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Is
the wind power industry the greatest scam of our age? here is an
article about the UK that could also easily be applied to other
countries: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news/article-1361316/250bn-wind-power-industry-greatest-scam-age.html#ixzz1o4EbkPQr
"Scarcely a day goes by without more evidence to show why the
Government's obsession with wind turbines, now at the centre of our
national energy policy, is one of the greatest political blunders of our
time.
Under a target agreed with the EU, Britain is committed
within ten years — at astronomic expense — to generating nearly a third
of its electricity from renewable sources, mainly through building
thousands more wind turbines.
But the penny is finally dropping for
almost everyone — except our politicians — that to rely on windmills to
keep our lights on is a colossal and very dangerous act of
self-deception.
Take, for example, the 350ft monstrosity familiar
to millions of motorists who drive past as it sluggishly revolves above
the M4 outside Reading.
This wind turbine performed so poorly
(working at only 15 per cent of its capacity) that the £130,000
government subsidy given to its owners was more than the £100,000 worth
of electricity it produced last year.
Meanwhile, official figures
have confirmed that during those freezing, windless weeks around
Christmas, when electricity demand was at record levels, the
contribution made by Britain’s 3,500 turbines was minuscule.
To keep our homes warm we were having to import vast amounts of power from nuclear reactors in France.
Wind turbines are so expensive that Holland recently became the first
country in Europe to abandon its EU renewable energy target, announcing
that it is to slash its annual subsidy by billions of euros.
So
unpopular are wind turbines that our own Government has just offered
'bribes' to local communities, in the form of lower council tax and
electricity bills."
Acidic shift may be fastest in 300 million years: http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2012/03/02/3444215.htm
"The world's oceans are turning acidic at what could be the fastest
pace of any time in the past 300 million years, even more rapidly than
during the rapid emission of carbon 56 million years ago, say
scientists."... "Quickly acidifying seawater eats away at coral reefs,
which provide habitat for other animals and plants, and makes it harder
for mussels and oysters to form protective shells. It can also interfere
with small organisms that feed commercial fish like salmon.
The
phenomenon has been a top concern of Jane Lubchenco, the head of the US
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, who has conducted
demonstrations about acidification during hearings in the US Congress.
Oceans get more acidic when more carbon gets into the atmosphere. In
pre-industrial times, that occurred periodically in natural pulses of
carbon that also pushed up global temperatures, the scientists write.
Human activities, including the burning of fossil fuels, have increased
the level of atmospheric carbon to 392 parts per million from about 280
parts per million at the start of the industrial revolution. Carbon
dioxide is one of several heat-trapping gases that contribute to global
warming."
$600-million contract for SNC-Lavalin and Aecon for refurbishment of Darlington nuclear plant: http://www.thestar.com/business/article/1139270--snc-lavalin-aecon-win-darlington-nuclear-contract?bn=1
"SNC-Lavalin Nuclear and Aecon Construction have been awarded a
$600-million contract for the overhaul of the four reactors at the
Darlington nuclear plant.
The contract is the first of seven that
will make up the multi-billion-dollar refit of the giant nuclear
station, which is due for a mid-life refurbishment.
Previous nuclear projects in Ontario have gone badly over budget, and opposition New Democrats criticized the contract award
But Energy Minister Chris Bentley says this time meticulous planning and preparation will keep costs in line.
“What was announced today was a different approach,” said Bentley in an interview.
Planners will map out the work into 30-minute segments, Bentley said.
And a training centre with mock-ups of complex components of the nuclear
station will allow crews to practice tasks before they start on the
real reactors.
“One of the reasons they’re doing such an extensive
design, planning preparation exercise is so they can map out the
construction, and transfer any risks of missing those construction
timelines to the contractor,” he said.
The initial $600 million contract will cover the planning phase of the project.
The price for the second phase – executing the work – will be
determined once the plan has been completed. Planning should be finished
by 2016, and work completed by 2023. "
hmmm interesting, let's see whether the insurance company pays anything for the delays! http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/story/2012/03/01/nb-point-lepreau-lawsuit-1137.html
"NB Power and Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. are suing an insurance
company for $524 million to help cover some of the costs related to the
delayed refurbishment of the Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station.
The companies have filed documents in a Saint John court claiming
they're entitled to payments for damage and delay during the
refurbishment of the nuclear plant.
The project is three years late and more than $1 billion over budget.
NB Power is seeking $320 million in damages and AECL is after $204 million in damages.
