In order to keep abreast of the weekend nuclear news, I will post Saturday and Sunday’s news, but without editorial comment. If a weekend story warrants a critical review, it will show up on Monday’s posts . . .
If you are not familiar with the weekday daily blog post, this is how the nuclear news post works . . . llaw
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:
All Things Nuclear
Nuclear Power
Nuclear Power Emergencies
Nuclear War
Nuclear War Threats
Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There is one Yellowstone Caldera bonus story available on this weekend’s Post.)
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.
Nuclear waste will also be a major challenge for future governments as they inherit radioactive waste from AUKUS submarines. Emu Field, 1950s. Karina …
10. The attack took place as the vehicle and its driver were leaving the site to collect members of the team that was completing the 26th rotation of …
In order to keep abreast of the weekend nuclear news, I will post Saturday and Sunday’s news, but without editorial comment. If a weekend story warrants a critical review, it will show up on Monday’s posts . . .
If you are not familiar with the weekday daily blog post, this is how the nuclear news post works . . . llaw
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:
All Things Nuclear
Nuclear Power
Nuclear Power Emergencies
Nuclear War
Nuclear War Threats
Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are three Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available on this weekend’s Post.)
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.
Thanks to pressure from the environmental group Riverkeeper and the ambitions of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a deal was struck in 2017 requiring Indian Point ..
The war has rolled into another year and it is unclear whether Putin will continue to reiterate his nuclear threats which remain ambiguous, especially …
Those events are labeled “caldera forming,” because the molten rock vacating the underground reservoirs leaves an empty space, which leads to the land …
Fire trucks and an emergency response helicopter stand ready during a national nuclear emergency exercise in Romania in October 2023. (Photo: C. Torres Vidal/IAEA)
LLAW’s NUCLEAR WORLD NEWS TODAY with THE RISKS & CONSEQUENCES OF TOMORROW
The IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) has long been a watchdog concerning all things nuclear around the world, and over the years their work and scope has become a protective boon to the future of human life relative to our questionable nuclear future. This story/report is about what they do as best they can to protect the environment of our planet Earth and human and other life along with it.
The IAEA has been a huge aid to controlling, evaluating, and news reporting about the multiple Russian attacks on Ukraine’s nuclear power plants, recognizing the fact that nuclear power plants are now part of perhaps any nuclear war now or in the future. It is time that we all are knowledgeable, aware, and concerned of this sudden change in the safety of nuclear power in general on a global basis. We are still pretending that nuclear power plants have nothing to do with war, but the Russia/Ukraine war has proven that such a war exists and is not only a serious problem but also a dangerous one that could easily annihilate human and other life in not only a war zone but extensions of nuclear destruction on a global basis.
And this story and IAEA’s purpose is intended to enlighten and do whatever is possible to protect us all in an attempt to do just what the title says: Strengthening Global Nuclear Emergency Preparedness.
Personally, I’m not sure there is much we can do to preserve life in the event of a global nuclear war such as WWIII, but we have to try as best we can, and there is no better organization than the IAEA to make the attempt in the face of the inevitable. ~llaw
Strengthening Global Nuclear Emergency Preparedness: Registration Open for 2025 ConvEx-3 Exercise
Strengthening Global Nuclear Emergency Preparedness: Registration Open for 2025 ConvEx-3 Exercise
10 Jan 2025
Nayana Jayarajan, IAEA Department of Nuclear Safety and Security
Fire trucks and an emergency response helicopter stand ready during a national nuclear emergency exercise in Romania in October 2023. (Photo: C. Torres Vidal/IAEA)
The IAEA invites Member States to participate in the next ConvEx-3, the IAEA’s highest level and most complex emergency exercise. Hosted by Romania on 14 and 15 May 2025, this major exercise will simulate a severe nuclear emergency at the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant, offering a unique opportunity to test and strengthen global preparedness and response mechanisms.
“ConvEx-3 is not just an exercise, it is a call to action,” said Lydie Evrard, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security. “By participating, Member States and international organizations demonstrate their commitment to global nuclear safety and security, ensuring that the international community is ready to respond to nuclear and radiological emergencies, no matter where they occur and regardless of their cause.”
Level 3 Convention exercises, or ConvEx-3 exercises, are a cornerstone of the IAEA’s efforts to enhance global nuclear safety and security. As part of their obligations under the Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident and the Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency, Member States are required to have emergency arrangements in place. These arrangements are tested every three to five years with an exercise held in one country which provides participating countries with a rare opportunity to evaluate and improve their emergency response arrangements in realistic conditions. Participants test national capabilities, engage in coordinated international responses and strengthen regional collaboration.
Emergency responders in the IAEA’s Incident and Emergency Centre respond to a simulated nuclear accident during a ConvEx exercise at IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria, in June 2024. (Photo: Y. Han/IAEA)
Previous ConvEx-3 exercises have been hosted by the United Arab Emirates (2021), Hungary (2017), Morocco (2013) and Mexico (2008). Romania hosted the first ConvEx-3 exercise in 2005.
“Now, two decades later, in 2025, Romania will once again host ConvEx-3, reaffirming its readiness to tackle the most demanding scenarios,” said Cantemir Ciurea Ercau, President of Romania’s National Commission for Nuclear Activities Control. “Through increased complexity and scale, this event is not only a natural continuation, but a showcase of the remarkable progress made in recent decades in nuclear safety and security, emergency preparedness and response and global cooperation.”
