in the Solvay Conference famous by the scientific community in 1927, took part in the Manhattan Project jointly with his older brother Karl Taylor Compton; he was the head of the Manhattan Metallurgical (Metal Science) Laboratory.
On the way to the project
Essential scientific and technological equipment was used in the development process.  Among these equipments were:
- Electromagnets, which are used in nuclear reactors to enrich nuclear materials such as uranium, have played a noteworthy role throughout the project.
- Electromagnetic separation methods used for the separation of isotopes have been used in the separation of uranium isotopes.
- In the project, electromechanical switches played a significant role in computers and other electrical devices.
- Cryogenic equipment has been important in the development of low-temperature operating systems, nuclear reactors, and other equipment.
- Nuclear reactors have been used to ensure the fission of nuclear materials and energy production.
- Electromechanical counters have been used for counting and measuring radioactive particles.
Scientific achievements and its impact on world history
The Manhattan Project has made breakthroughs in controlling nuclear fission and safely directing nuclear reactions. This formed the basis for the peaceful use of nuclear energy and was instrumental in the scientific advances that form the basis of nuclear reactors used for energy production today.
The project has achieved great success in the design and production of nuclear weapons. But at the same time, the use of nuclear weapons posed a permanent threat to world peace and security and led to the beginning of the “Cold War” era.
The Manhattan Project has enabled scientists and engineers to make grand advances in several areas, such as nuclear fission, reactor technology, and the use of radioactive isotopes. The project has made a great contribution to the development of nuclear and radiation sciences, creating a scientific revolution around the world.
The dropping of nuclear bombs produced as a result of the project in Japan caused hundreds of thousands of people to lose their lives and caused great destruction. These events have caused ethical debates about the targeting of civilians and the use of weapons with the potential for mass destruction.
During the project continuum, some human subjects were used to conduct experiments with radiation. This is a proceeding that raises serious ethical questions and is considered a violation of human rights.
The Manhattan Project was a factor that triggered the nuclear arms race in the world and led to the beginning of the Cold War Era. The mentioned factor posed a serious threat to world peace and security and is still considered an ongoing problem today.
What it left behind
Together with the Manhattan Project, international agreements and regulations covering nuclear arms control and non-proliferation efforts have been implemented today. These agreements aim to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons, reduce existing nuclear weapons stockpiles, and promote nuclear disarmament.
Today, nuclear armament and the proliferation of nuclear weapons are two of the important issues that threaten world peace. The international community continues to fight for the reduction of nuclear weapons and the prevention of the nuclear threat. At the same time, studies are being carried out on safe and sustainable methods for the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
The Manhattan Project was contentious from an ethical standpoint and had a lasting impact on the world, despite being a remarkable success from a scientific and technological standpoint. Today, humanity is struggling with difficult issues such as nuclear arms control and nuclear disarmament while searching for ways to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. In this context, the historical legacy of the Manhattan Project still has a significant impact on world politics and security.
“I don’t know what weapons might be used in World War III. But there isn’t any doubt what weapons will be used in World War IV: stone spears.”Albert Einstein – Snopes
It is not known whether humanity will take a path, as Einstein points out in this saying, but each of us should take care to strive “For everyone, for humanity.”
- WEBSITE Metcalfe, T. (2023, July 21). What was the Manhattan Project? Scientific American. [Scientific American]
- DICTIONARY ENTRY The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2023, November 7). Manhattan Project | Definition, Scientists, Timeline, Locations, Facts, & Significance. Encyclopedia Britannica. [Brittanica]
- WEBSITE Who were the Manhattan Project scientists? (n.d.). Norwich University – Online. [Norwich University]
- WEBSITE Scientists & Engineers of the Manhattan Project. (n.d.). Manhattan Project. [Manhattan Project]
- JOURNAL Lemmer, R. H. (1966). Nuclear reactions. Reports on Progress in Physics, 29(1), 131–170. Reports on Progress in Physics. [Reports on Progress in Physics]
- JOURNAL L’Annunziata, M. F. (2016). Basic concepts and definitions. Handbook of Modern Coating Technologies. [Handbook of Modern Coating Technologies]
- BOOK CHAPTER Abrecht, P., Aiungu-Olende, S., Francis, J. M., De Gaspa, D., Nashed, W., Nwosu, B. C. E., Rose, D. J., & Shinn, R. L. (1977). Public Acceptance of Nuclear Power – Some Ethical Issues. In Nuclear power and its fuel cycle proceedings of an International Conference on Nuclear Power and its Fuel Cycle, held by the International Atomic Energy Agency in Salzburg, 2 – 13 May (6th ed., Vol. 19). International Atomic Energy Agency.
- BOOK Tsvetkov, P. (2011). Nuclear power: Deployment, Operation and Sustainability. IntechOpen.
- WEBSITE Manhattan Projesi (n.d.). Tarihi Olaylar. [Tarihi Olaylar]
This translation was made by Ahmet Ege Çarıkçıoğlu


