Tag Archives: areva

Fukushima, Idaho

Fukushima – WIPP – Radiation Fallout: WIPP employee lawsuit! France & Idaho connection to Fukushima & WIPP! Cosmic rays to be used at Fukushima! Hows your underwear?

14 August 2014 (01:47 UTC-07 Tango)/17 Shawwal 1435/23 Mordad 1393/19 Ren-Shen 4712

Customs/Port officials in Korea, south, have discovered a shipment of scrap metal from Japan is highly radioactive.  20 kilograms (44 pounds) of scrap metal was found to be contaminated with cesium-137.  They’ve ordered the ship to return to Japan.

Officials with the district of Hong Kong, China, are refusing to lift the ban on food from five Japanese prefectures affected by the ongoing nuke disaster at Fukushima Daiichi.

In Japan‘s Fukui Prefecture nuclear power plant inspectors have discovered a new danger; seawater pumps at Takahama Nuclear Power Plant could be destroyed by tornadoes.  Kansai Electric Power Company is now trying to protect the pumps with steel plates and steel nets.

A Virginia U.S.A. company (Decision Sciences International Corporation aka DSIC) has been hired by Japan’s Toshiba to use cosmic rays to scan the melted down GE designed reactor units at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

What most people don’t understand is that nobody has been able to see what’s happening in the reactors, because the contamination levels are so high that it will kill humans, and even the electronics in robots get fried if they’re in the buildings for too long!  This is why this disaster is ongoing more than three years later (and why I believe China Syndrome is now in play).

DSIC will use two muon detectors to scan the reactors.  The detectors will be placed in a reactor building,  on opposite sides of the containment vessel.  Muons are considered harmless, but they can pass through just about anything, however their direction of travel can be altered by dense objects.  The scanners will create a 3D image that will hopefully show exactly where the mass of molten fuel rods are.   By the way, Toshiba openly refuses to say how much they’re paying DSIC for the work.

The neo-imperialist government of Japan has announced it will spend  $3-billion USD to help Fukushima Prefecture recover from the ongoing nuclear disaster, but there’s a catch.  In order to get the money the municipalities within the prefecture must agree to become nuclear waste storage sites!

The bribe comes after three years of utter failure in filtering radioactive water at Fukushima Daiichi, prompting Tokyo Electric Power Company to call it quits, almost.

The experimental and expensive (TEPCo openly refuses to say how much it cost!) filtration system was only able to operate for three months before being repeatedly shutdown for multiple problems, mainly leaks.   TEPCo says there is another problem, radiation contamination.

The filtration system is so radioactive that it has become like the melted down reactors onsite; too ‘hot’ to literally handle.  This is the true reason for the abandonment of the Areva designed filtration system, because throwaway employees cannot get near the system just to perform maintenance!  A new ‘treatment’ system is being tried, and of course all the water that goes through these systems end up in the ocean.

Areva is a French company, and this brings us to Idaho, U.S.A.

Areva is a contractor at the United States’ Idaho National Laboratory (INL), and has just ben awarded a $34-million contract to turn the INL  into a low level nuclear waste storage site.  It involves building 200 concrete nuke waste trash cans (vaults) underground.

INL and Department of Energy also held a health conference in Idaho Falls, regarding the Radiation and Worker Health Program’s scheme (Special Exposure Cohort) in determining health problems caused by radiation: “If a person who worked at INL gets cancer and feels like their cancer is due to radiation exposure they received on the job, they could file a claim in this program and our job at NIOSH is (to) attempt to reconstruct the dose, that person received while they were here. You know how much dose they could have received. Once we have done that, the Department of Labor takes that information and determines whether their cancer was more likely or not caused by the radiation exposure.”-Stuart Hinnefeld, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

It turns out that INL was chosen for the public forum because several hundreds of claims of radiation caused cancer have been filed!

A live reporter with local TV station(s) KIDK-KIFI reported that several DoE employees, and former employees, say their cancer caused by contamination claims have gone unanswered!   (It’s interesting that KIDK-KIFI did not put that info in their text version of the story, it was relayed by their live reporter)

The INL is also one of the major suppliers of nuclear waste to New Mexico’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP).  And speaking of WIPP, the first of what could be many lawsuits by employees has been filed.

It turns out the lawsuit was actually filed in May!  The waste handler claims he suffered several types of injuries during the salt truck fire, including inhalation of toxins.   He is one of at least a dozen people hurt during the February fire.  He is now having to travel to Colorado for undisclosed respiratory treatments.  The DoE has admitted that one worker is still undergoing treatments.  The employee stated that he’s constantly tired, and coughs and vomits “all the time”.

In United Kingdom, entrepreneur Richard Branson announced he would market radiation proof underwear.  They’re made with silver thread.  Scientist scoffed at the idea, after all if you could make radiation proof underwear then you’ve solved the problem for humans undertaking long distance space flight (with all that lethal cosmic radiation floating about).

“We’re preparing for the worst day in America.”

Business/Economics, International, Technology

Uljin Reactor power line glitch.

Reactor 1 of the Uljin nuclear power plant, in Korea (south), was restarted on 28 August 2012.

Less than a week prior the reactor automatically shut itself down.  After investigating, the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Company said the emergency shut down was due to a glitch in electrical lines running to the reactor.

It was the second time in August that a Korean nuclear reactor went through emergency shut down.

Korea (south) currently has 23 nuclear reactors in operation, and is building more. They hope to have 39 by the Gregorian/Western/Christian calender year 2030.