“By hosting such an exercise of great importance,” he added, “Romania strengthens its position as significant contributor in enhancing global nuclear safety and security.”
Unique Elements of ConvEx-3 in 2025
This year’s ConvEx-3 exercise introduces three new elements to enhance preparedness and response capabilities. First, recognizing the transboundary impacts of nuclear or radiological accidents, significant focus is placed on regional collaboration. This includes harmonizing protective measures, such as evacuation zones and iodine distribution, across borders to ensure consistent, effective actions and to build public trust.
Second, the exercise integrates a nuclear security component, simulating threats to regulatory control, physical protection and computer security in a realistic setting. This approach features collaboration among participating countries and international organizations to counter threats to the secure use of nuclear and other radioactive material.
Finally, a more integrated method for planning, conducting and evaluating the exercise will be used. This includes an expanded social media simulator, which challenges participants to manage real-time crisis communication to test the public communication strategies of participating organizations.
To ensure that the knowledge gained during ConvEx-3 has a lasting impact on national and international emergency arrangements, the exercise will be followed by a technical meeting that will provide a forum for sharing lessons learned, discussing best practices and identifying actionable improvements.
Official contact points registered on the IAEA’s USIE platform are invited to submit their country’s registration form to participate in this exercise by 31 January 2025.
ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO LLAW’a ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:“
(Please note that the Sunday and Saturday NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS are also added below by category, following Monday’s news posts in order to maintain continuity of nuclear news as well as for research for the overall information provided in “LLAW;s All Things Nuclear”.)
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:
All Things Nuclear
Nuclear Power
Nuclear Power Emergencies
Nuclear War
Nuclear War Threats
Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are two Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in today’s Post.)
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.
Nuclear Power Giant to Acquire Natural Gas Plants for $16.4 Billion. Constellation Energy’s deal to buy Calpine is being driven by fast-rising demand …
Hosted by Romania on 14 and 15 May 2025, this major exercise will simulate a severe nuclear emergency at the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant, offering a .
At the Zwentendorf Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), a site that has never been in operation, they will spend a week testing their robotic systems under the …
As accumulating plastic waste continues to threaten human health and life under water, experts and decision-makers in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines have sought innovative, upstream solutions to reduce plastic waste and are now benefitting from IAEA support through the NUclear TEChnology for Controlling Plastic Pollution (NUTEC Plastics) initiative. Read more →
Misuse of antimicrobials, particularly the overuse of antibiotics in livestock, contributes to the development of resistant bacteria. The IAEA and the FAO have worked to tackle transboundary animal diseases, including zoonotic diseases, for over 60 years. Read more →
An e-learning series on IAEA safety standards is now fully available online, fostering global awareness and effective application of the safety standards, which strengthen nuclear safety across diverse sectors. Read more →
Nigeria has advanced its national cancer control programme in the last decade and is making steady progress towards expanding care for millions of people, an international assessment has found. Read more →
This is what a Small Modular Nuclear Reactor looks like. (More about this photo in the article)
LAW’s NUCLEAR WORLD NEWS TODAY with THE RISKS & CONSEQUENCES OF TOMORROW
Finally! The lightbulb up above our governmental heads lit up with the realization and concern about the potential spread of enriched uranium (nuclear fuel) black market trading, illegal distribution and mercenary theft, terrorism, and uncontrolled nuclear weapons proliferation, and other underground uses! Ultimately meaning strict government(s) oversight and control.
I have written several times in this blog of the scary and tremendously dangerous illegal proliferation of the nuclear fuel proposed to be used world-wide by the ‘new’ nuclear industry, all the while anxiously awaiting the U.S. federal government (and other nations) to awaken to the the incredible risk of this menacing enriched nuclear fuel proposed by the nuclear industry and related commercial interests to be used for new SMRs (Small Modular Nuclear Reactors) and other future nuclear power plants or stations.
The fuel proposed — by the involved corporate, banking, and government interests — of a 20% enriched uranium fuel (HALEU) although it is at the lower end of weapons-grade nuclear fuel, it is still weapons-grade — and that means it is subject to all kinds of theft, blackmail, and terrorism, and, of course, governmental control. ~llaw
US to study proliferation risk of HALEU nuclear fuel, after warning by scientists
A drone view shows the Argentine Modular Elements Power Plant (CAREM), which is the small modular reactor (SMR) project at the most advanced stage of construction worldwide, in Lima, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina August 1, 2023. CNEA/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab
WASHINGTON, Jan 8 (Reuters) – The U.S. agency in charge of nuclear security is commissioning a study on the proliferation risks of a more-enriched uranium fuel that nuclear power developers want to fuel new high-tech reactors, the head of the agency said this week.
Jill Hruby, administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, said in a statement published in the journal Science that it is important to address proliferation concerns of so-called high assay, low-enriched uranium fuel, or HALEU.
“NNSA recognizes that reactor type, fuel enrichment level, fuel quantity, and fuel form are important factors in evaluating proliferation risks and believes that risk-informed and adaptive approaches to the proliferation challenges inherent in nuclear energy are warranted,” Hruby said.