A new Cooperation Agreement provides the legal framework for the EUROfusion consortium to send select experts, scientists and engineers to the ITER Neutral Beam Test Facility in Padua, Italy, and—by doing so—support the development of ITER's most powerful external heating system.
While routinely used on fusion devices, ITER neutral beam injection will be first-of-a-kind due to its scale, which imposes enhanced requirements—particle beams have to be much thicker, for example, and the particles have to be injected at faster speeds in order to reach the core of the plasma. Two bus-sized injectors will be installed on ITER, but before then component design and physics and technology issues will be explored at the ITER Neutral Beam Test Facility.
Two neutral beam injectors on ITER will deliver 33 MW of heating power to the ITER plasma—over half the external heating required.
ITER's chosen technology—the acceleration and neutralization of negative deuterium (D-) ions—will be tested and validated through the operation of two testbeds at the Neutral Beam Test Facility (NBTF) in Padua, Italy, where scientists will have the chance to test component design and explore physics and technology issues before installing the system on ITER. The facility's ITER-scale negative ion source, SPIDER, is already functioning
; the prototype injector, MITICA, is under construction.
Europe has been closely involved in the development of radio-frequency-driven negative ion source technology from the start, and the ITER source is based on a radio-frequency-driven negative ion source that has been evolving over several generations of prototypes at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP) in Garching, Germany.
Under the terms of a Cooperation Agreement signed with the ITER Organization and Consorzio RFX, the European Consortium for the Development of Fusion Energy (EUROfusion
) can provide select experts from European labs—up to 14 professionals per year (PPY)—to work on the neutral beam project at ITER's facility in Padua. EUROfusion is also providing 6 PPY to support the development of the half-size negative ion source in Garching (ELISE
For Deirdre Boilson, head of the Heating & Current Drive Division at ITER, EUROfusion has made a strong commitment. "The NBTF Facility is a necessary step in the realization of the ITER neutral beams, which is a most challenging endeavour. The injector components are technology intensive, with demanding requirements and first-of-a-kind performance. Full-scale prototype experiments are a must prior to implementation on ITER. We welcome the support of our European colleagues and experts in developing and operating the ITER facility."
The NBTF test facility
has been a collaborative endeavour from the start, built through the support of the ITER Organization; the Italian government (test centre site, buildings, auxiliaries and power); Europe (all test bed mechanical components including beam sources and accelerators); Japan (high voltage components for the full-scale injector); and India (acceleration grid power supply for the ion source). Consorzio RFX, the host lab, is providing a large contribution to expertise.
, the ITER Organization and Consorzio RFX concluded an agreement for the construction and operation of the ITER Neutral Beam Test Facility through the testing of prototype components—as well as later, when the facility serves as a testbed for ongoing performance enhancement. In that agreement, Article 45 provides for the invitation of "other entities in a position to further the mission and objectives of the NBTF project [...]"
ITER Director-General Bernard Bigot welcomed the news. "I am confident that with this new agreement and the enlarged team, we will achieve the desired objectives of SPIDER and MITICA and continue to reap the benefits of this type of collaboration, which draws upon the best of global expertise."
Read more about the ITER Neutral Beam Test Facility here. See an announcement by EUROfusion here.


Cesium Isotopes: Stable cesium atoms that have the same atomic number as the element cesium, but differ in atomic weight. Cs-133 is a naturally occurring isotope.Cesium: A member of the alkali metals. It has an atomic symbol Cs, atomic number 50, and atomic weight 132.91. Cesium has many industrial applications, including the construction of atomic clocks based on its atomic vibrational frequency.Isotopes: Atomic species differing in mass number but having the same atomic number. (Grant & Hackh's Chemical Dictionary, 5th ed)Cesium Radioisotopes: Unstable isotopes of cesium that decay or disintegrate emitting radiation. Cs atoms with atomic weights of 123, 125-132, and 134-145 are radioactive cesium isotopes.Isotope Labeling: Techniques for labeling a substance with a stable or radioactive isotope. It is not used for articles involving labeled substances unless the methods of labeling are substantively discussed. Tracers that may be labeled include chemical substances, cells, or microorganisms.Nitrogen Isotopes: Stable nitrogen atoms that have the same atomic number as the element nitrogen, but differ in atomic weight. N-15 is a stable nitrogen isotope.Carbon Isotopes: Stable carbon atoms that have the same atomic number as the element carbon, but differ in atomic weight. C-13 is a stable carbon isotope.Oxygen Isotopes: Stable oxygen atoms that have the same atomic number as the element oxygen, but differ in atomic weight. O-17 and 18 are stable oxygen isotopes.


