A routine 24-hour surveillance test of a diesel generator at South Texas Unit-2
(February 9, 1990) (US) ended with plant workers running for their lives before the generator blew up, scattering debris across the room. According to the US NRC, about 10 am on 28 Nov. 1989, "personnel in the area heard a loud knocking noise and observed smoke coming from the top of the diesel engine. The personnel quickly left the area and the engine tripped (either on vibration or low lubrication oil). Upon returning to the room, engine parts including fragments of 2 pistons, the articulated connecting rod, the two blowout panels, and oil were found on the floor around the engine. One inspection plate had been embedded in the air dryer located several feet away from the cylinder, and the other plate had several dents in it." Fortunately, no one was injured in the blast. The generator was a 5500 KW Cooper-Bessemer Model KSV20T. The cause of the explosion is not yet known. The Nuclear Monitor (US), 15 Jan. 1990
A bubble of argon gas in the core of the fast breeder reactor Phenix at Marcoule (France) led to a very dangerous situation: The reactor was near to an explosion. Engineers did not realize the danger although the reactor shut off automatically three times for undetected reasons in August and September 1989. If the bubble had arisen more In the center of the core, a Chernobyl- like power excursion disaster would have been possible. French authorities denied this danger although it was referred to in the safety report of the German fast breeder SNR-300 at Kalkar. taz (FRG), 13 Jan. 1990
On 30 March 1989 operations at Sellafield nuclear processing plant (UK) to damp down radioactive dust were in progress In a disused corridor preparatory to Its decontamination and decommissioning. During the work, a small amount of liquor contaminated by plutonium and americium leaked through the floor to the work area below, probably due to seepage around pipework or cable housings. According to BNFL, the plant's operators, the level of contamination "marginally" exceeded the notification level and there was no release of radioactivity to the outside environment or contamination of personnel. Atom (UK), Jan. 1990
On 11 May 1989 some clothing fibers contaminated with traces of cobalt-60 were discharged from the exhaust flues of the laundry tumble dryers at the Winfrith Atomic Energy Establishment (UK). The laundry is used for cleaning of protective clothing used in controlled radioactive areas. A site management investigation found that some of the fibers had penetrated a hole in the metal filter fitted to the tumble dryers extract while others had by-passed the filter. The investigation team concluded that any traces of contaminated material had been contained with the site fence and there was no hazard to the public. They also concluded that radiation doses to workers operating the equipment or elsewhere on site were "insig- n if leant". Atom (UK), Jan. 1990
On 13 June 1989, at the Dounreay Nuclear Development Establishment (UK), a seepage of liquor was discovered from a construction joint on a stainless steel lined concrete sludge settling tank containing uranium and plutonium bearing material According to the industry magazine, Atom, the rate of seepage was at about 100 ml/day, but no mention was made as to how long the leak had been there before being discovered. Atom (UK), Jan. 1990
At the Springfields works (UK) on 19 June 1989 it was discovered that an employee had taken in an amount of uranium which exceeded the annual intake limit. The intake, which was detected by the site whole body monitor, probably occurred between December 1988 and May 1989. During this period the employee was working on duties relating to recovery of uranium residues. Investigators suggest that the intake may have occurred because of "improper use of protective clothing" by the employee. Atom (UK), Jan. 1990
The 600-MW Embalse nuclear station (Argentina) reportedly suffered three scrams in four days after 9 December because of unspecified operating problems. Senior executives at Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica (CNEA) were unavailable for comment following the reports, but according to a private industry source, the reactor first automatically shut down because of a valve problem. The unit was restarted but shut down again at least twice. With CNEA not returning phone calls, the local press began speculating that the reactor had been sabotaged. The events at the Canadian-built Candu station have raised new questions about CNEA nuclear station management, as the 357-MW Atucha-1 remains shut down, and has been since August 1988 after several fuel-bearing pressure tubes ruptured. Nucleonics Week, 21 Dec. 1989