Planned new nuclear plants, known as small modular reactors, or advanced reactors, must set high standards for safety and security, “especially considering Russia’s takeover of Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant,” she said.
Russia in 2022 took the Zaporizhzhia plant, the largest nuclear plant in Europe, by force after it invaded Ukraine.
Hruby’s statement was in response to an article published last year in which scientists said HALEU poses a security risk because it can be used without further enrichment as fissile material in a crude nuclear weapon.
HALEU is uranium fuel enriched up to 20% instead of the 5% level of uranium fuel used in today’s commercial reactors.
Several companies are hoping to develop a wave of reactors that would use HALEU, including the Bill Gates-backed TerraPower, which wants to build a $4 billion plant in Wyoming by 2030. Nuclear has gotten attention from technology companies seeking new ways to power data centers and as U.S. power demand is growing for the first time in decades. None of the plants have yet to be built.
TerraPower did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In October, the U.S. Energy Department rolled out initial contracts to four companies hoping to produce HALEU domestically. Currently, commercial amounts of HALEU are only produced in Russia. The U.S. contracts will last up to 10 years and each awardee received a minimum of $2 million, with up to $2.7 billion available subject to congressional appropriations.
Hruby said NNSA has regularly collected data and evaluated HALEU risks, and is finalizing plans to commission a National Academies report. The reports are largely classified, she said. But the information will be used to inform programs, develop actions, and make recommendations to stakeholders.
Edwin Lyman, a physicist at the Union of Concerned Scientists and an author of last year’s report, said he appreciated that Hruby is asking for the independent review of HALEU by the National Academies. “We are hopeful that this effort will lead to tighter security controls on HALEU to prevent its misuse by proliferators and terrorists.”
The authors had written that if HALEU enrichment is limited to 10% to 12%, the supply chain would be far safer with only modest costs.
The Reuters Power Up newsletter provides everything you need to know about the global energy industry. Sign up here.
Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by Leslie Adler
Timothy reports on energy and environment policy and is based in Washington, D.C. His coverage ranges from the latest in nuclear power, to environment regulations, to U.S. sanctions and geopolitics. He has been a member of three teams in the past two years that have won Reuters best journalism of the year awards. As a cyclist he is happiest outside.
Subscribed
ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO LLAW’a ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:“
(Please note that the Sunday and Saturday NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS are also added below by category, following Monday’s news posts in order to maintain continuity of nuclear news as well as for research for the overall information provided in “LLAW;s All Things Nuclear”.)
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:
All Things Nuclear
Nuclear Power
Nuclear Power Emergencies
Nuclear War
Nuclear War Threats
Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are three Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in today’s Post.)
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.
1. There has been small nuclear reactors on ships and submarines for years. I am sure they are classified and everything but does anybody know how are …
… nuclear power plant,” she said. Advertisement · Scroll to continue. Russia in 2022 took the Zaporizhzhia plant, the largest nuclear plant in Europe …
Prior to the war in Ukraine, it was extremely rare for American or Russian leaders to imply a threat of nuclear use. Putin’s threats have dramatically .
Engels, Russia on the Volga river (courtesy Alamy)
LLAW’s NUCLEAR WORLD NEWS TODAY with THE RISKS & CONSEQUENCES OF TOMORROW
I’m wondering if this odd Ukraine attack deep within Russia has something to do with Ukraine military intelligence suspecting that Russia may be preparing to use nuclear bombers as a beginning to their previously threat to use “”tactical nuclear strikes” in their war with Ukraine.
If so, all nuclear-armed nations likely would immediately be on a high alert, concerned that such an attack, even though represented as a “tactical” nuclear attack, these weapons would possibly be as powerful, if not moreso, than the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the summer of 1945 that killed an estimated quarter of a million people.
This scenario has been a gradually growing concern by the U.S. and other NATO countries since Russia has made such threats during the the most recent stages of the Russia/Ukraine war. Certainly, no matter the Ukraine objectives, this is not good news. ~llaw
Ukraine says it attacked oil depot serving air base for Russian nuclear bombers
KYIV, Jan 8 (Reuters) – Ukraine launched an overnight strike deep inside Russia that set fire to an oil depot that serves an air base for Russian nuclear bomber planes, the Ukrainian military said on Wednesday.
Russian regional governor Roman Busargin said the cities of Engels and Saratov, on opposite sides of the Volga river, had been subject to a “mass drone attack” and fire had broken out in Engels at an industrial site, which he did not name.
He later posted on Telegram that the blaze had spread and two firefighters had died trying to put it out. He declared a state of emergency in Engels, which has a population of some 200,000.
The Ukrainian military reported multiple explosions and a big fire at the Kristal oil depot, which it said provided fuel to the Engels-2 military airfield.
The strike “creates serious logistical problems for the strategic aviation of the Russian occupiers and significantly reduces their ability to strike at peaceful Ukrainian cities and civilian objects”, it said in a statement on Telegram.
Ukraine deployed “long-range capabilities” in the attack, presidential adviser Oleksandr Kamyshin posted on X.
He used the hashtag #MadeInUkraine to signal that the weapons used were not supplied by the West.
Ukraine’s general staff also said it had carried out a successful strike on a Russian military command post in Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Donetsk region on Wednesday.