About this blog
So I got the urge to be able to detect and measure radiation by my own, especially since I live within a 15km radius from the NPP of Borssele and a 30km radius from the four reactors of Doel NPP, Belgium.
Browsing the internet, I found some relatively cheap ex-army radiation detectors at an army-dump shop. One of them appeared to be suitable to even detect the (usually low) background radiation levels: A Frieseke & Hoepfner FH40T Geiger counter (fitted with a FHZ76V energy-compensated geiger-mueller tube), sensitive to γ (gamma) radiation and β (beta) radiation over 0.25MeV.The FHZ76V tube actually contains a Valvo 18550 tube, which is equivalent to Centronics ZP1320, Mullard Mx164 and LND-713 (found in this Probe Selection Guide and here)
The specs of the ZP1320 tube claim a sensitivity of 9cps/mR/h for Cs-137 (540cpm/mR/h). For 'normal' background (0.025-0.045mR/h) this results in a counting rate of approx.10-20cpm.. Where I live, I measure values varying between 4cpm up to 25cpm. This variation is caused by the randomness of the decay of radioactive elements.
1 R = 8.77 mGy
1 Gy = 115 R
For sake of simplicity, in our calculations we simply use 1R = 10mGy and 1Gy= 100R. And so is 10µR = 0.1µSv.
This approximation is good enough for this experiment.
There are 3 types of radiation:
α (alpha) decay is helium nucli being released, (beta) decay is electrons (β-) or positrons (β+) and γ (gamma) decay is electromagnetic radiation (like X-rays).
This Geiger-Mueller tube is only sensitive to β and γ radiation. The calibration is only correct for the γ radiation (662keV) emitted from Cs-137 .
I am now on the lookout for a device that can detect alpha radiation too. But the current situation in Fukushima has stirred up the market (crazy prices, run out of stock) for detection devices so I better wait until better times.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
2011-05-26 21h CEST - Measurement briefly interrupted by a malfunction in the FH40T
Tonight around 21h, the readings from the FH40T suddenly ceased. No more clicks were detected. After some initial testing, no immediate cause for this malfunction could be found, the FH40T detection electronics seemed dead but fortunately the G.M. tube was still OK.
After an interruption of about an hour, I was able to continue the measurements with a spare (D.I.Y) counter circuit that I had already built, using the same G.M. tube FHZ76V.
I''ll try to repair the FH40T in the near future, or otherwise I'll try to build new electronic circuit and integrate an LC-Display into the FH40T housing. Something which I already had planned to do, but hesitated to destroy a functional Radiation detector.


The committee visited the Dalton Cumbrian Facility (DCF) on 19 June. This is a £20 million facility which opened in September 2013 and was jointly funded by the University of Manchester and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. It is a state-of-the-art ion beam and gamma irradiation facility for nuclear research and development and is part of the National Nuclear User Facility (NNUF), the National Ion Beam Centre and Royce Institute for Advanced materials.The committee was given a tour around the facility, including visits to the ion accelerators and beamlines, gamma irradiator and materials characterisation laboratory. These facilities allow scientists to assess radiation damage in a short period, that would normally occur over longer timescales. The committee gained insight into the cutting-edge research going on at DCF exploring radiation damage in different materials key to the nuclear industry. A large portion of the research activities is dedicated to decommissioning and the safe management and disposal of radioactive waste.


The I-mode is a promising ELM-free operational regime for magnetically confined fusion reactors. In this talk the main features of I-mode plasmas will be presented, along with the remaining open scientific questions to prove its compatibility with a DEMO-like reactor.
Presented by Davide Silvagni (PhD, Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, Garching, Germany).
FusionEPtalks is brought to you by the alumni community of the European Master In Fusion Science and Engineering physics. Our mission is to do student-led webinars, expert talks and panels on the development of nuclear fusion as an energy source that connect scholars, engineers and enthusiasts around the world.


