“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Aug 23, 2024

1

Share

Methuselah, who is rumored to have lived for 969 years — the longest of us all.

LLAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Thursday, (08/22/2024)

Wow! Today is the 2nd Anniversary of “All Things Nuclear”! How on Earth could two trips around our Sun have possibly gone so rapidly, leaving nothing but memories so seemingly quickly? And with nary a day off with a “LLAW’s All Things Nuclear” blog post That’s 730 posts, one a day following right behind the latter. That is, I will say, dedication to my purpose here, which is to warn us all around the world that we humans are rapidly moving forward to our collective deaths from ‘all things nuclear’, especially from nuclear war and nuclear power, or a combination of the two with maybe a little help from Greenhous gasses. We could turn around and go back where we came from, but we won’t, and that is the shame and horror of it all . . . but even though I, and a handful of others, know how it could be done, it takes a world of unity, and we humans will not allow unity to happen. The only thing that could save us from ourselves is an unknown intervention from a higher form of life, and even that may not be a pleasant blessing either. But we should know that a life-giving and thriving planet Earth is, in every way possible, worth saving . . . I’ve never understood why we don’t en-masse understand that, but I do know it has something to do with our ability to think and use our natural intellect conclusively and collectively, or rather the lack of it.

I have linked these daily Blog Posts from two of their several source platforms by posting them to Facebook (because Facebook reaches far more people than any other social media platform —numbering in the multiple billions world-wide. Yet, so far, I have just a handful of faithful followers and a few hundred sporadic or occasional visitors. Of course these smallish steps over the two years will not convince me to stop or to throw my hands up and quit, even though Facebook has tried to shut my blog posts down several times, and has attempted to permanently delete about 8 or 10 of them for various violations of their so-called “Community Standards” varying from ‘Cyber Security’ to ‘SPAM’. One way or another, though, I have and will continue on because I am old, set in my ways, and have long known the nuclear industry from its uranium mining roots, uranium fuel processing, and the many dangers ‘all things nuclear’ poses to all of human and other life on this beautiful blue-green planet.

Even if we humans, who have blindly allowed ourselves to be led down a crooked path toward inevitable extinction by governments, corporations, and the nuclear industry’s propaganda, there are those of us who know the industry and who understand the ‘armageddon-like’ trip to and over the proverbial cliff to our demise. But we are never able to convince a world full of apathetic, uncaring, fatalistic, or even simply fearful, nor, most of all, those millions of enthusiastic followers of the mythical future of nuclear power as our ultimate savior. Yet we should still do ourselves the intellectual favor and honor to know the true nature and mechanics of ‘all things nuclear’ and what atomic energy, nuclear fuel, nuclear power plants, and nuclear war are all about and why they will ultimately destroy us and most other innocent life, too, leaving planet Earth a barren and dead planet. Education is all-important, and that is what my anti-nuclear blog is all about.

(And, by the way, I also post my blog to “Linked In”, not only because it is of University of Wyoming origin — where I was born and raised — a venture that has grown internationally, and has a huge well-rounded professional following and I am looking for just the right Sponsor that could allow me to expand the dalily information and purposes that are provided in the blog.)

So those are the reasons I will continue on with the blog and these posts with one exception: Beginning Saturday, I will no longer post on weekends or holidays in deference to my health (both mental and physical) combined with my seemingly Methusalahian-like years of age . . . so I am more likely to be able to continue on with this dramatic global murder mystery of a tale that I have to tell you all for many more years — provided we have “many more years”, which I highly doubt, but at least until there is no more story to tell except the last chapter. ~llaw

Speaking of stories, there are several extra-interesting ones in TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS below. (I’m taking the rest of the day off . . .)

Subscribed

---

ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War
5. Nuclear War Threats
6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There is one Yellowstone Caldera bonus story available in this evening’s Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Thursday, (08/22/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

What does Ukraine’s incursion into Russia say about a so-called ‘red line’? – KRWG

KRWG

INSKEEP: I talk with Ukrainians. I think they felt for a long time that the U.S. was way too worried about Russian nuclear retaliation. Have the …

What does Ukraine’s incursion into Russia say about a so-called ‘red line’? – NPR

NPR

Evelyn Farkas is watching all this. She was a deputy assistant secretary of defense in the Obama administration and now leads a nonpartisan think tank …

Daily Report | Air & Space Forces Magazine

Daily Report | Air & Space Forces Magazine

Get your daily fix of Air & Space Force news delivered right to your inbox every day. There’s no more reliable source for news about your Air …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

It’s time for the U.S. to lead on nuclear energy – Clean Air Task Force

Clean Air Task Force

Nuclear energy is a proven energy source that already accounts for around 10 percent of electricity generation globally and nearly 20 percent …

Putin accuses Ukraine of trying to strike Russia’s Kursk nuclear power plant | Reuters

Reuters

President Vladimir Putin on Thursday accused Ukraine of trying to strike Russia’s Kursk nuclear power plant in an overnight attack and said Moscow …

IAEA’s Grossi on Russia, Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant Risks – YouTube

YouTube

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi talks on Bloomberg Television about escalating safety risks at both the …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Telephone survey shows how many Kazakhstanis support nuclear power plant construction

Kazinform

Opponents to the construction (32.5%) associate nuclear power plants with potential emergencies and environmental consequences. At the same time …

British defence contractor to work on top secret nuclear monitoring base – The Telegraph

The Telegraph

Serco lands £250m contract to build emergency power station at Greenland space base.

WATCH NOW: DC firefighters respond to emergency call on Wisconsin Ave

DC News Now

WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — Several firefighters in D.C. were on the scene of an emergency … reactor at the damaged Fukushima Nuclear power plant …

Nuclear War

NEWS

If a China and America war went nuclear, who would win? – The Economist

The Economist

During the cold war America and the Soviet Union both planned to use lots of tactical nuclear weapons to destroy large and dispersed troop formations, …

Putin accuses Ukraine of trying to strike Russia’s Kursk nuclear power plant – Reuters

Reuters

Acting Kursk Governor Alexei Smirnov told Putin that the situation at the Kursk plant, which has four Soviet graphite-moderated RBMK-1000 reactors, …

Putin says Ukrainian forces tried to strike Kursk nuclear plant – Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera

The Russian leader does not offer any evidence for his claim but says the UN nuclear watchdog has been alerted.

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Amid Iran, Russia Attack Threats, USA’s Major Nuclear Weapons Policy Change Revelation

YouTube

Iran Israel War | Nuclear Weapon Threat: U.S. President Joe Biden … Amid Iran, Russia Attack Threats, USA’s Major Nuclear Weapons Policy Change …

Amid Iran, Russia Attack Threats, USA’s Major Nuclear Weapons Policy Change Revelation

Hindustan Times

Watch this video for all the details. News / Videos / World News / Amid Iran, Russia Attack Threats, USA’s Major Nuclear Weapons Policy Change …

Global threats don’t happen in silos. They shouldn’t be managed separately, either.

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

… opportunities to come up with more effective strategies across a range of threats. … Humans should teach AI how to avoid nuclear war—while they 

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

The disappearing mountains and hungry volcano | NSF – National Science Foundation

National Science Foundation

… Yellowstone caldera following the Huckleberry Ridge eruption over 2 million years ago. The Yellowstone volcano is a hotspot, which means the volcano …

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Aug 21, 2024

1

Share

LLAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Wednesday, (08/21/2024)

This article is an interview by two brilliant people, one who despises the nuclear industry, and one who supports it to a degree, discuss the nuclear industry and the mythical dream of an ‘explosion’ of nuclear produced power that will save us from global warming and climate change.

Nuclear energy will not do either because it just simply takes way too long to put nuclear power plants into nuclear power production, among other issues including the survival of life on planet Earth. CO2 and other greenhouse gasses are ‘breathing down our throats’ and those of us who know the nuclear industry know that, aside from its nasty, dirty, radioactive leftovers and propensity for nuclear “accidents” (that the industry laughably calls ‘clean energy’) the time frame of nuclear power production to adequately solve the fossil fuel problem is far too far away and far too dangerous.

Those clear-thinking scientists like M.V. Ramana, and others with ‘hands-on’ experience know that nuclear energy is incapable of solving the environmental problems we have ignorantly created everywhere around the world, and nuclear products of every kind, including the much ballyhooed SMRs, only compound the problem and increase the dangers of our own method of a potential, even likely, mass extinction of our own suicidal making on planet Earth. ~llaw

Challenging the nuclear industry: interview with M.V. Ramana

20 years ago, you would have been laughed out of the room for claiming that nuclear energy is clean technology. The urgency of the climate crisis has drawn some people to some strange conclusions. -Commentary

by Susan O’Donnell

August 20, 2024

Reading Time: 9min read

M.V. Ramana, author of “Nuclear is Not the Solution: The Folly of Atomic Power in the Age of Climate Change,” advocates for rethinking nuclear energy’s role in addressing climate change. Photo by Susan O’Donnell.

Despite nuclear energy’s notorious problems, the industry remains remarkably resilient, receiving solid support from governments around the world.

Most recently, in Canada, a ministerial working group of federal cabinet members issued “a plan to modernize federal assessment and permitting processes to get clean growth projects built faster.” The plan includes aligning resources so that “nuclear energy remains a strategic asset to Canada now and into the future.”

A prolific and well-known critic of the nuclear industry in Canada – including in New Brunswick – is physicist and professor M.V. Ramana. Ramana is Simons Chair in Disarmament, Global and Human Security at the University of British Columbia. He is back in Vancouver after spending the winter academic term at Princeton University in the U.S., where he previously worked as a researcher for many years.

I last spent time in person with Ramana in June in Montreal where we co-organized a panel, “Challenging the Canadian Nuclear Establishment,” for the Socialist Studies conference. We spoke by phone in July about his new book, Nuclear is Not the Solution: The Folly of Atomic Power in the Age of Climate Change.

O’Donnell: Your last book was about nuclear power in India. Your new book is about nuclear energy and the climate crisis. Why did you want to write about that?

Ramana: About 20 or 30 years ago, if someone had talked about nuclear energy as an environmentally friendly, clean technology, they probably would have been laughed out of the room. But in the last decade or two, the nuclear industry seems to be succeeding in changing how people think of this technology, including some environmentalists and people broadly on the left who one would expect to be critical of the industry’s claims.

Much of that is the emergency framing, in which climate change is seen as the overwhelming problem, and we are asked to ignore every other consideration in addressing that.

Nuclear energy has several well-known problems. The fact that there could be catastrophic accidents has been proven time and again. There is no demonstrated solution to managing radioactive waste for the hundreds of thousands of years it will be hazardous. The link between nuclear weapons and nuclear energy. Climate change is framed as such an existential risk that we should overlook all these other problems.

This argument misses the question of whether nuclear energy is a feasible solution. This is the larger context in which I was trying to address the problem.

As well, these framings of nuclear energy as a solution to climate change miss the relationship between the nuclear industry and the fossil fuel industry and other industries that prefer to maintain the status quo.

O’Donnell: I was at a meeting recently with climate activists who support more nuclear development, and someone said that my opposition to nuclear energy is helping the fossil fuel industry. You just suggested the opposite.

Ramana: Their argument presumes that fossil fuels can only be replaced by nuclear power and ignores the possibility that one might switch to renewables. It’s a standard logical fallacy. Both the fossil fuel industry and the nuclear industry use this narrative. Both will claim that you cannot operate an electricity grid without so-called “baseload” sources of power, and fossil fuels and nuclear power are portrayed as the only options for producing that kind of power.

That form of thinking is outdated at this point. It was how people thought about managing an electricity grid back in the early part of the 20th century, ideas about trying to have power plants operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. So-called “baseload” plants meet the minimal electricity demand that is always present. And then for the much higher demands during certain periods of the day or the year, we will run other kinds of plants.

The growth of renewables goes against that form of thinking because renewables cannot be classified either as baseload or peak power. They generate when the wind the wind is blowing or the sun is shining, and their inclusion forces us to rethink how we manage the grid.

We have come a long way from the idea that we cannot operate a grid using only renewables to understanding that the grid will be stable even with a very high proportion of renewables. If at all there’s any question, it’s about the last 10% or so.

O’Donnell: Right now, among my colleagues, we’re wondering if the “SMR era” is coming to an end in Canada. Here in New Brunswick, it looks like the ARC reactor design is on its way out. Much of the hype in Canada now is about big reactors. We’re seeing SNC Lavalin/ AtkinsRéalis more prominently, trying to sell their big new 1000 MW CANDU design, we hear Bruce Power talking about building multiple new big reactors. The buzz is about big reactors and meanwhile the SMR companies are having money problems. The SMR companies are not getting the resources they need to reach the stage of applying for a license to construct their reactor designs. Maybe in Canada we will skip over the SMR era, except for the one at Darlington, whenever that might be built, and just focus on refurbishments and big reactors.