Belau referendum Leaders from the Belauan Senate, House of Representatives, state governors and traditional leaders decided in a meeting which took place in December 1989 that there wiU be no amendment to Belau's constitution at this time. The 75% voter approval requirement will stand in the referendum on the Compact of Free Association to take place this 6 February (see WISE News Communique 323/4.3246). However, many citizens have expressed concern that the up-coming referendum is too soon for voters to have adequate time to study what they are voting on. The Belauan Senate and members of the Political Status Commission have urged the administration not to rush the plebiscite - it does not help that there is sustained pressure on Belau by the Administering Power (US)... Pacific News Bulletin (Australia), Jan. 1990
Anti-nuclear sentiment is again gaining ground In Switzerland. Local opponents at all four of the sites being considered by the Swiss nuclear waste agency CEDRA to host a storage site for low-medium radioactive waste have joined forces for the first time to appeal to the federal government - asking for no less than total dissolution of CEDRA. The action came following a request to the Swiss government to rethink its nuclear waste policy from the government of Vaud Canton, which has one of the sites within its jurisdiction. Vaud Canton's request came following its embarrassment at having to send a large police contingent to the town of Ollon, which for years has obstructed CEDRA attempts to begin preliminary suitability testing there. The police were sent to protect CEDRA geologists from the unyielding local opposition after the court of last resort, the Federal Tribunal, ruled against Ollon and for CEDRA. Vaud Canton, despite a canton-wide vote which had gone against CEDRA, was legally bound to enforce the federal position. The opposition at Ollon has given heart to opponents at the other four sites. There, though local opposition has been strong, authorities have allowed CEDRA to carry out preliminary investigations. Meanwhile, both the Vaud Canton request and the request of local opposition to dissolve CEDRA put the Bern government in an increasingly difficult position. Continuation of Switzerland's nuclear program is dependent on the existence of sites for all reactor waste, and the legal deadlines have already been extended by decree. A new atomic law has been delayed until after the popular vote on two initiatives: one calling for a moratorium on new reactors and the other for phase-out of all reactors. The referenda are expected to be held this year. And the image of a central government imposing nuclear policy by forcing reluctant cantons to use their police will not go over well with a large number of Swiss voters. Power in Europe (UK), 18 Jan. 1990
According to the Item news agency, 51 Soviet children contaminated by radioactivity after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident arrived in Jerusalem, Israel for medical treatment on 15 January. The children, aged between five and 14, suffer from various blood diseases, loss of hair and anemia. They arrived at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport on a Soviet Aeroflot flight from Kiev accompanied by a Ukrainian television crew. Itim says the operation to bring the children to Israel for tests and treatment was organized and financed by the Israeli trade union federation Histadrut and its counterpart in the Ukraine. Greenpeace (via GreenNet, gp. press, topic 59, 17 Jan. 1990)
Strange things are going on with the Nogent-1 PWR located at Nogent-sur-Seine, France. Not only was this facility built on buggy land and already experiencing some problems with sinking slowly downwards a couple of years ago, but it has lately experienced more visible problems. The planned outage of April 1989 revealed problems with the steam generator tubes where repair works have been going on for some time. The reactor was scheduled to be reconnected to the electricity grid on 10 January. However, in the night of 8 to 9 January, a pressurizer broke down, disturbing the planned schedule. Additionally, a leakage from the primary to the secondary circuit has been observed, shutting the plant down again for probably at least two further months. In the meantime, Nogent-2 has (unfortunately) been put back into operation again, following a 2-month outage. Comite Stop Nogent, 14 Jan. 1990