The facility has been used by Russia to coordinate attacks against Ukrainian troops and civilians, it said.
Separately, a Russian attack killed at least one person and injured three others on Wednesday in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, the regional governor said.
CROSS-BORDER MISSILE STRIKES
In an escalation of the now nearly three-year-old war, Ukraine last year began firing U.S. ATACMS ballistic missiles and British Storm Shadows into Russia. Russia responded by launching a new hypersonic missile, the Oreshnik, at Ukraine. The Kremlin has pledged to retaliate each time Ukraine fires long-range Western weapons into Russia.
Russian news reports also said the fire in Engels was at an oil facility. Videos and photos published on social media showed a large fire burning, sending thick clouds of smoke into the night sky. Reuters was able to verify the location in an industrial zone of Engels, based on satellite imagery.
“There are sufficient forces and resources to localise the fire,” Busargin, the regional governor, said on Telegram.
Russia’s defence ministry said in a statement that 11 Ukrainian drones had been destroyed overnight over the Saratov region, and 21 over other parts of Russia and the Azov Sea. It did not mention any damage.
Some Engels residents posted in a Telegram chat room that they had heard dozens of explosions. Authorities told people not to panic and instructed them not to take pictures or video of drones.
The Engels air base is located about 730 km (450 miles) southeast of Moscow and hundreds of kilometres from the Ukrainian border. In December 2022, three Russian air force personnel were killed when a drone was shot down there.
Subscribed
ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO LLAW’a ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:“
(Please note that the Sunday and Saturday NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS are also added below by category, following Monday’s news posts in order to maintain continuity of nuclear news as well as for research for the overall information provided in “LLAW;s All Things Nuclear”.)
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:
All Things Nuclear
Nuclear Power
Nuclear Power Emergencies
Nuclear War
Nuclear War Threats
Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are three Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in today’s Post.)
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.
… things, the show’s nuclear … In the ’50s and 1960s, there was a call for more regulation, and the regulation was all about keeping radiation as low as …
Tylec said. “These are all things that we brought up or have heard concerns about.” The announcement comes six months after the North Tonawanda Common …
… nuclear war. Soon · Doomsday Clock reset imminent amid Israel-Hamas war and threats from Iran, North Korea and Russia’s ‘unhinged’ Putin … Instead, it …
The Hanford Site pictured in 2021. Amazon announced in October that it plans to build nuclear reactors in southeast Washington that would power its data centers in Umatilla and Morrow counties, but many tribes and environmentalists are against it.
LLAW’s NUCLEAR WORLD NEWS TODAY with THE RISKS & CONSEQUENCES OF TOMORROW
Following is a story that could well be the most significant of All Things Nuclear’s environmental warnings, fears, and objections to nuclear power plants, nuclear waste, and military use of nuclear weapons manufacturing and testing operations all around the globe. Only nuclear war itself could or would be more potentially devastating.
If you don’t know about or have forgotten the “Hanford” never-ending nuclear fiasco and seemingly infinite mess that has long plagued agricultural, living conditions, and natural resources in parts of Oregon, Washington, and California, and wetlands, streams, and rivers including the Columbia, a refresher course is a key to this story. Dozens or even hundreds of other places in other countries if Information technology computing companies continue pushing nuclear power reactors at more and more locations, sizes, and habitat imperiled by both nuclear energy facilities, their waste as well as increasingly powerful nuclear stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction by both aggressive and defensive “deterrent” nuclear-arms-possession countries and eventual new ones like Iran and others. ~llaw
Tribes, environmentalists gather forces against Amazon’s Northwest nuclear plan
Caution signs warn of radioactive materials at the Tank-Side Cesium Removal System process enclosure outside AP Tank Farm on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, Sept. 24, 2024. Amazon announced in October that it plans to build nuclear reactors in southeast Washington that would power its data centers in Umatilla and Morrow counties, but many tribes and environmentalists are against it.
Amazon’s push for small modular nuclear reactors is just the latest development in decadeslong fight over nuclear energy.
Chuck Johnson was 25 years old when he helped bring Oregon’s nuclear energy industry to a sudden halt.
Fresh out of college, Johnson helped lead signature gathering and field organizing to pass Ballot Measure 7, which banned all new nuclear power plants in the state until the U.S. had a federally licensed permanent disposal facility. When the Oregon’s only nuclear energy facility was closed in 1992, the measure effectively ensured that nothing would take its place unless major changes happened.
For decades those changes seemed unlikely, but a new push by the power-hungry tech industry has reignited interest in nuclear energy in the region.
Amazon announced in October that it is partnering with Energy Northwest to develop and build nuclear reactors in southeast Washington that would power its data centers in Umatilla and Morrow counties. Amazon would work with its partners to develop and roll out a novel technology – small modular nuclear reactors – without brushing up against the limits of Measure 7 because the reactors would be north of the Columbia River.
For Amazon, SMRs would allow the tech and e-commerce giant to harness the immense, low-carbon power potential of nuclear energy while staying true to its climate goals, and avoiding the safety and environmental concerns that have plagued traditional reactors. More than 40 years after passing Measure 7, Johnson isn’t convinced.