Ramana: It depends on what you mean by “end of the SMR era.” Even the reactor at Darlington, the BWRX-300, is going to take another 10 to 15 years. During that period, at least, the SMR dream will be alive. The reactor will be much more expensive and take much longer, and so on, but one shouldn’t underestimate the power of both the nuclear industry and its supporters within the government to keep pushing the idea that the next time around, it’s going to be all fine. That has been their standard argument.

In the United States, for example, the AP 1000 reactors built in Vogtle were a complete failure by most measures, right? But now that the reactors have started functioning, you see people from the nuclear industry counting this as a great success. And it’s not that they’re going to decide to build another set of reactors anytime soon, but you cannot rule out that possibility within, let’s say, the next 10 or 15 years.

We see that in people like Jennifer Granholm, the U.S. Energy Secretary, talking about how much nuclear energy must expand over the next few decades, making an argument for more nuclear plants, whether they be small or big. The nuclear industry would want to argue that it’s not a question of small versus large, it’s going to be both. That’s going to be their talking point, and they don’t want to be asked to make a choice, because that infighting is going to weaken the other side, they understand that quite well.

O’Donnell: A chapter in your book deals with the high financial and temporal cost of nuclear energy. You show conclusively, and independent analysis backs you up, that nuclear power is more expensive and takes longer to build than renewable energy and storage.

You found this quote by President Macron of France, which is the most nuclearized state in the world, admitting that France needs to massively develop renewable energy to meet its immediate electricity needs because it takes 15 years to build a nuclear reactor. In the face of clear evidence, a lot of people question why France, and other countries including the U.K. and Canada, seem to be determined to build more nuclear reactors.

Ramana: The first reason is related to how these governments get advice on their energy strategies and policies. The advice tends to come from the very institutions invested in promoting nuclear energy. In the United States, it’s the Department of Energy deciding on energy policy, and one of the Department of Energy’s priorities is to promote nuclear energy. It’s the same in Canada, it’s Natural Resources Canada giving the advice. There’s an institutional bias towards nuclear energy present in the decisions made about energy policies.

The second reason is that in two of the countries you mentioned, the U.K. and France, both have nuclear weapons. In both countries, the relationship between the nuclear energy sector and the capacity to make nuclear weapons as well as the nuclear submarines used to deliver nuclear weapons, has been a talking point the nuclear industry uses to get government support. It’s clear that policymakers are thinking about this connection as a reason to support nuclear energy and make it flourish to the extent that it can.

The last thing is that these countries only look at the low carbon nature of nuclear energy and they see climate change as primarily a technical, maybe economic, issue. They think it can be fixed by changing what technologies we use to generate energy, and some taxes or cap and trade schemes to try and make sure that the market values carbon in an adequate way.

There is no consideration of any deeper changes that we might need to make, towards society and the way we produce and consume materials and energy. That means that nuclear energy or renewables are the only two options that they can think about.

O’Donnell: Coming back to the financial aspects of nuclear power, I often hear that Bill Gates is famously supporting nuclear power, and you do mention him in your book. It’s a puzzle why billionaires, who you would assume are savvy with money, would support nuclear power if it’s such a bad investment.

Ramana: They do invest some money, but only when they expect public funding to be a significant part of whatever project they are proposing. They can use public funding to then raise more money from private markets.

After the 2008 financial crisis, Silicon Valley billionaires have a dearth of investment opportunities for the financial holdings that many of them have. They are trying to find things to invest in. Many of these investors have large portfolios, with every expectation that most of those investments will not materialize in major gains. But the hope is that if you put in 20 investments, and one of them makes a lot of money and becomes like a Facebook type success, then that will more than compensate for all the other investments. And so, they usually look at these long shots. Even if there is a 1% probability, it’s worth investing in.

People like Bill Gates, and Sam Altman and other people also, see technology as a kind of saviour for whatever they want to do. Climate change is a problem for them, because it looks like the effects of climate change might prevent business as usual from continuing, and business as usual is what has allowed them to become the very wealthy people they are. They want people to believe that climate change can be fixed using technological changes and that they themselves will be leading the investment in these technologies and solving climate change.

The challenge they see is that if people don’t have this belief, then they might start making more radical demands. I think I quote Sam Altman in one of my chapters, saying, “People then start thinking this crazy degrowth stuff,” which he calls “immoral” if I remember right. That kind of radical demand is something they don’t want to see become more prominent. And so, technology is always portrayed as not just a savior but also capable of solving climate change. They want that belief to be very central and not questioned. Nuclear energy is part of that portfolio of technologies they envision as solving the problem.

For these investors, the environmental and other risks associated with nuclear power are not challenges they envision as having to deal with. They are not going to live near a nuclear waste repository, or uranium mine, or even a nuclear plant, so they’re not particularly concerned about all these environmental impacts.

Nuclear is Not the Solution: The Folly of Atomic Power in the Age of Climate Change by M.V. Ramana is published by Verso Books and available as an e-book for $11.20 CAD.

Susan O’Donnell is adjunct research professor and lead investigator of the CEDAR project in the Environment & Society program at St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick. She edited this interview for publication..

An earlier version of this article was published by The Energy Mix on August 3, 2024

Subscribed

---

ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War
5. Nuclear War Threats
6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are 2 Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in this evening’s Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Wednesday, (08/21/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Holtec argues state has no authority to ban radioactive water discharge into Cape Cod Bay

WBUR

… nuclear reactor system at Pilgrim as part of the plant decommissioning … All Things Considered · Ways To Listen · All Radio Programs. Podcasts. The …

Challenging the nuclear industry: interview with M.V. Ramana – NB Media Co-op

NB Media Co-op

Much of that is the emergency framing, in which climate change is seen as the overwhelming problem, and we are asked to ignore every other …

What does Ukraine’s incursion into Russia say about a so-called ‘red line’? | TPR

Texas Public Radio

He’s threatened to use nuclear weapons, and frankly, I think the Ukrainians understand how Vladimir Putin thinks, how the Russians think, and they …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Nuclear fleet maintained high performance in 2023

World Nuclear News

Global nuclear electricity generation increased in 2023, despite a 1 GWe drop in overall capacity, to 392 GWe, of operable nuclear power plants, …

IAEA releases 2023 nuclear power data : Energy & Environment

World Nuclear News

The International Atomic Energy Agency has released its annual nuclear power data publications – and says they paint a picture of a clean energy …

Preface to World Nuclear Performance Report 2024

World Nuclear Association

… nuclear power plants. The average capacity factor of nuclear reactors increased by 1%, reaching 81.5% in 2023, highlighting the reliability …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Sizewell C community events tackle climate emergency | East Anglian Daily Times

East Anglian Daily Times

The team at Sizewell C is raising awareness of the new nuclear power station and how it will combat climate change at community events across the…

Nuclear War

NEWS

China Responds to Top-Secret US Nuclear War Strategy – Newsweek

Newsweek

China’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday accused the United States of creating the largest nuclear threat.

Biden approved secret nuclear strategy focusing on Chinese threat, New York Times reports

Reuters

U.S. President Joe Biden approved in March a highly classified nuclear strategic plan that for the first time reoriented Washington’s deterrent …

Biden Approved Secret Nuclear Strategy Refocusing on Chinese Threat

The New York Times

In a classified document approved in March, the president ordered U.S. forces to prepare for possible coordinated nuclear confrontations with …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Biden Approved Secret Nuclear Strategy Refocusing on Chinese Threat

The New York Times

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has repeatedly threatened the use of nuclear weapons against Ukraine, including during a crisis in October 2022, …

Biden approves nuclear strategy refocusing on China threat – report – The Guardian

The Guardian

… threatened to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. The US-based Arms Control Association said it understood US nuclear weapons strategy and posture …

China ‘concerned’ after report alleging US nuclear strategy change – VOA

VOA

U.S. and Chinese officials both frequently speak of the dangers of nuclear war, but efforts to hold dialogue on the issue have failed. Last year, U.S. ..

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

Yellowstone Thermal Features, From Apollinaris To Zomar – National Parks Traveler

National Parks Traveler

Editor’s Note: Yellowstone Caldera Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory.

Traffic: The largest hydrothermal explosions the world has ever known | News | Head Topics

Head Topics

… yellowstone-national-park-after-massive-explosion&quot … Steam explosions are one of the biggest potential hazards at Yellowstone Caldera.

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Aug 20, 2024

Share

I intentionally did not listen to this “X” conversation between Trump and Musk on August 12th because I knew my anger would drive my blood pressure through the top of my head or at least LLAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Tuesday, (08/20/2024)out of my ears. And, just reading this annotated article, it no doubt would have. llolloll! The simple reading of this incomprehensible, untrue, and childish (as always) abbreviated 2 hour long discussion with Trump clearly demonstrates his inability to think coherently, and, as is Trump’s wont, filled with lies.

And I, for the life of me, cannot understand what he means when he claims that Putin’s Russia would never have invaded Ukraine had he been President in 2022. Putin ignored Trump then, so why would Putin not have ignored him in 2022. Trump blamed the Russia/Ukraine war on Biden during their fiasco of a debate.

To simply answer the author of this article, Walter Pincus, a Pulitzer Prize recipient for journalism and many other prestigious awards, who asks at the end of his story: “In short, do you want a leader whose word cannot be trusted?” Pincus says he doesn’t; and I, for sure, don’t either . . . ~llaw 

Donald Trump and Elon Musk – the Annotated Version 

Posted: August 20th, 2024

By Walter Pincus

Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist Walter Pincus is a contributing senior national security columnist for The Cipher Brief. He spent forty years at The Washington Post, writing on topics that ranged from nuclear weapons to politics. He is the author of Blown to Hell: America’s Deadly Betrayal of the Marshall Islanders. Pincus won an Emmy in 1981 and was the recipient of the Arthur Ross Award from the American Academy for Diplomacy in 2010.  He was also a team member for a Pulitzer Prize in 2002 and the George Polk Award in 1978.  

OPINION — “One of the things we’re going to do is we’re going to build an Iron Dome over us. Israel has it. We’re going to have the best Iron Dome in the world. We need it and we’re going to make it all in the United States, but we’re going to have protection because it just takes one maniac to start something. We’re going to have protection and we’re going to have…Why shouldn’t we have an Iron Dome? Israel has one. Some other places have one that nobody even knows about frankly. Israel has it. We’re going to have an Iron Dome.” 

That was former President Donald Trump speaking on August 12, during his live-streamed, two-hour discussion with Elon Musk on the latter’s X platform. 

It was one of Trump’s many references to national-security matters during his exchanges with Musk that showed how limited his knowledge is of military subjects, despite his earlier four years as U.S. Commander-in-Chief – and how often he claims wrong information as facts to present his view of things. 

Much of what Trump says on defense matters remains unchallenged, so I want to deal with a few statements he made during his Musk conversation, not least because its 1.1-million-person audience may actually believe what he said.  

The facts about “Iron Dome” 

For example, Iron Dome is recognized as a short-range defense system, useful perhaps in the U.S. for border protection, but not to provide what Trump seems to imply – protection for the entire U.S. from nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). 

Iron Dome is an Israeli-developed system, designed originally to defend Israeli cities from enemy artillery and short-range rockets fired from up to 40 miles away. Its range has since been increased to up to 150 miles. A typical Iron Dome battery has three or four launchers (20 missiles per launcher) and each battery can defend up to 60 square miles, so they are strategically placed around cities. They can operate day and night, under adverse weather conditions, and can respond to multiple threats simultaneously. 

The U.S. has for more than a decade contributed more than $2 billion to Iron Dome’s development, and a Raytheon/Israeli joint venture in the U.S. produces an interceptor missile used by the Iron Dome system. The U.S. Army and Marine Corps have purchased Iron Dome batteries for tactical defense purposes. 

Perhaps Trump had in mind two other Israeli missile defense systems that the U.S. has helped in funding – “David’s Sling,” designed to intercept enemy planes, drones, tactical ballistic missiles, long-range rockets, or cruise missiles; or “Arrow 3,” which intercepts ICBMs during space flight. 

It’s also possible that Trump was just using Iron Dome as a stand-in for his desire for a nationwide U.S. missile defense system that does not exist; and maybe he wants to build one because Iron Dome seems to have protected Israeli cities.  

However, 35 minutes later, in the same conversation with Musk, Trump referred to the current fear of a mass Iranian attack on Israel “from hundreds and maybe thousands of rockets.” In that situation, Trump said, “You know, their Iron Dome, as they call it, as we all call it, but their shield that they built, that can be swamped. We’ll use the term that’s appropriate, swamped. But they swamp it by shooting enough missiles. You [referring to Musk] know this better than anybody. By shooting enough missiles, they can’t defend themselves. You know, they [Iran] just obliterate the whole place [Israeli cities]. And that’s what some people think they’re looking to do.” 

So suddenly Iron Dome, which Trump earlier saw as protecting Israel, and by analogy the U.S., can be overcome – “can be swamped” – by “enough” of Iran’s missiles. Trump’s shifting faith in Iron Dome can be explained, not by the actual capabilities of the weapon system, but what Trump wants to appear saying at any given moment. 