NB Power and AECL allege that their insurance policy with Lloyd's of
London covers the reactor tubes that were damaged during the rebuild.
The Crown corporations also claim that the insurer should pay for
hundreds of millions of dollars in extra costs caused by delays.
The insurance company denied a previous claim by NB Power and AECL last year."
Bill Gates calls for a leap in energy investment: http://www.coolhandnuke.com/Cool-Hand-Blog/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/95/Nuclear-news-roundup-for-022912.aspx ...couldn't agree more:
"Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates (right) has some words of wisdom for
the federal government when it comes to developing new energy
technologies. The former software CEO, who has funded a major
foundation, and who is also privately investing in a new reactor
technology, wants the government to follow suit. Namely, says Gates to
Energy Secretary Steven Chu, open your checkbook."
More
on medical isotope production with cyclotrons: Best Theratronics (which
began as a division of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited) announces plans
to address the medical isotope shortage by manufacturing a range of
cyclotrons http://www.businesswire.com/news/ottawacitizen/20120229006953/en/Cyclotrons-Medical-Isotopes-Theratronics-announces-plans-address
"Best Theratronics Ltd [BTL] plans to address the worldwide medical
isotope shortage by manufacturing a range of cyclotrons for the
production of diagnostic and therapeutic medical isotopes. BTL will
enter into partnerships with hospitals, clinics, medical and research
institutions and distributors to supply isotopes as needed and at a
reasonable cost.
Drawing on more than 50 years in medical equipment
manufacturing, this innovative new product line offers a cost-effective
alternative to both short- and long-lived medical isotopes.
A
cyclotron uses a combination of magnets and radio frequency electric
fields to accelerate ions to velocities high enough to create isotopes.
BTL has a unique cost-effective technology to manufacture five types of
cyclotrons: 14 MeV (B14), 25 MeV (B25), 25 MeV upgradable to 35 MeV
(B25u), 35 MeV (B35) and 70MeV (B70). These cyclotrons will focus on
isotopes used in Positron Emission Tomography (PET), Single Photon
Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) and Therapy by virtue of their
respective energies."
More on the government's recent announcement for expression of interest from private companies for Chalk River Labs: http://www.thedailyobserver.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=3469085
"“This process will allow the government to benefit from the
experiences of organizations, domestic or international, involved in the
management or restructuring of nuclear science and technology or
radioactive waste management,” read a statement posted on the National
Resources’ website.
“The information gathered through this process
will help inform the restructuring process, a critical step to further
strengthen Canada’s nuclear industry while reducing taxpayers’ exposure
to financial risks in this sector.”
Gordon Tapp, president of the
Chalk River Technicians and Technologists, said this is a fishing
expedition, and a possible prelude to the privatization of AECL and
Chalk River labs.
“They (the government) are trying to see who is
interested and the range of the interest” in the company, he said. “They
are trying to look at all the options available to them.”
The goal is to not necessarily sell AECL outright, but to eventually have the private sector take over running the operation.
“The federal government doesn’t want to be in that business, and
haven’t been overly supportive of R and D in general,” Mr. Tapp said.
“They would like to see someone else come in and invest in it.”
He
said what is driving this is the government’s determination to shed
costs anyway they can, due to the worsening economy and government
deficit, coupled with the philosophy there are a lot of things the
private sector should be doing that the Crown is doing using tax
dollars.
What he is concerned about is if there is insufficient
interest shown from the industry for what AECL has to offer, there have
been indications the government may scale back or even shut down the
active parts of the site.
“We could see Chalk River reduced to just a
waste management and decommissioning site,” Mr. Tapp said, as it
decommissions facilities and deals with a wide variety of buried and
stored radioactive waste left on site.
AECL has been having a rough
go of it over the years, facing criticism for the millions of dollars
spent on the company, an investment with its critics claim has little to
show for it.
The cancelation of the MAPLE 1 and 2 reactor project,
the extended shutdown of the 55 year old National Research Universal
reactor due to heavy water leakage and the bumpy ride of the next
generation of CANDUs, the ACR 1000, which has stalled due to a lack of
sales and high costs, together hurt the company at the worst possible
time. "
More
on medical isotope production at CLS in Saskatchewan, if now they also
build a research reactor for neutron scattering and nuclear R&D,
they will really become the new leader province in these areas and even
become the scientific hub of noth America having both a light source and
a research reactor in a single university campus!: "Scientists at the
Canadian Light Source are closer to producing medical isotopes without
using a nuclear reactor, paving the way for Saskatoon to become a
supplier of the essential component used in nuclear medicine.