“If you can’t get rid of the waste produced by these plants, it’s irresponsible for us to – for the sake of some electricity right now – leave this legacy to future generations,” he said.
Johnson is a part of a group of environmentalists, academics and American Indian tribes who are gathering force against a nuclear energy revival in the Northwest.
Nuclear energy opponents argue that SMRs are simply a new coat of paint on the industry’s old problems. Like traditional reactors, they say that SMRs aren’t economically feasible and risk exposing people to nuclear radiation in a region still recovering from its World War II legacy.
Photo courtesy of X-energy
The X-energy command room in Rockville, Md. Amazon plans to use X-energy’s nuclear reactor design to power its Eastern Oregon data centers.
‘It’s for their profit’
M.V. Ramana’s argument against SMRs is economic as much as it is scientific.
A professor in the School of Public Affairs and Global Policy at the University of British Columbia, Ramana said the global share of electricity generated from nuclear reactors has been shrinking for decades, mainly due to the cost of building them.
Ramana pointed to the U.S.’s newest nuclear reactor project as an example. A nuclear reactor expansion at Plant Vogtle in Georgia went billions of dollars over budget before its first reactor went online in 2023.
Proponents say SMRs could solve the cost problem. At about one-tenth the size of a traditional reactor, SMR parts could be manufactured offsite, a process expected to save considerable money. While SMRs might sacrifice total capacity, their output is anticipated to far exceed other forms of low-carbon energy like solar and wind.
Ramana is skeptical of this argument, too. He said traditional reactors rely on an economy of scale: Their large size carries a great expense but it also means more energy to generate and sell. While an SMR might be one-tenth the size of a traditional reactor, Ramana said not all the costs of running and operating it are going to shrink by the same margin. SMR developers have also yet to realize decreased construction costs, Ramana said. He referenced NuScale, a Portland company whose SMR project in Idaho ballooned its cost 75% to $9.3 billion before it was canceled.
Amazon and other tech companies are backing nuclear as they promote technologies reliant on artificial intelligence because the hardware used to compute that data has extensive energy needs. The International Energy Agency projects data center energy consumption to double from 2022 to 2026. But optimistic timelines for the completion of the Amazon SMRs in Washington estimates they wouldn’t be built for at least seven years. Ramana said that’s enough time for the data demand bubble to burst.
“They need the power right now, because right now is when the market is hot,” he said. “There is no guarantee that in 10 years the market is going to be hot and they will need all this power.”
In a statement, an Amazon spokesperson said it won’t abandon its other green energy efforts as it pursues nuclear projects.
“We will continue to invest in new sources of solar, wind, and energy storage, alongside nuclear facilities … Expanding our energy investment strategy to include other forms of carbon-free energy, including nuclear, is the most viable option to bring new sources of carbon-free energy online quickly enough to help bridge this gap,” the company said in a written statement.
If Amazon and other tech companies were truly interested in protecting the world from climate change, Ramana said, they would take steps to reduce their data businesses rather than growing its energy usage.
“It’s for their profit,” he said. “It is not for the environmental good that they are doing it.”
Anna King
/
Northwest News Network
The Hanford Site pictured in 2021. Amazon announced in October that it plans to build nuclear reactors in southeast Washington that would power its data centers in Umatilla and Morrow counties, but many tribes and environmentalists are against it.
Hanford’s legacy
Columbia Riverkeeper staff attorney Simone Anter describes Hanford Reach as an idyllic spot, the last undammed, free flowing part of the Columbia River and an important spawning grounds for Chinook salmon.
It’s also near the most nuclear waste polluted area in the Western Hemisphere.
During World War II and the Cold War, the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington was the top producer of weapons-grade plutonium in the U.S. While Hanford stopped producing plutonium in the 1980s, the site left behind hundreds of billions of gallons of nuclear waste in underground storage tanks that leached into the soil.
Anter said Columbia Riverkeeper was formed when two groups worried about nuclear pollution in the Columbia merged.
“A lot of our work centers around this idea that Hanford is not a nuclear waste dumping ground, it is a place that has a future that people want to use and will use,” she said.
Building new nuclear reactors would be a literal barrier to clean-up efforts as new buildings could cover contaminated areas, Antor said. Columbia Riverkeeper is also concerned that SMRs could mean further nuclear pollution in the event of a meltdown.
SMR backers say that the size and technology of these reactors significantly reduces the risk of a meltdown. But even if the reactors avoid meltdowns, Ramana said they would still generate waste that will take hundreds or even thousands of years to decay.
Antonio Sierra
/
OPB
The Nixyaawii Governance Center in Mission, Ore., on April 30, 2024, located in Umatilla County. Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation has ceded land at Hanford and has opposed SMRs for years.
The tribes respond
Indigenous tribes often bear the brunt of the nuclear energy industry’s follies.
In the Pacific Northwest, the Yakama Nation has religious sites at Hanford and is directly involved in clean-up efforts. The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation also has ceded land at Hanford and has opposed SMRs for years. They reiterated their opposition in a December statement, writing that they were against any “expansion of nuclear energy” unless developers sought permission through the CTUIR government
Amazon has spent several years building a relationship with the CTUIR, including the establishment of an educational lab on the Umatilla Indian Reservation in 2022. But the tribes are concerned about how SMRs would affect water quality, fish and game habitat and plant life, all integral parts of the tribes’ First Foods.