A secret UK government paper released In January, 30 years after the fact, shows that the sale of plutonium from British power stations for use in US nuclear weapons was part of an Anglo-US exchange deal The document, marked Top Secret, confirms something that has long been suspected but which the UK government has refused to acknowledge - despite being pressed to do so both in Parliament and at the Hinkley Point nuclear inquiry. The Shut Down Sizewell Campaign of Suffolk, UK cynically (or should we say realistically) speculates that no doubt some of this - the UK 'civil' plutonium - came back to them in the American Cruise missiles stationed, to the peril of all, in the UK. Shut Down Sizewell Campaign Newsletter, Jan. 1990
The Yugoslovlan Krsko nuclear power plant (632 MW) has been shut-down after an earthquake in the area in December 1989. It is the only nuclear power plant in Yugoslavia. Zeitung für kommunale Wirtsehaft (FRG), Jan. 1990
The US NRC is proposing a rule which will change the method for calculating reactor vessel embrittlement. Embrittled vessels can result in pressurized thermal shock accidents. The change, which the NRC says will toughen the requirements, are a result of new calculations which found that reactor vessels are embrittling faster than the agency previously believed. In at least three unidentified cases, the probability of pressurized thermal shock-induced vessel failure is greater by a factor of at least 30 than under previous calculations. The Nuclear Monitor (US), 15 Jan. 1990
The Hungarian Meesek Ore Mining Company (MEV) is seeking to conclude a long-term contract with a Western company to avoid closure of its mines this year. MEV is also suggesting that nuclear and/or hazardous waste - possibly including spent fuel - could be stored beneath the sandstone containing the uranium ore deposits. MEV's uranium production in 1989 was 540 metric tons of uranium at a production cost of US $100 per kg at the present exchange rate. Available ore reserves amount to 17,000 metric tons of uranium, with a further 12,000 metric tons of known resources. If Hungary buys nuclear reactors from France, then the use of Hungarian uranium might be fixed in the contract. But French uranium supplier COGEMA is not interested in the Hungarian uranium, because there is rather too much uranium on the market today and the Mecsek deposits are extremely low-grade. Until now MEV has sold its uranium to the USSR, but at the actual prices on the world market, the Hungarian uranium is no more competitive. And Hungary is a small uranium supplier, compared to the USSR (more than 15,000 t/year), East Germany (some 4,500 t/year) and Czechoslovakia (about 2,300 t/year). Nuclear Fuel (US), 22 Jan. 1990
Several hundred people gathered in front of the Bulgarian Parliament building on 24 January to hand over a petition with 28,000 signatures against the construction of a second nuclear power plant in Bulgaria. There is already a 1000 MW nuclear power plant under construction at Belene on the Danube River. According to the Bulgarian ecological movement "Okoglasnost", the proposed nuclear plant is located in a seismic area. taz (FRG), 26 Jan. 1990
In a report on the 500,000-gallon spill at CAMECO's Rabbit Lake mine in Saskatchewan, Canada In December (see WISE News Communique 322.3230), Saskatchewan Environment Minister says the company was negligent in not maintaining a flow-alarm system on the six-mile pipeline at the mine-mill complex and in not ensuring the employees monitored the line by visual and other means. If CAMECO is prosecuted, it would be the first case under Saskatchewan's amended Environmental Management and Protection Act. The Act allows for a maximum fine of 1 million Canadian Dollars and three years imprisonment. But the Environment Minister also said that water samples "clearly show the spill had no impact on the water quality" in adjacent water courses... Nuclear Fuel (US), 8 Jan. 1990
The Belgian Ministry of Health is planning to distribute iodine pills (free of charge) to all households, schools and working places which have to be taken in case of a nuclear emergency. They are to be placed at the electricity meter, so that the person who comes to read the meter can check on the piliboxes. Although the electricity companies were surprised when they learned of the ministry's "bizarre" plans, they assured the ministry of their cooperation and did not forget to mention that the nuclear dangers were not only coming from Belgium, but also from abroad. In Belgium, 7 nuclear power plants produce 60% of the total electricity. taz (FRG), 19 January 1990