In this case, when Trump first brought up Iron Dome it was after Musk had said, “People have become complacent about, but they actually have forgotten that there are currently a lot of nuclear missiles that have targeting parameters for the United States and other countries.” 

Trump initially wanted to show what he would do in response, and somehow Iron Dome, which has recently been much publicized in helping to safeguard Israel, was in his mind.  

When he returned to the subject some 35 minutes later, the context was different – Trump then wanted to criticize the Biden-Harris administration for not supporting a possibly “swamped” Israel and so, as he put it, “if you vote for her, you ought to have your head examined.” 

The case of Nord Stream 2 

Trump also used national security situations, and inaccurate information, to promote himself. 

“I shut down Nord Stream 2.” Trump said early in the Musk conversation, adding, “That was the big oil pipeline, the biggest, I think the biggest pipeline in the world going all over Europe. I shut it down. Biden came, and then they say, I loved Russia. I was a friend of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and I loved Russia. No, he [Putin] actually said to me one time, ‘If you are my friend, I’d hate to see you as an enemy.’ I shut down his pipeline.” 

The first thing to note is that Nord Stream 2 is a natural gas pipeline, not used to carry oil. More important, Trump did not shut it down. Instead, Congress imposed sanctions on international companies building the pipeline as an amendment to the fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization Bill. Ultimately, however, although the legislation held up Nord Stream 2’s construction for almost a year, it began again in 2020 during the Trump administration, with Russian companies doing the work, unaffected by U.S. sanctions.

Putin announced completion of the pipeline in September 2021, and the Biden administration reached agreement with Germany – which had regulatory authority over Nord Stream 2 – that the U.S. would apply new sanctions if Russia used Nord Stream 2 as a “political weapon.”  

After Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Germany suspended certification of Nord Stream 2, and the U.S. applied sanctions to Swiss-based Nord Stream 2 AG, a subsidiary of Russia’s Gazprom, that was to operate the pipeline. It never went into operation and in September 2022, undersea explosions damaged both Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2.  

In short, Trump had nothing to do with shutting down Nord Stream 2. 

Trump’s “axis of evil” 

Perhaps the most confused part of the foreign policy Trump shared during his conversation with Musk conversation came when he tried to articulate what he actually thinks about Russia, China, North Korea and Iran. 

At one point Trump described them as a “modern day axis of evil,” and said, “These are powerful countries, very heavy nuclear, which is the biggest threat,” apparently a reference to nuclear weapons. To date, Iran has not acquired nuclear weapons, though Tehran is much closer to having them than it was in 2017, when Trump withdrew the U.S. from the international agreement that limited Iran’s nuclear activities. 

During the Musk conversation, Trump never referred to Iran’s nuclear program. Instead, he said, “Iran would not be attacking [Israel], believe me. You know, when I was there [as President], and I say it with respect, because I think we would have been good with Iran. I don’t wanna do anything bad to Iran, but they knew not to mess around.” 

Trump went on to claim that as a result of sanctions his administration imposed in 2018, “Iran was broke…It’s all about the oil. That’s where the money is. But if you buy oil from Iran, you’re not gonna do any business with the United States. And I meant it…And they [Iran] were at a point where they were, they had no money for Hamas. They had no money for Hezbollah.” 

That wasn’t true either. As Trump’s own Secretary of State Mike Pompeo put it during a May 2020 interview, when Trump was still in office, Iran’s leaders “are using the resources that they have to continue funding Hezbollah in Lebanon and threatening the state of Israel, funding Iraqi terrorist Shia groups, all the things that they have done historically – continuing to build out their capabilities even while the people inside of their own country are suffering.” 

As for Russia, and as mentioned above, Trump has spoken repeatedly of his friendship with Putin. During the Musk conversation, Trump also reiterated, in an odd form, his oft-stated view that Russia would not have invaded Ukraine had he been President in February 2022. 

Trump claimed to have had the following exchange with the Russian President: “I said to Vladimir Putin, I said, ‘Don’t do it. You can’t do it, Vladimir. You do it, it’s gonna be a bad day. You cannot do it.’ And I told him things that what I’d do. And he said, ‘no way.’ And I said, ‘way.’ And it’s the last time we ever had the conversation. He would never have done it.” 

Of course, Trump never said when that alleged conversation took place, how it came up, or what it was that he would have had the U.S. do if the invasion had taken place on his watch. 

Perhaps some reporter at some future Trump press conference will ask about that. 

Trump went on to say of Putin, “I got along well with him. I hope to get along well with him again. Getting along well with them [leaders of the modern-day axis of evil] is a good thing, not a bad thing.” 

“I got along well with Kim Jong Un,” Trump told Musk, and he then went on to describe their meetings and exchanges while Trump was in the White House. In the end, Trump said, “I got along with him great. We were in no danger. But President Obama thought we were gonna end up in a war, a nuclear war with him. And let me tell you, he’s got a lot of nuclear stuff, too. He’s got plenty of nuclear. He can do plenty of damage.” 

Unmentioned was that back in 2017, then-President Trump vowed to “confront very strongly” North Korea’s “very, very bad behavior” in test-launching ICBMs and other missiles. Back then, Trump also said that North Korea would be “met with fire and fury and frankly power, the likes of which this world has never seen before” for its nuclear threats. 

But despite Trump’s tough words, Kim went ahead with North Korea’s nuclear program, and now Trump appears to accept Kim’s having nuclear weapons – even admiring him for it. 

Do you want a president as Commander-in-Chief who changes his-or-her mind on a weapons system to suit his-or-her current mood; a president who claims credit for events they did not affect; or who said they had told a foreign leader something, but may not have done so?  

In short, do you want a leader whose word cannot be trusted? 

I don’t. 

The Cipher Brief is committed to publishing a range of perspectives on national security issues submitted by deeply experienced national security professionals. 

Opinions expressed are those of the author and do not represent the views or opinions of The Cipher Brief.

---

Subscribed

ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War
5. Nuclear War Threats
6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are 2 Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in this evening’s Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Tuesday, (08/20/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Donald Trump and Elon Musk – the Annotated Version – The Cipher Brief

The Cipher Brief

… nuclear weapons to politics. … Trump went on to claim that as a result of sanctions his administration imposed in 2018, “Iran was broke…It’s all about …

White House Appoints Jason Dunaway, Day & Zimmermann President, Union Operations, to …

PR Newswire

… Nuclear Power Project Management and Delivery Working Group. Dunaway … things better. Our 37,000 employees help bring big ideas to life …

India’s NTPC confirms plans for nuclear subsidiary

World Nuclear News

That is, as you know, that is joint venture with NPCIL. NPCIL is the lead partner; 51(%), we are 49(%). “But I’m happy to share with all of you that …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Nuclear fleet maintained high performance in 2023

World Nuclear News

Global nuclear electricity generation and average capacity factors increased in 2023, despite a 1 GWe drop in overall capacity, to 392 GWe, …

IAEA Releases Nuclear Power Data and Operating Experience for 2023

International Atomic Energy Agency

Newly released nuclear power data for 2023 collected by the IAEA, paint a picture of a clean energy technology at a crossroads amid the emergence …

China Approves Record 11 New Nuclear Power Reactors – Bloomberg.com

Bloomberg.com

China approved 11 nuclear reactors across five sites Monday, a record amount of new permits as the nation leans even more heavily on atomic energy …

China approves five nuclear power projects, state media reports | Reuters – Reuters

Full Coverage

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

State agencies to simulate nuclear emergency response – Post Bulletin | Rochester …

Post Bulletin

… Nuclear Generating Plant emergency situation. The exercise will test the capabilities of all responsible agencies to take decisive action to an …

NRC to perform special inspections at Cook Nuclear after repeated generator failure

ABC57

“Emergency diesel generators are important because they provide backup power to safety equipment when power from the electrical grid is not available.

Bruce Power, employees and community raise $40000 for Alberta wildfire emergency relief

Saugeen Times

Our 4,200 employees are the foundation of our accomplishments and are proud of the role they play in safely delivering clean, reliable nuclear power ..

Nuclear War

NEWS

Is America buying nuclear weapons to win a war or to prevent one?

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

America’s technological lead in anti-submarine warfare meant that, for much of the Cold War (and perhaps through to the present), US attack submarines …

Belarusian president says Ukraine would ‘applaud’ nuclear weapons use by Russia

abcnews4.com

The comment comes as the Russia-Ukraine war draws closer to the two-and-a-half-year mark.

Striking A Balance: The United States’ Competing Demands of Deterrence and Assurance …

38 North

Amid a historic low in inter-Korean relations and the wider Indo-Pacific region’s rapidly deteriorating security environment, the risk of nuclear war …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

The U.S. and China Can Lead the Way on Nuclear Threat Reduction – Foreign Policy

Foreign Policy

… nuclear threats. In theory, no first use refers to a policy by which … A tit for tat risks becoming a full-blown nuclear war that no one wants.

South Korea, US kick off annual drills over North’s military, cyber threats | Reuters

Reuters

Seoul and Washington say the exercises are defensive and a response to the North’s threats. The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the …

Belarusian president claims Ukraine is ‘pushing’ Russia to strike with nuclear weapons

Fox News

Lukashenko’s comments regarding the threat of nuclear warfare were not the first issued by the Putin ally since Russia invaded Ukraine. Similarly

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

Yellowstone thermal features, from Apollinaris to Zomar | U.S. Geological Survey

USGS.gov

Yellowstone Caldera Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. This week’s …

Digging into the history of hydrothermal explosions at Yellowstone’s Biscuit Basin

Idaho Capital Sun

Yellowstone Caldera Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. Creative Commons …

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Aug 19, 2024

1

1

Share

This photo taken on September 11, 2022 shows a general view of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Enerhodar, Zaporizhzhia Oblast. STRINGER / AFP

LLAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Monday, (08/19/2024)

So, are we already seeing a growing, more serious, nuclear war in the making? I have long contended that the constant attacks on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine over the past couple of years is proof that nuclear power plants are easily used as nuclear weapons. And now we have the Russian nuclear power plant in Kursk also involved in attacks by Ukraine combatants. This is an alarming and extremely dangerous situation, and it could very easily get worse quickly. And it should be a dramatic lesson to us all.

This is what International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi had to say about the vulnerability of nuclear power plants suffering direct military attacks: “Nuclear power plants are designed to be resilient against technical or human failures and external events including extreme ones, but they are not built to withstand a direct military attack, and neither are they supposed to, just as with any other energy facility in the world. This latest attack highlights the vulnerability of such facilities in conflict zones and the need to continue monitoring the fragile situation.” (Read the article just below for more.)

To me, that means nuclear power plants can, if they’re not already, being used as weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), and if such a menace can exist in the Russian/Ukraine war, it can happen anywhere in the world where nuclear power plants exist, and, yes, the United States leads the world in the number of operating nuclear power plants. Canada also has a large collection of nuclear power plants along the Eastern seaboard just north of the USA. These two nations are simply sitting ducks for nuclear warfare to radiate the entire central and eastern population in both countries.

In the early stages of her recent book, “Nuclear War: A Scenario”, Annie Jacobsen, in her alarming well-researched book describes how a nuclear power plant can easily be used as a WMD out of the blue, in just one shocking instant and, in a short time more, destroy a huge part of California. She creates a scenario of North Korea dropping a nuclear bomb on the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, owned by the infamous Pacific Gas & Electric utility (PG&E), the last commercially operating nuclear power plant in California. The scenario shows how chaos and death arrive virtually instantly in Southern California, also affecting downwind States to the west. Just one nuclear bomb can kill millions of people and other life in a matter of minutes and a few hours.

And yet we are anxious to quickly build more of these nuclear power plants, that are, in reality, vulnerable sitting ducks — waiting to be transformed into nuclear bombs that, as Mr. Grossi describes above, cannot withstand a military attack, much less a nuclear one, What on Earth are we thinking? ~llaw

IAEA urges ‘maximum restraint from all sides’ at Zaporizhzhia

19 August 2024

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi warns that the nuclear safety situation is deteriorating after a drone strike on a road near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant’s perimeter.

(Image: ZNPP/Telegram)

The IAEA team stationed at the Zaporizhzhia plant (ZNPP) was informed on Saturday that an explosive carried by a drone detonated just outside the plant’s protected area, close to the cooling water sprinkler ponds and about 100 metres from the Dniprovska power line, which is the only remaining 750 kilovolt line providing external power supply to ZNPP.

“The team immediately visited the area (see picture above) and reported that the damage seemed to have been caused by a drone equipped with an explosive payload. There were no casualties and no impact on any NPP equipment. However, there was impact to the road between the two main gates of ZNPP,” the IAEA update said.

There has also been “intense” military activity close to the plant over the past week, the IAEA team reports. Recent days have seen a fire in one of the cooling towers and damage to a power and water substation in nearby Energodar, where many of the nuclear power plant workers and their families live.