Hiroshima and Nagasaki
- U.S president Harry. S Truman decided to drop to atomic bombs on Hiroshima, 6 Aug. 1945. And Nagasaki 9 Aug. 1945
- There were about 100,000 that died instantly in Hiroshima.
- There were almost 70,000 killed in Nagasaki.
- The radiation killed many more in future years.
- After the bombings, the Japanese surrender.
The end of the war was signalled in 1945 by U.S president Harry Truman. He had decided to drop two atomic bombs three days apart on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 100,000 Japanese people were killed instantly in Hiroshima, while on 70,000 were killed at the bombing of Nagasaki. Unfortunately, the consequences of the bombings continued as the exposure to radiation killed mass numbers of people in the future. Finally, Japan surrenders to the United States after the fact.


Belyaev said this preparatory phase "envisages a whole series of physical tests that will make it possible to refine the neutron-physical characteristics of the first fuel loading of the nuclear reactor, as well as prove the reliability of the entire control and safety system of the reactor installation".
The existing Leningrad plant site has four operating RMBK-1000 units, while Leningrad II will have four VVER-1200 units. Testing of the passive heat removal system of unit 1 of Leningrad II was completed in late August and fuel loading began in December.
Researched and written
by World Nuclear News


Fission Reactors—What Can Go Wrong
There are numerous problems associated with fission reactors, and they are not trivial. We are talking about accidents on the order of magnitude of nuclear attacks in wartime; cancer in the later lives of many of us; genetic defects in future generations of mankind; accumulation of waste products that could be lethal; and even the possibility of terrorist threats that could make airplane hijacking look like simple street muggings. We will discuss all of these problems in this chapter, and then explain why, in light of all these dangers, fission reactors are still being used, constructed, and planned.
KeywordsAtomic Reactor Fission Reactor Water Cool System Terrorist Threat Reactor Accident
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Artifact PW2-09: CFS Carp Change of Command 1986
Submitted by: Ralph Cameron
The photographs were taken at the 1986 Change of Command ceremony at Canadian Forces Station Carp, Ontario. Turning over the command to LCol J. J. Bender is LCol J.A. Dicker. CFS Carp was one of two entities contained under the roof of the top secret bunker fondly remembered as the Diefenbunker. Built to house elements of the federal government in the event of a nuclear war, in which case it would have been officially called Canada’s Central Emergency Headquarters, the bunker opened in 1961 and remained operational until 1994. During that period CFS Carp occupied the site as an important node in the Canadian Forces strategic telecommunications system. The Diefenbunker reopened in 1998 as a privately-operated not-for-profit museum.


Differential dose volume histograms of Gamma Knife in the presence of inhomogeneities using MRI-polymer gel dosimetry and MC simulation
Polymer gel dosimeters offer a practical solution to 3D dose verification for conventional radiotherapy as well as intensity-modulated and stereotactic radiotherapy. In this study, EGSnrc calculated and PAGAT polymer gel dosimeter measured dose volume histograms (DVHs) for single-shot irradiations of the Gamma Knife (GK) unit were used to investigate the effects of the presence of inhomogeneities on 3D dose distribution. The head phantom was a custom-built 16 cm diameter Plexiglas sphere. Inside the phantom, there is a cubic cutout for inserting the gel vials and another cutout for inserting the inhomogeneities. Following irradiation with the GK unit, the polymer gel phantoms were scanned with a 1.5 T MRI scanner. Comparing the results of measurement in homogeneous and heterogeneous phantoms revealed that inserting inhomogeneities inside the homogeneous phantom did not cause considerable disturbances on dose distribution in irradiation with 8 mm collimator within low isodose levels (< 50%), which is essential for the dose sparing of sensitive structures. The results of simulation for homogeneous and inhomogeneous phantoms in irradiation with 18 mm collimator of the GK unit showed 23.24% difference in DVH within 90%-100% relative isodose level and also revealed that a significant part of the target (28.56%) received relative doses higher than the maximum dose, which exceeds the acceptance criterion (5%). Based on these results it is concluded that the presence of inhomogeneities inside the phantom can cause considerable errors in dose calculation within high isodose levels with respect to LGP prediction which assumes that the target is a homogeneous material. Moreover, it is demonstrated that the applied MC code is an accurate and stand-alone tool for 3D evaluation of dose distribution in irradiation with the GK unit, which can provide important, 3D plan evaluation criteria used in clinical practice.


