Three Mile Island 25th Anniversary Actions

[theroyprocess]

Dear Friends: Enclosed is information about 3 actions you can take to help stop a nuclear power resurgence. The first is a reminder about actions for the 25th anniversary of Three Mile Island. The second is a simple step you can take to help our colleagues in Russia shut down aging and dangerous nuclear reactors there. The third is a call for a European-wide action on Chernobyl Day at the French and Finnish embassies (although there is certainly no reason this could not be done in the U.S. and other countries as well!). We hope you’ll join in these actions!

Michael Mariotte
Nuclear Information and Resource Service
Washington, DC

TMI 25th Anniversary Anti-Nuclear Days of Action
Posters for the TMI 25th Anniversary Anti-Nuclear Days of Action and"buttons" to add to your website or email alerts are now available from NIRS or from www.besafenet.com/nuclear.htm

* Please send us any information about your group's events as soon as you can (date, location, etc.). Thanks. To include your information in the special edition of the Nuclear Monitor, we need your information by Monday March 8.

* The posters can be downloaded on legal size paper for handouts or posting. TMI Poster 1 has a picture of a mom/child in front of cooling towers, and TMI Poster 2 has a TMI Meltdown picture.You can add your local contact information at the bottom. Let us know if you want us to do that for you. Also, let us know if you can't use pdf and we can send it in html.

* The buttons can be added to your website or email alerts. There are 8 buttons to choose from (it may take a few seconds to download).It will link to the BESAFE website "Nuclear" page (www.besafenet.com/nuclear.htm)--it includes the posters, NIRS nuclear power plant maps, BE SAFE nuclear brochures, etc.

Please help spread the word on the Anti-Nuclear Week of Action by sending out the posters and buttons this week. Many thanks.

NIRS and BeSafe


Close Unsafe Russian Reactors

To sign the declaration below send an e-mail with you name and contact information to bodrov@sbor.net or visit the website www.greenworld.org.ru (in English).


declaration
of non-governmental environmental organizations on the problem of power units of Leningrad and Kola Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs), which have reached their design lifetime limit

The oldest existing Chernobyl-type RBMK-1000 power unit of Leningrad NPP and a VVER-440 power unit of Kola NPP have reached their design lifetime expiration in 2003.
Political decisions about the lifetime extension of these reactors have been taken without the comprehensive analysis of social, ecological, economical and political consequences for the people living in the North-West Russia and the whole Baltic-Scandinavian region, without the state environmental examination prescribed by law. The participation of concerned public was not provided in the decision-making.
We, those who have signed this declaration, consider this as a violation of the Constitution, laws and international commitments of the Russian Federation.
we demand:
· To shut down reactors operated beyond their lifetime limit, because they create a higher probability of nuclear accidents. Further fate of these power units is to comply with the RF Regulation on the state environmental examination and to be based on the presumption of a potential environmental hazard from any economic activity involving them.
· To develop the feasibility studies of power units decommissioning and possible alternative scenarios for the disposal of aged power units. These scenarios must foresee:
Ø resolution of energy problems by energy saving, renewable sources and improved efficiency of combined heat-and-power plants operating in the North-West of Russia;
Ø solution of social problems emerging during the decommissioning of power units;
Ø solution of the problem of reliable long-term disposal (repository) of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste.
· To provide the availability of the feasibility studies for the environmental community of Russia and neighboring countries, as it is prescribed by the «RF Regulation of the state environmental examination» «Regulation on the Assessment of Environmental Impact from the Planned Economic and Other Activities in the Russian Federation» and International (Espoo) «Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context».
· To organize public hearings on the feasibility studies, as the form of public participation in decisions taken about the fate of old power units.
· To carry put the state environmental examination of the feasibility studies on possible decommissioning alternatives for the aged power units in accordance with the Regulation on the state environmental examination.
· To comply with legislative provisions about establishing and financing the decommissioning fund and making it transparent for the public.
· To introduce the market system, which ensures the consumer’s freedom of choosing the electric energy from a source, which agrees with the consumer's idea of ecological safety.
We believe that the fulfillment of these demands is the implementation of right for public participation in the provisions for sustainable development of the North-West Russia as a part of the Baltic-Scandinavian Region.