Grossi said: “Yet again we see an escalation of the nuclear safety and security dangers … I remain extremely concerned and reiterate my call for maximum restraint from all sides and for strict observance of the five concrete principles established for the protection of the plant.”

He added: “Nuclear power plants are designed to be resilient against technical or human failures and external events including extreme ones, but they are not built to withstand a direct military attack, and neither are they supposed to, just as with any other energy facility in the world. This latest attack highlights the vulnerability of such facilities in conflict zones and the need to continue monitoring the fragile situation.”

The six-unit ZNPP, Europe’s largest, has been under Russian military control since early March 2022. It is close to the frontline between Russian and Ukrainian forces.

Kursk nuclear power plant

Grossi reported that he had held talks at the weekend about the safety and security situation at Zaporizhzhia and also “recent events in the territory of the Russian Federation, including the proximity of military action to an important and operating nuclear power plant”.

The Director General of Russian nuclear corporation Rosatom, Alexei Likhachev, said that during talks with Grossi he had invited the IAEA’s head to visit the Kursk nuclear power plant. The IAEA statement said “Director General Grossi has expressed his readiness to assess the situation, including by making a visit to the plant”.

Ukraine and Russia each accuse the other side of putting nuclear safety at risk and breaching the IAEA’s central safety principles for nuclear facilities. Grossi explained at the United Nations in April that the IAEA would not attribute blame without “indisputable proof” and said the agency aims to “keep the information as accurate as we can and we do not trade into speculating”.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

---

Subscribed

ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War
5. Nuclear War Threats
6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are no Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in this evening’s Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Monday, (08/19/2024)

Nuclear Power

NEWS

IAEA urges ‘maximum restraint from all sides’ at Zaporizhzhia – World Nuclear News

World Nuclear News

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi warns that the nuclear safety situation is deteriorating after a drone …

Nuclear power will be procured at pace and scale country can afford, says Ramokgopa

Energy Central

Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has reiterated that government will procure nuclear power at a pace and scale the country …

Safety at Ukraine Nuclear Plant Deteriorates After Nearby Blast: IAEA – Kyiv Post

Kyiv Post

Russian occupying management of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant claimed a Ukraine drone dropped an explosive charge on a road used by staff, …

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

UN watchdog IAEA ‘extremely concerned’ about safety at Russia-controlled nuclear power …

The Hill

GMT], the Ukrainian drone dropped a shell on the road that runs along the power units outside the perimeter. Personnel use this road all the time. No …

Five Things You Need to Know to Start Your Day: Americas – Bloomberg

Bloomberg

Good morning. Stocks are poised for a muted open as focus turns to the Federal Reserve, with clues as to its monetary policy expected at the end …

Nuclear War

NEWS

North Korea Warns US of ‘Prelude’ to Nuclear War – Newsweek

Newsweek

North Korea has criticized the “provocative joint military exercises” of the U.S. and South Korea, warning that these could lead to military …

Putin Ally Set To Attack Ukraine From Behind As Kursk Revenge? Big Move By Russian … – YouTube

YouTube

… war #russiansoldiers #war #ukraineRussia #ukraineRussiaconflict … Big Move By Russian Nuclear Bomb Host. 5.1K views · 1 hour ago #kursk …

North Korea calls allies’ latest joint military drills a ‘prelude to a nuclear war‘

Stars and Stripes

… -scale military exercise that kicked off Monday, likening it to a “beheading operation” against Pyongyang and a “prelude to a nuclear war.”

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Algeria Provides Emergency Fuel Aid to Lebanon | OilPrice.com

Oil Price

Algeria began supplying fuel oil to Lebanon to restart its power plants and restore electricity after a complete blackout caused by a severe fuel …

PSPA Emergency Declaration Declared At Hervey Bay – Mirage News

Mirage News

PSPA Emergency Declaration Declared At Hervey Bay. Police have … Iran Lacks Domestic Uranium for Nuclear Power: New Signs. 20 Aug 2024 1 …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

North Korea Warns US of ‘Prelude’ to Nuclear War – Newsweek

Newsweek

… threats posed by North Korea. Sign up for Newsletter Newsletter. The Bulletin. Your Morning Starts Here. Begin your day with a curated outlook of top …

US and South Korea begin joint military drills as North Korea accuses them of invasion rehearsal

NY1

… nuclear attack scenarios. The U.S. military has not confirmed the … threats of nuclear conflicts against Washington and Seoul. Earlier this …

South Korea, US kick off annual drills over North’s military, cyber threats

Yahoo News Canada

Pyongyang has long denounced the allies for stoking tensions with military drills, calling them rehearsals for a nuclear war. … threats of nuclear …

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Aug 18, 2024

1

1

Share

The war in Israel (Shutterstock)

LLAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Sunday, (08/18/2024)

I don’t believe there is such a thing as a “nuclear regional war”, because any war that includes nuclear weapons, no matter how regional, will be joined by major nuclear armed countries. For instance the U.S. would join Israel if nuclear arms were used in the Palestinians could be aided by several countries, including Iran (if they successfully build their intended nuclear arsenal) and even North Korea, which would make such a regional war an immediate international war which would become WWIII.

But I have purposely avoided posting the Middle East war situation here until now, hoping that Israel would come to its senses, but when I read that Israeli leader Netanyahu wants a “larger war”, I was forced to change my mind. This article, which points out all the factions and discuses the possibilities of the future, seems like a logical place to begin . . . ~llaw

Still overlooked connections: Israel, “Palestine” and regional nuclear war

A “Two-State Solution” would enlarge not “only” the jihadist terror threat to Israel (conventional and unconventional), but also prospects for major regional war. In these existential security matters, Israel doesn’t need more common sense. It needs disciplined and dialectical thought. Opinion.

Prof. Louis René Beres

---

  Aug 18, 2024, 1:07 PM (GMT+3

North Korea nuclear threatIsraeli Nuclear ProgramPakistani Nuclear ThreatNuclear WarProf. Louis René Beres

The war in IsraelShutterstock

Though significant, connections between Palestinian Arab statehood and nuclear war remain generally ignored. For Israel, the seemingly discrete perils of war with Iran and Palestinian Arab statehood are potentially intertwined and mutually reinforcing. This means that continuing to treat these issues as separate security problems could represent an especially grievous policy error.

There are variously clarifying particulars. Once established, a Palestinian state could tilt the balance of power between Israel and Iran. For the moment, there is no law-based Palestinian state (i.e., no Palestinian Arab satisfaction of authoritative requirements delineated at the Montevideo Convention of 1934). But if there should sometime come a point where Palestinian statehood and a direct war with Iran would coincide, the effects could prove determinative. In a worst case scenario, the acceleration of competitive risk-taking in the region would enlarge the risks of unconventional warfare.

For the moment, any direct war between Israel and Iran would be fought without any “Palestine variable.” Ironically, however, one more-or-less plausible outcome of such a war would be more pressure on Israel to accept yet another enemy state. To be sure, Iran’s leaders are unconcerned about Palestinian Arab well-being per se, but even a continuously faux commitment to Palestinian statehood would strengthen their overall power position.

Additionally, any formal creation of “Palestine” would be viewed in Tehran as a favorable development regarding wars fought against Israel. While nothing scientifically meaningful can be said about an unprecedented scenario (in logic and mathematics, true probabilities must always be based upon the determinable frequency of pertinent past events), there are persuasive reasons to expect that “Palestine” would become a reliably belligerent proxy of Iran.

A “Two-State Solution” would enlarge not “only” the jihadist terror threat to Israel (conventional and unconventional), but also prospects for major regional war. Even if such a war were fought while Iran was still pre-nuclear, it could still use radiation dispersal weapons or electromagnetic pulse weapons (EMP) against Israel and/or target the Dimona nuclear reactor with conventional rockets. In a worst case scenario, Iran’s already nuclear North Korean ally would act in direct belligerency against the Jewish State.

In these complex strategic assessments, Israeli-Palestinian negotiations ought never be confined to “general principles.” Rather, variously specific issues will need to be addressed head-on: borders; Jerusalem; relations between Gaza and the “West Bank;” the Cairo Declaration of June 1974 (an annihilationist “phased plan”); the Arab “right of return” and cancellation of the “Palestine National Charter” (which still calls unambiguously and unapologetically for the eradication of Israel “in stages”).

Not to be overlooked by any means, any justice-based plan would need to acknowledge the historical and legal rights of the Jewish people in Judea and Samaria. Such an acknowledgment would represent an indispensable corrective to lawless Hamas claims of “resistance by any means necessary” and to genocidal Palestinian calls for “liberating” all territories “from the river to the sea.” On its face, the unhidden Palestinian Arab expectation is that Israel would become part of “Palestine”. But this ought not to come as any surprise. All Islamist/Jihadist populations already regard Israel as “occupied Palestine.”

“Everything is very simple in war,” warns classical Prussian strategist Carl von Clausewitz in On War, “but the simplest thing is still very difficult.” American presidents have always insisted that regional peace be predicated on Arab recognition of the Jewish people’s right to security in their own sovereign nation- state.

Concurrently, most Arab leaders in the Middle East secretly hope for a decisive Israeli victory over Hamas in Gaza and over Hezbollah in Lebanon. For these leaders, Hamas represents a foreseeably unmanageable scion of the Egyptian “Moslem Brotherhood” and Hezbollah a terror-surrogate of Shiite and non-Arab “Persia.”

What about North Korea and future Middle Eastern war? Pyongyang has a documented history of active support for Iran and Syria. Regarding ties with Damascus, it was Kim Jung Un who built the Al Kibar nuclear reactor for the Syrians at Deir al-Zor. This is the same facility that was preemptively destroyed by Israel in its “Operation Orchard” (also known in certain Israeli circles as “Operation Outside the Box”) on September 6, 2007.

For Israel, nuclear weapons, doctrine and strategy will remain essential to national survival. In this connection, the country’s traditional policy of “deliberate nuclear ambiguity” or “bomb in the basement” should promptly be updated. The key objective of such dramatic changes would be more credible Israeli nuclear deterrence, a goal that will correlate closely with “selective nuclear disclosure.” Despite being counter-intuitive, Iran will need to become convinced that Israel’s nuclear arms are not too destructive for purposeful operational use. Here, in an arguably supreme irony, the credibility of Israel’s nuclear deterrent could vary inversely with its presumed destructiveness.

In order for Israel to construct theory-based nuclear policies, not policies that are merely visceral, ad hoc or “seat-of-the-pants” creations, Iran should be considered a rational foe. It remains conceivable that Iran would sometime act irrationally, perhaps in alliance with other more-or-less rational states (e.g., Syria, North Korea) or with kindred terror groups (e.g., Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Houthi).

In any event, such altogether realistic prospects should never be dealt with in Washington or Jerusalem as matters of “common sense.” In existential security matters, Israel doesn’t need more common sense. It needs disciplined and dialectical thought.

What about non-Arab Pakistan? Unless Jerusalem were to consider Pakistan a genuine enemy, Israel has no present-day nuclear foes. Still, as an unstable Islamic state, Pakistan is subject to coup d’état by assorted Jihadist elements and is closely aligned with Saudi Arabia. At some point, the Sunni Saudi kingdom could decide to “go nuclear” itself, in large part because of Iran’s “Shiite” nuclear program.

Would such a decision by Riyadh represent a net gain or net loss for Israel?

It’s not too soon to ask this question.

For Israeli nuclear deterrence to work longer-term, Iran will need to be told more rather than less about Israel’s nuclear targeting doctrine and about the invulnerability of Israel’s nuclear forces/infrastructures. In concert with such changes, Jerusalem will also need to clarify its still opaque “Samson Option.” The point of such clarifications would not be to suggest Israel’s willingness to “die with the Philistines,” but to enhance the “high destruction” pole of its nuclear deterrence continuum.

If the next US president maintains America’s support of Palestinian statehood,[1] Iran will more likely consider certain direct conflict options vis-à-vis Israel. At some point in these considerations, Israel could need to direct explicit nuclear threats (counter-value and/or counter-force) toward the Islamic Republic. As policy, this posture could represent a “point of no return.”

For Israel, the unprecedented risks of Palestinian statehood could prove irreversible and irremediable. These risks would likely be enlarged if they had to be faced concurrent with an Israel-Iran war. It follows that Jerusalem’s core security obligation should be to keep Iran non–nuclear and to simultaneously prevent Palestinian statehood. From the standpoint of authoritative international law, meeting this two-part obligation would be in the combined interests of counter-terrorism, nuclear war-avoidance and genocide prevention. Prime facie, meeting this overriding obligation would be in the interests of regional and global justice.