Early signs also point to nuclear energy becoming a hot topic at the upcoming legislative session in Salem. State Rep. Bobby Levy, R-Echo, has already said she will sponsor a bill that would authorize an SMR pilot program in Umatilla County. A legislative committee also received a presentation on SMRs from nuclear energy officials in December.
It’s a fight Johnson, who helped curtail the nuclear energy industry by leading the effort to pass Measure 7 in 1980, hasn’t let go.
In the years that followed the measure’s passage, he worked as a fundraiser for Portland State University and Western Oregon University, but Johnson re-engaged with the nuclear issue following the 2011 nuclear power plant meltdown in Fukushima, Japan.
He steered his career track back toward nuclear opposition, becoming a program manager for the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, first moving to Boston and then Switzerland to lead the organization’s Geneva office.
Johnson intends to retire later this year and return to Oregon, where he plans to remain active in opposing nuclear energy. He sees the sudden push for SMRs as an act of hubris from the country’s “tech bros,” an unearned confidence that they could unlock the potential of nuclear energy where previous generations have failed. Given the long, uncertain timeline for SMRs, Johnson thinks it’s just a ploy for tech companies to consume however much energy they want, whether it’s low carbon or not.
“I think it’s cynical,” he said. “They’re basically saying, ‘We got a promise to be carbon free, and fortunately for us, it’s something that’s going to take a while to do.’”
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(Please note that the Sunday and Saturday NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS are also added below by category, following Monday’s news posts in order to maintain continuity of nuclear news as well as for research for the overall information provided in “LLAW;s All Things Nuclear”.)
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:
All Things Nuclear
Nuclear Power
Nuclear Power Emergencies
Nuclear War
Nuclear War Threats
Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are three Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in today’s Post.)
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.
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That could easily lead to nuclear war, a catastrophe that would affect the whole world. We do more than just provide Ukraine with these missiles; our …
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine (Image Credit to IAEA)
LLAW’s NUCLEAR WORLD NEWS TODAY with THE RISKS & CONSEQUENCES OF TOMORROW
Though this drone attack on the the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine did not result in any deaths nor damages to the plant itself, there are at least two conflicting stories — one claiming Russia, the other claiming Ukraine — was guilty of the military attack. So, obviously, it stands to reason that one country is lying to the world about who is responsible for this extremely dangerous military activity, not only in Ukraine, but the entire world.
I have posted only the headline of Russia’s article claiming Ukraine itself was guilty of attacking its own facility which is enough from Russia’s questionable point of view, but I added the test of the “WNN – World Nuclear News” article in order to document, describe, and explain what happened and why the issue is so important. ~llaw
HOME / REGULATION & SAFETY / ZAPORIZHZHIA NPP: IAEA’S CONCERNS OVER ‘INCREASED INTENSITY’ OF MILITARY ACTIVITIES
Zaporizhzhia NPP: IAEA’s concerns over ‘increased intensity’ of military activities
Monday, 6 January 2025
International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has urged restraint after agency staff at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant reported hearing multiple explosions at various distances from the site over the weekend.
The Zaporizhzhia plant (Image: IAEA)
In the agency’s 5 January update it says blasts, from outside the site perimeter, were heard at 12:45 and 15:45 local time on Sunday which coincided “with reports of a drone attack on the plant’s training centre”, which is located outside the power plant’s perimeter. The update added that the IAEA has not been able to confirm any impact and also referred to its staff hearing machine-gun fire on multiple occasions.
The IAEA cited reports which said there were no casualties or impact on the nuclear power plant equipment, but Grossi said: “An attack on any nuclear power plant is completely unacceptable. In light of the increased military activity at ZNPP, I once again call for maximum restraint to avert the clear danger to its safety, and for the strict adherence to the five concrete principles established by the IAEA at the United Nations Security Council to protect the facility.”
Among these five principles are that there should not be attacks on, or from a nuclear power plant, and it should not be used as a military base for heavy weaponry or personnel.
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has been under Russian military control since early March 2022. All six of the unit’s reactors are currently shut down and there have been IAEA teams stationed at the site – which is on the frontline of Russian and Ukrainian forces – since September 2022 as part of measures to minimise the safety and security risks. The IAEA has not attributed blame for incidents where the plant, and nearby areas, have suffered damage during the war, with each side blaming the other side’s forces.
According to the Tass news agency, Alexei Likhachev, Director General of Russia’s nuclear power corporation Rosatom, told the Russia 24 television channel that they would continue to meet with Grossi in 2025, saying “the IAEA is probably the only organisation from the UN umbrella that has not in any way limited the activities of either Russia or the Rosatom state corporation”.
In an interview published by the company’s Strana Rosatom, Ramil Galiev, newly appointed CEO of the Zaporizhzhia NPP operating organisation, said his plans included restructuring the organisation “to the typical structure of Rosenergoatom NPPs”. He said his top priority was doing everything that could be done to ensure safety of the NPP, followed by preparing the units for switching to power generation mode: “We are preparing a package of documents for Rostekhnadzor to obtain a licence to operate the first unit. And then for the rest”.
