French nuclear group Areva said Thursday that one person was killed and 14 wounded in a car bomb attack at its uranium mine in northern Niger, without disclosing their nationalities.

Areva said in a statement that the wounded were being treated at a local hospital following the attack, one of two car bombings in Niger Thursday claimed by an Islamist extremist group as revenge for the country’s involvement in a French-led military offensive against Al-Qaeda-linked groups in neighbouring Mali.

In an earlier statement Areva had said 13 of its employees, all from Niger, had been wounded.

Niger’s Interior Minister Abdou Labo had said that around 50 people were wounded at the site, almost of them security agents.

Areva, the world’s second-largest uranium producer, extracts more than a third of its uranium in the impoverished west African country.

Continue reading at One dead, 14 wounded in Niger uranium mine bombing: Areva

Related article:

• Islamists hit Niger army base, uranium mine via the australian.com

西アフリカのニジェール北部で２３日、仏原子力大手アレバが運営するウラン鉱山施設とニジェール軍兵舎を狙った連続自爆テロがあり、ロイター通信に よると少なくとも兵士ら２０人が死亡、数十人が負傷した。フランス通信（ＡＦＰ）は、隣国マリを拠点とする国際テロ組織アルカーイダ系武装勢力「西アフリ カの唯一神と聖戦運動（ＭＵＪＡＯ）」が犯行を認めたと伝えた。

ＭＵＪＡＯは、今年１月にフランスが軍事介入したマリ北部を支配していた勢力の一つ。今回のテロは、フランスと、その軍事介入に協力してマリに部隊を派遣しているニジェール政府に対する報復とみられる。

北部最大の町アガデスの兵舎では、自動車爆弾による自爆テロに続いて武装勢力と軍部隊の銃撃戦が発生、実行犯の一人が士官ら数人を人質にして立てこもっ た。ウラン鉱山やウラン処理施設などがあるアーリットでも自動車爆弾を使った自爆テロでアレバのスタッフら１４人が負傷した。この攻撃でウラン生産設備の 一部が損傷したという。

続きはウラン施設に自爆テロ　ニジェールで報復か

（抜粋）

大前提として、原子力規制委員会が「活断層と認めるか否か」を再稼働の基準にしているのは、完全に的外れです。過去に起きた大地震のほぼ半分は、表出し ている活断層ではなく、「未知の断層」が動いている。これは地震学の常識です。活断層があれば論外ですが、活断層がなければ地震が起こらないなんて、地震 学のどこにも書かれていない。

それを前提としても、敦賀原発の次に廃炉にすべきなのは、愛媛県の伊方（いかた）原発（四国電力）です。 ここは、南海トラフ地震による甚大な津波被害が想定されるうえに、日本列島を形成する過程で生まれた最大の活断層「中央構造線」のほぼ真上にある原発なの です。南海トラフと連動して中央構造線も周期的に動いており、いまは「ひずみ」がたまった危機なのです。この活断層が動いたら直下なので、ひとたまりもあ りません。

瀬戸内海に津波が入ってきたら、津波からの逃げ場もない。江戸時代に起こった宝永地震では瀬戸内海に津波が押し寄せ、死者は 2万人に及びました。現在の人口なら、被害者は10万人以上でしょう。伊方原発は、次の再稼働候補のトップになっていますが、ただちに廃炉にすべきです。

もちろん、これ以外の原発も同様に廃炉にすべきです。日本列島にある断層はすべて活断層であり、原発を立地して安全な場所など、どこにもないのです。

全文は広瀬隆が提言「敦賀の次に廃炉にすべき原発は…」

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) has completed a ground-breaking study on populations living near Ontario’s three nuclear power plants (NPPs). The most important finding of this study is no evidence of childhood leukemia clusters in the communities within 25 km of the Pickering, Darlington and Bruce NPPs.

The Radiation and Incidence of Cancer around Ontario Nuclear Power Plants from 1990 to 2008 study (the RADICON study) estimated radiation doses to members of the public living within 25 km of the three NPPs and compared cancer cases among these people with the general population of Ontario. The study was conducted using data from the Canadian and Ontario Cancer Registries and the Census of Canada.