LOUIS RENÉ BERES was educated at Princeton (Ph.D., 1971) and is Professor (Emer.) of International Law at Purdue. Born in Zürich at the end of World War II, he writes extensively on world politics, law, literature and philosophy and is a member of the Oxford University Press Editorial Advisory Board for the annual Yearbook on International Law and Jurisprudence. He is also a six-times contributor to this publication, including lead articles, and has been published at Horasis (Zurich); Jurist; Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists; global-e (U. of California); Yale Global Online; Harvard National Security Journal (Harvard Law School); International Security (Harvard); World Politics (Princeton); The Atlantic; The New York Times; Israel National News; US News & World Report; Air-Space Operations Review (USAF); The Brown Journal of World Affairs; Parameters: Journal of the U.S. Army War College; Modern War Institute (Pentagon); The War Room (Pentagon); BESA Perspectives (Israel); INSS (Israel); Israel Defense (Israel); The Hudson Review (New York) and others. His twelfth book, Surviving Amid Chaos: Israel’s Nuclear Strategy, was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2016 (2nd. ed., 2018)

[1] Supporters of a Palestinian state often argue that its prospective harms to Israel could be reduced or eliminated by expecting the new Arab state’s original “demilitarization.” For informed legal and diplomatic reasoning against this argument, see: Louis René Beres and (Ambassador) Zalman Shoval, “Why a Demilitarized Palestinian State Would Not Remain Demilitarized: A View Under International Law,” Temple International and Comparative Law Journal, Winter 1998, pp. 347-363; and Louis René Beres and Ambassador Shoval, “On Demilitarizing a Palestinian `Entity’ and the Golan Heights: An International Law Perspective,” Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law, Vo. 28., No.5., November 1995, pp. 959-972.

---

Subscribed

ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War
5. Nuclear War Threats
6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There is one Yellowstone Caldera bonus story available in this evening’s Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Sunday, (08/17/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Paying MORE Tax The Only Way To Simplify Taxation? | Moneynomics | Vivek Kaul | Neil Borate

YouTube

… all things budget, taxation, indexation… and all others kinds of … Why I changed my mind about nuclear power | Michael Shellenberger | TEDxBerlin.

Ukraine war latest: Safety ‘deteriorating’ at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant after drone strike

Sky News

“I remain extremely concerned and reiterate my call for maximum restraint from all sides and for strict observance of the five concrete principles …

Opinion: Special interests are pushing a dangerous new nuclear missile – The Portland Press Herald

The Portland Press Herald

The Pentagon is in the midst of an enormously expensive program aimed at building a new generation of nuclear-armed missiles, …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

How likely is it that nuclear power plants will be hit in Ukraine, Russia? | DW News

YouTube

The Ukrainian airforce says they have struck and destroyed another bridge in Russia’s Kursk region – as they seek to disrupt Moscow’s combat …

Military experts suggest Iran may declare itself a nuclear power by year’s end | Fox News

Fox News

The move to declare itself a nuclear power would provide Iran protection at certain levels but ultimately does not create invincibility from any …

A New Era for Nuclear Power in the U.S. | OilPrice.com

Oil Price

… nuclear plants and the development of small modular reactors. Nuclear. The U.S. Palisades Power Plant could become the first nuclear plant to …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Safety at Russian-Occupied Nuclear Plant Worsens After Drone Strike – BNN Bloomberg

BNN Bloomberg

… emergencies ministry. Ukrainian forces also attacked a fuel depot in Russia’s Rostov region overnight in a joint operation by military …

Zambia Weighs Emergency Power Price Hike as Crunch Deepens – Energy Connects

Energy Connects

Zambia Weighs Emergency Power Price Hike as Crunch Deepens. By Bloomberg. Aug … Nuclear energy poised for its global moment. Dr Sama 1920X1080 …

Flight attendant turned author reveals her top emergency safety tips – Daily Mail

Daily Mail

Her latest novel, Worst Case Scenario, looks at exactly that, with an airplane crashing into a nuclear power plant. But the Phoenix-based writer …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Ukraine war latest: Safety ‘deteriorating’ at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant after drone strike

Sky News

Zaporizhzhia is the largest nuclear facility in Europe and has been occupied by Russian soldiers since the early stages of its war with Ukraine.

Still overlooked connections: Israel, “Palestine” and regional nuclear war | Israel National News

Arutz Sheva

Though significant, connections between Palestinian Arab statehood and nuclear war remain generally ignored. For Israel, the seemingly discrete …

Ukraine: Zaporizhzhia nuclear safety deteriorating, says IAEA – BBC

BBC

The plant was seized by Russia’s forces early in the war and has come under repeated attacks which both sides have blamed the other for. ‘Russians are …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Still overlooked connections: Israel, “Palestine” and regional nuclear war

Arutz Sheva

North Korea nuclear threatIsraeli Nuclear ProgramPakistani Nuclear ThreatNuclear WarProf. … nuclear threats (counter-value and/or counter-force) …

Clarifying Strategic Risks: Scenarios of an Israel-Iran War – Modern Diplomacy

Modern Diplomacy

Clarifying Strategic Risks: Scenarios of an Israel-Iran War … Iran continues to taunt Israel with threats of annihilation. But such threats have no …

“As The Only Victim…” China Pans Japan For “Not Learning From History” After Nuclear …

YouTube

… nuclear threats and regional tensions. Defense spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang denounced their actions as Cold War thinking and warned that the US .

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

Surprise Yellowstone geyser eruption highlights little known hazard at popular park

The Daily Gazette

Yellowstone encompasses the caldera of a huge, slumbering volcano that shows no sign of erupting any time soon but provides the heat for the …

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Aug 17, 2024

1

Share

Radiant Industries’ Kaleidos microreactor is designed to fit inside a shipping container.

LLAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Saturday, (08/17/2024)

This dream is a nightmare waiting to happen, but the story is well prepared and thorough in it presentation from Freethink, but overly optimistic. I am not going to comment in detail on the article’s content until I have had time to study the graphics and the implied grandeur of the future of nuclear power only if we are indifferent and ignorant enough to lower our safety standards and management controls and related limitations on the most dangerous product ever devised on planet Earth.

That alone is enough to say that such a nuclear engineered world is far too complicated, expensive, limited, and life-threatening for humanity to control ‘all things nuclear’ from the most basic of applications upward to the most complicated nuclear weapons and nuclear power production. We are utter fools to think otherwise. ~llaw

America’s plan to resurrect nuclear power

The US is investing billions of dollars into nuclear. Will it pay off?

By Kristin Houser

August 17, 2024

It’s 2035, and the US just reached its goal of 100% clean electricity. How did we do it? While solar, wind, and other renewables generate the majority of the nation’s electricity, we’d still be relying at least partially on fossil fuels — if not for a recent increase in clean nuclear power. 

America’s nuclear future

It’s been 85 years since scientists first split a uranium atom, and today, the energy released by that process — nuclear fission — is generating about 20% of the United States’ electricity.

Because nuclear power doesn’t produce carbon emissions and is more dependable than solar and wind power, many see it as a key weapon in the battle against climate change, but rather than increasing, the number of reactors in the US has been declining in recent decades.

To find out what can be done to reverse this trend, let’s look at America’s history with nuclear power and the ideas that could help us reach net-zero as soon as possible.

Where we’ve been  

Where we’re going (maybe)

The US is at a crossroads in its nuclear power journey.

Since the 1990s, the country has been relying on nuclear power to generate about 20% of its electricity, but its nuclear fleet is getting old — the average lifespan of a reactor is 20-40 years, and the average age of operating US reactors is 42 years.

Right now, older reactors are being decommissioned much faster than new ones are being built — in fact, there is only one new reactor under construction in the US today. The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) now forecasts that nuclear power would provide just 13% of electricity in 2050. 

But to reach the Biden administration’s goal of a 100% clean electricity sector by 2035, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory predicts we may need to increase nuclear capacity to the point that it can meet 27% of our electricity demand. Combine this with suddenly surging electricity demand, after decades with little growth, and the US is going to need a lot more clean energy.

So, what can be done to increase the amount of nuclear power in the US?

Reduce red tape

Normally, the more times you do something, the better you get at it — you become more efficient and learn to avoid mistakes that might have tripped you up as a beginner. But the US has had the opposite experience with building nuclear power plants. 

If you started building a new reactor in the mid-1960s, the “overnight cost” (the cost not including any interest on financing) would likely be between $1000-1500/kW, but if you started in 1970s, you’d be paying $3000-$6000/kW (all in 2010 dollars). 

The only reactors that have started construction since — the Vogtle reactors 3 and 4 that just went online in Georgia — had an overnight cost of $7000/kW (in 2010 dollars) and took seven years longer than planned to build.

There isn’t one single reason for this decreasing efficiency, but constantly evolving regulations are a major contributor — they can force builders to make changes to previously approved designs, even to plants currently under construction, increasing labor costs and delaying construction timelines.

Building a new nuclear reactor is already a lengthy, multi-billion dollar undertaking. Add in the potential for regulatory issues to extend timelines and increase costs, and it’s not hard to understand why developers are hesitant to get involved in nuclear.

In an attempt to make the investment less risky, Congress passed and President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, which includes investment tax credits of up to 50% for new nuclear reactors. In 2024, it followed that up with the ​​ADVANCE Act, a bill designed to make it easier to build and deploy new reactors in the US.

In addition to instructing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the chief nuclear regulator in the US, to reduce certain licensing fees and cut down on review times, the ADVANCE Act also updates the NRC’s mission statement to include that it will not “unnecessarily limit the…deployment of nuclear energy.”

Critics argue that the new law will make nuclear power less safe, but proponents like Ted Nordhaus, founder and executive director of the Breakthrough Institute, a research center that promotes technological solutions to environmental challenges, disagrees.

“For decades, the NRC has tried to regulate to make risk from nuclear energy as close to zero as possible, but has failed to consider the cost to the environment, public health, energy security, or prosperity of not building and operating nuclear energy plants,” Nordhaus said in a statement. “This reduces rather than improves public health and safety.”

“But with passage of the ADVANCE bill,” he continued, “Congress is telling the regulators that public benefits are and have always been part of their mission.”

Encourage innovation

The ADVANCE Act is also designed to help get new kinds of nuclear reactors licensed — this could include reactors with unique cooling systems, like TerraPower’s sodium-cooled Natrium reactor, as well as small modular reactors (SMR) and microreactors.

As you’d expect from the names, SMRs and microreactors are smaller than the huge reactors mostly in use at current nuclear plants, which means they don’t generate as much electricity. 

However, their smaller size means they can be deployed in more locations — such as near power-hungry data centers, or as a complement to wind and solar farms — and multiple reactors can be added to a single site to scale up output to whatever is required.

SMRs and microreactors generally have simpler designs with safety characteristics that make them less likely to meltdown, and because they can (theoretically) be built on assembly lines in factories — rather than constructed on site like larger reactors — they have the potential to be cheaper and faster to deploy, too.

Radiant Industries’ Kaleidos microreactor is designed to fit inside a shipping container.

Potential, but not proven. The NRC has already approved one SMR, but its developer, NuScale Power, canceled its first planned project after the construction budget exploded from $5.3 billion to $9.3 billion. That was even more expensive, per kW, than the Vogtle reactors, which themselves took twice as long and cost twice as much as originally planned.

It’s not clear whether NuScale’s situation is a sign that SMRs aren’t going to be as cheap as hoped or an example of the kinds of growing pains that can be alleviated with more experience. The ADVANCE Act could help us find out by getting more SMR and microreactor developers licensed to deploy their tech.

The DoE’s recently announced plan to provide up to $900 million in funding to SMR developers could help get help, too, as could its Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP), which has issued $160 million in funding to get innovative reactors — including one being developed by TerraPower — up and running.

Address public concerns

Red tape and financial risks aren’t the only roadblocks to deploying more nuclear power in the US. While a slight majority of Americans support adding more nuclear power plants to the US electric grid, many who are opposed are staunchly against it, and that opposition can make it harder to build new plants or keep existing ones from closing.

People cite a lot of different reasons for opposing nuclear power, too. 

Some are concerned that reactors will cause harm to people or the environment, from accidents or terrorist attacks. Others see the radioactive waste from reactors as a potential health threat or believe that living near or working at a plant is enough to cause health problems.

The potential for bad actors to use the materials needed to fuel nuclear power plants to make weapons is another concern, and even people who aren’t entirely against nuclear power may protest increasing the US’s reliance on it on the grounds that solar and wind are better options.

These concerns aren’t entirely unfounded — people have sometimes died due to accidents at nuclear power plants, and some recent research suggests that working at one may slightly increase a person’s risk of dying from a solid tumor. 

However, there’s no evidence that simply living near a nuclear power plant in the US is harmful, and some newer reactor designs are essentially meltdown-proof.

Moreover, no form of electricity production is entirely without health risks. Compared to the death rates from other kinds of power, like coal and gas — widely used with minimal protest today, despite their role in climate change — nuclear is actually one of the safest forms of power.

Nuclear waste is also often misunderstood. 

Rather than being some green ooze with the potential to leak into our water and create three-eyed fish, spent nuclear fuel is solid, and reactors aren’t producing mountains of the stuff — according to the DoE, all of the waste generated since the invention of nuclear power “could fit on a single football field at a depth of less than 10 yards.”