Connecticut Yankee Atomic Power Co. has extended an outage at the Connecticut Yankee nuclear power station until at least April 1990, and possibly until June, because of fuel rod damage. The damage is more extensive than the utility thought when it originally planned an outage from 2 September to 2 November. The utility has also decided to remove the thermal shield. In October, the number of leaking fuel rods were thought to be 213 in 67 assemblies. Costs on repairs on the fuel rods were estimated at US $9 million, and did not include removing the thermal shield. Now, the number of leaking rods are numbered at 343, in 88 fuel assemblies. Current repair costs and replacement power fuel costs are not available. The leaks are due to metal flakes which caused through wall cracks in the assemblies. The flakes were left over from a repair job done on core support barrel thermal shield devices during the 616-MW Westinghouse PWR station's last outage, in 1987. To decrease vibrations, the utility had installed spacers between the thermal shield and the core barrel. Workers had to grind out little grooves in the thermal shield to do this, and some flakes were not filtered out. Nucleonics Week (US), 26 Oct. and 21 Dec. 1989
In an op-ed piece in the January 9, 1990 issue of USA Today, Harold Finger wrote: "Christmas week found many Americans shivering in dark houses, victims of breakdowns in our energy supply system. Not enough natural gas was available for generating electricity, so utilities switched to oil. Oil supplies, in turn, were short, and customers howled when the price doubled. Throughout the East, people were asked to dim Christmas lights; only voltage cuts and even some intermittent blackouts allowed the electric system to squeak through." Finger then went on to call for new construction of nuclear plants. Not too odd, as Harold Finger just happens to be president of the US Council for Energy Awareness, a nuclear industry-funded public relations group. Not too odd either that Finger failed to mention that the largest Christmas blackout in the US - in south Florida - occurred because both units at Florida Power & Light's Turkey Point nuclear facility once again tripped off line. (With a combined capacity factor of less than 50% over the past 3 years, the example of Turkey Point should give continued pause to those who argue in favor of nuclear power as a reliable source of electricity.) Nor did Finger mention the shutdown of Prairie Island-2 (Minnesota) on 26 Dec. after the second of 2 still-puzzling scrams during record cold-weather power demand. The Nuclear Monitor (US), 15 Jan. 1990; Nucleonics Week, 4 Jan. 1990
"SAFE AS THE ROCK? A Critical Review Of The Forsmark Storage For Nuclear Waste (SFR)" is the name of a 65-page report dated 1 November 1989 published jointly by The Swedish Society For The Protection Of Nature (SNF) and the Swedish national anti-nuclear group The Peoples' Campaign Against Nuclear Power And Weapons (FMKK). A translation into English by Greenpeace Sweden is now also available. The report was prepared after the authorities and politicians responsible for nuclear waste refused, after long negotiations with the SNF and FMKK, to participate in a public hearing. It begins with a concise two-page summary of criticisms of SFR, including the lack of control over the contents of the waste, unsuitability of the bedrock, poor silo construction, insufficient analysis of environmental impacts, lack of future supervision, and undemocratic legislation. These problems are then discussed in detail. In addition, 17 appendices document important letters sent to authorities, and their answers. All this documentaticxi is evidence that the now internationally recognized "Swedish solution" for undersea low- and medium-level waste disposal is only a public relations campaign. The Swedish Ministry of Environment and Energy has responded to the report by sending copies to 11 different government agencies with a covering letter requesting that comments (in five copies) be sent to the Ministry before 6 April 1990. For the Swedish-language report, contact: FMKK, P0 Box 17246, S10462 Stockholm, Sweden. For the English-language report contact: Greenpeace Sweden, Box 7138, S- 402 34 Gothenburg, Sweden, tel: +46- 31-17 65 00.
"Strijd Tegen het Broeikaseffekt: Geen Rol Voor Kernenergie", door JK Legett en PM Kelly is the Dutch translation of "Combating the Greenhouse Effect: No Role for Nuclear Power", by Dr. Mick Kelly and Dr. Jeremy Legett, now available from WISE-Brussels. The report was released last July by Greenpeace and brings the arguments of over 100 UK scientists, including two Nobel Laureates and 15 Fellows of the Royal Society, together with arguments from numerous other sources, all of whom reject nuclear power as 'irrelevant' in combating the greenhouse effect. (See WISE News Communique 316.brief) Contact: WISE-Brussels, Vooruitgangstraat 317, 1210 Brussel, Belgium, tel: 02/215 19 44.