1. Oleg Bodrov, NGO GREEN WORLD, Sosnovy Bor of Leningrad Oblast, St. Petersburg, Russia, phone/fax +7 81269 72991
2. Vladimir Chuprov, GREENPEACE Russia, energy department, Moscow Phone/fax +7095 2574116
3. Elena Kruglikova, Apatity Environmental Centre, Apatity, Murmansk region, Russia, phone/fax +7 81555 75553
4. Dmitry Strazhinsky, NGO PIM (Nature and Youth), Kirovsk, Murmansk region, Russia: +7 81531 55280
5. Igor Babanin, GREENPEACE Russia, St. Petersburg department, St. Petersburg, Russia, phone/fax:+7812 3521022
6. Gennady Shabarin, Information Agency Sustainable Development, St. Petersburg, Russia, phone: +7 812 1728597
7. Lydia Popova, Co-chairperson of the International Socio-Ecological Union, Director of the Centre for Nuclear Ecology and Energy Policy, Moscow, Russia, phone/fax: +7095131 70 12
8. Aleksey Yablokov, President of the Centre Ecological Policy of Russia, Moscow, tel. +7(095) 952 80 19
9. Gennady Mingazov, editor-in-chief of the Karelsky ecological newspaper "Green Leaf", tel. +7095 9494087
10. Andrey Kozlovich, leader of the Fund youth and the childhood "Ariston", Segezha, Kareliya, tel. +7 (81431) 50032
11. Olga Vysockaya, leader of the youth ecological society Eco-As, Ekonord Centre, Apatity, Murmansk region, Russia, tel./ôàêñ (81555) 79762
12. Mikhail Piskunov, Council Chairman of the "Centre for support of the Civil Initiative" Dimitrovgrad, Uliyanovskaya area, tel/fax (84235) 3-66-26, e-mail: csgi@vinf.ru
13. Michael Mariotte, Executive Director, Nuclear Information and Resource Service, 1424 16th Street NW, #404, Washington, DC 20035, 202-328-0002, nirsnet@nirs.org


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

APPEAL BY THE WIENER PLATTFORM “Atomkraftfreie Zukunft“


INTERNATIONAL PROTEST RALLY in front of the
FRENCH and FINNISH EMBASSIES
26th April 2004 / Chernobyl day!
as part of a European-wide Campaign Day


You are requested to join in this campaign and hold a demonstration on 26th April 2004 in front of the French and Finnish embassies.

A prompt response regarding your participation would be appreciated!

Nuclear energy is going to be further developed in Europe.
The shock of Chernobyl and the still prevalent disastrous consequences of this catastrophe seem to have been forgotten.
The final disposal of atomic waste worldwide has still not been solved!
There are plans to build 28 new atomic reactors, including the completion of, as well as new, reactors in Eastern Europe.
The European pressurized water reactor ( EPR) was developed in the 1990s by Siemens and Framatome (now Areva).
In 2004 the French government wants to start building a new nuclear reactor. The Finnish government has also given the go-ahead for a new pressurized water reactor.
These are not „energy political“ decisions, they are „industrial political“ ones!
By this means the nuclear lobby is trying to bring the constantly declining use of its capacity back into equilibrium!

EUROPEAN-WIDE WITHDRAWAL FROM THE
NUCLEAR ENERGY PROGRAM!

PLEASE SUPPORT US!

Wiener Plattform „ Atomkraftfreie Zukunft“
Fehnerweg 16, A 2380 Perchtoldsdorf / Wien
e-mail: i.scherff.b.brauchinger@aon.at

 

[theroyprocess]

Palo Verde Nuke Plant Shutters

http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/0303paloverde03.html#

Defect shutters Palo Verde unit

Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station
Description: Three-unit, uranium-fueled, steam-electric nuclear generating station. Palo Verde is a pressurized water reactor.

Location: 50 miles west of Phoenix.
Owners:
APS, 29.1 percent.
SRP, 17.5 percent.
El Paso Electric Co., 15.8 percent.
Southern California Edison, 15.8 percent.
Public Service Co. of New Mexico, 10.2 percent.
Southern California Public Power Authority, 5.6 percent.
Los Angeles Dept. of Water & Power, 5.7 percent.
Operator: Arizona Public Service Co.
Power is distributed based on percentage of ownership.
Capacity: 3,890 megawatts from two 1,270 MW units and one 1,360 MW unit. It is the largest nuclear power plant in the country.

Plant construction: Construction began in June 1976. Unit 1 was completed in January 1986, Unit 2 in September 1986 and Unit 3 in January 1988.
Construction costs: $4.7 billion for construction and $1.2 billion for pre-operational and start-up testing, for a total of $5.9 billion.

Emissions: Palo Verde is a zero-emissions facility.
Plant life: 40 years with a possible 20 additional years.
Spent-fuel storage: On site until Yucca Valley repository in Nevada is completed.
Regulation: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Three NRC inspectors are on site. Arizona Corporation Commission has authority over the plant as it affects utility rates.
Employees: 2,000.

Third incident in month plagues nuclear plant

Max Jarman
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 3, 2004 12:00 AM

A metal alloy with known structural defects is being blamed for a radiation leak Sunday that shut down Unit 3, one of three units at Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, 50 miles west of Phoenix.

It was the third leak of radioactive material at the plant in a month.

The second leak, on Feb. 19, prompted a special investigation by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Regulators are concerned about several unexpected problems that occurred while the leak inside the unit's steam generator was being repaired. The first leak, on Feb. 4, involved a valve on a bleed line on Unit 1's reactor cooling system.