Right now, nuclear waste is stored on site at power plants in steel and concrete casks that pose no threat to human health. The US does lack a national plan for the permanent storage of its waste, though, and the consensus among experts is that we should eventually store it deep underground.

“When it’s on the surface, it’s dependent on a government that’s going to continue to exist to protect it for 100, 200, 300 years,” Elizabeth Muller, cofounder of nuclear waste disposal startup Deep Isolation, told Freethink. “Whereas when it’s deep underground, you don’t need those sort of human mechanisms to keep us all safe.”

Deep Isolation proposes using directional drilling techniques, developed by the oil industry, to create deep boreholes in rock. These could be created in more places, eliminating the need to transport waste to a single large repository designed to store the entire nation’s waste. 

Whether the US decides to pursue something like Deep Isolation’s storage solution or not is TBD, but it is working to alleviate public concerns about nuclear power and nuclear waste.

In 2022, the DoE invested $800,000 into a program focused on community outreach and education surrounding nuclear power, and in 2023, it awarded $26 million in funding to groups that will engage with people in communities being considered for new nuclear waste storage sites.

“This funding will help DoE learn from and involve communities across the country in the consent-based siting process, answer questions and concerns, and develop an understanding so that we are good neighbors even before moving in,” said US Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm.

Ultimately, our electricity demand is increasing, and until we see some breakthroughs in battery tech, solar and wind likely won’t be affordable and dependable enough to support the grid by themselves. Nuclear power isn’t perfect, but the risks it poses to human health and the environment pale in comparison to those we face if we continue to burn fossil fuels.

---

Subscribed

ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War
5. Nuclear War Threats
6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are no Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in this evening’s Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Saturday, (08/17/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Where does nuclear waste go? An important question as Indiana welcomes small reactors

Lakeshore Public Media

All Things Considered. Next Up: 6:00 PM Marketplace. 0:00. 0:00. All Things … Dry casks sit at the site of the Palisades Nuclear Generating Station in …

Where does nuclear waste go? An important question as Indiana welcomes small reactors

WFYI

Hoosier Democrats, Republicans and insiders talk candidly about issues, the Indiana Statehouse and everything in between on Indiana Week In Review …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Russia says Ukraine planning Kursk nuclear plant ‘provocation’ – Reuters

Reuters

Russia accused Ukraine on Saturday of planning to attack a nuclear plant in the Kursk region that President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s troops have …

America’s plan to resurrect nuclear power – Freethink

Freethink

To increase its supply of clean nuclear power, the US government is cutting licensing fees, rewarding reactor innovation, and more.

Russia accuses Ukraine of bombing road near Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant | Reuters

Reuters

The Russian management of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant said on Saturday a Ukrainian drone dropped an explosive charge on a road outside …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Boost Your Emergency Preparedness with Chester County’s Resources and Events

MyChesCo

… emergency responders, enhancing communication and response during emergencies. … Nuclear power plant · Chester County Offers Free Potassium Iodide …

Origin and AGL data reveals more Australians struggling to pay soaring power bills

The Chronicle

New data reveals a worrying increase in the number of Aussie households forced to take emergency action as they struggle to pay soaring power …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Dirty Nuclear Attack On Russia By Ukraine: Kyiv to target Nuclear Waste Sites – YouTube

YouTube

Russian sources claim Ukraine is planning a “nuclear false flag” attack on power plant waste storage sites using radioactive warheads.

China Responds to Donald Trump’s Nuclear Weapons Claim – Newsweek

Newsweek

Hamas Says Netanyahu Wants an Even Bigger War, Not a Ceasefire · US Fighting ‘Four Cold Wars‘ at the Same Time—Iran Expert. newsweek logo · U.S.World …

Russia says Ukraine planning Kursk nuclear plant ‘provocation’ – Reuters

Reuters

Russia accused Ukraine on Saturday of planning to attack a nuclear plant in the Kursk region that President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s troops have …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

PODCAST: Iran and Israel playing ‘chicken’ amid ratcheting nuclear threat

iranintl.com

PODCAST: Iran and Israel playing ‘chicken’ amid ratcheting nuclear threat. in 34 minutes. Iran and Israel are on a knife edge of all-out war, amid a …

Kursk attack will force Russia to negotiate, says Zelensky aide – BBC News

BBC

The Russians have consistently made threats about nuclear weapons. The Ukrainians would argue with some force that they have called Russia’s bluff …

Kursk incursion exposes Putin’s nuclear threats as baseless | Philip Ingram – YouTube

YouTube

Kursk incursion exposes Putin’s nuclear threats as baseless | Philip Ingram. 433 views · 6 minutes ago Frontline | The War in Ukraine and Global ..

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Aug 16, 2024

1

Share

LLAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Friday, (08/16/2024)

Okay, regarding the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant just southwest of San Luis Obispo, California, highlighted in yesterday’s “All Things Nuclear” issues and comments, here is the other side of that argument from Diablo Canyon’s own vice president of business and technical services, Maureen Zawalick, coupled with a re-post, in case you didn’t read it yesterday, by the Associated Press correspondent, Michael Blood’s opinion.

Please note that neither writer seriously considers or notes the grave danger to humanity that all nuclear power plants present to our health, safety, and environment. Ms. Zawalick mentions the existing tons of greenhouse gasses that fossil fuel plants in California, and compares that, a bit dishonestly, to such ‘zero’ emissions from Diablo Canyon, yet she completely fails to mention the nuclear waste and the other threatening nuclear power plant potential disasters that could occur over the sadly approved 5-year extended life of the nuclear power plant, including radiation leaks from the plant’s old age, which is why it was regulated to shut down next year. Such an attitude is like playing with fire that could easily get out of control.

But the big issue from both opinions is based, as usual, on money — financial disagreements — as the sole questionable impact on the State of California. This scheduled shutdown, though, is really not even about saving money, nor is it about the 9% that Diablo Canyon produces in electricity for the State. It is about human and other lives against the odds of continuing to operate the nuclear plant or shutting it down as scheduled.

California knows very well the sad truth about out-of-control forest fires, but playing against the odds of a nuclear disaster could be far more deadly than the loss of life and environmental damage of forest fires, and though they are tragic unto themselves, they can’t hold a proverbial candle to an out-of-control nuclear power plant. ~llaw

Opinion

PG&E: Here’s why the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant is good for California | Opinion

Maureen Zawalick

Thu, August 15, 2024 at 10:16 a.m. PDT·3 min read

PG&E: Here’s why the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant is good for California | Opinion

Joe Tarica/jtarica@thetribunenews.com

For nearly four decades, the Diablo Canyon Power Plant has been the backbone of California’s clean energy ambitions.

Today, Diablo Canyon — California’s only operating nuclear power plant — generates roughly 9% of California’s electricity, enough to meet the energy needs of more than 3 million people. All of this is clean, zero-emission, carbon-free energy. In fact, every year it operates, Diablo Canyon saves between 6 to 7 million tons of greenhouse gasses from entering the atmosphere compared to other generation sources.

In recent weeks, a lot has been said about the cost of keeping Diablo Canyon operating. I believe Californians deserve a full accounting of both the costs and financial benefits of operating California’s largest source of clean energy.

Opinion

The math is clear that keeping Diablo Canyon open through 2030 will not only ensure that California can keep the lights on without backsliding on its climate goals, it will also save customers $200 million per year on average — or more than $1 billion — over the duration of the extended operations period.

Here’s how things break down:

Operating Diablo Canyon from 2024 to 2030 will cost roughly $8.3 billion dollars, $1.2 billion of which is being paid for by state and federal programs. That leaves a remaining $7.1 billion that will be paid by customers over the six-year period in question.

For the average customer in PG&E’s service area, this works out to roughly $2 per month in 2025. The cost is significantly less for customers in Southern California, and the cost for all customers is expected to decrease significantly in the later years — to $0 in some years — of the plant’s extended operations.

These costs represent only one side of the financial equation. There are significant financial benefits for customers that come from extended operations of the plant, and when you add everything up, Diablo Canyon’s revenues and reliability value will be more than $8.2 billion — more than $1.1 billion higher than the operating costs to be paid by customers.

Here’s how:

The energy generated by Diablo Canyon will generate market revenues to the tune of $6.1 billion, 100% of which must be returned to customers to offset the costs of operations.

In addition, operating Diablo Canyon means that energy companies won’t be required to sign new and costly energy contracts to ensure that California’s grid can maintain electric reliability during periods of extreme demand. This reliability value comes out to roughly $2.1 billion in additional value, which is used to offset customers’ energy costs.

Simply put, Diablo is the most affordable way to maintain reliability. And, according to the California Energy Commission, the only resource available that wouldn’t rely on harmful fossil fuels to generate that power.

Together, these revenues and reliability values means California energy customers will see a net benefit of roughly $200 million per year on average.

But Diablo Canyon’s value doesn’t stop there. As aforementioned, Diablo Canyon saves between 6 to 7 million tons of greenhouse gasses from entering the atmosphere. These avoided emissions have societal benefits that can be quantified through things like avoided health care costs, agriculture impacts, medical expenses and impacts to the labor field and broader economy. For Diablo Canyon, the societal benefit of avoided greenhouse gas emissions has been pegged at nearly $400 million per year.

These figures, paired with the fact that keeping Diablo Canyon online prevents the state backsliding on its clean energy goals by having to integrate more fossil fuel generation into its energy, make Diablo Canyon a sound investment for all Californians — one that saves customers money and benefits society while keeping the lights on.

Maureen Zawalick is the vice president of business and technical services at the Diablo Canyon Power Plant.

California legislators break with Gov. Newsom over loan to keep state’s last nuclear plant running

• Michael R. BloodThu, August 15, 2024 at 10:36 a.m. PDT·4 min read

• LOS ANGELES (AP) — The California Legislature signaled its intent on Thursday to cancel a $400 million loan payment to help finance a longer lifespan for the state’s last nuclear power plant, exposing a rift with Gov. Gavin Newsom who says that the power is critical to safeguarding energy supplies amid a warming climate.The votes in the state Senate and Assembly on funding for the twin-domed Diablo Canyon plant represented an interim step as Newsom and legislative leaders, all Democrats, continue to negotiate a new budget. But it sets up a public friction point involving one of the governor’s signature proposals, which he has championed alongside the state’s rapid push toward solar, wind and other renewable sources.The dispute unfolded in Sacramento as environmentalists and antinuclear activists warned that the estimated price tag for keeping the seaside reactors running beyond a planned closing by 2025 had ballooned to nearly $12 billion, roughly doubling earlier projections. That also has raised the prospect of higher fees for ratepayers.Operator Pacific Gas & Electric called those figures inaccurate and inflated by billions of dollars.H.D. Palmer, a spokesperson for the California Department of Finance, emphasized that budget negotiations are continuing and the legislative votes represented an “agreement between the Senate and the Assembly — not an agreement with the governor.”The votes in the Legislature mark the latest development in a decades-long fight over the operation and safety of the plant, which sits on a bluff above the Pacific Ocean midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco.Diablo Canyon, which began operating in the mid-1980s, produces up to 9% of the state’s electricity on any given day.The fight over the reactors’ future is playing out as the long-struggling U.S. nuclear industry sees a potential rebirth in the era of global warming. Nuclear power doesn’t produce carbon pollution like fossil fuels, but it leaves behind waste that can remain dangerously radioactive for centuries.A Georgia utility just finished the first two scratch-built American reactors in a generation at a cost of nearly $35 billion. The price tag for the expansion of Plant Vogtle from two of the traditional large reactors to four includes almost $17 billion in cost overruns. In Wyoming, Bill Gates and his energy company have started construction on a next-generation nuclear power plant that the tech titan believes will “revolutionize” how power is generated.In 2016, PG&E, environmental groups and plant worker unions reached an agreement to close Diablo Canyon by 2025. But the Legislature voided the deal in 2022 at the urging of Newsom, who said the power is needed to ward off blackouts as a changing climate stresses the energy system. That agreement for a longer run included a $1.4 billion forgivable state loan for PG&E, to be paid in several installments.California energy regulators voted in December to extend the plant’s operating run for five years, to 2030.The legislators’ concerns were laid out in an exchange of letters with the Newsom administration, at a time when the state is trying to close an estimated $45 billion deficit. Among other concerns, they questioned if, and when, the state would be repaid by PG&E, and whether taxpayers could be out hundreds of millions of dollars if the proposed extension for Diablo Canyon falls through.Construction at Diablo Canyon began in the 1960s. Critics say potential earthquakes from nearby faults not known to exist when the design was approved could damage equipment and release radiation. One fault was not discovered until 2008. PG&E has long said the plant is safe, an assessment the NRC has supported.Last year, environmental groups called on federal regulators to immediately shut down one of two reactors at the site until tests can be conducted on critical machinery they believe could fail and cause a catastrophe. Weeks later, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission took no action on the request and instead asked agency staff to review it.The questions raised by environmentalists about the potential for soaring costs stemmed from a review of state regulatory filings submitted by PG&E, they said. Initial estimates of about $5 billion to extend the life of the plant later rose to over $8 billion, then nearly $12 billion, they said.“It’s really quite shocking,” said attorney John Geesman, a former California Energy Commission member who represents the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility, an advocacy group that opposes federal license renewals in California. The alliance told the state Public Utilities Commission in May that the cost would represent “by far the largest financial commitment to a single energy project the commission has ever been asked to endorse.”PG&E spokesperson Suzanne Hosn said the figures incorrectly included billions of dollars of costs unrelated to extending operations at the plant.The company has pegged the cost at $8.3 billion, Hosn said, adding that “the financial benefits exceed the costs.”___This story has been updated to correct the amount of cost overruns to build two reactors at the Vogtle nuclear plant in Georgia. It was almost $17 billion, not $11 billion.Michael R. Blood, for The Associated Press via the “Canadian Press