“This is an important study,” said CNSC President Dr. Michael Binder. “We often hear concerns from the public about a possible link between childhood leukemia and radiation from nuclear power plants. We now have Canadian data to reassure them with science-based and conclusive evidence that children living nearby are as healthy as children living elsewhere in Ontario.”

Overall, the study found that all cancers are well within the natural variation of the disease and there is no consistent pattern across the three facilities studied. When looking at all age groups, some cancers were higher than expected and some cancers were lower than expected. The most likely causes of cancer in the communities are a number of known health risk factors.

“Sixty percent of all cancers in Ontario are due to smoking, obesity, poor diet and physical inactivity,” said Rachel Lane, epidemiologist and lead researcher on the RADICON study. “Other studies have found that these health risk factors explain the pattern of cancers in Ontario communities. These health risk factors are the most plausible cause of cancer – not radiation.”

Continue reading at No Childhood Leukemia Found Near Ontario Nuclear Power Plants

(Reuters) – Chancellor Angela Merkel appointed him for his charm and political skill as marshal of her vision of a ‘green revolution’ in Europe’s biggest power market. A year on, Peter Altmaier finds himself spurned by many environmentalists, disdained by industry and viewed cooly by a public wary of the costs.

Now, the chancellor herself seems to be turning her back on him, an increasingly isolated figure, as September polls near.

Merkel’s ambitious goal of weaning Germany off fossil fuels and phasing out nuclear power is widely viewed as her most significant domestic policy. Implementation is a mammoth task and means taking decisions unpopular either with Germany’s powerful industry or its strong green lobby.

Altmaier, who had impressed Merkel in quashing turmoil in her conservative party over euro zone bailouts, has become a lightning rod for dissatisfaction over the costs of an energy policy long central to her domestic agenda.

Merkel has maintained a high personal popularity rating, far higher than her party’s, and kept the peace in her centre-right coalition; but in so doing she has made his job harder, staying silent on some of his more controversial, but much-needed ideas such as reining in subsidies for renewables.

“He’s been remarkably active and good at focusing on the message but he’s had difficulty building the bridges he wanted to. Not everybody is behind Peter Altmaier,” said Miranda Schreurs, member of a government environment advisory panel.

Continue reading at Merkel protege struggles with Germany’s green revolution

An energy policy veteran, Ernest Moniz, was sworn in May 21 as the 13th secretary of energy.

“I am thrilled to be back at DOE,” Moniz told a Department of Energy (DOE) employee gathering moments after being sworn in by Deputy Energy Secretary Daniel Poneman.

“He [Moniz] understands human nature and is able to bring out the best in people,” Poneman said. The fact that Moniz passed the Senate without any opposing votes is evidence of that, Poneman said.

DOE is a department that covers everything from windmills to nuclear weapons, Moniz said. He added that he looked forward to building upon former secretary Steven Chu’s work on “the clean energy and climate agenda.”

Secretary Moniz had a first day at the DOE helm that included briefings today by the National Nuclear Security Administration, as well as the department’s Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence.

Moniz, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor, was confirmed to head DOE on a 97-0 vote by the U.S. Senate May 16.

[...]

In addition to being a frequent government policy advisor, Moniz has been a faculty member at MIT since 1973.

At MIT, he headed the Department of Physics and the Bates Linear Accelerator Center.  Most recently, Dr. Moniz served as the founding Director of the MIT Energy Initiative and of the MIT Laboratory for Energy and the Environment and was a leader of multidisciplinary technology and policy studies on the future of nuclear power, coal, nuclear fuel cycles, natural gas, and solar energy in a low-carbon world.