2018 Volume 59 Issue 6 Pages 976-983
Information on the existence of localized water at corrosion locations is indispensable for precisely understanding the corrosion mechanism in steel. Small amounts of localized water in under-film corrosion have not yet been measured quantitatively.
Although we have demonstrated that neutron radiography, which has high sensitivity to the presence of hydrogen, is suitable method for detecting of water in the under-film corrosion of painted steel by utilizing the RIKEN Accelerator-driven Neutron Source (RANS), the spatial and time resolutions were insufficient to investigate under-film corrosion in detail. We then performed an imaging experiment on localized water in steel corrosion with higher space and time resolutions using the high-intensity neutron source at J-PARC. We obtained data with a spatial resolution of 0.6 mm, a time resolution of 15 s in a viewing area of 100 × 100 mm2. On the basis of the results for the quantitative imaging of localized water in corrosion, we have established a method suitable for directly imaging water in steel corrosion that employs neutrons.


A third explosion in four days has rocked Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear complex, which suffered damage in the huge earthquake that hit Japan on Friday.
The BBC has reported that the Japan's nuclear safety agency suspected the explosion at reactor No.2, which was again due to a hydrogen leak, may have damaged the reactor’s containment vessel, raising fears of a more serious radioactive leak.
Officials have extended the danger zone, warning residents within a 30 km radius of the nuclear plant to either evacuate or stay indoors.
It is also being reported that a fire briefly broke out at Fukushima’s reactor No.4, which had been offline for maintenance before the earthquake, causing significant radioactive leaks.
According to a report from Reuters, Japanese authorities informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (
) that a spent fuel storage pond at reactor No.4 had been on fire and had released radioactivity directly into the atmosphere.
The fire has been successfully extinguished.
According to the AFP, a chief government spokesman has confirmed that the temperature of two more reactors at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant has risen slightly.