A new
particle accelerator was delivered to the CLS last week. While the three
sections of pipe, each 1.2 metres long, still sit in the shipping
crates, it will be assembled and installed at the home of Canada's
synchrotron research centre before the end of the month, according to
Mark de Jong, CLS's director of accelerators and the leader of the
Canadian Isotope Project.
"The accelerator that we have purchased, I
think if we are slightly optimistic but not too optimistic, should be
able to produce enough molybdenum-99 for both the province of
Saskatchewan and the province of Manitoba," de Jong said.
"The main
point for us is to develop all the technology. So once we've gone
through showing that we have the capability and the design to meet all
these requirements, then we'll look at how to licence that out." http://www.thestarphoenix.com/health/Scientists+close+medical+isotope+production/6201587/story.html
This is the related
announcement at CNSC: "The production of Tc-99m in existing cyclotrons
could allow the decentralization of the production, which is now highly
dependent on the smooth operation of a few reactors around the world
(including one in Canada: the National Research Universal reactor at the
Chalk River Laboratories, operated by Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd.)
In Canada, the cyclotrons are certified by the Canadian Nuclear Safety
Commission (CNSC). “Facilities equipped with cyclotrons are also
licensed and regularly inspected by the CNSC, to ensure they are safely
operated” said André Régimbald, Director General of the licensing group
in charge of regulating nuclear medicine facilities at the CNSC.
"“The CNSC generally sees the use of non-reactor-based isotope
production technology – like cyclotrons – as a good way of reducing the
amount of radioactive waste typically associated with the production of
medical isotopes” commented CNSC President Michael Binder. “I
congratulate the team for their achievement, and I can assure the public
that the CNSC deals with all regulatory matters regarding medical
facilities as a priority.”"" http://nuclearsafety.gc.ca/eng/mediacentre/updates/2012/February-23-2012-new-sources-of-medical-isotopes.cfm
And this is the news on Reuters http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/22/us-isotopes-idUSTRE81K22T20120222:
"Principal investigator Tom Ruth said companies interested in working
with the team include Canada's Nordion Inc, along with Lantheus Medical
Imaging Inc, Covidien, GE Healthcare, General Electric Co's healthcare
equipment unit, and Cardinal Health Inc.
He would not say what stage discussions were at with any party.
"They would be the ones that would take the technology and maybe they
would contract the cyclotrons in a province or across Canada or whatever
country, and run it as a business," Ruth said.
Ottawa-based Nordion
is one of the world's largest suppliers of molybdenum-99. It processes
it at an aging nuclear reactor at Chalk River, Ontario, one of the few
reactors in the world that produces commercial quantities of the
substance."
Saskatchewan takes another important step in re-establishing its position in the nuclear industry: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/story/2012/02/21/sk-nuclear-innovation-centre-1202.html ... this is the direct link to the government of Saskatchewan's announcement: http://www.gov.sk.ca/news?newsId=5e36140e-d06e-4a51-a259-27e4c5460ea4
"Minister responsible for Innovation Rob Norris today signed a
multi-year agreement for Innovation Saskatchewan to provide funding for
the new $30 million Canadian Centre for Nuclear Innovation (CCNI), a
world-class research centre housed at the University of Saskatchewan to
support nuclear research, development and innovation.
"The Canadian
Centre for Nuclear Innovation is a key cornerstone of Saskatchewan's
innovation and nuclear agendas," Norris said. "It will play a vital role
in advancing our vision for a safe, responsible, value-added nuclear
agenda that focuses on nuclear medicine, material science, safety and
small reactor technology."
"Building on the university's renowned
history in nuclear medicine and accelerator technology, the CCNI will
help Saskatchewan build and maintain a community of expertise to engage
the broader community in evidence-based conversations about nuclear
issues and inform policies on nuclear technologies for the benefit of
society and the economy," CCNI Vice-Chair and U of S Vice-President
Research Karen Chad said.
"The CCNI's board of directors is a strong
team of experienced academics, executives and managers who bring
perspectives from universities, colleges, industry, and government
agencies, including the University of Saskatchewan, Cameco and Atomic
Energy of Canada Limited, as examples," CCNI Interim Director and
Director of the National Research Council's Canadian Beam Centre John
Root said." and this is the story on ctv: http://regina.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20120221/sas-nuclear-120221/20120221/?hub=Regina ... Go Saskatchewan Go!