Continue reading at  Moniz sworn in as secretary of DOE

東京電力福島第１原発の廃炉作業が妥当かを検証していた国際原子力機関（ＩＡＥＡ）は２３日、日本政府と東電への１７の助言を盛り込んだ報告書を経済産業省に提出した。政府が６月に公表する廃炉完了の前倒しを盛り込む新たな工程表に反映される。

（略）

報告書に盛り込まれた助言は、▽廃炉計画を進める準備として地域社会や環境への影響の説明が必要▽トラブルに備えるため仮設設備を恒久設備に変更する▽増え続ける放射性物質を含む汚染水の包括的な管理計画の策定−−など

全文は ＩＡＥＡ:日本政府と東電へ１７の助言　報告書提出

小出裕章さん（京都大学原子炉実験所）語録

原発事故は、収束にほど遠い

米国で起きたスリーマイル島事故では、炉心の半分が溶け、圧力容器の底に溜まった燃料を取り出すまでに11年もかかりました。福島第一原発の溶けた燃料は、圧力容器も溶かし、格納容器にまで落下したとみられています。

そうなると燃料の回収作業は絶対できません。東電も政府も、どうしていいか？実はわからないのです。

（略）

放射能汚染と向き合うしかない

チェルノブイリ事故の基準を適用すれば、強制的に避難させられている地域が琵琶湖の２倍になります。ここでは農業もできません。

ところが、緊急時避難準備区域、放射線管理区域にしないといけないところで、農業が続けられています。農産物は放射能に汚染されていますが、農業者が、そこに踏みとどまり、被曝してでも農業を維持するなら、消費者は彼らを支えないといけません。

東電が買い取るということになっても、その作物は捨てられます。誇りをもって農業をやっている農家は、捨てるものを作るでしょうか。第１次産業を守っていくためには、消費者が受け入れるしかないのです。

誰だって放射能は食べたくありません。でも、安全な食べ物は日本にはもうないという認識が必要です。私たちは、否応なく、汚染された食べ物に向き合うしかないのです。

全文は溶け落ちた燃料の回収は絶対できない

While a deal between the government and EDF over a pricing structure for nuclear-generated power remains elusive, the minister in charge has today reaffirmed his commitment to a major nuclear construction programme.

French company EDF is all ready to start construction at Hinkley Point C in Somerset but has been unable to agree a crucial ‘contract for difference’ with the government. Without this, EDF does not know if its business case stands up and so everything has been put on hold and staff have been laid off.

However, Michael Fallon, the minister responsible for both energy and construction, has said that the government remains “firmly committed to ensuring that new nuclear goes ahead in this country”.

And if a deal cannot be done with the French, then there is always the Japanese.

Mr Fallon is meeting today with executives from Hitachi and Horizon, who are planning to invest £20bn in new nuclear plants at Wylfa in Anglesey and Oldbury in Gloucestershire. Hitachi stepped in last year to rescue the Horizon nuclear project after German firms RWE and E.ON backed out in the wake of the Fukushima disaster in Japan.

Hitachi plans to build two or three reactors at each site with the first station in Wylfa coming online in the first half of the 2020s. Some 6,000 jobs are expected to be created during construction.

Continue reading at [UK] Government reaffirms nuclear commitment

[...]

Construction jobs are already plentiful in the area due to rebuilding of tsunami ravaged towns and cities. Other public works spending planned by the government, under the “Abenomics” stimulus programs of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, is likely to make well-paying construction jobs more abundant. And less risky, better paid decontamination projects in the region irradiated by the Fukushima meltdown are another draw.

Some Fukushima veterans are quitting as their cumulative radiation exposure approaches levels risky to health, said two long-time Fukushima nuclear workers who spoke to The Associated Press. They requested anonymity because their speaking to the media is a breach of their employers’ policy and they say being publicly identified will get them fired.

TEPCO spokesman Ryo Shimizu denied any shortage of workers, and said the decommissioning is progressing fine.

“We have been able to acquire workers, and there is no shortage. We plan to add workers as needed,” he said.

The discrepancy may stem from the system of contracting prevalent in Japan’s nuclear industry. Plant operators farm out the running of their facilities to contractors, who in turn find the workers, and also rely on lower-level contractors to do some of their work, resulting in as many as five layers of contractors. Utilities such as TEPCO know the final headcount – 3,000 people now at Fukushima Dai-ichi – but not the difficulties in meeting it.

Read more at Stricken Japan nuke plant struggles to keep staff