The National Nuclear Security Administration approved a long-term plan Tuesday that keeps nuclear weapons assembly work at the Pantex Plant and cements its role in high-explosives manufacturing.
Pantex, located 17 miles northeast of Amarillo, assembles and dismantles nuclear weapons, modernizes older warheads and stores tons of plutonium weapons cores, the nuclear hearts of modern atomic bombs and long-range missiles.
The plan, unveiled Tuesday by NNSA Administrator Tom D'Agostino, includes three new Pantex facilities: an underground plutonium-storage complex, new high-explosives pressing operations and a $172 million weapons-surveillance facility where warheads and bombs can be monitored for signs of aging
The overall strategy would restructure the nation's complex of nuclear-weapons facilities and laboratories.
Part of the plan would consolidate special nuclear materials at five NNSA locations. The NNSA's strategy also would remove large amounts of plutonium from California's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory near San Francisco and transfer bomb-grade materials away from large urban areas.
"We can now start moving forward on much-needed consolidation and reductions throughout our national security enterprise, shifting to more cost-effective operations that will save the taxpayer money," D'Agostino said. "This will improve the safety and security of the infrastructure that maintains U.S. nuclear weapons, helps prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and material and responds to potential nuclear terrorism or other emergencies."
U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry said the decision means steady employment for Pantex workers and firmly establishes the plant's nuclear-weapons roles. Pantex now employs about 3,000 workers.
"At a minimum, it means stable employment," said Thornberry, R-Texas. "I think this is a realistic plan that the next administration can and should follow through on. It consolidates our missions that we are already doing but consolidates those functions there."
Thousands of plutonium weapons cores, dubbed "pits," eventually will be transferred from Zone 4, an aging bunker complex on the plant's north side, to a new underground storage facility that will be built in Zone 12, where workers now assemble and dismantle warheads. Pantex stores more than 14,000 pits.
Final cost figures have not been developed for the proposed plutonium-storage complex, but plant officials estimate the new facility would save taxpayers $25 million in storage costs by closing Zone 4, a highly secure site patrolled by armored vehicles and guarded by armed security officers.
If Congress funds the overall plan, it is likely to generate additional construction jobs at Pantex.
In 1997, former U.S. Energy Secretary Hazel O'Leary approved an environmental impact statement that allowed Pantex to increase its plutonium storage from 12,000 to 20,000 plutonium pits.
A few years earlier, the federal government began secretly shipping plutonium to Pantex after safety and environmental problems halted most production work at the Rocky Flats plant in Colorado.
Pantex cleanup project cleared - 11/05/08
Pantex avoids layoffs in area - 11/04/08
Plan places Pantex in key weapons role - 10/01/08
Pantex work may expand with plan - 07/18/08
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Top 10 Myths about Nuclear Energy
Myth #1: Nuclear energy is dangerous.
Fact: Nuclear energy is one of the safest forms of energy available. No member of the public has ever been injured or killed in the entire 60+ year history of nuclear power generation in Canada. In fact, recent studies have shown it is safer to work in a nuclear power plant than an office. (Source: NEI.org.)
Myth #2: A nuclear reactor can explode like a nuclear bomb.
Fact: It is physically impossible for a nuclear reactor to explode like a nuclear bomb. Reactor fuel does not have nearly enough uranium-235 to be explosive, and all nuclear reactors are constructed with multiple layers of safety controls and self-limiting features. It is also impossible for a person to intentionally or unintentionally modify a reactor, its controls or its fuel to cause an explosion.
Myth#3: Nuclear reactors emit dangerous amounts of radiation.
Fact: Nuclear reactors produce extremely small amounts of radiation. If you live within 75 km of a nuclear power plant, you receive an average radiation dose of about 0.0001 millisieverts per year. To put this in perspective, the average Canadian receives about 3 millisieverts per year from natural background sources of radiation.
Myth #4: Nuclear energy leads to the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
Fact: The Canadian nuclear industry is regulated by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), which ensures that the country does not manufacture or acquire nuclear weapons, and that nuclear exports do not contribute to the development of nuclear weapons. In the history of Canadian nuclear exports, there has only been one breach of contract, which resulted in severe sanctions.
Myth#5: Nuclear energy produces a huge amount of waste.
Fact: Nuclear energy produces a very small amount of waste compared to other energy sources. In fact, all of the used nuclear fuel generated in every Canadian nuclear plant in the last 60 years would fill 6 NHL hockey rinks to the boards. Additionally, unlike the waste produced by fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas, which is released into the air, nuclear waste is kept in secure storage.
Myth #6: There is no solution for the disposal of nuclear waste.
Fact: Nuclear waste is currently being safely stored at the nuclear site where it was generated. Two initiatives are currently underway in Canada to find Deep Geologic Repositories (DGRs) for nuclear waste – one for low and intermediate-level waste and one for used fuel – where it will be safe and secure for many generations to come. There are operational DGRs in several countries around the world.
Myth #7: Nuclear waste cannot be safely transported.
Fact: Nuclear waste is being safely shipped by truck, rail, and cargo ship. To date, thousands of shipments have been made without any leaks or cracks of the specially-designed containers. Some of the measures that contribute to the safe transportation of nuclear waste include expert engineering of vehicles and containers, rigorous screening and training of personnel, inventory tracking, and independent regulatory bodies.
Myth #8: Nuclear energy is expensive.
Fact: Nuclear power is one of the least expensive energy sources. In Ontario, it is second only to hydropower. Natural gas and wind are twice as expensive and solar is nearly ten times as expensive. Moreover, the cost of nuclear is very stable because uranium makes up only 30% of the cost of nuclear power, so an increase in the cost of uranium would have only a small effect on the total price.
Myth #9: Nuclear energy is being phased out.
Fact: Currently, there are 441 nuclear reactors in 29 countries producing 14% of the world’s electricity. Another 61 reactors are currently under construction in 15 countries. Furthermore, new reactor technologies, such as small modular reactors (SMRs), are under development, which will provide additional options for diverse countries around the world.
Myth #10: Nuclear energy is bad for the environment.
Fact: Nuclear reactors emit zero greenhouse gasses during operation. Over the entire lifecycle, which includes construction, mining, operation, and decommissioning, nuclear emissions are comparable to renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. Nuclear power also has minimal effects on aquatic habitats and uses less land than most other energy sources.


Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Japan's prime abbot is advancement the accessible not to agitation afterwards the government additional the severity akin of the crisis at a tsunami-damaged nuclear bulb to the accomplished appraisement — on par with the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Prime Abbot Naoto Kan apprenticed bodies in a televised abode to focus on convalescent from the country's disasters. Kan said: "Right now, the bearings of the nuclear reactors at the Fukushima bulb has been stabilizing footfall by step. The bulk of radiation leaks is on the decline," he said. "But we are not at the date yet area we can let our guards down." Japanese regulators said they aloft the appraisement from 5 to 7 — the accomplished akin on an all-embracing calibration — afterwards fresh assessments of radiation leaks from the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
An aggressive India on Saturdaynight regained the coveted World Cup afterwards 28 years as they suppressed Sri Lankawith a six-wicket achievement in a nerve-wrecking final to calligraphy a august newchapter in their cricketing history.