Victor Dricks, a spokesman for the NRC, said the three incidents are unrelated and don't reflect underlying maintenance or safety problems at the plant.

"Overall, they have an excellent operating and safety record," he said.

A preliminary inspection has concluded Sunday's leak was caused by stress corrosion cracking, the same phenomenon that caused the Kinder Morgan gasoline pipeline rupture in July.

James M. Levine, Arizona Public Service Co. executive vice president in charge of generation, explained that Iconel 600, a nickel alloy used to make the heater sleeves and other components inside the plant, has been found to be particularly susceptible to stress corrosion cracking.

Meanwhile, Dricks said the NRC called for an investigation of the Unit 2 leak because of several problems encountered during repairs

Specifically, plugs used to cut off the supply of water to the steam generator's heating tubes didn't fit properly, delaying repairs for several hours. That caused air to get into the line; the air had to be vented into an auxiliary building.

The air was scrubbed and treated before it was released to the atmosphere, Levine said.

He attributed the ill-fitting plugs to bugs in the two new 800-ton steam generators that were installed at Unit 2 during the fall. The two generators cost $230 million.

"You don't expect them, but they occur," he said.

The tube leak that shut down the plant Feb. 19 was either the result of a factory defect or damage caused as the equipment was shipped from Italy and slowly brought over land from a port in Mexico.

The tubes carry water heated to 620 degrees. When the tubes come into contact with water inside the steam generator, an explosive burst of steam is produced and used to turn electric turbines.

As for air getting into the cooling system, called the hot reactor water system, Levine said it is a normal occurrence.

Still, Dricks said the NRC wants to make sure that is the case and that the air didn't enter the line in some other way. The agency also wants to be sure the plant's operator, APS, reacted properly to the ill-fitting plugs and subsequent problem with air in the lines.

"The NRC staff has decided to conduct a special inspection to evaluate the adequacy of the APS' response to the situation," Dricks said.

On Feb. 29, workers found traces of boron on a heater sleeve attached to a pressurizer for the unit's reactor cooling system. Boron absorbs neutrons and is used to control the rate of nuclear fission inside the reactor. Its presence on the heater sleeve indicates a leak of radioactive material. APS spokesman Jim McDonald said the radiation was hardly detectable and poses no safety risk for the plant's employees or the general public.

Discussing Iconel 600's tendency toward stress corrosion cracking, Levine said, "We're aware of the problem, and we look for it."

Dricks said that the NRC also is aware of the problems with Iconel 600 and has mandated that plant operators regularly test components made of it.

"It's a common phenomenon and generally does not pose a safety concern," he added.

Evidence of stress corrosion cracking was found on another Unit 3 heater sleeve during a refueling outage last spring and on several sleeves in Unit 2 when its two steam generators were replaced in the fall. Affected components in the new steam generators, including about 13,000 tubes that carry water heated by the unit's reactor, are made of more durable Iconel 690. While the 800-ton generators were being installed, Levine said APS went through the unit and replaced all of the Iconel 600 parts with those made of Iconel 690.

While the recent leak was minor, stress corrosion cracking was blamed for a 1993 heating tube rupture inside Unit 2 that dumped 100 gallons of radioactive water per minute into the reactor's steam generator and was vented into the atmosphere.

Dricks said stress corrosion cracking of components made of Iconel 600 has been blamed for recent leaks at the South Texas Project near Houston and at Seabrook Station in New Hampshire.

The NRC suggests that particularly damaged components be replaced, but has not required that Iconel 600 components be replaced industrywide.

APS' Levine said the leaking Unit 3 heater sleeve will be repaired, but not replaced until 2007 when new steam generators will be installed. Iconel 600 components in Unit 1 will be replaced with a new steam generator next year, Levine said. Units 1 and 3 also contain heating tubes made of Iconel 600.

Each of the three units at Palo Verde is capable of generating about 1,300 megawatts of electricity, enough to light 400,000 homes.

 

[Nereid]

Accelerator Transmutation of Waste

http://public.web.cern.ch/public/about/useful/future/future.html , from CERN, briefly mentions a technique for converting long-lived radioactive waste into harmless material:

"In environmental protection, accelerators will also play an important role. They will be able to break down long-lived nuclear waste into harmless material. The technique, born at the American Los Alamos laboratory, is called Accelerator Transmutation of Waste (ATW). When high intensity beams bombard a target, they produce neutrons, which then combine with the radioactive waste products causing them to split into stable elements."

Sounds like the Roy process, without the paranoia

 

[russ_watters]

http://www.nei.org/doc.asp?catnum=3&catid=294

-No one died.
-No one was injured.
-No one received a meaningful dose of radiation.
-No harm was done to the environment.
-No one won a lawsuit concerning TMI.
-The design of the plant overcame massive human error.

In short, TMI, far from a reason to ditch nuclear, validates the safety of the US nuclear program. It shows incontrovertibly that American nuclear reactors are inherrently safe.