He said the third key task was to “replenish the water supply” in the plant’s cooling pond where the “water level is decreasing due to the destruction of the Kakhovka reservoir dam. A decision has been made to manufacture new pumping station equipment and install it in the Dnieper riverbed”.
Ukraine’s nuclear operator Energoatom says that the plant “must be transferred back under the control of its legal operator, Energoatom, as soon as possible. This is the only way to guarantee the safe operation of the nuclear facility”, with Energoatom CEO Petro Kotin saying that they “receive evidence of the degradation of the equipment almost every day
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ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO LLAW’a ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:“
(Please note that the Sunday and Saturday NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS are also added below by category, following Monday’s news posts in order to maintain continuity of nuclear news as well as for research for the overall information provided in “LLAW;s All Things Nuclear”.)
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:
All Things Nuclear
Nuclear Power
Nuclear Power Emergencies
Nuclear War
Nuclear War Threats
Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There is one Yellowstone Caldera bonus story available in today’s Post.)
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.
… nuclear power firms. … It says radioisotopes are popular for their use in cancer treatment and clean energy, among other things. … All information and …
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), global projections for nuclear energy capacity have been revised upward, anticipating a 25 …
“The DPRK is already receiving Russian military equipment and training. Now, we have reason to believe that Moscow intends to share advance space and …
In order to keep abreast of the weekend nuclear news, I will post Saturday and Sunday’s news, but without editorial comment. If a weekend story warrants a critical review, it will show up on Monday’s posts . . .
If you are not familiar with the weekday daily blog post, this is how the nuclear news post works . . . llaw
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:
All Things Nuclear
Nuclear Power
Nuclear Power Emergencies
Nuclear War
Nuclear War Threats
Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are three Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available on this weekend’s Post.)
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.
US avoided direct conflict with Russia amid nuclear threats from Kremlin – Blinken … The US was able to manage the threat of potential nuclear weapon ..
In order to keep abreast of the weekend nuclear news, I will post Saturday and Sunday’s news, but without editorial comment. If a weekend story warrants a critical review, it will show up on Monday’s posts . . .
If you are not familiar with the weekday daily blog post, this is how the nuclear news post works . . . llaw
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:
All Things Nuclear
Nuclear Power
Nuclear Power Emergencies
Nuclear War
Nuclear War Threats
Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are three Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available on this weekend’s Post.)
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.
Thanks to pressure from the environmental group Riverkeeper and the ambitions of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a deal was struck in 2017 requiring Indian Point ..
The war has rolled into another year and it is unclear whether Putin will continue to reiterate his nuclear threats which remain ambiguous, especially …
Those events are labeled “caldera forming,” because the molten rock vacating the underground reservoirs leaves an empty space, which leads to the land …
LLAW’s NUCLEAR WORLD NEWS TODAY with THE RISKS & CONSEQUENCES OF TOMORROW
The following excellent Post from the “Bulletin of Atomic Scientists” — long ago originated by Albert Einstein and other Manhattan Project scientists in December of 1945 following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. — contains this lead article as well as 5 other very important links to stories that every concerned (or curios) human being on planet Earth should read, contemplate, and assimilate.
We have had 79 years now to recognize and correct the nuclear errors of our ways, but we’ve failed miserably. Instead, we have made “all things nuclear” nearly ultimately or even infinitely worse. Let’s hope this year — number 80, during all of which I have lived, plus a few more — is the year that saves us and other innocent life from thoughtless “nuclear genocide”.
I realize none of us can knowingly and/or accurately predict the future of mankind and other life on planet Earth, but awareness and assimilation of the threatening dangers, including the possibility of our Earth’s 6th Extinction, ought to be forefront in our collective minds, especially the ultimate question of “What can we do to prevent it?”.
But, should this incredible travesty happen, humanity will be solely responsible for the loss of our own lives as well as for most other living presences on our Mother Earth. During the previous 5 extinctions, we simply hadn’t arrived here yet . . . Think seriously about that! ~llaw
(See Image Explanation and Illustration Credits in the “Bulletin” Article)
The nuclear year in review: Welcome to the antechamber of the next nuclear crisis
The biggest change this year in international security is, arguably, the instability now at the doors of nuclear powers, and the looming possibility of a nuclear crisis. (Illustration by François Diaz-Maurin; original photos by Korea Central News Agency/KCNA via KNS, depositphotos.com)
This past year, there has not been a single week without a reminder of the danger posed by nuclear weapons. Nuclear noise and signaling were evident; officials made implicit or explicit references to nuclear weapons and their possible use—seeming, for some observers, to call almost everything a nuclear threat. But the biggest change this year in international security is, arguably, the instability now at the doors of nuclear powers, and the looming possibility of a nuclear crisis.
The country with the world’s largest nuclear arsenal—Russia—is still ferociously waging its war against Ukraine and has now brought in North Korean troops to support its effort. Russia also updated its nuclear doctrine, expanding the conditions under which it might use nuclear weapons.
In another major development, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France authorized Ukraine to use their missile systems to strike targets inside Russia. A few days later, Russia responded by using a new intermediate-range missile against Ukraine. This new missile can reach European capitals in less than 15 minutes and can be loaded with one of several nuclear warheads, significantly increasing the risk of a potentially catastrophic misunderstanding.