 

Business/Economics, International, Technology

Uljin Reactor update: This is second Korean reactor to shut down in past week, inspections underway

24 August 2012, inspectors with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, are trying to figure out why an Areva (Framatome) designed nuclear reactor shut itself down, after a warning alarm sounded.

But it turns out this isn’t the first time this has happened.  On 19 August 2012, a brand new reactor, the Sinwolseong-1 (aka Reactor 1 at Shin Wolsong) shut itself down as well.

Sinwolseong-1 began operation in January 2012. Officials ruled the shut down as being caused by a failure of the input controls.

According to the IAEA, Sinwolseong-1 and Uljin-1 (aka Reactor 1 at Ulchin) are both pressurized water reactors (PWR) operated by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Company.

Uljin-1 was designed by a French company called Framatome, now called Areva.

Doosan Heavy Industries claims Sinwolseong-1 is a reactor based on Korea’s first indigenous pressurized light water nuclear reactor design.  They have even sold the same type of reactors to China.

Business/Economics, Idaho, International, Technology, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Problems, and hopes, for east Idaho’s Eagle Rock owner; Areva

Back in March, Areva announced a $3.2 billion USD loss, which is what it would cost to build the planned Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility near Idaho Falls, Idaho.

Now Areva, based in France, is struggling to raise cash just to survive.  But there is also some hopeful news for Areva.

29 May 2012, Areva announced “outstanding” performance results from their Steam Generator Repair Services crew.  They just finished work on the Indiana Michigan Power Donald C. Cook nuke plant:  “Constant monitoring and good peer checking by our team were the key factors that contributed to zero safety incidents and very low dose [radiation exposure].”-Mike Jefferson, Field Operations Manager

 

 

29 May 2012, Finnish media reporting that Areva is five years behind scheduled, for completion of Finland’s third generation nuclear power plant.  Areva officials blame it on the fact that no nuclear plant has been built in Europe for 20 years, resulting in troubles finding reliable supply chains for proper construction materials.

28 May 2012, The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency started taking final public comments on the possibility of Areva operating a uranium mine located 700 kilometres north of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.

15 May 2012, Areva announced that it will partner with Japan’s Mitsubishi to search for uranium in Australia.

2 May 2012, Areva announced it was selling its nuclear radiation measurement unit in Australia, to raise needed cash.  CEO, Luc Oursel, says the company needs to raise at least 1.2 billion euros by the end of 2013, to make up for huge loses!  He plans on doing that by selling off Areva assets.

At the end of April 2012, the country of Jordan announced that Areva and Mitsubishi were being considered to build the country’s first nuclear reactor.

 

 

 

Business/Economics, Idaho, International, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Idaho will lose hoped for Nuclear Industry jobs, Areva loses $3.2 billion!

French nuclear industry giant, Areva, announced record losses on March 2, 2012.  They lost U.S.$3.2 billion!!!

The loss is directly tied to it’s incompetent African uranium mining operation (which looks like they bought a pig in a poke).  The French government is investigating, because Areva is actually a French government corporation, and they used taxpayer money to buy the pig in a poke mine!

Also, since the March 11, 2011, nuclear disaster in Japan, which has resulted in about 90% of their nuclear plants shut down, orders for fuel rods made by Areva have crashed!

Also, Germany’s decision to end the use of nuclear power plants will result in 1,500 Areva employees losing their jobs in that country.

On February 28, 2012, Areva announced it was “indefinitely” suspending its planned uranium enrichment project in Eastern Idaho.  Its called the Eagle Rock project.  Local contractors were notified in writing about the suspension.

Areva is trying to get money from the U.S. government. They were trying for at least $3 billion, but now, with such huge losses that won’t be enough!

Eastern Idaho is desperate for good paying jobs, and a lot of hopes were riding on the Eagle Rock project.

 

 

Fukushima, Idaho

What Economic Recovery? Japanese nuclear disaster, dissapointing mine operations in Namibia, shutting down French company Areva. Idaho could lose jobs in 2012. Idaho leaders unrealistically optimistic

The ongoing nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan, and a bad mine operation deal in Africa, is bringing down a major player in international nuclear power; Areva.  The result will mean job losses all over the world, and possibly here in Idaho.

French government owned Areva recently announced that their revenues have crashed since the Japanese nuclear disaster began in March, and, since the French government opened an investigation into Areva’s purchase of a mining operation in Namibia, Africa.

On 13 December 2011, Areva officials unveiled a five year plan to reduce the size of the company.  This is because of a projected loss of U.S.$2.1 billion for just this year, and expected losses in the next few years.

Areva officials have already announced they will not replace French employees who retire, and they are laying off 1,500 German employees.

This is because of a negative backlash against nuclear power, as a result of the Japanese nuclear disaster.  In Germany, the government decided to end all reliance on nuclear power.  In Japan, the prefectural governments are refusing to allow nuclear power plants to start back up.  Both actions in Germany and Japan are at the demands of the majority of the citizens.

Areva’s loses also come from what is looking like a pig in a poke deal, from their purchase of uranium mines in Namibia, Africa.  Areva spent $2.5 billion on the mines, and the French government is now investigating because it turns out the mines have only half the projected uranium that Areva officials were told it had.

As part of their five year turn around plan Areva has suspended the construction of a uranium enrichment plant near Idaho Falls, Idaho.  State officials claim that Areva has agreed to keep on their payroll about 300 Idaho employees, but that’s only until the end of 2012.

The problem now is that Areva has stated that their continued operation depends on the sale of ten new generation EPR (European Pressurized Reactor) nuclear power units.  Those sales need to take place between 2012 to 2016.