---

Subscribed

ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War
5. Nuclear War Threats
6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There is one Yellowstone Caldera bonus story available in this evening’s Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Friday, (08/16/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Where does nuclear waste go? An important question as Indiana welcomes small reactors

WBOI

Right now, not very far at all. At most nuclear power plants today, the … 3 things to know about spent nuclear fuel dry cask storage. U.S. …

This power provider has doubled as it charts a path for nuclear plants to drive data centers

CNBC

… things to come for further buildout,” McFarland told analysts on … All Rights Reserved. A Division of NBCUniversal. Data is a real-time …

Should Ukraine capture a Russian nuclear power plant? | New Scientist

New Scientist

International Atomic Energy Agency director general Rafael Mariano Grossi has already spoken out about the risk. “I would like to appeal to all sides …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Nuclear Energy Dependence in the Indo-Pacific – Foreign Policy Research Institute

Foreign Policy Research Institute

If any future war happens in the Indo-Pacific, Russia and China’s stranglehold over nuclear power plants would be a game changer, enabling them to …

Nuclear energy gets new investment as power demand surges – YouTube

YouTube

Nuclear energy gets new investment as power demand surges. No views · 1 minute ago …more. CNBC Television. 2.81M.

This power provider has doubled as it charts a path for nuclear plants to drive data centers

CNBC

Investor interest in Talen Energy has soared since the company signed a $650 million deal in March with Amazon Web Services.

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

PG&E: Here’s why the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant must keep operating | Opinion

Yahoo News Canada

From earthquakes to jellyfish: See 8 emergency alerts at Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. Stephanie Zappelli. Wed, August 14, 2024 at 1:18 p.m. CDT …

Russia’s Belgorod region declares state of emergency after strikes by Ukraine – YouTube

YouTube

6:51 · Go to channel · Ukraine Attacks Russia: Explosions at Nuclear Power Plant Raises Fears | Vantage with Palki Sharma. Firstpost New 159K views.

Nuclear War

NEWS

Careful: The Next World War Could Start Small | The National Interest

The National Interest

Full spectrum nuclear and conventional deterrence and Soviet appreciation of the costs of war kept the Cold War stand-off from escalating into a Third …

Could the United States and China really go to war? Who would win? – Brookings Institution

Brookings Institution

That is a terrifying prospect. The two countries are the world’s top two economic and military powers, both armed with nuclear weapons, each …

A new US, Russia, China nuclear arms race spells danger | The Strategist

ASPI Strategist

Unlike in the Cold War, the United States faces the prospect in the next decade of two peer nuclear adversaries, which will together have twice as …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Amid Kim Jong Un’s Increasing Nuclear Threats, Seoul’s Defense Minister Nominee Is Open …

Benzinga

… nuclear threats. He emphasized the significance of the alliance with … nuclear war. This was followed by Germany’s decision in August to …

Ukraine’s invasion of Russia exposes the folly of the West’s escalation fears – Atlantic Council

Atlantic Council

… war. Crucially, Ukraine’s invasion of Russia has demonstrated that Putin’s nuclear threats and his talk of red lines are in reality a big bluff …

Nuclear War in the Middle East – Algemeiner.com

Algemeiner.com

… Threats to Bomb US Businesses Perceived to Support Israel … With regard to growing nuclear war risks in the Middle East, no concept 

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

Yellowstone National Park: 7 UNIQUE things to find in this Park – Asianet Newsable

Asianet Newsable

Old Faithful Geyser · Grand Prismatic Spring · Yellowstone Caldera · Lamar Valley Wildlife · Mammoth Hot Springs · Yellowstone Lake · Norris Geyser Basin.

IAEA Weekly News

16 August 2024

Read the top news and updates published on IAEA.org this week.

15 August 2024

IAEA Director General Statement on a Water Leakage at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was informed that on 9 August 2024, TEPCO found a water leakage at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Unit 2, involving an estimated 25 tons of water from the spent fuel cooling system pump room and the heat exchanger room. The leaked water flowed into drain on the floor connected to the water collection pit (floor sump) located in a room of the first basement floor. The Agency was also informed that TEPCO has not found any leakage spread to other rooms at this stage. Read more →

15 August 2024

IAEA Director General Statement in Relation to the Agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States Related to Naval Nuclear Propulsion

The Agency was informed that on 5 August 2024 the Agreement Among the Government of Australia, the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Government of the United States of America for Cooperation Related to Naval Nuclear Propulsion (the “Agreement”) was signed by representatives of the three countries in Washington D.C. and it has been submitted to their legislative authorities for consideration and approval.  Read more →

14 August 2024

Gemstone Irradiation: Keeping Workers and Consumers Safe

The irradiation of gemstones in research reactors is a widespread practice, carried out to enhance their colour and increase their market value. The IAEA works with national regulators to ensure this practice is safe for workers and consumers. Read more →

13 August 2024

Update 244 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) viewed evidence provided to the team today that continues to indicate that Monday’s fire did not start at the base of the cooling tower, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said. Read more →

12 August 2024

First Ever International Nuclear Science Olympiad Held in Run Up to International Youth Day

The first ever International Nuclear Science Olympiad has been held in the Philippines in the run up to today’s International Youth Day, with the support of the IAEA. Read more →

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Aug 15, 2024

Share

Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant on June 1, 2023. Laura Dickinson The Tribune

LLAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Thursday, (08/15/2024)

It will be interesting to see the eventual conclusion of this story. California needs to review the overall operating history of PG&E’s god-awful non-nuclear accidents and questionable operations and decide whether the risk of extending the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant is considered feasible and worth the nearly one billion dollar “loan” to help operate the plant until 2030, while facing a $12 billion in operating costs for the remainder of the plant’s projected future beyond 2025, that will likely never be repaid considering the history of PG&E’s several bankruptcies from previous non-nuclear accidents, some of them lethal.

(I have reported their entire accident-prone history in previous blog posts, and I believe there is no reason to trust them for any practical reason, especially because the plant is dangerous from a nuclear standpoint, that the plant only produces 9% of California’s energy requirements, which could no doubt be covered by renewable resources, and the immense risks of continuing to operate the plant.

As a concerned Nevada next-door neighbor, Governor Newsom should consider the legislators’ second thoughts, and demand that the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant be shut down as scheduled in 2025. Even then may not be soon enough. ~llaw

California legislators break with Gov. Newsom over loan to keep state’s last nuclear plant running

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD, Associated Press Updated Aug 15, 2024 1:37 p.m.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The California Legislature signaled its intent on Thursday to cancel a $400 million loan payment to help finance a longer lifespan for the state’s last nuclear power plant, exposing a rift with Gov. Gavin Newsom who says that the power is critical to safeguarding energy supplies amid a warming climate.

The votes in the state Senate and Assembly on funding for the twin-domed Diablo Canyon plant represented an interim step as Newsom and legislative leaders, all Democrats, continue to negotiate a new budget. But it sets up a public friction point involving one of the governor’s signature proposals, which he has championed alongside the state’s rapid push toward solar, wind and other renewable sources.

The dispute unfolded in Sacramento as environmentalists and antinuclear activists warned that the estimated price tag for keeping the seaside reactors running beyond a planned closing by 2025 had ballooned to nearly $12 billion, roughly doubling earlier projections. That also has raised the prospect of higher fees for ratepayers.

Operator Pacific Gas & Electric called those figures inaccurate and inflated by billions of dollars.

H.D. Palmer, a spokesperson for the California Department of Finance, emphasized that budget negotiations are continuing and the legislative votes represented an “agreement between the Senate and the Assembly — not an agreement with the governor.”

The votes in the Legislature mark the latest development in a decades-long fight over the operation and safety of the plant, which sits on a bluff above the Pacific Ocean midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Diablo Canyon, which began operating in the mid-1980s, produces up to 9% of the state’s electricity on any given day.

The fight over the reactors’ future is playing out as the long-struggling U.S. nuclear industry sees a potential rebirth in the era of global warming. Nuclear power doesn’t produce carbon pollution like fossil fuels, but it leaves behind waste that can remain dangerously radioactive for centuries.

A Georgia utility just finished the first two scratch-built American reactors in a generation at a cost of nearly $35 billion. The price tag for the expansion of Plant Vogtle from two of the traditional large reactors to four includes almost $17 billion in cost overruns. In Wyoming, Bill Gates and his energy company have started construction on a next-generation nuclear power plant that the tech titan believes will “revolutionize” how power is generated.

In 2016, PG&E, environmental groups and plant worker unions reached an agreement to close Diablo Canyon by 2025. But the Legislature voided the deal in 2022 at the urging of Newsom, who said the power is needed to ward off blackouts as a changing climate stresses the energy system. That agreement for a longer run included a $1.4 billion forgivable state loan for PG&E, to be paid in several installments.

California energy regulators voted in December to extend the plant’s operating run for five years, to 2030.

The legislators’ concerns were laid out in an exchange of letters with the Newsom administration, at a time when the state is trying to close an estimated $45 billion deficit. Among other concerns, they questioned if, and when, the state would be repaid by PG&E, and whether taxpayers could be out hundreds of millions of dollars if the proposed extension for Diablo Canyon falls through.

Construction at Diablo Canyon began in the 1960s. Critics say potential earthquakes from nearby faults not known to exist when the design was approved could damage equipment and release radiation. One fault was not discovered until 2008. PG&E has long said the plant is safe, an assessment the NRC has supported.

Last year, environmental groups called on federal regulators to immediately shut down one of two reactors at the site until tests can be conducted on critical machinery they believe could fail and cause a catastrophe. Weeks later, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission took no action on the request and instead asked agency staff to review it.

The questions raised by environmentalists about the potential for soaring costs stemmed from a review of state regulatory filings submitted by PG&E, they said. Initial estimates of about $5 billion to extend the life of the plant later rose to over $8 billion, then nearly $12 billion, they said.

“It’s really quite shocking,” said attorney John Geesman, a former California Energy Commission member who represents the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility, an advocacy group that opposes federal license renewals in California. The alliance told the state Public Utilities Commission in May that the cost would represent “by far the largest financial commitment to a single energy project the commission has ever been asked to endorse.”

PG&E spokesperson Suzanne Hosn said the figures incorrectly included billions of dollars of costs unrelated to extending operations at the plant.

The company has pegged the cost at $8.3 billion, Hosn said, adding that “the financial benefits exceed the costs.”

___

This story has been updated to correct the amount of cost overruns to build two reactors at the Vogtle nuclear plant in Georgia. It was almost $17 billion, not $11 billion.

Aug 15, 2024|Updated Aug 15, 2024 1:37 p.m.

MICHAEL R. BLOOD

---

Subscribed

---

ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:

There are 7 categories, with the latest (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War
5. Nuclear War Threats
6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are no Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in this evening’s Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Thursday, (08/15/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Seeking to discharge radioactive water from Pilgrim, Holtec will appeal denial by Monday deadline

WCAI

All Things Considered · Podcasts …more programs · Features · A Cape Cod … nuclear plants within limits, preempts the state. “There is probably …

Why Congress Shouldn’t Fund a New Sea-Launched Nuke – Just Security

Just Security

… that is all but unusable. The 2022 Nuclear Posture Review announced: “The U.S. would only consider the use of nuclear weapons in extreme circumstances 

What if South Korea got a nuclear bomb? – The Economist

The Economist

Elites are less gung-ho about going nuclear than average voters … “And they’re really good in all aspects of engineering all things nuclear.

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Powering up nuclear energy: Nuclear’s make or break moment – YouTube

YouTube

CNBC’s Pippa Stevens joins ‘Squawk Box’ from Waynesboro, Georgia with a look at the first newly built U.S. nuclear reactors in 30 years.