"Getting Out of the Greenhouse", a report by Friends of the Earth London, provides a coherent economic analysis of the energy policy options in the UK for action on the Green house Effect. It examines the costs and potentials of measures to reduce carbon dioxide (C02) emissions, based almost entirely on UK government reports and studies, and argues that cost-effectiveness is a crucial criterion to adopt to inform energy policy development. Key findings include: Making no policy changes and carrying on "business as usual" will result i a 25% increase in CCY2 emission levels by the year 2005; nuclear power is one of the most expensive options for reducing C02 emissions; leaving aside the transport sector, adoption of the most cost-effective measures would produce a 46.5% cut in CO2 emissions from 1987 levels by the year 2005, whilst meeting predicted energy demand increases and with no need to build nuclear power stations.
A report, "Fakten und Thesen zu Atomenergie und Kllmagefahr" (Facts and Thesis on Nuclear Power and Climate Change), has been released by the BUND (Bond Umwelt und Naturschutz) in German. This report comes to the conclusion that nuclear power is not only not the solution to the threatening climate change, but is instead adding to the threats. The report, by Dr. Georg Löser, consisting of seven pages, gives arguments why nuclear power is not the solution and quotes steps which will have to be taken and would be more efficient. Contact: BUND, Im Rheingarten 7, D-5300 Bonn, FRG
March 11, 1990: East-West German demonstration at Stendal, East Germany (about 50 km from the border north of Magdeburg, East Germany). At Stendal there has been a nuclear power plant under construction for 16 years. Leaflets and posters available. Contact: Stop PKA (Pilot Waste Treatment Plant, BI Lüchow-Danenberg West Germany, tel: 49-5841-4684.
March 18-24, 1990: The Polish Green Party is organizing a Polish Scandinavian Environmental Meeting in Szklarska Poreba (south Poland in the Karkonosze mountains near the Czechoslovakjan border). The aims of the meeting are, in the words of the organizers: presentation of ecological movement, including new groups, in Poland; estimation of present cooperation between Scandinavian and Polish groups; actual relations between Scandinavian and Polish governments; discussion about new forms of cooperation. Members of Parliament, experts, and journalists will attend, as well as guests from Czechoslovakia, Hungry and East Germany. There will be the possibility to visit an acid rain damaged forest and to ski. The cost of the seminar is $120 per person for food and accomino- dation. Confirmations are requested by 5 March. Contact: Zygmunt Fura, Box 783, 30 960 Krakow 1, Poland, tel: 0-048-12-55 10 98. Note: Foreign visitors to Poland are no longer obligated to change money in order to obtain a visa.
April 21-29, 1990: International Disarm the Seas Week. Saturday, 28 April, has been proposed by the Atlantic and Pacific networks as International Nuclear Free Ports Day. The theme for this year's activities will be announced soon. Meanwhile, the Pacific Campaign to Disarm the Seas (PCDS) is holding the 1990 council meeting in Seoul, Korea from 1-15 February. Contact: Jo Hayter, PCDS, Box 338, Fitzroy, Civ. 3065, Australia.
July 15-21, 1990: International seminar by OVE (the Danish Organization for Renewable Energy) at, and in cooperation with, the Folkecenter for Renewable Energy, Copenhagen, Denmark. OVE is holding an international energy seminar for NGO's (non-governmental organizations, grassroots-organizations) and independent institutes working for renewable energy and an ecological safe energy-system. The seminar will have three main issues:
technical possibilities, political possibilities and ways for international cooperation among NGO's. The seminar is intended to stimulate greater cooperation between European energy movements. The working language will be English. All preparation papers will be made bilingual: English and Danish. Costs: 850 D.kr. (approximately US $110) + travel expenses. OVE is currently trying to find economic support for the seminar so it can invite two persons free of charge from each country (from the USSR there would be two from each State). For further information and registration, contact: Gunnar Boye Olesen (International Secretary), OVE, Willemoesgade 14, KD-2100 Copenhagen 0, Denmark, tel: +45-31 42 90 91 or +45-31 38 10 07.