In the Middle East, Iran launched large barrages of ballistic missiles against Israel—an undeclared nuclear-weapon state—on two occasions. The faceoff prompted fears that Israel might attack Iran’s nuclear sites in retaliation—a move that could have ripple effects on nuclear proliferation in the region. Several weeks ago, the United States reportedly also discussed plans to strike Iran’s nuclear sites should Tehran rush to build a nuclear weapon before the presidential inauguration on January 20.
Most recently, South Korean president made an out-of-the-blue decision to impose martial law without notifying the United States. This could have created a crisis had North Korea seized this moment of political chaos to take action against its neighbor. A longstanding mutual defense treaty binds South Korea and the United States. This year, North Korea and Russia signed their own mutual defense treaty, opening another front for a potential conflict between the two great powers.
I want to make special mention of a nuclear story from 2024 that met, in extraordinary fashion, the Bulletin’s mission by providing expertly crafted, timely information and, thereby, contributing to the reduction of nuclear risk in a crisis.
Israel’s April 19 strike on the Eighth Shekari Air Base in Iran reportedly damaged a S-300 missile defense system (shown here during a test in 2017) deployed to protect the nearby nuclear sites. (Credit: Still shot from Rasane TV)
Iran vs. Israel redux: The enormous difficulties and ramifications if Israel attacks Iran’s nuclear sites By Darya Dolzikova, Matthew Savill This article was originally published in April, after an Iranian attack on Israel and Israel’s military response. It was republished in October because of its relevance to Iran’s second massive missile attack against Israel and the near-certainty of some sort of Israeli retaliation at the time. In this article, Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) experts Darya Dolzikova and Matthew Savill explain how an Israel attack against Iran’s nuclear sites would not only be enormously difficult but could be counterproductive, pushing the Iranian regime even closer to the actual weaponization of its nuclear program.
Here are five other Bulletin nuclear stories that stood out in 2024—and that you should read.
Trump has a strategic plan for the country: Gearing up for nuclear war By Joe Cirincione For this piece, nuclear policy analyst and author Joe Cirincione went through the 900-page book “Mandate for Leadership” of Project 2025, which is widely seen as the template for the incoming Trump administration. The document reveals how President Trump might put nuclear weapons programs on steroids, trash what remains of the global arms control regime, and trigger new nuclear weapons programs in more other nations than we have seen at any time since the early 1960s.
The new red line: Why a prolonged conflict in Ukraine makes a nuclear attack more likely By Phillips P. O’Brien There should have been a nuclear war by now—at least if the wargames and academic models of state behavior are to be believed. For the last two-and-a-half years, Ukraine has repeatedly and in an escalatory fashion continued to flout the warnings of nuclear-armed Russia. Assumptions on reaching the threshold of nuclear weapons were overwrought, but those assumptions have made a nuclear conflict far more likely, professor and historian Phillips P. O’Brien argues.
Why a substantive and verifiable no-first-use treaty for nuclear weapons is possible By Li Bin Successive US administrations have failed to formally adopt a “sole-purpose” nuclear policy, nor have they responded positively to China’s no-first-use proposals. Chinese professor and expert Li Bin explains the many benefits of a no-first-use policy and why the next US administration should respond positively to China’s invitation to negotiate a no-first-use treaty on nuclear weapons.
The fallout never ended By Robert Alvarez Decades of nuclear weapons tests and other radioactive experiments injured or killed scientists, soldiers, and innocent bystanders. Many of them, and their relatives, have never been compensated, but new efforts may change that. In this special report, former Senate staffer and expert on the US nuclear program Robert Alvarez looks back at its harmful effects, and how the government addressed them—or didn’t.
AI goes nuclear By Dawn Stover Big tech is turning to old reactors (and planning new ones) to power the energy-hungry data centers that artificial intelligence systems need. In this feature article, Bulletin’s contributing editor Dawn Stover explains how the downsides of nuclear power—including the potential for nuclear weapons proliferation—have been minimized or simply ignored.
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ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO LLAW’a ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:“
(Please note that the Sunday and Saturday NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS are also added below by category, following Monday’s news posts in order to maintain continuity of nuclear news as well as for research for the overall information provided in “LLAW;s All Things Nuclear”.)
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:
All Things Nuclear
Nuclear Power
Nuclear Power Emergencies
Nuclear War
Nuclear War Threats
Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are three Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in today’s Post.)
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.
“So as long as we are investing in something that is pollution intensive, innocent people suffer every time. And those people pay taxes too,” Cywinski ..
Some 1,152 went to the second stage “to evaluate possible threats” and six of these went to the third and final state of threat assessment. After the …
The Yellowstone Caldera is a large crater located in the western-central portion of Yellowstone National Park in northwestern Wyoming. The park …
IAEA Weekly News
3 January 2025
Kick off the new year with a roundup of this week’s highlights! Read the top news and stories published on IAEA.org and stay updated on the latest developments shaping the year ahead.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is assessing observations and information collected from its recent missions to Ukraine’s electrical substations, conducted in the aftermath of attacks on the nation’s energy infrastructure, as part of the Agency’s ongoing commitment to monitoring nuclear safety and security, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said today. Read more →
The IAEA and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations support countries in using nuclear techniques to ensure coffee quality and authenticity. Read more →