Decision on second nuclear plant on to-do list for Belarus’s new energy minister

World Nuclear News

… energy minister, saying there is “plenty of work … particularly … regarding our plans to build or not to build a new nuclear power plant”. The …

Is the Plan to Build New Nuclear Power Plants as Part of GX Efforts Realistic? | Column

自然エネルギー財団 – 自然エネルギー財団

Positioning of nuclear power in Japan’s Strategic Energy Plan following the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident. Negative public sentiment toward …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Emergency alerts at Diablo Canyon CA nuclear power plant | San Luis Obispo Tribune

San Luis Obispo Tribune

Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant near Avila Beach, California, has reported eight emergency incidents to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission …

How Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant reports emergency events

San Luis Obispo Tribune

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission records incidents at power plants. Here’s a look at the types of events and how many have been recorded at …

Video: WHO declares mpox outbreak a global health emergency – The Globe and Mail

The Globe and Mail

3:16 · Ukraine and Russia trade blame over fire at nuclear power plant. Video 1:20 · Wildfire reaches Athens suburbs, forcing hundreds to evacuate.

Nuclear War

NEWS

Reluctantly, America will have to build more nuclear weapons – The Economist

The Economist

North Korea says it is “bolstering” its nuclear programme. This week Donald Trump claimed he would build an “Iron Dome” missile shield to protect …

Why Congress Shouldn’t Fund a New Sea-Launched Nuke – Just Security

Just Security

John Erath sends a clear message to U.S. Congress: Support a strong Navy and stop funding the Nuclear-Armed Sea-Launched Cruise Missile.

Iran Nuclear Explosions Likely? Nuke War Alarm Amid Anticipated Revenge On Israel …

YouTube

Iran is planning to carry out deadly nuclear explosions before an anticipated revenge attack on Israel. Amid heightened West Asia tensions, …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Reluctantly, America will have to build more nuclear weapons – The Economist

The Economist

The nuclear de-escalation that followed the cold war is over, the Pentagon warned this month. … Facing new nuclear threats will be a test for America, …

Local activist group raises alarm over governor’s comments on Pacific nuclear threat | News

Pacific Daily News

Comments by Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero in an Aug. 6 interview with Radio New Zealand about the nuclear threat in the Pacific have drawn alarm from …

Putin’s nuclear threats proven hollow as Ukraine invades Russia, expert says

Euromaidan Press

Putin’s nuclear threats proven hollow as Ukraine invades Russia, expert says … war against Ukraine and Ukraine’s struggle to build a democratic 

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Aug 14, 2024

1

Share

North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un, is seen here guiding a nuclear counterattack drill in April

LLAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Wednesday, (08/14/2024)

The following UPI article and linked stories are serious concerns for many reasons, not the least of which is that the U.S. is dedicated to and linked with South Korea relative to war and all ‘threats’, including nuclear. Having spent a year in South Korea, stationed close to the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone), in the early 1960s, I was and still am aware of South Korea’s never-ending need for military support and aid from the United States to protect their nation from North Korean aggression. Adding to the serious nature of the “cannon fodder” threat is the inclusion of Japan. ~llaw

World News

Aug. 14, 2024 / 5:38 AM

North Korea warns South Korea, Japan will be nuclear ‘cannon fodder’

By Thomas Maresca

North Korean state media warned Tuesday that U.S. allies Seoul and Tokyo would be nuclear “cannon fodder.” Leader Kim Jong Un, seen guiding a nuclear counterattack drill in April, has declared North Korea a nuclear state. File Photo by KCNA/EPA-EFE

SEOUL, Aug. 14 (UPI) — North Korean state media has warned that strengthening trilateral ties with Washington risks turning the people of South Korea and Japan into “cannon fodder” for a nuclear attack.

An unsigned commentary in state-run Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday said that military threats from the United States have forced the North into “bolstering up its nuclear war deterrence.”

“The DPRK’s ‘nuclear threat,’ touted by the U.S., is an inevitable result of the latter’s deep-rooted hostile policy toward the former that has lasted decades after decades and generation after generation,” the KCNA article said.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is the official name of North Korea.

Related

• U.S., South Korea to start joint military drills next week amid mounting North Korea threats
• North Korean defects across neutral waters to South: military, media reports
• Kim Jong Un oversees transfer of new tactical missile launchers to border

The article added that growing security ties among the United States, Japan and Tokyo in response to North Korean threats has created a “serious tripartite security crisis” in the region.

“The strengthened tripartite security cooperation trumpeted by the U.S. has only made the peoples of Japan and the puppet ROK cannon fodder of nuclear war,” the article said, using the official acronym for South Korea.

The three allies held a summit in Camp David last year and have since ramped up their military partnership, including holding the first trilateral multi-domain military exercise in June.

Subscribed

ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:

There are 7 categories, with the latest (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War
5. Nuclear War Threats
6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are no Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in this evening’s Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Wednesday, (08/14/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Musk interviewed Trump in a freewheeling conversation that covered many subjects

Central Florida Public Media

Elon Musk is using the power of his social media platform X to put his weight behind Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Thinking about solar? Here are some things to consider – NPR

NPR

Solar power is booming, helping the country meet its climate goals. But the rooftop solar industry is a big source of consumer complaints and the …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Alert spurred by transformer fire at Plant Vogtle, a nuclear power plant in Georgia, ends

Live 5 News

Fires at nuclear power …

Alert spurred by transformer fire at Plant Vogtle, a nuclear power plant in Georgia, ends

Atlanta News First

Georgia Power said the …

‘Alert’ declared at Georgia nuclear power plant after fire breaks out – WSB-TV

WSB-TV

— One of Georgia’s nuclear plants has declared an alert, indicating that an event has happened that may have reduced the plant’s safety. Plant Vogtle …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Transformer fire triggers ‘alert’ level emergency at Vogtle nuclear power plant in East Georgia

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

An “alert” level emergency was issued Tuesday at the Plant Vogtle nuclear power station near Augusta due to a transformer fire outside the …

Fire sparks Georgia nuclear plant alert, but officials say no safety threat as reactors unaffected

AP News

WAYNESBORO, Ga. (AP) — Georgia’s largest nuclear plant declared an emergency alert Tuesday after an electrical transformer caught fire.

Transformer Fire Led to Emergency Alert at Georgia’s Largest Nuclear Plant – Newsweek

Newsweek

… nuclear materials, has four classifications for emergencies at commercial nuclear power plants. An “alert” is the second-least serious category …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Israel and Iran could ‘attack each other’s nuclear facilities’ | Middle East Crisis – YouTube

YouTube

Former foreign secretary Lord Owen has warned that tension in the Middle East could escalate to a nuclear confrontation.

Commentary: Special interests are pushing a dangerous new nuclear missile

Kennebec Journal

… attack, greatly increasing the risk of an accidental nuclear war based on a false alarm. Given this risk, the wisest policy would be to cancel the …

North Korea Calls Japan a “War Criminal State” After Hiroshima Ceremony – Newsweek

Newsweek

North Korean state media has accused Japan of hypocrisy over its alleged attempt to develop a nuclear arsenal.

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

North Korea warns South Korea, Japan will be nuclear ‘cannon fodder’ – UPI.com

UPI

… threats from the United States have forced the North into “bolstering up its nuclear war deterrence.” “The DPRK’s ‘nuclear threat,’ touted by the …

‘Iran has been threatened with a nuclear strike,’ says Amir al-Mousawi

Al Mayadeen English

… nuclear attack would be met with a proportional response. According to al-Mousawi, those conveying the threats were met with far stronger …

‘Israelis are losing sleep out of fear – and unjustifiably so; Iran is a weak country’ – www …

Israel Hayom

We must not allow them to turn us into hostages of the Iranian nuclear threat. … The Cold War ended in 1989, and military powers that threaten 

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Aug 14, 2024

1

Share

LLAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Tuesday, (08/13/2024)

Attacks on nuclear power plants in the Russia/Ukraine war seem to be growing more frequent and have moved into Russia as well as Ukraine. This is the 3rd auspicious and dangerous threats in as many days, but the nuclear attacks by Ukraine in Russia are recent, while the attacks on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is operated by Russia, have been going on for more than two years.

But the fact that nuclear power plants are becoming more frequently involved in these skirmishes demonstrates that it may be easier to fight a nuclear war involving radioactive power plants than it is to fight a war with conventional weapons. One could easily say that this war has already turned into a nuclear war, which could indicate that nuclear war is already officially underway. This ongoing situation could get much worse, and, of course, will never get better if the nuclear reactors at these nuclear power plants (and others) are used as weapons of mass destruction. ~llaw

IAEA unable to determine cause of Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant fire

By Reuters

August 12, 20243:58 PM PDTUpdated a day ago

The logo of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is seen at their headquarters before an emergency meeting at the request of both Ukraine and Russia, to discuss attacks on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, after both countries accused each other of drone attacks, in Vienna, Austria April 11, 2024. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger/File Photo

Aug 13 (Reuters) – The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said late on Monday that its representatives inspected a damaged cooling tower at the Russia-controlled Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant in Ukraine but could not immediately determine the cause of a fire there at the weekend.

Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of starting the fire at the vast dormant nuclear power plant in Ukraine, with Russia blaming a drone attack and Ukraine saying it was likely Russia’s negligence or arson.

The IAEA team found no immediate sign of drone remains and assessed that it was unlikely that the primary source of the fire began at the base of the cooling tower, the IAEA said in a statement on its website.

“The team has not been able to draw definitive conclusions (on the cause of fire) on the basis of the findings and observations so far,” the agency said.

Neither Moscow or Kyiv have reported signs of elevated radiation.

The IAEA said damage was most likely concentrated on the interior of the tower at the water nozzle distribution level, at roughly 10 metres (33 ft) high.

“The team confirmed that there were no significant signs of disturbance of the debris, ash or soot located at the base of the cooling tower,” the IAEA said.

“The nuclear safety of the plant was not affected, as the cooling towers are not currently in operation.”

Subscribed

---

ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:

There are 7 categories, with the latest (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

1. All Things Nuclear
2. Nuclear Power
3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
4. Nuclear War
5. Nuclear War Threats
6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are no Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in this evening’s Post.)
7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Monday, (08/12/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Trump & Elon Musk Talk About Russia-Ukraine War – YouTube

YouTube

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump termed the assassination attempt against him “not pleasant” during his much-awaited interview with …

You had a lot of questions about next-generation nuclear reactors. We posed them to the experts

Chattanooga Times Free Press

Bill Gates’ company, TerraPower, is the first in the U.S. to apply to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a construction permit for an advanced …

What we know about Trump’s claim that Iran hacked his campaign – Vox

Vox

Trump also nixed a 2015 nuclear deal which would have, among other things … This moment is all about feelings. Enter a friendly Midwestern …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

IAEA unable to determine cause of Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant fire – Reuters

Reuters

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said late on Monday that its representatives inspected a damaged cooling tower at the …

The State Of Nuclear Power: Growth, Decline, And Regional Shifts – Forbes

Forbes

Explore global nuclear power trends in 2023, from China’s rapid growth to Europe’s decline. Discover key insights from the Energy Institute’s 2024 …

Nuke watchdog warns attacks on Russia-controlled plant ‘must stop now’ as smoke seen …

New York Post

Shocking photos captured thick black smoke billowing out of a Russia-controlled nuclear power plant in Ukraine — a “reckless” attack that risked a …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

IAEA unable to determine cause of Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant fire – Reuters

Reuters

IAEA Board holds emergency meeting on Zaporizhzhia attacks. A view shows the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant outside Enerhodar. Item 1 of 2 The …

Berwick area nuclear power plant to test emergency alert sirens this week

The Shenandoah Sentinel

SALEM TOWNSHIP, Luzerne County – This Thursday, the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station will sound its sirens as part of a test of its system.

IAEA unable to determine cause of Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant fire – Yahoo

Yahoo

FILE PHOTO: IAEA Board holds emergency meeting on Zaporizhzhia attacks.

Nuclear War

NEWS

North Korea Issues Nuclear ‘Cannon Fodder’ Warning to US Allies – Newsweek

Newsweek

North Korea has warned that American actions have forced it to “bolster” its nuclear arsenal, and put its allies at risk of a retaliatory attack …

Leaked Russian documents reveal chilling plans to target Europe with nuclear missiles

AOAV

… nuclear weapons in a conflict scenario, viewing them as potential “war-winning” tools. The documents detail how Russian surface ships have …

Ukraine war briefing: Cause of fire unclear at Russia-controlled nuclear plant in … – The Guardian

The Guardian

Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of starting the fire at the vast dormant nuclear power plant in Ukraine, with Russia blaming a drone attack …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Terrifying ‘nuclear war‘ map identifies areas of US most likely to be targeted – MSN

MSN

The threat of nuclear war looms over parts of America as Russia’s … US-South Korea drills ramp up amid North Korean nuclear threats …

U.S. wants U.N. measure to say Iran is threat to peace | Reuters

Reuters

… nuclear ambitions posed a threat to international peace and security, diplomats said … Ukraine touts huge gains in Kursk region as it takes war …

US-South Korea military drills next week over North’s missiles, cyber threats… – Firstpost

Firstpost

… nuclear threats. The exercises, known as Ulchi Freedom Shield, are … nuclear attack scenarios, Lee said. Animosity on the Korean Peninsula ..